Daystar

by Darcy Town

  Helion nodded. He steadied his shaking hands. He placed one on her chest, the other to her cheek. He lifted her until she was pressed against him. She sighed into his neck. Helion cemented their connection, joining them. For a moment in time, they were one once more. He felt her acceptance.

  Helion reached through their link and ripped the life from her body. The space around them illuminated and a pillar of light tore through the sky. Belial went limp in his arms, her chin dropped to her chest. Silence fell upon them.

  Helion convulsed as reality sank in. He looked down at her body, there was nothing left of her inside it, her eyes were empty. The darkness beneath her skin coiled and bucked, dying as she did. He held her until the cancer inside faded away.

  Helion pulled his wings back and brushed the hair from her face. He laid her body out on the grass and smoothed out her wings. The darkness left her skin and she looked herself again.

  Andy saw her and howled. The sound dented the earth around him and sent cracks for miles. Whitney let him go and he ran to Helion.

  Helion backed away from her body. He choked on his sobs, turned, and ran blindly to the east.

  Andy fell to his knees and pressed his forehead to Belial’s unmoving chest. He cradled her, struggling to keep her warm even as her skin began to cool.

  Her wings dulled. Her halos were gone. Her eyes were sightless, but the look on her face was serene.

  ***

  Uriel staggered.

  Michael reached for him, but something in Uriel’s gaze made him hesitate. He drew back and watched.

  Uriel clutched at his heart, her heart. He knew. “No.”

  He ran into the throngs of angels. “No. My darling, my precious girl. Where have you gone?” He pulled at angels blindly. “You cannot leave me. You may not go.”

  Tears poured down his face. Uriel scratched at his chest. “Come back, Belial! My beauty, my love, you are mine! You may not go!”

  Michael stared at him in horror.

  Uriel’s face twisted into a mask of madness and rage. “Who has killed you?!”

  ***

  Dahlia’s skin went cold, she gasped. Lucifer lifted his head from her thighs; he caught her expression. He called fire and searched out the area around them, looking for the threat.

  Dahlia touched her chest. “She’s dead.”

  “Who?”

  “Belial.”

  Lucifer curled his arms around Dahlia. “Then we need to go back now.”

  “Why would she be dead?” Dahlia shook her head numbly, not understanding. “Why?”

  Lucifer cradled her. “Helion must have done it in my stead. It is better this way.”

  “What? Done what in your stead?”

  “She made me promise to take her life when we were both restored.”

  “Why?!” Dahlia punched at him. “Why would you make that promise?”

  “It was that or take her life before the war!” Lucifer blinked back tears. “I could not do it then, not after what I had seen. I had hope that I could do something for her. So I made the promise.” Lucifer closed his eyes and the pair teleported back to Earth.

  ***

  Helion ran blindly. He was full of too many things, words, emotions, and too many memories. His mind could not handle it.

  Whitney flew overhead tracking his progress across the plains.

  ***

  Dahlia and Lucifer appeared near Andy. Lucifer sank to his knees and took Belial’s cold hand in his.

  Andy looked up from cradling Belial’s body. His eyes were midnight blue. “Explain this to me so that I might understand.” He wiped tears away as more came. “I do not understand! I do not understand!”

  Lucifer’s jaws clenched. “I—”

  Dahlia ripped open a portal to Hell. “RAPHAEL!”

  Raphael and Selaphiel appeared at the lip of the portal. Raphael cracked a smile, caught Dahlia’s expression, and turned deadly serious. She stepped through onto the earth and looked past her to Andy and Belial. Raphael dropped to the ground and pushed Lucifer out of the way. Raphael spoke softly, “May I have her, Andrealphus?”

  Andy nodded. He passed Belial over and closed his eyes. He turned away and ran, becoming a blur. He fled from the sun into the darkness, towards the west.

  Raphael took Belial and sat on the ground. She ran her hands over Belial’s skin. She concentrated. Her face grim.

  Selaphiel stood by Dahlia’s side and watched. “Why were we not called?”

  Dahlia shook her head. “I did not know what was occurring.”

