Daystar

by Darcy Town

  “What you and I are.”

  Andy squeezed her. “You are my girlfriend and that means you may take liberties with my body at will.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Really, at will, whenever I want?”

  “Whenever you want.”

  “Do you get to take liberties with me—”

  “No!” Andy shook his head. “No, boyfriends don’t get to do that.” He frowned. “It is your decision.”

  Belial pulled a face. “Okay.” She kissed his neck. “For now.”

  “For now?”

  “You may have a grace period, but then I expect you to take liberties.”

  He smirked. “That sounds almost like an order, Belial.”

  “Does it?” She tapped her lips. “Perhaps it is. For now, it remains a suggestion, but do not test me with your stalling. I remember that behavior of yours well enough.”

  Andy pinched her bottom. “Ooh, I’m scared, that sounds almost like a threat.”

  “Almost?” Belial threw her arms around him and bit his ear. “I am threatening!”

  “I’m terrified!” Andy drew her into a kiss.

  Belial broke it. “I am terrifying!”

  “Yes, continue to say it, you look cuter each time.”

  Belial cut him off with a kiss. The pair drifted in space, kissing and touching against the backdrop of the sun.

  A boom shook them. Andy’s head snapped up. “That’s not good.”

  Apple and Berith appeared around the side of the sun. Berith had his swords drawn. “We heard your signal.”

  Apple looked at them intertwined. “You don’t look like you want to be disturbed. Why did you call for us?”

  Belial shook her head. “We did not make the boom boom.”

  A second vibration travelled through the space around them. Andy cocked his head from side to side. Another boom and his eyes were drawn towards the sun. “It’s coming from inside.”

  Berith shifted into flame and dove into the sun.

  Apple drew her blades and kept watch at the rest of the dark space and stars, but nothing came. Belial formed her silver surfboard quietly at Andy’s side. Andy gripped her wrist and drew her to him.

  Berith shot out of the sun. Angels tracked him, sending off rays of searing light. Berith grimaced and slashed at them as they drew near. “We have legions of beamers coming, wailers behind them!”

  Apple nodded. She focused and the angels exploded. She launched herself at Berith as the next rank of beamers flew out of the sun, their sights trained on the pair.

  Andy did not wait for an explanation. He grabbed Belial’s hand and raced away. Belial clung to him, as everything became a blur. Andy’s muscles tensed, his arms locked around her. Minutes passed, the Earth grew larger in their view.

  Andy stopped within inches of Lucifer and Dahlia. “It’s started. They’re teleporting into the sun itself by sound of it.”

  Dahlia went pale. “Right.”

  Lucifer flashed in the sky sending the alert to the planet below. He pointed at Andy and Belial. “You are midrange messengers, stay between the Earth and the sun.”

  Andy nodded and pulled Belial back into space, a speck within seconds.

  Lucifer kissed Dahlia and pulled away breathless. His eyes were electric blue. “You will be fine?”

  “You are going to stall the explosion?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then I am fine.”

  Lucifer looked at the planet. “You are here in case I fail.”

  “Do not worry about this planet; I will keep it safe no matter what occurs at the sun. You just focus on yourself and do what you do best. Control the light.”

  Lucifer grinned and kissed her once more. “I love you.” He shot towards the sun.

  Dahlia watched him go. “I love you too.”

  ***

  Paimon and Furcas smiled at each other from across their mess of bedding. Furcas yawned and stretched like a cat, he curled up in blankets. Paimon kicked Furcas lightly. Furcas smiled. “Yes?”

  Paimon grinned. “I want to ask you something.”

  “Then ask away.”

  Paimon took a deep breath. “Hold on, stay right here.” He dashed out of their room and skidded to a stop. Bean stepped through the doorway, bloody, soot-stained, and weeping. Paimon’s inhale was audible. He jumped over the couch and wrapped her up in a hug. “Furcas, get out here now!”

  Paimon held Bean lightly, aware of the injuries covering her from head to toe. She trembled against him. He touched her shorn hair. “Bean, what happened to you?”

  Furcas joined him in a blink. He touched her cheek. “Bean? You’re hurt?” He touched her wounds lightly. “Why aren’t you healing these? You can you know, I can show you if you do not know how.”

