In Exile (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book III)

by John J Higgins

  On the other hand, Jarahmael did not want to turn the Books over to the loyal Angels either. He had great concerns Michael would someday surrender to the temptation that had caught Luciferael. The glory and power of the Heavens may be the real reason that Luciferael and his rebel Angels had turned on the Almighty. Too much power sitting in any individual or small group was dangerous. For after all, weren’t all the Archangels created about the same time and developed in the same way? Luciferael had pursued the possibility of ruling the Universe despite having a special relationship with the Almighty. Jarahmael thought that he would be ecstatic if the Almighty had the same relationship with him and would never take over the Heavens and the Earth for himself. Something had gone wrong that Luciferael had rebelled; he was already the most loved of the Angels, the First Born of the Creation and Prince of Heaven. And those Archangels who followed Luciferael seemed to have been seduced by the same folly.

  The Archangels around Michael did not seem to have the same closeness to him that Sammuael and the rest of the Auxilium had with Luciferael. But then again, Michael had not been the Prince of Heaven. Their quick defense of Michael at the end of the rebellion when Jarahmael suggested that the loyal Angels stop performing the morning ceremony gave him pause. Gabriel and the others could eventually have that blind loyalty to Michael just as Luciferael had the blind loyalty of the rebel Angels. So for now, to be safe, Jarahmael thought it was best to keep the Books out of the hands of both camps.

  He realized that it would be no easy task to keep these Books out of all of the Angels' hands. Jarahmael also knew that he would be hunted by both the loyal and rebel Angels once they figured out he was the thief. Where best to hide the Books so that they could not be found by either set of Angels? He needed to have access to them himself to teach the Humans, yet he knew that he could not trust Adam or Eve to keep the Books' location secret. For now he would have to continue to be the one to keep the Books safe. At least long enough to ensure that the Humans had the knowledge they would need to protect themselves against Luciferael and his rebel Angels.

  He smiled to himself as he envisioned how angry Luciferael would become once he knew that someone was looking out for the Humans he sought so desperately to destroy. It was not that Jarahmael trusted the Humans, but their survival and prosperity would infuriate Luciferael and his colleagues. That may give him an opening to save Lillith from them.

  As night was falling, he knew he had the perfect opportunity to get things situated. The loyal Angels would not miss him until morning and the rebel Angels had no idea he was outside of the Heavens. Landing quietly near the Aegyptus complex, he stood before the Sphinx that had the face of his friend Cerebriel staring back at him. It was not that long ago that he had slipped away from Michael’s army of loyal Angels to hide the Book of Creation here, but it did seem like ages had passed since that night.

  Once inside, he looked at the wall and everything seem undisturbed. Sliding his fingers along the wall, he found and moved the stones where he had hidden the Book of Creation. Looking inside, he found the Book exactly where he had placed it. Now the question was, how best to deal with the Book? The complete Book would give the finder a great deal of power whether they found the Book of Creation here in Cerebriel’s monument of a male Sphinx or the Book of Life hidden within the sister monument of Annabael’s female Sphinx. Where would he put them so they would not be found? If he left the whole Books here in Aegyptus, they could be found together and then combined, all that power vested in one individual. Pacing back and forth, he felt the Crystal Prism he had under his tunic rub against him and shift.

  He did have all the mirrors from his palace in the Seventh Heaven stored within this crystal. And, within the mirrors were the other Crystal Prisms that had powers he did not yet know. Perhaps he can hide the Books, too, within the Crystal Prism he carried. As he thought about it, another troubling thought came to him, that if he was captured, whoever captured him would have control over all the items that he was carrying in this Crystal Prism. He was afraid that it may not matter which side succeeded in finding these items such unbridled power could corrupt the loyal Angels just as easily as it had corrupted Luciferael and the rebel Angels.

  It was foolish to keep all of these things on his person. I really need to split these things up so that no one can easily gain control over the Universe, he thought to himself. This was a particularly good place, as no one would be using the Sphinxes. Cerebriel and his Order preferred to be in the Sixth Heaven and they considered these Sphinxes to just be decorations allowed by the Almighty. It was doubtful that the Cherubim would even reappear to look here. On the other hand, this was a remote location and difficult to access when he would need the information contained in the Books. If he split the Books up among the fourteen mirrors, he could place them in various locations with no one knowing their true natures.

  He thought he could accomplish both purposes. He could still access the Books without giving away their locations, and that even if one of the locations was found, the others would remain hidden.

  Jarahmael then walked into the largest chamber within the basement of the Sphinx, carrying the Book of Creation and his Crystal Prism. Best to do all of this at once, he thought, and he slipped away and found the Book of Life in the neighboring statue of the female Sphinx where he had left it. Now returning with both Books, he used the Crystal Prism to release the fourteen mirrors and split the sections of the Books among them. It was safe here in the foundation and base of the Sphinx monument that rested above him; no one could observe what he was doing.

  As he was splitting up the Books he held back the chapter on enchantments and his own mirror, as he thought they could be of use to him and that it may be best to keep those tools handy for his own use.

  As he was removing another section from the rest of the Book of Creation, he accidentally bumped into the nearest mirror, the one he had made for the Archangel Gabriel. It fell onto the wall behind it, leaning off the wall at a sixty degree angle. Deciding that he would insert this section into Gabriel’s mirror, he called aloud, “Habitare Tacitus Jarahmael,” unlocking the mirror as he had been instructed by Raziel. This made the glass ripple so he could reach inside it to place the Book section. As his hand entered the mirror, he noticed an even stranger effect. He could see his hand reaching in all the other mirrors as they expanded and let his hand push the mirror glass forward.

