The Conception (The Descendant Series Book 2)

by L. J. Amodeo

  “Elizabeth, please, please, wake up! Stay strong! Do not fade on me. You are weak, but you must, I insist, you must wake up!” Michael’s frantic pleas alarmed me.

  “Michael, my love, I am here. Look at me, I’m fine. Why are you trembling?” I asked blindly.

  “I am channeling to you, Elizabeth, much like astral travel. I cannot come to you any other way. I’ve been forbidden by the Trinity to return as a human. Faith will help you through this. Trust her and do as she tells you. Open your eyes and listen to her, please, Beth. our son needs his mother to bring him into this world. Do you understand? Do it for our son! Do it for me!” He pulled me into his embrace again. His body shivering against mine.

  “I love you, Michael,” I whispered in his ear.

  “I know, my princess,” he replied before his embrace evanesced, and I was pulled back to consciousness. It was my deep inhaled breath that excited Faith as I came to.

  “Elizabeth, that’s it, come on you can do it!” she shouted. I opened my eyes with a new vigor, feeling the impulse to push with all my might. Dr. Magus nervously wiped sweat from his forehead as he worked to position the baby. “You’re doing great, Elizabeth. Baby is crowning.” His voice became eager.

  Victoria and Deborah continued to monitor the baby’s progression and my vital signs that mystically sputtered back to life.

  “Breathe slowly.” Faith continued to encourage me as she looked toward the door. “He’s here!” Her voice elevated. My eyes quickly snapped toward the door, believing that Michael had finally arrived.

  “Michael—” I called out anticipating his arrival.

  “I’m afraid not, Elizabeth. It’s my brothers Gabriel, Uriel and Rafael, who have come with Archangel Metatron, the protector of new life and birth.” Faith smiled kindly. “He’ll be very close when the child is born. Now focus, and give us one more good one.”

  As exhausted as I was, I did as Faith instructed. I didn’t want to disappoint Michael or any of the angels again. Even if this birth drew the life out of me, I’d see it to the end making certain that the baby was safe and healthy. Although, I hadn’t met my child yet, I loved him so much already. The love I felt in my heart for my son made it hurt badly.

  “Give another good push, Beth,” Deborah said.

  “I can’t! I can’t anymore. I . . . I . . .” My lips quivered at the pain as my knees dropped in exhaustion.

  “I don’t have it in me to push anymore. I’m not strong enough. Cut him out of me. Save him, not me. For Michael. Just save my child.” I feebly urged the doctor.

  Deborah sighed in frustration, briskly walking to stand beside my ear. “Now you listen here! There will be none of that cowardliness under our watch. Your boy needs you, so snap out of it and push, damn it!” she snapped.

  The sudden compulsion to push squeezed at my belly, inflicting a pain so brutal that I felt myself on the verge of collapsing. A new sensation extended over my belly. A fire so fierce, it seemed as if a blowtorch across glided across my abdomen. I could feel my skin ablaze, and the slightest touch of Dr. Magus’ gloved hand deepened the burn even more.

  “It burns! Make it stop, it’s burning me,” I screamed at the doctor. It wasn’t, however, until I pulled my head forward that I saw my skin swelling with the most bizarre manifestation. “What is that? What’s on my stomach?” I sputtered the words from my parched lips.

  Victoria and Deborah stepped back, both staring with a look of confusion. “Doc, it can’t be. How could it be the calling? It’s Mikael’s sigil!” Deborah muttered, as Victoria remained wide-eyed and speechless.

  “The child is invoking his father,” Metatron, standing magnificent and massive above the rest, proclaimed as he entered the Tablet. His voice, deep and strong, with long silky hair like golden honey. My eyes stared at the archangel, whose glorified presence lifted my fears with only a gentle smile upon his lips. “Elizabeth, it will not be long until your son is born. Your infant will remain under our protection. My brothers, Gabriel, Uriel, and Rafael are protecting the portals while the Blue Legion prepares for the inevitable. Mikael will fight this battle alongside his brothers and legion, yet upon your son’s birth, heaven’s wrath will erupt with great vengeance against Luca and his Hellions. Therefore, I must caution you to be vigilant.”