  Bean shook her head. “No, they should not heal. I should be ugly, unwanted, forever unwanted by anyone, revolting to all.”

  Paimon hissed. “Where is the little shit?”

  Bean grabbed his wrist. “He did not touch me.”

  Furcas brushed soot off her face. “Then who did this to you?”

  She sobbed. “I did!”

  Paimon rubbed her back. “But Bean, why?”

  “I don’t want to be a slut! I don’t want anyone to desire me! I want to be ugly so that no one will ever be with me. I’ll be good. I’ll be wholesome, just like he wants. I’ll be good enough for him!”

  Furcas went red in the face. “I am going to torture him to death.”

  Bean wailed. “No! He didn’t do this to me.”

  “He might as well have!” Furcas punched through their wall. “He called you a slut and he said hurtful things to you.”

  “Honest things.” Bean held her sides. “I am terrible, vile, debased. He is too good for me.” Tears poured down her cheeks. “I want to be better so that maybe he’ll love me.”

  Furcas held her. “You’re not vile. We know all about being horrid and you’re certainly not that, Bean. Get that out of your head right now.”

  “Yes.” Paimon hissed. “He is obviously confused about the definition of those terms, but we can educate him. We can show him what vile and debased truly mean.”

  Furcas rubbed his cheek against hers. “Where is he, Bean? Tell us where he is and we’ll take care of it for you.”

  Bean sobbed. “I...”

  Paimon massaged her hands. “Just tell Mommy-daddy where the little bastard went and we’ll make him go away permanently.”

  Bean wiped her eyes. “I don’t know. He flew off; he said he was not going to come back here.”

  “Good idea on his part!” Paimon stomped towards the door and threw it open. He gazed into the twilight. “No matter where he is hiding, I will find him and drag him back so that she can watch.”

  A bright flash filled the city with light. Paimon looked to the shield. “Shit! Furcas, we have to go! That’s Lucifer’s signal. Bean, you do not leave this house understand?”

  Bean frowned. “Why?”

  “The attack has started. It won’t be safe outside the city, stay on the ground floor.”

  Furcas nodded. “This is serious, Bean.”

  She stared towards the door. “But Jegudiel is out there.”

  “Fuck him! Hopefully he dies!” Paimon ran inside. He kissed Bean’s cheek. “If he doesn’t, we will deal with him for you when this is over. That is a promise, he’ll die painfully.”

  Bean held on to him. “But Jegudiel flew to the woods! He won’t be safe!”

  Furcas pushed her back towards the living room. “Are you listening to us? You are not leaving this house, young lady. If he gets killed out there then it’s his own fault and he deserves it for hurting you.”

  Paimon ran into their bedroom and grabbed pants. He threw a pair at Furcas. “Let’s go!”

  Furcas hugged Bean one last time. “You’ll be okay. You’re not a slut. He’s just a stupid idiot and his opinion does not mean a thing. You are a wonderful, beautiful girl.”

  “But—”
<
br />   “He is confused and he’s hurt so he took it out on you, which just goes to show how immature he is.” Furcas kissed her forehead. “What he said was not honest and he knows that, Bean. He’s just being an asshole.” He whispered, “You are worthy of love.”

  Paimon pulled Furcas outside. He called back to Bean, “He’s soon to be dead, so forget about him and what he said. We love you and really that’s all that matters.” They waved from the porch, shut and locked the door, and took to the air.

  Bean dropped to the rug in the living room and stared at the floor. Air raid sirens went off around the city. She held her hands to her ears and cried.

  ***

  The sound of the sirens jolted Jegudiel awake. The forest around him stirred with frightened wildlife. He got up, stumbled, and held his head. He felt as if he had taken a beating. His heart was sluggish; his lungs couldn’t seem to pull enough air in. His mouth tasted awful. He opened his wings and noticed their light had dimmed. He was drab. His skin had lost its glow.

  Jegudiel stared at his gray palms. “Fine, my penalty. I will take it, I can survive like this.” He spoke to the air, “I deserve better!” Pain stabbed at the soles of his feet, his hands aged. “She deserves worse! She’s a whore.” His mind was fuzzy. “Bitch, infecting my mind with your dirt.”

