Divinity: Transcendence: Book Two (The Divinity Saga)

by Reid, Susan

  He continued to infuriate me. “I mean, assuming that she did make it after all, right? Classic case of forbidden love never meant to be.” He sighed.

  His unnatural, aqua, ice blue eyes were shining with malice. “You’ve probably damned her for eternity somewhere in the oblivion of souls. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to find her though, especially while you’re wasting your time in the human realm, chasing after more of the same torment. Some demons are addicted to pain, some are addicted to medicinal highs, and you…you’re addicted to virgins— and loving things you can never have. Unique, sweet, but ridiculously stupid.” He then said.

  I sighed heavily, but remained quiet, more so not to continue giving him ammunition. There were way too many people within close proximity out here right now. I couldn’t allow the reaction that he was trying to coax out of me to happen.

  I opened the driver side door to get out, when he spoke again. I don’t know why I bothered to linger and await anything else he had to say.

  “You know Cam`ael, I think I may have been a bit too harsh in our last interaction. I accept your apology. I admit that I was overcome with emotion, and I may have said a few things that I really didn’t mean. After all, we are of the same side here, right? We will both dominate and control Earth, maybe even the entire universe afterwards. I have no problems sharing that goal with you. I even put you above my own children.” He said.

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He was truly insane, and he never ceased to amaze me.

  “I don’t remember apologizing for anything, you crazy fuck.” I replied point-blankly.

  He rolled his aqua blue, goat-slit eyes with a snicker. “Give me a break.” He studied me silently for a second. “You know, I think you’re really starting to believe that you are a police officer. On the other hand, maybe perhaps you are really just lamenting no longer being Chief Angel of all Powers. It’s understandable. Sed tantum tam stulte pro omnibus caritas.” He then said clucking his tongue.

  My eyes flicked up to meet his. A half-smile was affixed to the corner of his mouth.

  The air in the cruiser was getting hotter, fogging up the windows— my anger was slowly unfurling.

  “I’m going to assume that she made it over, no thanks to you. Have you seen your beloved little firecracker yet? Oh, no of course not…you’re still alive.” He laughed, continuing to provoke me.

  I bit my lip. I wasn’t going to sit here and continue to listen to his childish provocations, but I did wonder why he was here. It wasn’t like him to make personal appearances, unless it was something major.

  “How much do you want to bet, that they’re all here because you just broke a few rules in your apprehension of said shooter, hmm?” He then said with a nod towards the convergence of angels above. They were scattering their glittering essences beyond the main courtyard.

  I turned to face him. “I think they may be here to keep me from assassinating your ass.”

  I silently cast light into the backrest of the passenger seat. I watched his eyes bulge, and his body jerked forward forcefully, leaving foul, black wisps of smoke curling up from behind him.

  “You should really—watch your back.” I simpered with a grin.

  Fury ignited a red flame in his eyes. “And you should really watch what you’ve returned here for.” He said in a calm warning tone. Both of his eyes went completely full onyx.

  They shifted when he was provoked or enraged, but he was maintaining his rage well, which meant it would be spent in other ways.

  Why doesn’t Elohim simply obliterate him from existence? Better yet, allow me to do it now?

  I prepared myself for his backhanded retaliation. My fist was aglow with light. He was here for a reason, and it wasn’t just for anything that I was doing, I was sure of that much. Maybe to check on his dark divine investments? I wondered.

  “Cam`ael.” A child-like, soft, ethereal whisper of a voice called out from my left.

  Morning Star grew rigid and snarled. A combination of both hatred and fear veiled his face. He could no longer withstand angelic light and glory, no longer allowed to look any angel in the face. Even if he tried to, he wouldn’t be able to endure it without the affliction of both internal pain and mental torture. Ironically, he despised them all for what he chose to rebel against.

  The angel had taken on the image of a child, a small framed little girl of about five or seven with long, blonde hair, and an impossibly narrow face, housing large, blue eyes that were devoid of any pupils. Her skin glittered beneath the surface of her false flesh. She looked so out of place here, but it was obvious that it didn’t matter since we were the only ones who could see and hear her.

  The fact that she had addressed me at all, let alone by name, already had me humbled and at attention.

  “Do not do any more that is forbidden.” She said to me, referring to my brief assault on Morning Star. Then again, it could be over what I had just done with the shooter.

  How could hurting—let alone killing Morning Star be forbidden? I’ve struggled with that universal law every single moment of every single day, since the dawn of human time. I’ve come to figure that maybe Elohim wanted that pleasure all to himself.

  Morning Star grinned smugly through his clenched teeth, stewing in his own tortuous animosity.

  Next, she raised a skinny, pale arm, and pointed a small finger at Morning Star. “And Morning Star, whatever business or beings that you seek here, has been eradicated. Leave here now, or your pride shall be punished along with your actions.” She ominously warned.

  Morning Star offered no protest, or smart assed response past a growl of annoyance. The vanishing wake of his rage as he ghosted away, left a pop of hot air and a shift in the atmosphere.

  I paused and watched the angel, as her full, blue eyes met mine.

  “I accept punishment.” I said.