  His warnings were surreal—to believe that such events could occur, would have sounded and seemed absurd to me only a year ago. Yet, at eighteen, I’ve done the unthinkable. I’ve awakened the Dark Realm’s fiercest warriors and betrayed the Trinity. Now here I lay, defying what was proclaimed as impossible—delivering the son of an archangel and preparing for what would be the greatest battle ever to be recorded in the Akaschic Records.

  An explosion broke the calm in the birthing room. In fear, I gripped Faith’s hand, digging my nails deep into her wrist. “What was that?”

  Metatron nodded quickly to Faith and the other angels in the room. Everyone seemed to know what was happening. Everyone except me.

  “Go! We’ve got it from here!” Victoria shouted to the archangels.

  “I will send Emmanuel and Matthew to stand guard while we are away!” Faith hollered back.

  “Go now!” The maidservant insisted. Almost instantly, Matthew and Emmanuel appeared in full armor, their swords erect against their chests, prepared for battle.

  As Faith was preparing to leave, Emmanuel whispered the words, “They’ve arrived,” and I knew—our fight, good or bad, would soon be over.

  “Push! Push! One more, he’s almost here!” Dr. Magus’ voice rejoiced, as he and the angels began their chant for the coming of my son. “We call thee to the gentle light. Long hast thou dwelt in darkness. Quit the night and seek the day. Oh, Child of Earth.”

  THE TRINITY

  Michael was half out of his mind when his son invoked him. The archangel could no longer be contained, regardless of the council’s decision to ban him from earth. Enraged with their decision, he thrashed his sword furiously, smashing furniture and priceless artwork.

  “Erez!” Michael lashed out at the high priest. “Grant me passage! My son has called upon me and I will not stand idle while Elizabeth and my son remain in peril! Grant me permission to go into battle with my brothers, or I swear to God above, I will inflict my wrath upon your holy men.” His indignant voice roared loudly, but before the council members could react, the archangel was pulled from the Trinity. His son’s invocation drew his energy with such force that Michael himself did not expect the vortex to propel him with such velocity. The council could only stare in wonder.

  THE TABLET OF UNION

  A deafening shrill alerted the legion that Luca and his Hellions had entered the Tablet of Union via the weakened portal. Rafael, Uriel, Gabriel and Faith had assumed positions at the Tablet’s main entrance. Michael had not yet arrived, but the Blue Legion were already at their posts, gathering thousands of its legionnaires from the Guardians and Giants to the most high, Archangels. Matthew and Emmanuel winced at the wails of the approaching barbaric army. They cupped their hands over their ears, while Dr. Magus stumbled away from me in excruciating agony. Even Victoria and Deborah cupped their ears as blood surfaced and trickled down the sides of their chin. But the shrilling noises did not affect me at all. Armisael’s magnificent presence encumbered me from the beasts. Scouring the faces of my guardians and protectors, it was clear that Armisael’s powerful force obstructed any harm that would threaten me or my child. I was neither nervous nor frightened. Instead, I was overcome with a mix of emotions. I was tired, anxious and desperately missing Michael and my mother.

  Armisael’s incandescent glow shielded me from the wails of the Hellions while the baby continued to squeeze through, pressuring me to release him into a world of chaos and unforgivable destruction. I only wanted to protect my child, to conceal him from the cruelty and intentions of the Shadow Realm. Silently, I begged my boy to stay in my womb until his father’s arrival. But my battle against my son was no contest for me. My son wanted out and, to
my defeat, I just didn’t have the strength to fight him any longer.

  FOUR PORTALS

  The blue sky enigmatically darkened quicker than any storm before it. What was once a gentle breeze now began whipping forcefully through the trees. The archangels’ hair flapped against their faces, obstructing the glow in their eyes as Luca and his minions approached the portals. The wind slammed remorselessly against the fortresses of the Tablet of Union as the overcast shadows in the unforgiving sky turned grim. With every rumble of thunder came a snap of lightning channeling through the heavens with an intense fury. Faith, Gabriel and their brothers poised and standing rank, waited as the demons closed in on them. Across the skies, swarms of angels laid in wait for their leader, Mikael, to arrive.

  As Luca reluctantly stepped onto the sacred grounds of the Tablet, everything stopped. A faint rumbling continued to churn deep in the earth’s core as Luca carefully observed his enemies.

