The Book of Tobit in the Bible describes how Raphael disguised himself as a human and escorted a young man named Tobias from his father's house in Nineveh to Media and home again.
During his journey to Media, Raphael and Tobias stopped at the Tigris River to wash. Like something worthy of Crocodile Dundee or Jaws, a large fish attacked Tobias from the river. Tobias cried out for help, but Raphael told him to catch the fish instead. The two ate part of the fish for dinner and retained the rest for its demon-banishing and healing qualities.
After catching the fish, Raphael and Tobias arrived at the settlement of a man named Raguel. Raguel's daughter, Sara, had quite a serious problem – she'd been betrothed to seven men, yet each man was killed by demons on their wedding night. Raphael persuaded Tobias to ask to marry the girl and gave him advice on how to survive the wedding night. Tobias had to pray for the first three days of his marriage; burn the fish's liver to keep the demon away; spend a night with the girl under the observation of some holy patriarchs; wait for a blessing...and think of nothing but children during the consummation of his marriage, on the fourth day. Evidently she wasn't the dinner, chocolate and flowers sort.
When Tobias burned the fish liver, it drove away a demon called Asmodeus. Raphael pursued the demon into the deserts of Upper Egypt. According to the Book of Enoch, Raphael bound the demon hand and foot and cast him into the darkness, beneath rough and jagged rocks, where the demon wouldn't see light until the end of the world – when the light would be a fire to devour him.
On their return to Nineveh and Tobias' blind father, Raphael told Tobias to rub the fish gall on his father's eyes to allow the man to see again. This treatment worked.
Some texts state that Raphael revealed his identity before he left the family, while others say he kept it secret.
Raphael is the Director of the Helpful Angels Agency, the temp agency Mel works for. His relationship with Mel is quite complex – they're not simply a boss and employee. He pops in to her house unannounced for dinner, worries about her (especially when Lucifer starts paying an increasing amount of attention to her) and he definitely owes her a favour for helping him out in the HELL Corporation.
He has good taste in clothes, food, wine and beer, but as a Domination, he doesn't let his passions and pleasures rule him. He spends some of his time on Earth, but takes regular trips back up to Heaven.
Samael
Samael and Camael are twin fallen angels whose names mean the blind God and one who sees God, respectively. People often confuse the two, because the brothers are identical. They were the angels of death before Lilith seduced the two brothers and they both fell together.
Sarkis
Saint Sarkis was a military commander who lived in the fourth century AD. Born in Cappadocia, Sarkis was an Armenian who was appointed as Roman Emperor Constantine's general in charge of the Roman troops of Cappadocia.
When Constantine was succeeded by his nephew Julian, Sarkis objected to the new emperor's persecution of Christians and left Cappadocia to command the armies of the Sassanid Empire instead. When Sarkis destroyed a Zoroastrian temple, Shapur, the Sassanid Emperor, retaliated by killing Sarkis' son, Mardiros. Sarkis was then imprisoned and executed.
Saint Sarkis is the patron saint of Armenia and young people.
In the present day, the saint was recruited to the Exousiai to fight demons alongside Saint George and other warrior angels.
Saule
Saule is the Baltic sun goddess and her duties include the wellbeing and regeneration of all life on Earth, through taking care of the sun – quite a responsibility, but as one of the angels in the choir of Dynameis, she can certainly handle it.
Her preferred mode of transport is a chariot with copper wheels and at the end of each day, she retires to a castle to watch the setting sun as she lets her horses play in the sea.
She married Meness, the Dynameis responsible for the moon, but he betrayed her with the morning star.
Saule likes to attend midsummer festivals or those at the summer solstice, where she dances in silver shoes. She's particularly fond of green snakes.
Tisiphone
Tisphone is one of the three Dirae. Tisiphone's name means punishment, vengeful destruction or avenger of murder.
Turiel
Turiel is a fallen angel whose name means rock of God or mountain of God. His name is on a counterfeit magic manuscript, the Secret Grimoire of Turiel, which is plagiarised from other historical magic books in the middle of the twentieth century.
In the HELL Corporation, he's the demon responsible for intellectual property and copyright, given his experience in plagiarism.
Uriel
Uriel is an archangel who is bonded to Gabrielle.
Author's Note
Readers of my Mel Goes to Hell series have often asked for a guide to the angels and demons contained within the pages. There are so many of them and each have their own story, often outside the pages of Mel's books. Melody Angel's Guide to Heaven and Hell is that guide.
Another question I hear frequently from my readers is, "When is your next book out?"
Because the answer to that question changes every time I write a new book, I've made it easy for you to keep up to date with when I have new books coming out – and when they'll be on sale, too.
If you'd like to be the first to know when I release a new book or there's a sale price on an existing one, you can sign up to receive emails about my new releases HERE.
And if you'd like to venture into Hell yourself...read on for THREE bonus chapters from Welcome to Hell, the first book in the Mel Goes to Hell series, or you can check out the whole series HERE.
Job interviews were Mel's personal concept of Hell.
"So, why do you want to work here?"
"I don't," Mel replied.
Raphael sighed. "Come on, Mel. I'm trying to help you. In a real interview, like the one tomorrow, they'll ask you and you'll need a convincing answer."
Mel took a deep breath and tried to think of a reason. After a minute, she shook her head. "Sorry, Raphael. Ask me the next question. I'll have to think about that first one."
"How about telling them it's because you need the money and you've heard they have good pay and conditions? Or because they're the best in the business? Or because you want to make a difference in the world and they're the best place to do it?" Raphael persisted.
"I'll think about it," Mel said. "Try the next question. I still have a whole day before the interview. I might come up with something good by then."
