Against the Fallen

by Devin Lee Carlson

  Alone and lesson free, Ariane wanted to morph into a JoJo once more, this time as a male, so she could fly around her room and maybe outside the window. A mischievous thought entered her mind: Brian feared giant spiders—JoJos. Her laughter added music to the wind chimes. In place of her feminine form, a spider crawled from the discarded robe. She or really a he, focused on the wings. A vibrating sensation lifted her off the floor and before she could control her speed she smacked into the wall. “Ouch,” she cried and laughed. Ouch was the first word Sam had ever spoken to her.

  To grow accustomed to the new ability, Ariane flew around the room like a drone on low batteries. Ascending, she yelped in spider version when she stopped short, barely missing a Teacher. Ariane plopped to the floor, transformed immediately, and grabbed her robe. “I’m so sorry.”

  “For what?” The Teacher whispered inside her mind. “For doing what comes natural?”

  Ariane joined in on the telepathic conversation. “I thought the Teachers forbade me from using my gifts.”

  “Yes, at first. But you have transcended from your inhibitions and unawareness. As a final test, we arranged the introduction between you and Sam, who taught you more in weeks compared to ten years of teachings. This was our plan from the start. You are ready to go home, but you must remember not to speak freely of our world.”

  “I understand.” So, Sam was her final test and she passed with flying colors, including red. “May I see Sam before I leave?”

  “Of course, my child, we would expect nothing less.” The Teacher hovered in place as it drifted toward the door. “Be sure to wish Sam farewell by the end of this day. He is leaving tomorrow. I will call on Athorsis for your departure as well.” The Teacher passed through the door without opening it.

  Athorsis. The name made her stomach lurch, a sensation not felt since she left the estate in the archangel’s arms. The certain dread of returning home, of seeing family made her reel. For them, only a matter of days had passed, for her a little over ten years. She sat on the bed and let the tears flow. Never dared believe she would miss this place.

  Later that evening, Ariane ventured out into the main garden. Stars sprinkled across the night sky. Unlike Earth’s planetarium view, these stars sparkled in an array of colors: from yellow, turquoise, emerald, and lavender. One lone star, larger than the rest, shone a brilliant scarlet. Odd, how she never noticed it before. A going away present? No artificial lights lit the garden. The stars and two forever-full moons exceeded the need. She paused to study the sky, thankful to regain her old sense of humor. “Sam? Not as easy to spot you at night.” Something nudged her bare feet.

  Beneath her, Sam glowed a bright amber, a hue he enjoyed recreating from her eye color. He crawled up onto the bench.

  “I almost stepped on you.” Ariane sat on her side and placed both hands on her lap to avoid touching him just yet. “So, this is good-bye. I have no idea where you live, and even if I did, Brian couldn’t take me there. The Malakhim forbid portal travel.” Her throat tightened, and she swallowed hard to rid herself of the offensive emotion. Instead, her wide smile displayed white teeth. Sabree’s Cheshire cat-like smile came to mind. Joy replaced sorrow if only for a moment.

  “Not good-bye,” Sam said, trying to mirror her smile minus the white teeth, “Farewell.” The row of tiny fangs glistened like yellow diamonds.

  Laughter breached the silence. No bird song played at night. “I never saw you smile before. Even your teeth glow like your body.” Ariane reached for his front appendage, brushing her fingertips across the plush fur. “You take care then.” She sniffled. “The pollen at night seems heavier.”

  Sam chuckled this time. “I agree. Makes eyes wet.”

  “I’m thrilled that you get to return home tomorrow to your family. Did the Teachers tell you why?”

  “Yes.” Sam gently poked her hand. “No regrets. Glad to help. The prize? A friend forever. Sorry millions of stars. Worlds come between us. Not forget you. Ariane.” He rubbed his front appendages together, creating a clicking sound. “Gift to give you.” A small spot about the size of a dime vibrated until it fell onto the bench pad. Like him it glowed a bright amber. “Put spot where you like. You remember our time.”

  The moisture under her lids increased. She wiped both eyes before her friend took notice, not that she had displayed this emotion before. “It won’t fall off?”

  “Permanent. You wish. Not accept?”

