The Return of the Watchers (Armageddon Rising Book 1)

by Denny Bennett

  “There is no winning this war Samir. I did what I had to survive. They would have gotten out anyway. What did you think you were going to do to stop them? What would any of you do? Look at you! Pathetic! I'll ask one more ti-” he said, stopping, frozen mid sentence. Shock entered his mind as he failed to notice Issa had drawn a sigil in the sand with her toes, quietly casting a spell. “The blood of one sacrificed, Omari. I was surprised you would be so careless with your blade,” Issa said, holding up two fingers with Rashidi's blood on them. Paralyzed, all Omari could do was watch as Samir and the others scoured the area for something to bind him with. Ten minutes later Ramla returned with a dried braided rope about fifteen feet long. “Help me!” Samir shouted behind labored grunts. He was pushing on a large limestone slab that had an iron ring affixed to the top which was was sliding on heavy rollers from underneath. With the help of the other three it was surprisingly easy to move the slab to the edge of the river, which appeared to be quite deep. Samir fastened the rope around Omari's neck and the other end to the limestone slab. All Omari could do was watch his fate unfold as he was frozen in place, unable to speak or do anything. The others watched also, knowing what Samir was about to do, yet they did not interfere with him carrying out justice for the murders Omari had committed.

  Samir stepped back and looked at Omari while sighing and shaking his head in disbelief. The memory of his daughter's execution, as well as the realization that his wife might also have been murdered, was pressing down on him. Cursing himself for his stupidity and not listening to Jizam, he began to weep and scream with rage, fueling his lust for revenge. Reaching behind the slab that was parked at the edge of the river he pushed with all his might, plunging it into the water. It disappeared quickly, taking Omari into the deep with it. They all stood silently for a moment as Samir began to weep. The three went over to console him, offering their condolences and prayers for him. “We should leave; we have to warn the others about what happened,” Lotus said, her hand on his shoulder. “I think we'll all fit inside this raft; give me a few moments and I will retrieve Msrah's body and place him next to Rashidi,” Issa said as he sprinted up the stairs to the chamber where Msrah lay. Ramla began hunting for something to wrap the bodies in so that they could be prepared for burial. In a small room off to the rear of the platform she found some linen that was very old, fragile and dusty, but would at least cover them if they were placed close enough together. Issa completed the gruesome task of returning Msrah to the lower level and set him beside Rashidi. Lotus covered the bodies and they boarded the raft with Samir cradling his daughter in his arms. “Too bad we don't have the locations of the pris-” was all Lotus started to say when she noticed Samir peer over at her with the look of a crushed soul on his face. “I wouldn't say that, Lotus,” Ramla said, trying not to smile. “I managed to snap a picture off on my cell phone before it disappeared,” she said triumphantly. Samir perked up a bit as Issa and Lotus both looked relieved. The deaths would not be in vain. The river curved around a bit and split off into four different directions. The current was moving too fast for them to control the raft well and a rapid drop off caused water to flood in momentarily. They removed as much water as they could with their hands and emerged out of a hidden opening into the Nile River. The underground waterway was as incredible as the Great Sphinx itself, a ten mile journey that ended on one of the smaller branches of the river. Samir nodded at Issa to paddle up ahead to the embankment. “Is that your car? What is it doing here?” Ramla asked him. “I was planning to show everyone the tunnel, and then we would have a pleasure ride back on the raft I left in the cavern. That is why I had Issa pick me up from here,” he replied. The group waited as Samir gently placed his daughter in the car and they all left together. “Where should we go?” Issa asked. “We will go to my house first. I need to check on my wife,” Samir said, holding back his emotions for the time being.