  “I am not here to mete out punishment. What more is there that you seek here?” She asked me in angelic now.

  I was taken by surprise at her question. Was she asking me this because Starling had already died, and was no longer here? Answering her would only make her remind me that I was no longer Chief Angel of all Powers.

  Damnit Edanai, thanks a lot!

  Being able to still understand and speak the language was a gift in itself. I still remembered the language well, but it was foreign to Morning Star and his fellow demons, so I knew why she chose to speak it while addressing me personally. I was sure he was still around somewhere, so I would reply in Angelic too.

  I cast my eyes down in reverence. “I don’t know. Accept my humble apology and grant me forgiveness.”

  “You apologize for the preservation of mortal life?”

  I hadn’t expected that response.

  “For the display of both my powers and identity among mortals.” I clarified, still focusing my eyes on the ground.

  “They know of, and remember not of what they saw. Use your light and what remains of your authority among your own brethren, wisely. Though you have been shut out of the kingdom, it is no accident that you still possess the gift, and it will be no mistake if it is taken away. It is the only reason that Morning Star will not allow you to be killed by any of his legion, for now. Regardless of how you feel or what you know, do not bring harm upon him in return, as per the laws state. However, you must stay vigilant and aware, as the time of reckoning will come soon. Remember this, and remember your favor in both the human and the spirit realm. Your reward has not been forgotten, it requires faith.” She said.

  My brows furrowed. Of course. They came to cast cocoons of divine protection over the humans. I should have realized that they were working to shield them from the lingering shadows and dark beings, while distorting the images and memories of what anyone may have seen or heard on my part. However, why did they have to bring in so many? I had no idea just how close they were monitoring my actions. Maybe it was more because of my last battle.

  I fought Drakael, and in the end—
he lost, but it wasn’t from the stroke of my sword.

  Elohim had annihilated him for drawing Starling’s blood. He didn’t kill her on purpose but it didn’t matter. Law was law in the human world, and Elohim didn’t play when it came to breaking them.

  Angels are always cryptic. Her words resonated with me, but I wasn’t sure why she bothered to tell me any of it past the initial warning.

  “I have no more faith. The one thing that I wanted more than anything in my existence, past forgiveness…is now my enemy.” I whispered in reply.

  There was a long pause so I assumed she was gone. The wall of her powerful energy and the scent of ozone drew closer, as she glided soundlessly towards me. Though I kept my eyes down, I saw that her small feet never touched the ground.

  “An enemy?” She asked, “Why do you continue to save humans?”

  I slowly brought my eyes up and immediately flinched, turning my head to look away. Her light was excessively bright for the darkness in my eyes.

  After a long hesitation of thought, I still had no answer for her.

  “I don’t know.” I finally whispered, refocusing my eyes downward at nothing in particular.

  “The fallen will ascend upon Earth. You should prepare. For the light in you will allow you rule.” She then said.

  I quirked a brow. That desire and thought didn’t matter to me. I could have cared less.

  “If rule was what I desired, then I would be happy to oblige Morning Star with his disturbing wishes. I would have taken it myself long ago.” I shook my head with a heavy heart.

  There was another bout of silence, to which, I risked my eyes slowly traveling up to seek her face for a response.

  She continued to watch me in wonder. Her full, blue eyes began to emanate a powerful and celestial glow that bore painfully into mine. I closed my eyes and turned away again, but still able to see her light behind my lids.

  “Then you do know why you continue to help them, Cam`ael— former Chief Angel of all Powers.” She said. With her last lingering statement, she ghosted away.

  Hearing her address me by my formal title yet again, as the other angels had done when I released the two chosen for Elohim, befuddled me.

  I shifted back into the drivers’ seat, shutting the cruiser door, and started up the engine with a quick glance in the rearview mirror.

  Morning Star hadn’t left the area— no surprise. He was engaged in flirtatious conversation, offering false comfort to several young girls, who were no doubt defenseless in their vulnerable states of fear. They were hypnotized by both his charm and his looks, and one of them was the blonde one, Logan.

  Already knowing that I zoned in on him, his eyes met mine and he winked with a smirk. It was nothing more than a sneer of jealousy for holding a conversation with an angel.

  Shit.

  V: Starling:

  I followed Durien out into another wide-open corridor, flanked by an expansive, well-manicured courtyard to the left of us. It was complete with a small pond and beautiful trees that resembled weeping willows. A fragrant, sweet, floral scent tickled my nose when the breeze rustled gently.

  “This is one of the smaller courtyards. This whole area here is probably about less than a third of this entire place. You only need to know where the most important areas are; like the dining hall, bathing rooms, tailoring, herbalist, alchemists, and stuff like that.” Durien began to explain.

  I wasn’t trying to be rude. I was too busy marveling at it all. The unnatural sky above caught my attention. It wasn’t as dark as I thought it was. It was more of a purple blue and the moon looked wrong, like the color of pink chalk, with a hint of yellow and blue mixed in. There were thousands of stars though, and it niggled at the back of my subconscious, as if I should have been seeing something in them.

  “Why does the moon look like that?” I asked him.

  He turned to look at me. “This is the spirit realm. It’s a completely different dimension—one of many, actually.” He replied.