  “It would not have mattered.” Raphael touched Belial’s face. “This vessel, her body, it is ruined. She was terminal.”

  Dahlia frowned. “You can heal anything! That ability is yours!”

  “I know.” Raphael set Belial back on the ground. “But I can only restore to an original shape.” She touched Belial’s finger. “This is not Belial’s body and a restoration while her soul remained would have made her fully the cancer. Had I tried with this flesh, I fear even her spirit would have been lost in the process. Her soul was the only thing in this vessel that was her.”

  Lucifer ground his teeth. “What?”

  Raphael shook her head. “I do not understand where this form came from. It is a copy, built from her flesh, but not her flesh.” She looked up. “Where has Andy gone and where is her twin?”

  “Helion fled in despair,” Apple spoke from Berith’s side. “Whitney has gone with him.”

  Raphael frowned. “Then her soul flees and is safe, but where is her core, the nucleus from which this container was created? Where is the real Belial?”

  “Uriel.” Lucifer looked to the empty skies as wrath knotted in his stomach. “Uriel has had her all this time.”

  ***

  Uriel flew in a blind rage, killing all those around him. Michael grabbed Uriel and flashed him out of Heaven into the shared realm of space. Michael threw him towards a barren moon. “Calm yourself, Uriel!”

  “She is gone!”

  Michael threw out his hands. “Good! You were crazed over her! Now perhaps you can return to normal! You can be whole once more!”

  “Gone!” Uriel wailed. “Gone!”

  Michael crossed his arms. “You are not allowed to return until you calm down. Understand?” He watched Uriel. His frown deepened. “Uriel, do you understand me? I cannot let you back if you are going to kill our own!”

  “Gone!”

  Michael shook his head. He did not know what to do. “If I can help you—”

  “Gone!”

  Michael sighed and disappeared back to Heaven.

  Uriel held his head and screamed. He stared through space and caught sight of the glitter of blue, of a green planet with oceans and life, her body and her killer. Uriel snarled and flew towards it.

  ***

  Andy skidded to a stop in New York City, what was left of it at least. Dawn light bled into the city, giving it a colored haze. Dust lay thick on the ground; it swirled around him in the abandoned streets. Paris was somewhere nearby, but the skyscrapers here were tall enough to block his sight beyond them. Andy threw up into an empty taxi.

  He held his head, and staggered through an empty street. He moved in bursts of speed, uncontrolled. He walked with no purpose, but his feet carried him to shops and stores, places Belial had loved to visit. He leaned on cracked glass, staring at purses and shoes in pristine condition. A pair of black stilettos sat within reach.

  Andy punched through the glass and grabbed them, ignoring the cuts that healed on his hand. He wiped his eyes. “You would have loved these.”

  Andy remembered the last time they’d gone shopping together; she hadn’t even had a chance to wear any of things she’d nabbed. He laughed, remembering her prancing around in boots. She’d loved things, pretty things; she’d always loved what was bright and beautiful. Andy leaned against the stonework and stared at the shoes.

  Her drive for violence…he’d always thought it was for revenge, to save Lillia
m. Now he was not sure what it had been or if it had even been her desire at all. Andy sank down to the sidewalk. “I wish you had told me sooner. Why, Belial? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  But what could he have done?

  “I would have held you.” Andy bit his cheek. “I would have loved you, done anything for you.”

  But in the end?

  “I failed you…” He stared at the cracked concrete. He remembered what he had told her just a day or so before. He sniffled. “I lead a life of mistimed actions. I never get the timing right.” He tried to smile; she had punched him then and called him a dork.

  “I never do anything when it needs to be done, always stalling with some reason.” He pounded his fist into the concrete. “Why can’t I just do something right for once?”

  ***

  Uriel glared at Earth. He held two swords. His eyes swept the planet as he searched for Andrealphus. “Murderer.”

  He knew Andy had taken Belial from him, just as he had feared from the beginning. Andy had always gotten in his way, always pulled Belial away from him. He had done it again, but Andy had made it final this time. He had seen how Belial had come to him, and Andy had taken it into his own hands to keep them apart.

