by Lynn Landes
Spreading their arms, they refocus it on to the angels flying and fighting around them. Great blasts of blood red light explode outward striking their targets with horrifying detonations as they are vaporized. A wail from heaven can be heard as their souls return home, burned and broken.
“Ahhh, yes taste the fear sons!” The Mocker laughs and looks down at the boy in front of him. “Your keeper is dead, this battle is mine! Kill them all!” he screams.
He points at the orb and sends a blast of energy towards it, imploding it and sending fragments of light outward in the aftermath of its destruction.
Inside the Ketuwah, Malach is holding onto Elina’s hand as the soothing fire flows over his body like water, healing all wounds. Trembling with the aftershocks of the pain and Elina’s death, he looks up and his tear soaked face watches in awe as her body is surrounded in a healing sphere. She is curled up floating inside the orb, much like an infant in its mother’s womb. Malach stumbles to his knees, afraid to hope.
The orb spins slowly and begins to glow.
“Well done, Malach. You have protected the keeper and passed the test given to you. But I am afraid I have more to ask of you.”
“I am your servant, my King.” Malach says, bowing to the voice of his creator.
“Very good. You see, Elina’s task is not yet complete. She has more to do and she will need an angel to guide her and teach her yet again.”
The orb glows brighter and Malach is forced to shield his eyes against the brilliance. “Are you this Angel, Malach?”
Malach hangs his head and says in shame, “My King. I am afraid I will jeopardize both of our souls and break the covenant. I love her, Father, too much to risk damning her.”
“Good answer.”
Malach’s wings reform in an instant, strong, beautiful and whole.
The orb flashes silver and explodes outward, sending pearlescent dust everywhere. Elina floats gently to the ground covered in the glistening dust. As it settles she struggles to stand.
Malach watches in awe.
She stands slowly wearing a beautiful silky white robe. She is healed and her turquoise eyes glimmer with unshed tears. Elina gives a shake of her shoulders and her wings unfurl. Large, silky, silvery wings, shimmering with the dust of heaven. With a laugh of delight, she spins and the tips of her feathered wings brush his cheek, jarring him from his stupor.
“Elina!” he whispers.
“I love all that I create, my son. You may be a Fist of God, but that simply makes you an extension of me. Your joy is my joy, just as my strength is yours.” The Lord speaks to him of forgiveness and compassion, of understanding and hope. He offers him this one chance to seize his destiny.
Turquoise eyes meet his and she asks, “Will you be my teacher once more, Malach?” She holds out a hand to him with all of the hope of heaven in the question.
He takes a step towards her and eternity holds its breath, “I will not be your teacher again, Elina.”
Her wings droop, touching the ground as her disappointment floods through her body.
“I would rather be your partner, companion, and husband. Will you spend eternity with me, Elina?”
Her smile erupts and she steps towards him.
“I always have been, Malach. I want to be your partner, lover and wife, forever! Help me keep the Covenant?”
He takes the final step towards her and they stand wingtip to wingtip, breath to breath and heart to heart.
Elina touches his face and for the first time she does not feel ashamed. “I love you, Malach,” she says and a single teardrop slips free.
Malach leans forward and catches her tear with his fingertip, “I love you, Elina.”
With that, he leans forward and kisses her and all the Angels erupt in cheers! They are the first mated pair of Archangels and the love they share is felt by all of Heaven.
A man takes shape in the light and steps forward, clearing his voice. “Elina?”
They step apart and Elina turns to see her father. In his arms he holds a large book. He smiles at her when she says, “Papi?”
“We are so proud of you daughter, but your task is not yet complete. This is the Book of Watchers, you have done well, but I am afraid more is asked. Give this to Alex, and help him cast the Mocker to hell until the end of times.”
She nods in understanding and looks back at Malach.
“I have a plan, but I will need your help.”
Malach holds a hand out and accepts the book before turning to her. “Are you ready to fly, Elina?” He projects to her mind all the knowledge he has of flying. From his first lesson to his last.