"In your opinion, what's the worst thing about you?"
Mel stared at him. "What kind of question is that? I thought I was supposed to say things that make me sound good and employable, not let them know about my worst habits!"
"Don't tell them your worst habits. Say something that sounds good but that you don't like about yourself," Raphael suggested.
"I can't lie."
"Of course you can't lie – or you shouldn't. You need to say more than that, Mel. I know you've never had a job interview before, but you're not making this easy." Raphael ran a hand through his hair, looking worried. "You're supposed to sell yourself."
Mel laughed. "Technically, this will be my first real job interview and my first paid job. I'd hardly call it selling myself. You make it sound so dirty..."
"Just think of something about you that's really desirable for the job, but that you might not like."
"My boobs are too big?" Mel suggested.
"Oh Hell...Mel!"
"Good afternoon, welcome to Hell–"
Did she really just say that? Mel wondered, staring at the receptionist.
"–lth, Environment, Life and Lands Corporation. How can I help you?"
"Ah, I'm here for a job interview?" Mel left the statement hanging as a question – half hoping she'd be told there was no interview or vacancy, so she wouldn't have to undergo this ordeal.
"Oh, you're from the agency? Take a seat and I'll let them know
you're here," the girl said, waving toward the uncomfortable-looking bucket chairs. She picked up the phone receiver and stared at her until Mel's nervous knees folded, dropping her onto one of the seats.
"Hi, it's reception. I have an agency girl here who says she has an interview." The receptionist sniffed as if she felt the accuracy of this information was questionable. A pause. "No." The girl's chin pointed at Mel. "What's your name, agency girl?"
"I'm Mel."
The receptionist's shoulders slumped as her eyes implored Heaven for something she evidently lacked. Mel wondered if it was patience, good manners or the ability to smile, as the girl seemed to lack all three. "She says her name is Mel. Just...Mel."
Mel summoned a smile. She could be both patient and polite – evidently it was a rarity in this office, if the receptionist was anything to go by. Perhaps the girl was only a teenager, too young to know better, or maybe she'd had a bad morning...
"She's on her way," the receptionist said as she clicked the phone into its cradle.
Mel considered asking who the girl was referring to, but decided not to bother. She didn't expect any answer from her anyway.
The door beside the reception desk opened and a red-suited woman emerged, scowling. She propped the door open with one shiny, red stiletto. "Melody Angel?" she asked, squinting at the sheet of paper in her hands.
Mel winced. "I'm Mel," she repeated, extending her hand to shake the red woman's.
She ignored it. "Follow me."
The woman turned to her right and entered a small meeting room. No, an interview room, Mel told herself, looking at the office chairs circling the table. The furniture was occupied by two men, a jug of water and some empty glasses.
Oh Hell. I hope all my practice questions with Raphael were worth it – and that I don't forget anything, Mel thought, attempting to keep calm. Please, don't let me stuff this up.
The door clicked shut behind her with a terrible finality as Mel took her indicated seat.
"Why do you want to work for our company?"
Mel paused to choose her words carefully. "The Health, Environment, Life and Lands Corporation is experiencing unprecedented growth in a contracting economy, through turning the government push for cost-cutting, consolidation and privatisation into its primary strength. From securing contracts in health and immigration, to subsequent privatised government departments, the general consensus in the business community is that the Health, Environment, Life and Lands Corporation will soon control all government services. That's unprecedented power for a private company – and I want to be a part of it, to witness its almost miraculous success."
The three interview panel members sported proud smiles at Mel's praise. The woman ran her fingers through her hair, giving Mel a glimpse of what looked like a small, pointed horn, before it was hidden from sight once more. Mel told herself she was imagining things.
One of the men cleared his throat. "What would you say is your worst quality?" He ran his tongue nervously across his lips and Mel could have sworn it looked forked.
"Three things," Mel replied smoothly. "A trinity, as it were. My eye for detail, my tendency to work too hard to the point of single-mindedness, culminating in my pursuit of perfection. I see things other people gloss over as unimportant and I work hard to ensure that my work doesn't include such errors of judgement. I'm a perfectionist – striving to provide the perfect product, even if I need to work harder to deliver that. That might be why I have a reputation as a miracle worker." She blushed and lowered her head.
Beneath the table, she saw the tip of a pointed tail before it swung out of sight. She coughed to hide her exclamation.
"Would you like a drink of water?" the woman asked, filling a glass from the jug on the table. As she handed Mel the half-filled glass, Mel had the impression that the woman's fingernails bore an eerie resemblance to black claws.
Mel blinked and politely accepted the drink, sipping slowly. She set the glass down.
"How do you deal with working on multiple projects at the same time?" the second man asked. Mel strongly suspected the tail belonged to him.
She smiled broadly. "It's all about priorities. When I have competing deadlines, depending on my personal goals and those of my superiors, I assess my projects very carefully. They get allocated relative priority, based on their importance to both me and the people I work for. I then divide my attention accordingly. My time is valuable and wasting it would be a terrible crime, especially when someone else might need to pay for my oversight. The projects that are the highest priority take precedence." She couldn't keep the edge out of her voice and feared that the second man had noticed it.
His eyes appraised her and she caught a glimpse of red before they faded to brown once more. She resolved to be more cautious for the remainder of her interview. After all, she did want to get out of there alive.
The story continues in
Welcome to Hell
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.
She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.
Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.
The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by her suspense thriller Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.
Want to know more? You can follow Demelza on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ , YouTube or her website, Demelza Carlton's Place at: www.demelzacarlton.com
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Melody Angel's Guide to Heaven and Hell Page 4