  Uriel wailed. He would kill Andy; he would rip him into bloody pieces. Then he would find Helion and he would kill him too. They were both responsible in this. They had taken his beautiful lover away.

  Uriel stared at the shield; it would not allow his kind to enter. He remembered what Raphael had done. He reached to his wings and pulled the seed feathers out of each wing. He stuffed them inside his armor.

  Uriel grabbed his first wing and sawed through it; he cast the limb aside and reached for the next. His heart fluttered weakly in his chest. He touched it and the pendant that hung around his neck. “Shh. I will have revenge for you soon.”

  He cast aside the remaining wings; he was weak from blood loss. He stared at the shield and dove. A Fallen angel, it let him pass. Uriel smiled.

  He grabbed each seed feather and shoved them into the bleeding wounds as he plummeted. Once through, he was unaffected by the shield. His wings reformed and he soared, searching the land below for Andrealphus.

  ***

  Helion stopped dead in his tracks. He buried his feet in the sand of the coast. His black eye saw the world in energy streaks and lines of possibility. But something else had caught his attention.

  The entire world throbbed to a beat. Helion cocked his head and listened. He traced the sensation across the sky. Her heart beat above him.

  “Uriel.” Helion hissed. He leapt into the air. Whitney followed him quietly.

  ***

  Andy leaned through a half-broken window into a flower shop. He picked flowers from the display case; he searched for the finest to create a bouquet of the most vibrant ones. Belial would want to be seen off with the best. He found a rose and broke it at its base, her favorite shade of red. He added it to the bunch.

  A shadow passed by overhead.

  Andy looked up, but the sky was clear. Small vibrations reached his ears; a scrape on concrete, feet touched the ground, soft movements in the air. Andy set the flowers down on the sidewalk. He listened and focused on the faint sounds. He raised his eyes to the window and caught a reflection in the cracked glass.

  Uriel stood across the street.

  Fury roared in Andy’s ears. His pupils shrank to pinpoints.

  Andy felt each breath Uriel took. He heard Uriel’s heart, Belial’s heart. Andy ground his teeth. He rubbed his fingers together. The broken glass in the shop tinkled, responding to the sound.

  Andy turned in blur and snapped his fingers, launching the glass like missiles.

  Uriel dove and rolled. He threw himself at Andy. “Murderer!”

  Andy snarled. The sound of his voice ripped through brick and stone. He smashed his fist into the ground. The percussion slammed into Uriel and threw him into the air.

  Andy pointed towards the sky and snapped. The air around Uriel popped, blasting his eardrums, punching his skull like physical blows. Andy leapt up the side of a building and grabbed hold of a gargoyle. He kicked it towards Uriel.

  Uriel slashed through it, sending the stone sculpture crashing into the ground below. He shot bolts of lightning, searing the air with heat and light.

  Andy blurred and was no longer there. He came down upon Uriel’s head. He wrenched on his neck and felt a snap. He flipped and kicked Uriel down the street.

  Uriel bounced for blocks before coming to a stop. Andy touched down on the ground and walked towards him at a measured pace. He brushed his fingers together, keeping a constant swooshing sound in the air. The glass and small bits of metal and concrete in the street vibrated and followed him.

  Andy stared at Uriel as the Archangel pressed himself up to his knees. Andy had never despised anyone more in his life, and he never would. He no longer considered Uriel a life form. He was a pestilence. He was the cancer that had killed Belial. Andy was excising this blot now. He raised his hands, the glass and metal rose with them.

  Uriel looked at the debris; his wings spread protectively. “You murdered my Belial!”

  Andy clapped and jumped back.

  The metal and glass compressed around Uriel.

  Uriel covered himself with his wings. He pumped them and blasted the glass aside. He screamed and lightning filled the air. Andy jumped back and away. Uriel followed, launching bolts with blinding speed.

  Andy hurled a car at his head. Uriel tore it in two and sent the parts rocketing back towards Andy. Andy dodged. His eyes traced over Uriel’s body; he could feel the pulses of blood, the beat of her heart.

  Uriel followed his eyes and touched his chest. “Yes, I still have something. You can’t have that too!”

