Daystar

by Darcy Town

  Bean nodded once. “Got it.” She smiled. “Thank you for helping me, Helion.”

  He nodded. “I’m glad I can help someone.”

  The pair split and Bean flew low over the forest, her eyes darting back and forth. She moved in large sweeping arcs, trying to cover as much ground as she could. She rubbed her arms as she flew; blood and soot flaked off her.

  A shadow passed over Jegudiel. His eyes shot open. He scrambled to his feet and watched the air. A form flew by overhead, heading away. Jegudiel cocked his head. His eyes turned black as he recognized the wings. A flake of blood drifted down. His tongue darted out and caught it. He smiled with fangs out and raced along the ground.

  ***

  Lucifer’s eyes rolled back in his head. The energy entering him neared pain. The light tore through his skin in bursts, arcing around him like liquid lightning. Lucifer flapped his wings to disperse it. The sun lit up blindingly bright and pulsed, then calmed. He regained a measure of control. He stared into the fire and focused, listening to Him speak to Whitney.

  Standing by his hip a boy watched on, blonde and quiet, not there in person, but in spirit. Lucifer did not notice Michael.

  Lucifer bit his tongue to keep from shouting or gasping. His muscles were rigid, locked, his bones creaked and fractured, healing instantly, but breaking anew with each renewed blast of heat and light. He began to understand what Gabriel had warned of. The energy was too much for him to contain.

  Lucifer struggled and sent out another pulse of light, a message he hoped would be taken as a serious warning. Michael frowned and watched.

  ***

  Berith had some awareness Lucifer’s struggles through their link and closeness. He felt him lose control. “Apple, cover!” He shielded Azrael with one wing as the space around them went blindingly white. Azrael grabbed on to Berith’s hand as it covered his eyes. “Are we playing guess who? I guess Berith!”

  Apple shielded herself with the bodies of those angels she controlled. They dissolved in swarms, but more came to her call, covering her form until the flares ceased. Apple pushed back the dead angels. “Berith, what is going on?”

  “Lucifer is having difficulties controlling the star. I suggest we pull back. We do not aid him here with our staying. What occurs is going on inside and that environment is far too dangerous for us three to enter.”

  Apple nodded and soared to his side. “Then we leave.”

  Berith smiled and uncovered Azrael’s eyes. “Come on, boy.”

  “Okay!”

  Apple grinned. “We can help clear some of Andy’s problems up for him.”

  Berith shook his head and flew with Azrael in tow. “No doubt he has some.”

  ***

  At the first burst of light, Andy’s head whipped up from where he broke and snapped. He watched the sun through beamers and wailers, but he neither saw nor heard any explosion to follow the flares. He bent his head back to the task before him.

  Belial spun, circled by disks of metal. She focused, whipping them around Andy, keeping angels from ever reaching him. Belial tried not to think about the consequences of killing, she could not afford to.

  A girl of blood stopped by her side. “Hello, Archangel Belial.”

  Belial flicked her eyes up. “Hi, Apple is that way.”

  The blood girl nodded. “Thank you much, your own are coming.” The thirty warriors of blood soared by. Beamers attacked them with blasts of light, but the girls simply dissolved their form into liquid and passed by unhindered.

  Belial went back to her sawing and cleaving. “Apple got angels!”

  Andy gave her the thumbs up and slammed his fist into a wave of breathers. They were tossed back. “Good!”

  An armored hand wrapped around Belial’s ankle and pulled, wrenching her leg out of its socket. Archangel Samuel wrapped his wings around her. He jabbed a sharp pointed finger into her ribs. “Scream for him.”

  Belial bit her tongue. Andy fought on unaware. Samuel opened his mouth to call to his brother since she refused.

  Belial filled his mouth with metal dust. She hissed. “Do not distract him!” She backhanded Samuel and kicked him away. She sent metal disks at his face.

  Samuel spat out metal and drew his swords. “If he did not want distractions he should not have kept such a useless Archangel by his side.”

  Belial waved her hand and his swords melted. She smiled to herself. “Good idea, Apple.”

  Samuel gaped at his swords and threw the useless parts away. “Fine.” He snapped his fingers.