Her face lights with excitement, “Oh yeah!” She extends her wings and they step away as the Ketuwah opens.
Chapter 35
Makaio holds Loe’s lifeless body in his arms and fights to keep the demons from claiming their prize. Alex stumbles to his knees after all of his power is spent. Absorbed by the globe, it slowly fades until it disappears from sight.
Countless angels are destroyed after their ruined bodies can no longer contain the holy spirits. The six archangels of the Fist are spared. The blessed armor encasing their bodies deflect the sons attack in a showering display of sparks, leaving behind only discolored and blackened reminders.
The angels stand fast fighting back the ever-closing circle of darkness, protecting the light and the remaining keepers. Some angels dive from the sky, firing at the demons with arrows, swords and holy fire helping to hold the horde at bay. Dying shrieks of the damned fill the air as the rush of wings pass overhead.
Jake reloads his pistol with the last clip from his belt. The earth shakes with the fury of battle around him. He searches through the smoke and debris filled air looking for the Mocker and his sons. The need for vengeance is running hot in his chest.
A quick scan shows them to be holding back behind the main line of fighting. They are allowing the lesser devils to do the heavy work of breaking the archangel’s defenses. A push from behind has Jake snapping around with his pistol aimed straight into Alex’s face.
“Damn boy, I nearly took your head off! Be more careful!” he snaps as he scans past Alex looking to see if anything has broken through their lines.
“Sorry, Jake. I am still getting my legs under me. Those fireworks took a lot out of me.”
A sudden arc of black lightening has both of them diving backwards to the ground, barely escaping its path. The hair on Jake’s body stands up from the power of the charge as it passes.
“Alex, grab Makaio. We need to get clear of these damn demons. There is no room to fight here and they have us pinned. We can’t do anything but stay under cover, and pick off what we can!”
“Ok. Jake, I can get to him, but where is Simeon? I though he was supposed to help? The Arch’s are being overrun!”
Jake doesn’t need to look for the angels to see that Alex is right. “All we can do is hold our ground and pray for backup, Alex. Makaio needs us, now move!” he says shoving Alex.
Alex sprints to the cover where Makaio has pulled his son’s body. A flash of lightning and thunder booms across the valley, as Jake watches Uriel wielding the Sword of Justice against a wall of demons working to drive him to the ground with their numbers. Uriel swings the huge sword in great arcs lopping off heads and cleaving bodies in two.
“Uriel,” Jake calls, “We need to move to higher ground before they overrun us.”
“Patience, Keeper. We need to hold them here. Help is coming!” he responds.
“What do you mean help? I don’t see any help! Most of our help was burned to a crisp in the last attack!”
“Jake, Have Faith in our Lord.”
Jake shakes his head at the angel and mutters a quick prayer for strength. He knows they will need it in the coming trials, and jumps from his cover, running to help Alex and Makaio. He fires the last of his shells at the demons fighting through the line of Angels behind them.
Wet thuds and screams tell him he hit the ma
rk as some of the group fall over. The rest duck behind tree stumps not wanting to meet the same end. Sliding to a stop he holsters his pistol and draws his fighting knife in the same motion. A thought and his blade begins to glow white. “I guess this is going to get messy now.”
He looks over at Alex and Makaio, “We need to move further towards the center. The line will not hold much longer, already the edges are collapsing in on themselves. We have to get to better cover! Uriel says help is…”
A vibration through the soles of Jake’s boots has his voice fading. Jake feels a rumble and it vibrates up his legs and into his body. In the distance a low boom fills the air and a bright flash, followed quickly by more cyan blue light.
It arcs in the distance behind the tree line and in the foothills surrounding the newly flattened village. They can hear the demons roaring and screams of pain as each arc tears through the trees cutting the monsters down easily. The smell of ozone, burnt wood and blood permeate the air surrounding them. A hum and a bang has a portal opening up in the center of the defenders circle.