  “This can all end peacefully if you hand over the girl and her child as promised and prophesied.” Luca spoke eloquently while the Hellions snarled and growled at the angels.

  “Come now, Luca, all thanks to our lovely Elizabeth, it has been proven that prophecies can be transposed. It’s called love and free will, something neither you nor your father were ever able to take or break.” Gabriel smiled wisely, taunting the dark lord.

  “True, true, dear uncle Gabe, however—” Luca waved his finger in Gabriel’s face, “A deal is a deal. Ah, Faith.” A wicked smile crossed the dragon’s lips. Faith rolled her eyes unforgivingly As Luca stepped closer to the beautiful angel. “Your exquisiteness still captures my heart. You’ve always had that effect on me and my old man. May I?” he asked reaching for her hand.

  “You lay one finger on me, you slime, and I’ll break it and shove it down your throat so you can choke on it!” the gutty archangel spat back at Luca.

  “My, my, gorgeous and fiery. I see you still have your wits about you!” He winked at Faith, trying to seduce her with his charm. The archangels could only snicker at the demon’s attempt to impress Faith.

  All the while, the band of Hellions were stirring, snapping their necks and stretching their jaws, exposing their razor-sharp fangs, their beady eyes glowing red in the dim depths of the Tablet.

  Luca slowly elongated his neck, turning to signal to his army. Again, like a blare of sirens, the barbaric beasts’ volume steadily increased until it became a piercing incision to the legion’s ears. Faith cupped her ears, fighting the knife-like shrills of the Hellions. Its brutal pain paralyzed some of the angels. It was the repulsive army’s way to cripple their enemies.

  “Bah-el-tah Boh-oh-ah-pee-sah.” Luca’s angry voice exploded as he lifted his sword and proclaimed justice against the Blue Legion.

  “Fam-graph-drux-gal Na-gon-tal Pa-un-veh Gisa-med Na-graph-ur!” Gabriel thundered, prompting his legion to send the dragon back to his Shadow Realm.

  A tremulous clamor, followed by a purple and gold mist, rose high above both armies. Faith was the first to gasp at the sight as tears sprung to her eyes. “Tal-gon-veh-un-graph-ur!” she shouted as Michael fell to the ground like a thunderous bolt!

  “Luca! You’ve broken our treaty. You’re forbidden to walk these grounds.”

  “I apologize dear uncle Mikael! But if I’m not mistaken, didn’t you steal something that had belonged to me for, oh, let me think—two thousand years?” Luca snapped back.

  “It’s me you’ve always wanted, Luca. You and your beastly sister have tried for centuries to avenge your father’s exile, and therefore, this is our war!” Michael’s voice rumbled across the skies. Without hindrance, Michael swung his blade first as Luca swiftly ducked away. Instantly, clashes of metal snapped and sparked, while the Hellions and Blue Legion attacked each other in the burning skies. The oppressive scent of burning skin filled the tepid air as the Legion Angels cleaved through the Hellion’s scaly flesh with their mighty swords.

  As the clouds over the earth morphed into a black abyss, Michael and Luca’s wings shed shadows in the red sky against the fiery moon. The archangel’s gossamer wings spanned far and wide, while Luca’s scaly, dragon wings beat loudly, thrashing at the archangel’s every defensive move. “I will not bow to you or your God. Not now! Not ever!” Luca’s obsessive pride turned violent and hateful toward the legionnaires.

  With a driven force, Luca plunged his sword into Michael’s ribs, sending the archangel hurtling toward the earth. Uriel caught sight of his injured brother and quickly aided his defense, slashing Luca’s right wing. The dragon’s balance dipped and shifted to one side, causing him to nosedive, but he quickly regained his balance and speed. The Hellions’ animus toward the Blue Legion had them fighting like barbarians. With this sort of army, there were no rules. No boundaries. Only blood and destruction.

  Mighty shrills shuddered through the quakes of thunder. Scores of angels soared through the sky while the deformed Hellions collided with seething assaults. The shrieking army fought relentlessly against the Blue Legion. Their shrills and growls vibrated through the skies. And yet, the archangels sped past the beasts in dynamic speeds, hurling their twisted bodies with crushing force. Their destruction would not be spared by the archangels.