  Belial threw up her cymbals to block the sound. The metal dented and fractured. Wailers dove at her undefended back. Belial focused and her wings became mechanical blades and blurred, slicing at anything that approached her from behind. She punched forward and sent metal gears shooting at Samuel, but he was no longer out in front of her.

  He flipped over her head and shouted down at her. Belial’s eardrums burst. She spit out blood and covered her eyes. Samuel grinned and dove for her.

  Andy grabbed him by the neck and tossed him away. He followed the toss with a clap. Samuel’s skull fractured and healed as he tumbled. Andy grabbed Belial’s hand. “Are you all right?”

  She touched her head. “Yes, Andrealphus.”

  Andy put himself between Belial and Samuel. “Get back, Belial. Keep moving towards Dahlia.”

  Belial turned towards Earth. “More angels are there now, wailers and shockers.”

  Andy tracked Samuel. “Then they attack us on multiple fronts. Paimon and Furcas will have some to deal with. They’d be disappointed otherwise. Keep moving in that direction.”

  Belial did so without hesitation.

  The sun flashed. Andy blinked. “Lucifer is losing his ability to control it.”

  Belial shook her head. “But he is Lucifer!”

  “Regardless, pick up your pace, Belial.” Andy snapped his teeth as Samuel neared. “Why attack my girlfriend when I am here? Don’t you want a fight?”

  Samuel sneered. “I had thought to use her as a hostage, but she has acquired rather annoying abilities.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  Samuel shrugged. “All they are is annoying. They are not useful; they won’t save her once I kill you, brother.”

  Andy smiled. “She’s still learning. You give her a good opportunity to practice, brother.”

  Samuel showed his fangs. He frowned.

  Gabriel soared past. “Samuel, are you doing what was ordered?”

  Samuel saluted. “Yes, sir.”

  Gabriel did not stop in his flight towards Earth. “Good.” He sped away in a mix of green and gold light.

  Samuel grimaced and eyed Andy.

  Andy held his hands out. “Have to be somewhere else?”

  “No.” Samuel snapped and leapt on Andy. The legions of angels around them ignored the pair of fighting Archangels and dove for Belial instead.

  Belial changed her disks to swords and shot them out, impaling and beheading. When they readied searing light, she flipped her weapons to discs, reflecting the burning rays back at them. She twisted her hands and the blades whirled in threes like helicopters. Belial chewed on her lip and created a funnel of spinning blades, dicing any that came within her radius.

  The angels pressed closer. The force of their bodies strained her control of the metal and its ability to keep them back. There were booms and percussion beyond her line of sight. Andy and Samuel shouted and bantered as they exchanged blows.

  Ropes of barbed wire raced on either side of her, wrapping angels and tossing them away, ripping as they threw. Belial gaped.

  Her metal angels arrived. The first, a woman of steel saluted. “We are here to serve.”

  Belial pointed. “Cut, chop, dice, and blend.”

  The angel nodded and threw herself into battle. Her arms changed to body length blades. Her feet tapered into talons.

  Belial watched the angel rip out throats and impale. She stared at her own fingers, still flesh and bone. Met
al angels flanked her sending out whips of barbed wire, others slinging gobs of molten metal like mud.

  ***

  Andy kicked Samuel in the stomach, sending him flying back. Samuel rushed him and landed a fist to Andy’s shoulder. Andy caught the next punch in his hand. The brothers flew in a blur, too fast for any to see but them. Blows were traded and parried, the brothers equally matched in speed and agility.

  Andy grimaced and snapped his teeth at Samuel after dodging another kick to the face.

  Slashes opened up on Samuel’s chest. He snarled. “Enough of this, we are both fast.” He reached to his neck and ripped off a pendant. “A present from Gabriel.” He smashed the pendant and threw the shards.

  Green fire engulfed Andy. Andy closed his airways, but too late. Fire raced down his throat, burning through his skin and bones. He clutched at his chest as his insides cooked.

  Samuel punched, breaking Andy’s nose and arm. Andy spit blood and gasped as his wounds inside healed. Samuel did not give him a chance to recover; he ripped into him, wounding him across his body, slowing Andy’s ability to heal by drawing it to many wounds at once. Samuel wrenched on Andy’s neck, breaking it. He held Andy by his hair and gazed into his brother’s eyes. “Time to sleep, Andrealphus.”