  “Sure. No problem. We can all go together,” Lotus replied, looking at the rest of them with steely eyes. Judging from her look, it was implied there was not going to be a discussion. “What if we come across one of the fallen again? How are we going to deal with them? Most of what I know is very limited. How do you even injure or kill one of them?” Ramla asked. “There are ways,” Samir said bluntly. “I did not come prepared, otherwise they might have thought twice about attacking us. None of us were expecting betrayal and that is where we failed. You two have learned something valuable in this tragedy. Always consider and prepare for and the unexpected. I was so focused on Malik and what could go wrong with the summoning that I failed to recognize the external danger we faced. This does not mean you cannot trust anyone. It simply means that you should not allow yourself to be put into a position of weakness, should the unexpected occur,” he said with a weary voice. “That is good advice. Even though we were betrayed you still need to rely on others. When I had my apprentices I would often remind them of the importance of community and working together as a group. You may think that you will be better off as a 'lone wolf' but in truth, it is better to work together. A reed by itself can bend and break, but a bundle is strong. Never forget that,” Lotus said. Issa and Ramla both nodded. “Lotus, that weapon he used, did you recognize it?” Samir asked. “No, I have never seen anything like that. The ring, however, looked familiar. I will need to consult some manuscripts first to confirm my suspicions. His blade appeared to draw Malik into it, trapping him within. I can only assume it can also collect human souls as well. My guess is there is a limit to what it can hold; the spirit of Malik seemed to be stretching its capabilities. I was able to understand some of what they were saying to each other. They were concerned it would not hold. The question is, what are they planning to do with his spirit?” “A good question indeed,” Samir replied.

  Eighteen

  At the summit of Mount Hermon in the region over modern day Syria, six thousand years B.C., two Hundred angels were gathered on a plateau to form a pact of mutual sedition. Twenty of their chiefs huddled to discuss the details of their unholy rebellion, sprung from the well of lust. Shemikhazah, their leader, addressed the celestial body with his concerns. “We have all taken great risk upon ourselves to arrive by mutual supplication at our destination. I ask you all again, is it not unjust that Elohim has set apart the daughters of Eve for the sons of Adam, yet we who have served faithfully have not received such splendor? Why should we not undertake this endeavor upon ourselves, that we become flesh also and take wives to assuage our desires? Should we continue to suffer with passion, thus defiling our spirits within? Let it not be said that Adam did not transgress, and yet despite his sin the son of man still found favor in the sight of our Lord. Is inequity to be our lot for this cause? Yet I fear you will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.” The others listened to Shemikhazah’s plea and answered in kind. “Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by imprecations not to abandon this plan but to carry out our objective.” They mutually agreed and swore together to complete their objective. The die was now cast; their fate sealed with this act of rebellion.

  The day turned to night and the light of the assembled mass shone over the antediluvian town below, some distance from the foot of the mountain. As they made their way down the mountain, the villagers came out to witness the procession of divine beings. Awed by their presence and power, they were welcomed into their community with open arms. Within a short time, the men of the village quickly wed their daughters to the Watchers, with the goal of learning their secrets. All of the others, including the leaders, took unto themselves wives from the villagers and each chose for himself one. The Watchers began to have relations with their wives, defiling themselves and corrupting the human experiment. As a result of their union the women became pregnant; however, since the watchers were not of Earth many of their offspring were mutated, becoming great giants that began to devour all the produce of man. When the humans could no longer supply the giants, they, in turn
, began to devour mankind itself.

  As it happened, the Watchers followed through with their promise to teach the humans the forbidden knowledge; knowledge that was beyond their capacity to control. It was Asa’el who taught men to make swords of iron, knives, shields, breastplates of brass, and made known to them the metals that are excavated from the Earth. He taught the forging of gold and silver into jewelry and ornaments as well as the use of cosmetics for beautification of the face. Shemikhazah taught spellbinding and botany, Hermoni the casting of spells. Barak’el taught the signs of lightning, Ar’tekif the signs of the Earth, Shimsh’el the signs of the sun, Sahri’el the signs of the moon, and they all began to teach their wives as well. As a result of their sharing this knowledge, mankind was led astray and grew in wickedness, being corrupt in all their actions and motivations.