Unsure of what is coming, Jake, Makaio and Alex turn to kill whatever comes out of it. They move to block it as a Lua warrior steps through with his war club raised for battle.
Makaio whoops a cry of joy, “My brother! I see you have come to help me avenge my son” He quickly embraces the man as a group of twenty five more warriors’ step through the portal and it snaps shut as quickly as it appeared.
“We have, my brother. We heard there were heads in need of cracking. An angel opened a gate for us to get here.” His eyes survey the scene, looking at the piles of dead surrounding the group, “Did you leave any for us?”
“Scores of them. There does not seem to be an end to the evil the Mocker has brought to our world.” Makaio replies scanning around the battle lines looking for holes in their defense.
Flashes and screaming fill the battle field and the Mocker watches as his army is beaten back. Portals are opening and keepers rush to fight his army. For the first time, he realizes he might lose. In the air, Angels roar with joy as their brothers bring reinforcements.
“Bring the hostages now!” he roars to his sons. His eyes full of contempt he makes his way to the center where the brother of the keeper fights for his life.
Simeon lands behind Alex and Jake as they fight with the Lua to defend their position. A blast of diamond sharp feathers from his mighty golden wings shreds a few demons the Lua had not defeated.
“You came!” Alex asks breathing hard from the exertion.
“Of course, and I brought reinforcements! All of the Keepers of the world have been summoned. They are porting in groups all around us. That is the lightening you see. They are fighting their way towards us even now.”
They turn staring in awe at the carnage around them.
Marching towards them with death in his eyes is the Mocker. Burnt, bloody, and beaten beyond recognition he steps on the bodies of the dead and his remaining sons each take an arm to begin flying him through the air straight at the group.
The Lua reinforce the small group, Uriel and Simeon flank Jake with Alex. The angels throw up a shield around them.
With a thud the Mocker lands in front of the group and raises his hands as though defeated.
“Brother of the Keeper, you have done well. It is amazing your sister was able to keep you hidden from me all of these years and with good reason. You should consider joining me, Alex, or share her fate!”
“Look around you, Mocker, you are about to be crushed!” Alex yells.
“Stupid boy! Bring them.” He orders. One of the sons steps forward, tossing Varena to the ground in front of the Mocker.
“Alex!” Varena screams, holding a crying baby in her arms.
Jake and Uriel hold Alex back as he screams in terror.
Laughing at their fear the Mocker taunts the group, “Alex, save us!” he says imitating her perfectly. “Oh, I know, How about this? Son, help me!” he begs shifting into the image of Hunter.
Varena shields the baby and shushes her, screaming when one of the demons gets too close to her. The Mocker shifts back to his true form and stabs the demon, kicking the body away from the humans.
“Mine! They are mine!” His eyes shift to Varena’s, “Did you actually think I didn’t know where you were? She is one of the only things my son did right.”
Inside the shield, they all watch as the remaining fallen angel’s line up surrounding the group.
His laughter echoes and he looks at the young boy who is now the Keeper. “Simply give me the pen. The real pen.” He says, waving the fake quill. “I will free Hunter and leave you all in peace.”
“He is the father of lies, Alex.” Uriel reminds him.
“Where is my Father?” Alex demands ignoring the angels around him.
The Mocker points to the sky. Hunter is suspended in the air by two demonic angels. Each angel holds a chain attached to one of Hunter’s wrists. They are pulling enough to make him scream in agony, but not break bones, yet.
“Dad!” Alex yells and glares at the Mocker in front of him. “You shouldn’t have done that, Mocker.” Alex closes his eyes and drops to his knees. The Archangels smile in satisfaction. Alex was raised by more than a human, he was trained by an Arch!
“Father, you said seek and I shall find, knock and it will be opened, I come to you now, hear my cries for help Father. The beast is free and walking on your Earth, help me to send him back to hell!”