  Andy tried to move, but he was paralyzed until his neck healed. Blood stained his teeth. He stared at Samuel’s fist as the angel drew it back to take his head off, a wound he would not be able to recover from.

  Five silver spikes appeared in Samuel’s chest. The Archangel looked down in surprise and touched the bladed points. Blood dribbled out of his mouth. The spikes pulled back and a bladed fist punched through his stomach. The fingers snapped open and ripped upwards. Samuel split into two bloody, very dead ribbons.

  Belial threw the parts away. She was covered in gore. “Mean!”

  She reached for Andy then stopped and blushed. Six-inch steel serrated blades and curving razors covered her from her fingers to her elbows. She was similarly bladed from toes to knees. Belial looked at Andy as he healed. “I forgot to make the Rowr sound, but it worked anyways!”

  Andy regained speech. “Those are better than your old talons.”

  “These are not what you were thinking of?” Belial flexed her fingers and the blades flexed with them. An angel dove for them. Belial punched it in the face, rendering it into a bloody mash from the sternum up.

  Andy grinned. “Much fucking better than talons. How did you get those?”

  “I was so angry when he burnt you! They just came out.” Belial beamed. “I am not useless anymore and look I have angels now!” She pointed a finger and the blades on her right hand extended another few inches.

  Andy kissed her bare shoulder. “Good work. Go rip stuff up.” He looked back towards the pulsing sun. “As we continue our retreat.”

  “Okay, Andes!” Belial kissed him on the cheek and dove into a knot of angels. Her hands and feet became a blur and nothing was left behind but pieces. She looked to her metal angels and grinned. “You heard Andes, rip and retreat!” Her angels saluted and spread out, cutting them a clear path in the angels that were thick like flies on a corpse. Her metal angels took on her appearance, growing spikes, and blades across their bodies.

  Belial leapt between Heaven’s angels. “Rowr! Rowr!” She shook blood from her hands and blades grew up the outsides of her upper arms and thighs. Foot long spikes stuck out of her knees as she drove angels into them. Her halos became barbed. Spines grew up through her hair like a crown of thorns. None could touch her and remain whole. Belial laughed and stuck her tongue out at Andy as she cartwheeled through angels. “Andes, watch me!”

  Andy sighed with longing. “Epically hot.” A whistle caught his attention. He turned.

  Apple waved, surrounded by a swooping flock of red angels. “Yo, Andy! Holy fuck! Belial?” Apple gaped.

  Andy grinned. “Told you she would be fine.”

  “She’s a beast! Belial!” Apple dove for her. “Belial!”

  Belial twirled and came to a stop; her metal painted red with blood. “Apple, look at me!”

  Berith came to rest by Andy. He had Azrael in his arms; the boy was asleep. “Lucifer is losing control of the sun. I believe an explosion is inevitable.”

  Andy made a face. “Great. Who is that?” He looked at Azrael and saw his face. He recoiled. “What the fuck!”

  Berith held his free hand up. “Calm down. It is not Uriel reborn, his name is Azrael.”

  “Where the fuck did he come from?” Andy looked to Belial. “Is he—”

  “Damaged? Yes, but not like Uriel.” Berith tilted Azrael’s head back and showed Andy the brand above his heart. “Something’s wrong with him, but he’s a nice kid. Gabriel dumped him off on me with some message about brothers shouldn’t fight one another. The kid turned on the others as if we were playing tag, so I figure he’s on our side.”

  Andy frowned. “Funny, Samuel said he had a gift from Gabriel and then tried to kill me with it.”

  “Where is Samuel now?”

  “In bits and pieces probably mostly still stuck on Belial’s body. She did not appreciate his behavior.”

  Berith looked at Belial and grinned. “Oh. Well then Gabriel’s gift did not have bad consequences did it?” Behind them, the sun flashed brighter. Berith repositioned Azrael. “Shall we?”

  Andy smiled. “Get a head start, slowpoke.” He spun and snapped, blasting the angels that grew between them and the sun. “I’ll make sure we have some space behind us.”

  Belial surfed over their heads. “Berith!” She swept down and flashed her blades in his face. “Look what I did! Oh!” Belial hung upside down and looked at Azrael. She smiled sweetly. “Hi.”

  Azrael opened his glowing eyes. He saw Belial and blushed. “I am Azrael you are pretty nice to meet you!” He buried his head against Berith and kept his eyes averted.