  Ariane picked up the spot between her thumb and index finger and raised it to eye level. Before Sam changed his mind, she slapped it on the back of her neck. Her skin tingled for a few seconds. “I will be honored to wear your spot, Sam. It’s a lovely gesture.” She pulled up her hair, so he could have a look. “What color is it?”

  “Red.” Sam clicked the usual chuckle.

  Feminine laughter that mimicked hiccups followed. She leaned over and asked, “Can I give you a gift? It’s not as permanent, but one I hope you will remember forever. A human custom.” Recognizing his manner of anticipated excitement, Ariane bent down and kissed the top of his head.

  “Farewell, Sam I Am.” Although his red spots were hidden, burned to memory, she poked the largest one on top. Her vision blurred as he scurried toward the dorm. The amber glow dimmed along with her sorrow. “You will always be in my heart.” This she knew for sure.

  The world she dubbed as Harmonyville began to fade. Afterward, the two moons and the stars dimmed. Last of all, some of the calmness and harmony faded too. Once again, Athorsis’s arms enveloped her. Ariane fainted.

  41

  THE A-FACTOR

  A long with a dozen other promises, I vowed to make sure my sister fared well in Athorsis’s care. Three years had elapsed, and for the past six months, we received no messages. Although the archangel promised to help her, doubt shrouded my faith in him. Seemed odd how his intentions shifted from malicious bully to doting parent.

  The dubious archangel in some angelic way had fathered us, the DNA combined with Turian and Julia. Yet, every time we ran into each other, our reunion turned ugly. Hatred burned in those fiery eyes. My abusive father threw boulders or lightning bolts at me. Maybe as vengeance, Athorsis plotted to twist Ariane’s mind to despise me forever. Master the damage the insects had already done. Only one thing saved us.

  The enigmatic A-factor, A for Athorsis’s genes and antimatter, must have instigated the archangel’s pissy moods. The almighty archangel never imagined the antimatter in Turian would combine with his own special ingredient and—viola, me and my sister. However, most of the A-factor had been passed on to me.

  The contrasting differences between Ariane and me originated from the A-factor. The ability to travel the portal and time without the amulet triumphed overall. Ariane could not sprout wings or enter the portal without an amulet of her own. Time travel eluded her, and the extent of her immortality remained a mystery. When the Malakhim exiled the Fallen, they removed their wings so they couldn’t enter the portal. Neither the Malakhim nor the Fallen could time travel unless Athorsis possessed them.

  The power to disintegrate a third of the Malakhim population by mere thought alone disturbed me to this day. Such unfathomable power unleashed could easily corrupt an unguarded soul. I didn’t need six telepathic minds to join my own. Swap places and seven of the Fallen could not destroy me. Not even a hundred. What about Ariane? To my knowledge, she had never tried.

  A power far beyond my reach was the ability to follow Athorsis into his realm. The place untouched by Malakhim had yet to reveal itself. So, overall, the A-factor had to be more relevant to the archangel’s power.

  Enough brooding, eager to hear about my sister’s progress, I ground my sneakers into the moss as I stood dead center in the maze—the epicenter. The exact spot where my sister and I last met Athorsis. The day the thieving archangel whisked her away. I doubted Athorsis would show, doubted he’d listen, but saw no reason not to make an effort.

  My eyes shut, my thoughts focused on his name. �
��Athorsis. I demand you come at once.”

  Aye, probably not too smart to order high-and-mighty Pop around, but desperation spurred rashness. I glanced around for the telltale signs: oily sludge, boulders, flaming arrows, that atrocious stench. Instead, a slight breeze caressed me, whisking a few leaves across my shoes. I closed my eyes again to focus.

  “Sleeping on the job?” Sabree stepped out from behind the outer hedge. “Ariane had better return soon. The Caderen demands she stand trial.”

  “For what? They have no right to force that on her, not without going through me. Who put Cayiel in charge?”

  “You did,” he answered matter-of-factly. “In your absence.”

  “Bugger, I did.” What Cayiel asked for didn’t matter. I wouldn’t let her face any of them. Put myself in her place instead.

  Sabree picked up a torn branch and yelped when I slapped it from his hand. “What’s your problem?”

  “I’m trying to contact Athorsis.” Sticking out my tongue, I tossed the branch behind me “You’re a distraction.” The kids rubbed off on my behavior.