  I glanced over at him curiously.

  “A dimension? Not like heaven or hell?” I asked.

  “Neither, but all the beings and creatures that you never thought existed before, exist here. Not all of them are bad though.”

  I stopped walking, and looked at him with alarm. “Creatures like what?”

  “Angels, demons, imps, shadows, all kinds of dark beings, light guardians, and of course the devil himself.” He grinned.

  I shivered at the mere mention of those words, not because it scared me, but because it all sparked a memory in my mind. A memory that I couldn’t quite piece together fully.

  “How long have you been here?” I asked him, as we continued to walk down the long corridor.

  “I don’t even keep track of time anymore. There’s no point, and you’ll come to find out why soon enough.” He replied. “This way.” he motioned with a nod of his head. We made a right at the end of the ‘T’ split corridor.

  “So, you just train and live here day after day?” I asked as I bit into a strawberry.

  It was incredibly sweet and juicy. The explosion of flavor completely overwhelmed my taste buds, rising into the back of my throat and my nose, reminding me of why I absolutely adored strawberries in the first place.

  “Wow, these are really good. Want one?” I offered, holding one out to him.

  He declined with a shake of his head. “No thanks. I come back every now and then to train and do brandings, but I don’t stay here for more than a few daybreaks at a time.” He replied.

  “Oh, that’s right. You live in the human world.” I remembered Lira saying in the dining hall. Durien was a veteran.

  He nodded. “Yep.”

  “How long before you can decide?” I asked.

  He shrugged a shoulder. “It depends. You need to learn about the spirit world around you first. Understanding what you are now, what you can do, and the role you play in all of it, is important. Learning how to fight comes secondary but it’s highly crucial. You won’t master it overnight, although I don’t think it’ll be difficult for you to do.” He smiled.

  I nodded.

  It was silent, as I finished my strawberries. There was so much that I wanted to ask, I didn’t know where to start.

  Durien spoke again, “There’s going to come a time, when we’re all going to have to go against darkness. Not just us, the human race I mean. We’re the frontlines though. We have the abilities, the wit, and the divine backing. We’re the shields against the darkness. Training is about ninety percent of why we’re all here.” He gestured with his hands as he spoke. He too, gazed off into the distance at the sky above.

  I wasn’t even sure what to say to that. There was so much that I didn’t know and understand. I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to understand, but I was here. I was not going to become a prisoner, a slave, or die— again. Who knows where I’d end up this time.

  “So, how long have you been a warrior?” I asked him again with intrigue.

  He gave a crooked smile and glanced over at me. “A while. I died at eighteen in a car crash. My car took a nosedive straight into the Mississippi, back in nineteen eighty-three. My body was never found, naturally of course.” Durien began.

  I choked on a piece of strawberry, nearly spraying out bits of red colored spittle, as we both stopped walking again.

  “You alright?” he asked with a smirk.

  I looked at him in awe, swallowing the rest of the strawberry with a cough. “Nineteen eighty three? You still look eighteen.” I replied, and wiped my mouth, followed by another short cough.

  “Like you even know what year it is now. Immortality does that to you.” He then laughed.

  I looked him over. He was fit, with a firm muscular build despite his size, which wasn’t much taller than I was.

  I was about to argue, but he was right. I wrinkled my brow in confused puzzlement.

  I didn’t know what year it was.

  “Well, I’m sure it wasn’t nineteen eighty
three when I died.” I then said.

  “How do you know that?” He eyed me playfully with a dimpled smile.

  I couldn’t answer that. I pressed my lips in frustration, trying to remember…something, but it was like looking at a bunch of blank photographs in my mind.

  We continued to walk.

  “I’m just messin’ with you. It isn’t nineteen eighty-three. In fact, in the human realm, it’s two thousand and thirteen right now —and you’ll forever look six…I mean nineteen.” He said purposefully and then laughed.

  I eyed him wryly.

  “How come you remember how you died?” I asked.

  “I didn’t. Out of curiosity, I did a little research on the internet. All my searches brought me to Vicksburg, Mississippi. I began sifting through past newspaper article archives and obituaries in that city. Then, I Googled my name and pieced it all together myself.”

  I was quiet for a moment. I could do that too I guess…if I really wanted to know, but I don’t think I do.

  “Why didn’t you just go back there yourself?” I then asked.

  He shrugged a shoulder and shook his head. “Going back to where you lived is the first thing you’re gonna want to do when you’re thoroughly trained. However…” He held up a finger, “Showing up where everyone who knew you, and knows that you simply disappeared without a trace, can be disastrous, especially if many years have passed. What seems like only a few days here, is actually a few weeks in the human realm. A few weeks, ends up being a few months, and a few months, ends up being years…get my drift?” He explained.

  I slowly nodded. I was trying to wrap my brain around it.

  “Remember, you’re immortal. You’ll still look about the same as you did when you were mortal. Visiting or making your home, if you decide to, where you lived when you were human and disappeared, can have some repercussions. Interacting with family and friends that you remember for leisure isn’t forbidden, but it is discouraged for obvious reasons.” He finished.