  Jegudiel took a step towards Eden as the sirens blared.

  Paimon and Furcas soared for the shield, the pair held hands. Jegudiel scoffed. “What are they trying to prove? It’s all fake, all of it, everywhere! It doesn’t really exist! Love is fake!” Jegudiel’s strength left him. He took another step and fell to the earth.

  He stared at Eden. Droves of people fled to get in the buildings within the city. “What does it matter anyways, we either win or we lose, we’re right or we’re wrong.” He thought of Bean and pain ripped through him. “You already proved to me you are wrong for me. You are wrong, you cannot do anything right. You cannot change that. I cannot change that. No one can. You are a ruined woman.” He held his head as his nose bled. “I love you.” He twitched. “Only me.”

  ***

  Helion heard the sirens go off. He got up from the side of the lake and frowned. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was allowed to do. He was forbidden from crossing the shield, but to stay and sit on the grass would drive him nuts.

  Helion kicked into the air and soared until he could see Dahlia beyond the shield. The eight Lilliam firstborn came to hover next to him. Chronos reached out. “What is your job?”

  Helion shrugged. “I do not know. I cannot go out there, but I do not seem to have a purpose here.”

  Leviathan smiled at him. “Have you given thought to what I said?”

  Helion nodded. “Much.”

  She grinned. “Then be ready and watchful.” The eight Lilliam children passed through the shield and soared towards Dahlia, leaving Helion to gaze after them.

  He looked down at the city, then back to the air. Indecision gnawed at him. “This sucks.”

  ***

  Berith threw himself into a fountain of attacking wailers. They poured out of the sun, howling and screaming. They filled the space with a cacophony that deafened and battered as it struck. Berith could not hear Apple over the noise; he could not even hear the sound of his heart. He snarled and slashed, stabbed and cleaved. Angels fell to pieces, dissolving into light as he hacked with flame-imbued blades that cut with arcs of fire. Each swing hacked through dozens at a time, burning their bodies as the metal tore them apart.

  Breathers dive-bombed him with fire. Apple curled her fingers. The breathers vibrated and exploded. She whipped her arms about and wrenched, pulling blood to her. Angels burst like water balloons. The space around her filled with spheres of blood. Apple created blood blades, large sweeping scythes that tore through angels all around her.

  Apple kept watch on Berith, working to guard his back. She felt the second heartbeat inside her pick up as hers did. She calmed her son, briefly touching her abdomen.

  Apple heard the telltale screech of the wailers before she saw them. She clawed at the air and the wailers vomited blood, choking their deafening cries, but still more came. They seemed to grow out of the sun itself. Apple smiled and wrenched at another batch, she swam through blood.

  Berith took a swing at anything that came near him. He was utterly focused. His body trained to perfection, he could do this in his sleep. Eruptions of light surrounded him as he ended angels by the point of his swords. His armor deflected the blows of any that happened to pass his guard. Fire and searing light touched his uncovered portions of skin, but the burns healed quickly and the pain was tolerable. Berith picked his next target and lunged.

  A face appeared in the throng, a face he recognized. Berith dismissed it as a figment. The face did not leave; it stared back at him confused, it smiled at him. Berith frowned, that was not the same face. It was not Uriel, but another. The angel fell into the throng and disappeared, Berith gaped. In his distraction, angels tore one of his swords from his grip and snapped it in half.

  Berith pulled out a short sword; it looked like a dagger in his large hands. He slashed at angels, ignoring their screams and wails. He searched again for the face, but it was gone. Berith spun, becoming a whirlwind of metal and fire. An angel leapt onto his back. Berith snarled and ripped at it, tossing it into the mass of angels. He resumed his attack.

  Azrael blurred through the angels in a flurry of wings and electricity. He leapt onto Berith’s chest unheeding the blades and armor. He wrapped Berith in his arms, legs, and wings. Azrael smiled into Berith’s neck and buzzed. “I found you! I found you!”

  Berith drove both blades down, but was stopped before striking the angel. Green explosions erupted around him burning the other angels and leaving a gap around his body.

  Azrael nuzzled Berith’s neck. “Brother.” He sighed and hugged Berith, muscles relaxed, completely unaware of the battle around him or the blades that hovered mere inches from his neck. He squeezed Berith. “I love you.”