  “Archangels do not answer to the Malakhim.”

  “I’m his effing son. I say he has no choice.”

  “Tsk, tsk,” Sabree said, shaking his head. “Athorsis will return her when she’s ready. She more than anyone, wants to heal. This I do know.” He picked up the discarded branch and walked toward the garden exit.

  His snarky attitude didn’t fly well with me. One minute, Sabree was up my ass about getting her back, the next it seemed he had abandoned all hope. Make up your mind. “Can’t say I didn’t try.” He turned and flipped me the bird on the way back to the mansion. I paused at the garden gateway when Sabree stopped short and almost tripped. A black oily blob blocked our way, swelling until its expanse surrounded us. “Athorsis?”

  “Merde.” Sabree backed up until he stepped on my sneaker. “Maybe he’s bringing Ariane back.” His twirling ring revealed that he feared otherwise, the grand entrance uglier this time.

  Intuitive as ever, Sabree made me consider the same. Had Athorsis heard the urgency of my call and answered? The black goo leached from the ground next, oozing toward our feet. At the rate it spread, the nasty sludge would bathe the entire garden in minutes. Melted tar stung my nostrils.

  Before the ooze engulfed us in murkiness, I yanked Sabree back. “Aye, here we go again. Boulders, sulfur, tar, why not sandy beaches and cool surf for a change.” Holding onto Sabree, I squeezed my eyes shut. The day’s adventure had just begun.

  Splashes of warm water lapped our jeans when we materialized on a vast sea-green world. Miles and miles of emerald ocean stretched to the horizon, the cobalt hue contrasting the 360-degree-domed aqua skyline. From as far as the eye could see, the depth measured two-feet shallow, the waters clear enough to show off its sandy bottom. My gaze followed Sabree’s hand when he gasped and pointed skyward. The full moon, three times the size of Earth’s sun, loomed overhead. I might have touched it if all four wings bloomed and flew me high enough to reach.

  “Ahem.”

  “Sorry,” I said, releasing my hold. “Looks like Athorsis listened for once.”

  “Listened to what?”

  “Bloody hell.” I rolled my eyes. The pesky archangel must’ve read my thoughts the second he whisked us away. “I envisioned sandy beaches just as the oil lathered our shoes. Pretty sure I didn’t JLS us here. You’re not throwing up.”

  My hand slapped the surface to emphasize my point. Water splashed all over us. I licked my lips and tasted sweet not salty. “We’re here because of me. I’ve done this before—thought of an alternate destination that diverted me from the Dark One’s throat, and now us from Athorsis’s oily muck.”

  “Couldn’t you settle on Belize? You know, like somewhere on Earth?”

  Sabree’s frustration originated from his fear of the unknown and not my choice of destination. “I wonder if the entire planet is glazed in two feet of delectable sweetness.”

  Releasing an exasperated sigh, Sabree asked, “Did you bring any Colton tablets?”

  His reason for asking about them didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Abandoned on K2 still racked my nerves, never mind his own. The two of us traipsing on a planet of ocean for days could get tiresome. My hand patted the belt pouch and squeezed the contents inside. “I always carry at least a dozen secured inside a water-tight bag. Munched on a few minutes before I sent a shout out for Athorsis.”

  “Good thing. Swallow a few more and JLS us home. I don’t want to be here when Athorsis comes a looking.” His eyes scanned the sky.

  Heat radiated across my forehead. I managed to save Sabree from the oily sludge, and all he could do was whine about going home. “We lucked out. The last time Athorsis shanghaied our asses, he shot boulders at us. If I hadn’t intervened this time, you’d be vomiting and pissing sludge for weeks.”

  Sabree’s eyes formed slits. Then he glanced around before his gaze settled on me. “Strange, beautiful places like this mean trouble. Makes me nervous.”

  “Agreed.” I had seen one too many movies that boasted too-good-to-be-true scenes such as this one. Paradise. Shangri-La. At least the boulders spoke the truth. “Grab my arm and we’ll—”

  Too late.

  A blinding ball of radiation dropped from the sky. The heat charred our clothing and boiled the ocean into a sugary sludge that drew back until it formed a six-foot barrier, preventing outside water from seeping into the space that encircled us.

  “Why do you insist on meeting me on worlds where my mere presence blinds and burns?”