  One hundred years after their arrival, a small gathering of Angels observed their children partaking in sport amongst themselves. “Let none say the sons of Shemikhazah are lacking in strength!” Barak’el proclaimed after having witnessed Ohya and Ahya, his two gigantic offspring, wrestle with each other. “Nor are they lacking in appetite,” Ar’tekif bemoaned. Indeed, the two alone had stripped the land in that area of Havilah bare of all that it could produce, forcing many of the humans who dwelled there to relocate north to Cush. There were thirty nine giants in the land of Havilah; the remaining thirteen thousand claimed their own territories across the lands farther east and to the north. The air was thick and foul where they stood amidst a raised plateau overlooking the valley that stretched many miles north. The sky was overcast with dark clouds, a display which seemed to portend the events about to unfold. Behind the group was a large mountain named Chesed, an antithetical title considering what was contained within. Cut into the mountainside was an enormous channel secured by a barrier made of light, behind which an opaque silhouette outlined a living creature of extraordinary proportions. Loud, guttural sounds mixed with the thundering of the creature against the mountain walls could be heard coming from behind the barrier. The group drew their attention to the stirring from within and all eyes were on Tur'el as he stood to address them. “This day, brothers, we have cause to celebrate the creation of a marvelous wonder; a creature unlike any seen on this Earth save perhaps Leviathan. A magnificent beast indeed; the strength of its limbs greater than one hundred of the strongest who walk the Earth presently. Its claws are able to rend solid granite and its jaws can crush metal as if made of chaff. The skin of this beast is an impenetrable armor save for weapons of Magick or high form. Iron he treats as straw, and bronze a rotten wood. Observe the creation of Asa'el my friends; behold the mighty Vorath!” The barrier was removed and the enormous creature was led out of its confinement. Tur'el flew on top of its back, gently stroking its neck. It would not be an understatement to say the sound of thunder was as a whisper compared to the deafening roar of the beast, shaking the ground and bones of all for miles around. Its footprint was thirty nine feet long and it stood just over three hundred fifty feet high. Its skin was a thick and scaly armor, with a yellowish green hue to it resembling a type of metal between bronze and gold. It walked on four legs that were studded at the joint with sharp protrusions, and the ground quaked with each step, creating a small pressure wave of air. Its massive tail, several hundred feet in length, moved side to side, proudly displaying the spiked bulbous end which was quite proficient at crushing solid earth. The assembled group of watchers looked upon the creature with awe as it extended it wings to their full breadth- over three thousand feet! “It appears as the ones found on Reniel, does it not, my friends?” Zohari'el asked. “In truth it does, only this specimen dwarfs those creatures. I wonder, does it possess the gift of flame?” Barak’el inquired. “How does it gain nutrients? It does not appear to be equipped with teeth necessary for consumption of flesh,” Ar’tekif asked. “That is correct,” Asa'el said as he slowly rose from his meditations and approached the group. “It consumes Earth and rock, and gains nutrients from the air and sunlight, through its wings.” They peered in his direction as he was looking up at Tur'el, who had walked the beast onto the ground below the plateau. Each step the creature took was an earthshaking, thunderous boom that generated copious amounts of dust and dirt. The immediate area had almost zero visibility which was made worse from the tornado-like winds generated by its wings as Tur'el coaxed it into flight out into the vast open plain. “How did you create such a terrifying creature?” Kokav'el asked, trembling inside at the thought of it under the control of Asa'el. “The internal structure required modification in order to allow for survival in this atmosphere. Those modifications increased its girth, stature, and longevity. Indeed, it is an even match for Leviathan, mayhap its superior. It should serve my purpose well this day. Brothers, I would be remiss if I did not give a demonstration of Vorath's capabilities,” Asa'el stated with a smile. “Fly to Ephrim in Nod, Tur'el. Show the sons of Cain who opposed us the wages of their ignorance!” The group looked at each other and whispered quietly amongst themselves, some with excitement, others with grave concern. Tur'el soared high above the horizon towards their quarry some twenty miles away. Most of the watchers had taken flight themselves to witness the spectacle of this dark force in action. Its ominous roar was heard off in the distance and appeared as a dark cloud moving rapidly towards the hapless town. Within a minute it arrived and immediately began to render the town to ash and slag with its breath, which was unlike any fire seen on Earth. The flames themselves were violet-purple in color, and the fumes created from the gasses that ignited the sulfurous flame were a poison in the air to all who were not felled directly by the intense heat it generated. The screams of the humans could scarcely be heard above the roar of the beast which made quick work of the town. The watchers who followed to observe the spectacle were quite impressed with the might of the beast and praised the skill of Asa'el for recreating this destroyer on Earth. Word of the devastation that took place in Ephrim quickly spread to the other neighboring towns, and it was not long thereafter that an assembly of humans arrived, offering up their treasures and trinkets as a peace offering to the watchers, swearing fealty in return for safety. Indeed, Asa'el had a mighty weapon to exert control, which the other watchers took note of. They in turn began to concoct all variety and manner of alien creatures in order to avoid being subjected to the rule of their brother.