  Berith gaped. His eyes flicked up to see what had stopped his blades.

  Gabriel held both of Berith’s wrists. “Brothers do not fight one another, it is not right. Azrael is your ward now. He does not seek to do you or anyone else harm.” Gabriel dropped Berith’s wrists and dove towards the sun, sinking into the flame.

  Berith gaped at the boy that held on to him. He frowned. Angels surged towards him. They exploded in a red mist.

  Apple dropped to his side and gave him a once over. “Who is that?”

  Berith shook his head. “My brother apparently.”

  Azrael looked up. “I am Azrael!”

  Apple grinned. “He looks like a baby you except for the hair.”

  Berith gazed into Azrael’s wild eyes. Azrael kissed him on the cheek. Berith grimaced and wrapped one arm around the child. “One brother heartless, but smart. The other brainless, but overflowing with love. Both from my mold. This says something about me, Apple. You may want to rethink my proposal.”

  Apple swept her arms out, throwing angels away. “Whatever. Hello, little one.”

  Azrael beamed. “I am Azrael!”

  Berith grimaced. “Gabriel has loaded me down with him. A tactic to keep me from fighting no doubt.”

  “Then cast him off.”

  “I cannot, he is my brother.” Berith gazed down at Azrael. “What is your intention, small one?”

  Azrael leaned his head on Berith’s chest. “I want to play what you are playing.”

  Berith pointed towards the angels that waited outside of Apple’s radius of bloodletting. “We play by killing them. You fight on our side now?”

  “Fight?” A group of breathers launched a fireball at them. The fire brushed past Apple. Berith dispersed it. Azrael looked at the angels. “They are trying to hurt you?”

  Berith nodded. “Yes.”

  “No!” Azrael turned towards the angels. A wall of electricity struck the angels, throwing them into twitching fits. “Do not hurt my broth
er! That is not nice!”

  Apple and Berith’s eyes met. Apple shrugged. “He’s yours to decide over. I think he is simple, but good-hearted.”

  Berith sheathed his swords. “You will…play with me, Azrael?”

  Azrael nodded. “Okay!”

  Berith smiled. “My name is Berith.”

  “Hi, Berith! What should I do now?” Azrael bounced in his arms, giddy at being allowed to join the game.

  “You point and shoot that electricity at everything but me and Apple.”

  Azrael swung around and the air filled up with white light. Apple and Berith gaped as thousands of angels spasmed, stunned. Azrael looked back at Berith. “Did I do okay?”

  Berith grinned. “Real okay, great work! You are going to make my job too easy.”

  Apple snapped and a hundred wailers went rigid and wheeled around on her command. She laughed. “Destroy mine enemies, mindless blood sacks!”

  Azrael stunned them into submission and grinned at her. Apple frowned. Berith patted Azrael on the head. “Apple, mark your controlled ones. He isn’t intelligent enough to tell them apart.”

  Apple waved her hands and her controlled angels turned red. “There.”

  Berith pointed to the red angels. “Don’t stun the red ones, those are on our team.”

  Azrael nodded. “Okay!”

  Berith strapped Azrael into a small shield and some of his armor. “I chop chop, Azrael. You stun and hide behind the shield.” Berith raised his arm to show Azrael what he meant and made sure he got it. He unsheathed two new blades. He flew towards the stunned angels.

  Azrael followed on Berith’s heels doing as his brother did, gazing at him with open admiration and adoration. “Chop chop! Chop chop!”

  ***

  Andy and Belial stopped exactly halfway between Earth and the sun. He gripped her shoulders. “You will stay behind me and you will flee if things get too bad. Understand?”

  “I do not want to leave you!”

  Andy hugged her. “I need you to promise me that you will. I know you don’t want to, Belial, but if I am overwhelmed you need to leave and tell Dahlia.”

  Belial nodded. “All right, Andrealphus. I will, I promise.”

  Andy nodded. “Good.” He turned to the sun and spread his wings. They vibrated as he listened. He focused on the small shifts and changes, picking out transmissions and voices. “Berith and Apple are under attack, but they continue to fight strong.” He smiled grimly. “We have angels coming in our direction, lots of angels.”