  “Not fond of oily sludge,” I yelled above the crackling. Hot enough to vitrify sand, but not combust us into ash, something had to be shielding our bodies. The A-factor? I yelped and slapped my front pocket. The radiant heat melted the plastic pouch. The breeze caused by Athorsis’s radiance carried the smoldering flakes from my charred jeans downwind.

  The sensation that I was alone made me glance to the left. Sabree had gone missing. I whirled around until I spotted him in the distance splashing in the water, apparently cooling himself off. I shielded both eyes when my gaze shot back to Athorsis. “Can you turn down the heat?”

  “I forget. Pardon.” A cool blueness enveloped the Lighted One like a snow globe. Glitter-like snow floated within the shield. The protective shell reminded me of White Ghost’s prison. Like the heat shield, a chill cloaked me as Sabree approached from behind, probably curious about Ariane’s progress. I inquired, “Where’s Ariane? Are you helping her?”

  “Or torturing her?” Sabree asked, embellishing my query.

  “I delivered her to someone who could soothe her tortured mind, which wandered hopelessly as if seeking intelligent insect worlds over yours.”

  “That’s a lie,” Sabree cried, pushing in front of me. Courage replaced timidity.

  Athorsis chortled in response; the force of his gaiety knocked Sabree flat on his ass onto the sticky sweetness. “So, I exaggerated a bit. But her mind slipped into dangerous realms.” Fiery eyes glared at me next. “Her mind welcomed the insanity you fought against. Enough talk. I cannot explain the complexity of the insect kingdom to even smaller minds.”

  For once, I agreed with Athorsis, unable to imagine the insect world that contaminated her humanity. Why morph into a bug to begin with? She used to turn into a flying insect to enter the privately-owned laboratories to conduct her research. Then the ants. The reason she trespassed to create the Colton tablets was my fault—the entire mess my fault.

  “Where is she?” Sabree chimed in louder. “Tibetan monks?”

  “On a world similar to Earth, but dimensions beyond, in the care of scholars who are light-years ahead of your Tibetan monks. They will repair her tortured soul.”

  Uneasy with the way Sabree made demands, I shoved him back and stepped forward in his place. The questions should be coming from me, not him. “Why are you helping her?”

  “I have my reasons, reasons off limits to you and
her pathetic suitor.” Athorsis glared at Sabree. “You turned to Brian when she needed you most. Tsk, tsk, good thing you don’t belong to the Malakhim whom I summon. I’d squash you like an insect.” Athorsis laughed again; the thunder in his voice almost knocked Sabree off his feet a second time.

  Sabree pushed by me. “For God’s sake, she tried to imprison Brian and his son with an immobilizing stone. We had no idea what was going on inside her head.”

  Things had gotten out of hand. Sabree kept hijacking the podium. This time I squeezed his arm to make my seriousness known. “Sabree speaks the truth. Don’t blame him, blame me. If you don’t have any news on her progress, then let us go.”

  “Ariane sends her love. Under the Teachers’ care for ten years, she will return soon. I will deliver her to your present time so nothing will be lost.” One hand reached out to grasp me by the throat while the other swiped Sabree off his feet. “Never ask a favor unless you wish to pay the exorbitant price.”

  And pay I would no matter the cost, especially if the favor helped my friends. I switched to telepathy, directing my questions to Athorsis only. “How can I find you?” Laughter roared between my ears. Sabree heard it too as his body twitched.

  “You can’t. Don’t even dare. I will tell you this: all dimensions and time occurrences exist as one. Your meddlesome antics of altering time brings you that much closer to my realm, which is why the Malakhim warned you to cease. And cease you shall, or I will be forced to imprison you inside a Dark One.” Athorsis swung his arm as though exasperated. “Nonetheless, you shall not summon me again. If I choose to do so, I will appear before you even think my name.” He released my neck. A flick of his other hand sent the world into disorder as if a digital image pixelated into blurred chaos.

  Sabree and I reappeared outside the garden gate. Shrubs replaced the ocean and a cloud-covered sun beamed down on us instead of a giant moon. Our world returned to normal, we relaxed. Sabree cursed under his breath about the condition of his clothing while I stooped over to brush away the charred ashes clinging to my bare legs.