  Deep, eerie yowls from the Hellions’ army only unleashed a greater fury in Michael and his brethren of archangels. Gabriel and Uriel soared across the sky to the largest Hellion, whom they believed to be their first commander. As the enormous incubus, seething with revulsion, lifted his sword at the two archangels, unsuspectingly, Rafael riveted through the air and slammed his sword into the center of the demon’s skull.

  Luca continued after an injured Michael, who remained focused on winning the war for the protection of his son. His rancid face, smeared with revolt, was stone cold. His eyes never strayed from Michael. Every move the archangel made, Luca trailed closely behind ready to unleash his anger, wrath and indignation for his nemesis. The Shadow Realm’s leader struck Michael again, crushing him with horrific vengeance.

  Michael’s body powerlessly slammed down to earth, cracking its surface like an earthquake’s most devastating magnitude.

  BIRTHING CHAMBER ~ THE TABLET OF UNION

  “Michael!” I screamed his name with every muscle, drive and determination to get the baby out, as the Tablet quaked in the battle’s aftermath. I reached up, flailing my arms into the air, searching for the miracle that called to me only to find empty space.

  “Elizabeth, listen carefully to what I am telling you,” the doctor informed me. “We must perform an emergency C-section, so therefore, we’re going to sedate you. Do you understand?” The doctor informed me. Delirium began to set in.

  “Put her under, I must make the incision quickly,” the doctor whispered to the others while placing a scalpel in his hand. “If she plans to see her son in this dimension, we must act fast!” I heard his words sloshing around in my head.

  “My son, I want my son!” I shouted deliriously as pressure began to build on the left side of my belly.

  “She’s losing a lot of blood, and it’s vital that she remain calm until we remove the child and contain the situation!”

  “Where is he? I . . . I can’t see him!” I shouted hysterically, realizing that my vision had become nothing more than a dark veil. “Faith! I can’t see my baby! Faith! Dr. Magus! What’s happening? Someone help me!” I screamed even more frantically.

  “Elizabeth, your . . . your child hasn’t been born yet,” Victoria informed me.

  “Increase her anesthesia!” Magus gritted.” Moments later, everything fell silent and still.

  In what seemed like only minutes, I awoke to Victoria’s voice quelling my fears. “Hush child, listen with your heart.” Like the chirp of a little bird, came a tiny sound—a whimper. Suddenly, the sound of my son’s wails filled my ears and my heart as my eyes fluttered open. On a small cot beside me, I stared at my infant, his tiny ribs outlined beneath his delicate skin. Precious coos frothed from his pink lips, making my
own quiver. Every tiny movement from his hands and toes made my heart thump loudly inside my chest, making me crave his touch more than anything. I felt warmth and confusion all in one. I cupped my mouth, feeling emotional and suddenly light-headed. My head reeled with visions and voices that continued to hiss and rejoice. Although, my fate had been prophesied in quatrains and sacred manuscripts to conceive for Luca, I’d found a way to change its course, to defy the laws of balance in the universe—in the realms. This was the moment that I and all the angels, fallen or not, had been waiting for. The pivotal point in our existence. The second coming of the Light Realm.

  Faith wrapped the child snugly in a blanket, and brought him to me. “Elizabeth, meet your son.” She smiled, bowing her head respectfully. Dr. Magus, Victoria, Deborah and the other angels followed her lead, bowing their heads, as well.

  My son—the son of Archangel Michael and the descendant of a sacred bloodline, together created a magnificent little human-angel to ever exist. My child was living proof that our realms, earthbound or beyond, shared a connectivity to procreate that must have otherwise been erased from the human conscious. Like we exist on earth, so do Guardians and Watchers, archangels and demons.

  Carefully, I unwrapped the blanket from his tiny body, examining each toe, every fragile finger, counting his little breaths and his delicate elbows. As I stared at every part of this miraculous being, I noticed there was something barely visible in the dimples of his lower back; symbolic of Archangel Michael. It was his sigil. The same sigil carved into my belly. My son has found a way to connect us—to bind the three of us for eternity.

  Everyone around the room gave an unsuspecting gasp. Only Faith and Dr. Magus, who were desperately trying to stop my hemorrhaging, remained focused on me. Faith reassured me that everything would be okay for us. Yet, the look in the other’s eyes showed impending horror and alarm. They knew as well as I did, that this war would not be over. For as long as my child was alive, the beast would not rest.