  Dissension eventually formed within the ranks of the Elohim and they gradually separated themselves across the landscape to avoid interaction and strengthen their sovereignty. It came to pass that many of the watchers began to feel guilt and regret for their actions and what they had wrought on the planet. They had borne witness to the fruits of their actions firsthand; their offspring used the sorceries and magicks taught to them to wage war against each other in an effort to achieve supremacy. This was in addition to the humans who also fought against one another. Many humans were captured and used as livestock in order to feed the appetites of the giants and their offspring, as well as their unnatural creations. Cries went up to the Heavens for all the bloodshed the Earth was drenched in. Several decades passed until the five Satans called an assembly of the leaders of the Watchers to discuss the predicament they were faced with. The word of the meeting went out, and in short order they had all found themselves together again where it had begun, many years ago, atop Mount Hermon. Only now they were gathered inside of a small pyramid, comprised of granite slabs cut out and assembled by their children who had recently finished constructing the pyramids in several parts of Egypt as well. It was aptly named Shin’ar, land of the watchers. Many of those who arrived were not on good terms with one another; territorial disputes had emerged over time between the offspring of the leaders or those who followed under their rule, which resulted in bloodshed and wars between them. The watchers had lost most of their light and their flesh had become ashen in color, a consequence of their fall from grace. None save the two leaders and the five Satans were aware of the purpose of the meeting
; however, most were receptive to the idea and had little doubt amongst them as to the true nature of this gathering. Shemikhazah, one of the two who had led their kind to Earth, was the first to speak. “It pleases me to see all of you again, and as such I am reminded of a time when the sons of Elohim banded together under lighter sentiments to sing the praises of the Ancient of Days. Alas, that time has passed, as we have all cast off our heavenly mantle to live as the sons of Adam.

  “My brothers, it is clear to me as it should be to you that this undertaking was unwise from the outset. The children of The Creator were never meant to bind to the flesh of the daughters of Eve. Human spirits are weakly developed and as such, an insufficient match to that of our own. For this and more we have wrought terrible destruction upon the Earth and upon ourselves. I, like many of you have suffered great sorrow from the loss of several of my children at the hands of others.” Several amongst those gathered stood upright in anger and defiance. Asa'el calmed them down and Shemikhazah continued. “It is not unknown to me that my sons are responsible for the loss of your children as well. I accept responsibility for their sins and humbly beg your forgiveness in turn. Brothers, we face unprecedented calamity, which you all have undoubtedly discerned yourselves. This planet cannot sustain our offspring and will surely perish if we fail to act. Gadreel shall explain the rest.” A tall figure stood up, almost nine feet, with skin completely ashen colored and covered in sigils which could be seen through his golden robes. His eyes still shone brightly, illuminated seemingly from behind, the last vestige of his celestial heritage. As one of the accusers, his heavenly task was to bring to light the imperfection in souls; to allow for closer scrutiny and examination of those who decided if a soul was to advance or decline. He was a master of speech and beguiler; on this occasion his oratorical skills would be put to the test. “My brothers, I come before you today to speak of the coming calamity that will befall all of you should you fail to act. You have lived amongst the mortals for some time now, and in that span we have observed the result of your interference with mankind. Shemikhazah has spoken truly when he remarked upon the folly of taking humans for the purpose of bonding with them; the offspring of that union have been a grotesque mixing of our pure celestial essence with that of lower life forms spiritually undeveloped. Yet what is done cannot be undone. Mankind is thoroughly corrupted.