  Andy’s eye ticked. He clicked his teeth in the air. The sound waves cut Uriel’s chest open.

  Uriel staggered, the wound healed. He looked up at Andy and wiped blood from his lips. “That bothers you, murderer? Do you wish to kill this too?”

  Andy snapped his teeth harder, sending Uriel back with two slashes across his torso. Andy scuffed his feet on the ground and ripped open the earth under Uriel.

  Uriel took to the air.

  Andy followed and snapped.

  The force buffeted Uriel like a doll. His nose and eyes bled into the air. His wings failed to flap and he fell. Andy rammed into him, driving them through a building. Andy got his hands around Uriel’s neck and squeezed.

  Uriel plunged his blades into Andy’s stomach and twisted. He kneed Andy in the groin and tossed him away.

  Andy landed in another street and staggered to his feet, holding his stomach while it healed. Uriel came down on him with both blades drawn.

  Helion grabbed Uriel by a wing and hurled him into a brick wall. He lifted Uriel by his hair and tossed him into a bus, sending the vehicle skidding for blocks.

  Andy straightened and stared at Helion.

  Helion met Andy’s gaze.

  Andy was awash in rage and bitterness. He took a deep breath. “You and I must deal with one another.”

  Helion nodded. “First let us deal with this one.”

  “Agreed.”

  ***

  Lucifer carried Belial’s body to an unlit pyre and set her down gently atop it. Paimon, Berith, and Furcas trailed behind him. The stand of scented wood had been built the day earlier in the hope that Furcas’ corpse could be recovered; it had been taken over for Belial’s wake. Dahlia had wrapped Belial in red silk; her body had been adorned in precious gems, a gift from Furcas.

  Paimon, with sight restored, draped flowers across her body. Bean rested in his arms, her large eyes taking in everything around her.

  Berith set Belial’s favorite shield on her stomach. He placed a sword in her hand and her helmet at her feet. Apple added two blades of her own, her finest. They stepped back.

  Dahlia kissed Belial’s forehead and placed a crown of flowers on her hair. Raphael and Selaphiel waited in silen
ce. Jegudiel wept, inconsolable. Furcas wrapped him in a hug and let the boy cry into his shoulder.

  Dahlia and Lucifer stood before the pyre waiting.

  Lucifer’s skin raced with fire.

  Dahlia closed her eyes. “They will come back.”

  Lucifer nodded. “They will and we will wait for them. I do not desire to call them before they are ready.”

  “What if they do not come back?”

  “If they do not then I will send Berith for Andy, Paimon for Helion. How long will she—will she remain intact?” Lucifer’s hands shook, the only indication of his feelings.

  Dahlia looked to Apple. “Apple can keep her fine as long as it takes.”

  ***

  Uriel raced into the sky. Whitney batted her hand and a building punched Uriel. The force threw him towards the ground. Uriel picked up a bus and threw it at Andy and Helion.

  Andy dodged the bus. Helion caught it and tossed it away.

  Uriel smashed into the ground between them, knocked down by another blow from Whitney.

  Andy sent spears of glass his direction.

  Uriel deflected them with his wings.

  Helion’s black eye pulsed. Darkness spread from his face into his body. He tackled Uriel. He grabbed hold of one of Uriel’s wings and it ceased to exist.

  Uriel punched Helion away. He grabbed the spot at his back. Not even a scar, the skin smooth and bare. Uriel snarled and leapt for him. “What have you done?”

  Helion went still. The darkness spread to his chest. He punched as Uriel drew close, but Uriel dodged. Helion reached for him. “You cannot move.”

  Uriel dropped to the earth. The Archangel screeched and flapped his wings, but he could not pull away from the ground. “What are you doing? Get back! I will kill you!”

  Helion watched him struggle helplessly for a moment. He reached out and dissolved a second wing. Satisfied, he released Uriel.

  Free from Helion’s power, Uriel cackled and jumped. He careened into Andy.

  Andy slammed him into the ground. He put a foot to Uriel’s back and tore off his third wing in a spray of blood and bone. Andy picked Uriel up by his neck and held him in the air. He reached around Uriel and held on to his last wing as Uriel watched his face.