  Andy and Berith gauged his reaction. Andy shrugged. “Belial, we’re clearing out.”

  Belial saluted and gouged herself in the head. She extricated a blade from her forehead. “Not going to do that again.”

  “Berith, have you seen Belial’s angels? They’re freaking metal!” Apple swept by.

  Belial smiled. “Yours are pretty too, Apple. Are you doing okay? How is your tummy bean?”

  Apple jolted and sped away, putting distance between herself and Berith. Her angels reacted and spiraled around her.

  Berith frowned. “How is your tummy bean? What does that mean?” He rubbed his chin and his expression darkened. His eyes went wide. “Appleadris, get back here!”

  Apple stopped midflight. “Sorry can’t hear you, what?”

  The sun flashed.

  Andy pushed Berith. “Discuss on the way, we have got to go! Belial, grab Apple and take her on your surfboard. Berith, I hope you do not mind.”

  Berith ignored him. “Appleadris, you answer me now!”

  Apple reached out and held on to Belial’s metal free waist. She stuck her feet into the liquid metal that pooled on the surfboard. “Get me the fuck away from him! I told you not to say anything!”

  Belial kicked her surfboard and took off. “I am sorry! I forgot!”

  ***

  Dahlia caught the first of the sun flashes as she hardened and changed the composition of her sunshade. Colors swirled and shifted beneath her feet, growing white and reflective. She took in the condition of the sun. She grimaced and looked to Gaea. “I need your mind on monitoring those in Eden.”

  Gaea nodded. “Okay.” She let her hands drop and the unfinished angels around her went back to being shapeless dark matter. Whitney’s stone and coral angels, Raphael’s eye-popping vivid ice and oil angels, and Helion’s pitch-black dark matter and translucent antimatter angels flew around aimlessly.

  Dahlia nodded at them. “Helion’s remain here, half stay around us, half circle the planet. Raphael’s and Whitney’s, go to Hell.” The angels split.

  Dahlia looked at the sun as it flashed. “RA AND IFRIT, LI
GHT UP!”

  She wrenched her sunshade and placed it between Earth and the sun. Planet Earth went dark as all external light cut off. Only the dim forms of Ra and Ifrit and Eden’s watch fires gave any light on the surface below.

  Ra and Ifrit snaked their light around one another and formed the equivalent of a tiny sun over the planet. Dahlia looked to Gaea. “Status?”

  Gaea nodded. “It is as day down there. Titan keeps Eden warm with churning rock from beneath. Ouroboros maintains the air temperature by moving the winds from the south. Leviathan has done the same with the ocean currents. Everyone is comfortable for now.”

  Dahlia nodded. “Good. Keep watch on your siblings as well. If they flag I need to know immediately.”

  “Understood.” Gaea sat on the surface of the sunshield and closed her eyes, focusing on the myriad living things on the surface of the planet.

  Dahlia turned from her and focused on maintaining the positioning of Earth and the sunshade, forcing her will over gravity. She glared at the moon, hoping Lucifer could keep everything together. She took a deep breath. “Raphy?”

  Raphael appeared. “Thanks for the presents!” She looked to the sun. “About time?”

  “Near bouts.”

  “Why don’t we go now?”

  Dahlia smiled without mirth. “I do not know how long I can maintain us in Hell. I need to know that we will have a replacement sun to return to otherwise I might as well just mercy kill the whole fucking lot of people down there.”

  “Want me to get Paimon now?”

  “No point. Paimon cannot do the job by himself.”

  Raphael frowned. “I thought Lucifer would do it with him, which was the plan if the fucking sun goes boom right? Lucifer pulls back and helps Paimon while we keep them alive in Hell.”

  “Lucifer is stuck in that fucking sun.” Dahlia rubbed her temples. “I can feel His fire from here. This has gone from being a simple intercept payload delivery into the sun, to combating His goddamnness. Lucifer must stay there or the sun explodes, and not just that I imagine. He would not stop with just that, Lucifer will not leave knowing what will happen. If the sun goes that can only mean that Lucifer has sustained damage enough to render him unconscious, but if I go to help him I leave our planet helpless.” Dahlia scowled. “I should have known He would get involved directly, no wonder Gabriel told us about it.”