The Mocker charges towards Alex only to be blown backwards to the blood soaked ground by a white hot explosion. The angels drop their shield preparing to fight once again.
The Mocker screams in rage sliding backwards across the dirt. Looking up towards the sky where Hunter is being held, he can’t believe his eyes.
Malach and Elina are floating to land with Hunter between them! Elina is an Angel!
The Mocker starts laughing hysterically from the ground before he leaps up to face her once more. He looks at Elina with pure hatred, “I once had lush white wings like yours. How hypocritical of him to deem you worthy of them!”
“It is more than that, Mocker,” Malach says with no pity. “Had you waited for the gifts you longed for and trusted in our Father’s plan perhaps,” he says, lifting Elina’s hand to his lips to press a kiss, “Perhaps you would have been gifted with a wife, and partner, as I have been.”
A collective gasp rumbles around those gathered. Human and angels alike all realize the magnitude of this revelation. Elina steps out and flares her wings, and the moon lights glints off the opalescent feathers as she speaks.
“The Covenant was sealed by the blood of the lamb, and maintained by many others who have given their lives to stop this evil from walking the Earth.”
Malach whispers to his brothers in Heaven and urges the Angels on the ground to get the humans to safety.
Hunter, Varena, and baby Alexandria are reunited, and rush to be with Alex. Makaio and Jake watch over Loe’s body.
Elina builds her power as she speaks.
“You have already tried this, Keeper! It will not work!” the Mocker rages at them. When he tries to move his feet, he finds that they are stuck to the rock underneath him. He can’t escape!
Malach walks to her side gently handing the book to Elina and silence falls once more. Elina runs a hand over the thick brown cover aged by time. The edges of the pages are brittle fragile.
“It is done,” she whispers and Alex steps closer to look at it.
“Do you really believe that book holds all the power, Keepers? How stupid are you? You forget Keeper, about all those who have fallen over the millenniums!” The Mocker screams and the ground rocks with his army of the fallen materializing.
Thousands march in from all sides, surrounding the village. The small group of Keepers look around at the sheer number of the Fallen surrounding them preparing to fight to the end.
Angels who chose to fall to earth, for selfish reasons. All under the control of Mo
cker, they obey him because of the empty promises he has made. The Mocker rips his feet free of the rock holding him to the ground.
“Fallen Angels are warriors forged in the belly of the beast! There is nothing you can do to them that they haven’t already faced. Do you really think one human girl can stop them all?” He laughs stepping forward.
Alex joins Malach and Elina at the front facing the evil approaching them.
Elina smiles and looks at her brother, “Remember, Alex? We are stronger when we are together.”
The keepers who have been fighting their way down the valley arrive and spread out. The hum of their power has the fallen angels salivating for their blood.
A small flash is seen jumping from one keeper to the next, to the next. It circulates slowly at first, gaining speed and power with every keeper that it touches. Faster, it filters through the gathered force. Brighter and brighter it becomes until all of the gathered Keepers glow from within from the power passing through them. The glow illuminates the entire valley in pure white light.
Shock filters across the Mockers face when he realizes what they are doing. He turns and leaps towards Elina only to be blown backwards by Alex. “Not today, demon!”
When the demons and fallen angels try to attack, the swirl of power lashes out and an impenetrable shield forms holding the legions of damned in place. Loud bangs can be heard over the hum of power. Some of the trapped throw themselves at the glowing wall trying to break free, incinerating themselves.
The Keepers fight to hold them contained and the Archangels join their power to the trap.
“Brave, young keeper. Protecting your sister from me! It will take more than the likes of you to stop me!” The Mocker snarls and punches the ground beneath their feet.
The moment his fist strikes the earth red hot heat flashes into the ground and the burned rock begins to crack. He draws on the magma from the depths below pulling it up. From the molten rock he forms a huge mace. The head of which remains molten glowing a deep angry red. As he swings it around his body embers fly off and swirl to the ground.