  My, isn't that strange! Taking a chance, he climbed into the mirror as it leaned against the wall within the Sphinx. Once inside, he found that he was able to move from one of his other thirteen mirrors to another. This was exciting; he could move from mirror to mirror as he wanted, distance and time meant nothing in this dimension.

  He came back to Gabriel's mirror and climbed back out, with nothing changed. As he reached out and tried to raise the mirror, he found that his mere touch could alter its shape, make it smaller or larger as he applied his hands to it. When he said the spell aloud, the mirrors became malleable so he could make them any size he wanted, and so he could conceal the mirrors at will.

  Great! I can carry one of these mirrors with me at all times, hidden in my tunic or even in my Crystal Prism if I so choose. And with a turn of a spell he could go in or out of the mirror and use it as a portable transportation device. And this was a great place to hide the chapter on the enchantments, as he could keep it concealed and on him at all times. There was still a great deal to do, so he finished concealing the prisms and chapters within the mirrors, locking them closed again with the enchantment “Habitare Tacitus Jarahmael.” Now the mirrors and their contents were locked. Only Jarahmael himself could release them.

  One by one, he used the Crystal Prism to reabsorb the mirrors into itself. So much easier to travel with them like this, he thought. He left one mirror in this Sphinx and another in its sister Sphinx. Then it was off to the other pyramids around the globe, where he hid one of each of the remaining mirrors deep inside. He decided that it was best to not pu
t any more here in Aegyptus, as the two in the pair of Sphinxes were enough.

  And one by one, as one last precaution, Jarahmael made each of the mirrors turn invisible before he left, just like the hallway he had created in his palace to keep Lillith safe, by calling out, “Planto Speculum Turpis!” He could not help but think about Lillith yet again, and he ached to see her. He spent all night flying and it was only after he placed the last mirror at the pyramid in Medius that he made the last flight back to the Sphinx, and finally landed exhausted back into the grand hall. He folded himself down onto the cool floor and closed his eyes, intending to steal what sleep he could before the sunrise.

  Chapter 15

  A GLITCH

  “My lord Luciferael, the praying started again!” Sammuael said as he flew into Lillith’s newly-built palace at the border of Hades and Hell where Luciferael was visiting. Luciferael, too, had heard the prayer and the mention of Jarahmael by Adam and Eve. At first the two rebel Archangels were delighted that their plans were working, but then they realized that the Humans were praying to the Almighty again, and not to Morning Star as they had instructed.

  Puzzled at first, Luciferael and Sammuael looked at one another, trying to find a reason why their deception had not worked. Then they both heard the Humans thanking the Almighty for sending the Archangel Jarahmael to assist them. How dare he interfere with Luciferael’s plans yet again!

  Lillith was in the next room of her palace, and could possibly overhear Luciferael and Sammuael when they spoke, so Luciferael shot his hand up, signaling silence. He did not want Sammuael to say anything about Jarahmael being alive and roaming the Earth. Luciferael wanted to keep Lillith believing that Jarahmael had been destroyed in the rebellion.

  I should have destroyed or confined him when I had the chance, Luciferael thought. Lillith could not hear the prayers or the mention of Jarahmael, but to be safe Luciferael told Lillith to go down the hall into her bedroom and he would join her later. Even though she moved down the hall, Luciferael thought it was better to be totally out of her hearing range.

  Luciferael then motioned for Sammuael to fly off with him, and the two took off in flight, deeper into Hell, stopping far from Lillith’s palace, where they hovered leisurely.

  “Lillith won't be able to hear us down here, Sammuael. Yes, I did hear the prayer. But it did not surprise me that Jarahmael was back in the picture.”

  “Yes, Jarahmael keeps involving himself in our affairs,” responded Sammuael. “That's why we need to use Lillith as bait to get him down here in Hell where we can confine him, take care of him so he no longer interferes with our plans, perhaps even destroy him if we can figure the best way to do that,” Sammuael said with a gleam of revenge in his eye.

  “We need to get him separate from the Almighty and the loyal Angels. We are not yet ready to battle them again,” said Luciferael. “If we go after Jarahmael right now, he will be protected by the loyal Angels and we will not be able to confine him. The loyal Angels will join him in attacking us and they could free Lillith, the one thing we have that may give us a chance at controlling Jarahmael.”

  “I understand, my lord,” Sammuael said, looking a bit uncomfortable.

  “We have time, Sammuael. Now more than ever we need to do this correctly.”

  “Yes, I know. But don't you know about Lillith?”

  “Lillith? What is there to know about Lillith?” Luciferael asked.

  Not that Luciferael particularly wanted her any longer. She had been an interesting experience for him, but he had other pleasures he could enjoy beyond having sex with a Human woman. Now that he was free of the duties of Heaven and trying to please the Almighty, the only creature he had to please was himself. Ruling in Hell was so much easier than ruling in Heaven!

  “She is with child, my lord.”

  “A Human child?” asked Luciferael.

  “Partially, my lord.”

  “I was able to make her with child?” asked Luciferael.

  “Not quite, my lord. The child is Jarahmael's,” Sammuael said tentatively, afraid of Luciferael's reaction.

  “Jarahmael's? How can that be?”

  “Jarahmael and Lillith were together before the rebellion broke out, my lord. Remember, he was sent to find her by the Almighty after she had left Adam. That was why she was hidden in Jarahmael's palace.”

  “Ah that's right. I was not paying much attention to her at all, as I was focused on Adam and Eve at the time. How would she know and why would she think it was Jarahmael’s?” Luciferael inquired further although he still did not seem to care much about the answer whatever it may be.

  Sammuael spoke more softly even more afraid of enraging Luciferael with the information. “Lillith had complained that she was not feeling well. Not knowing what else to do, I clasped her head, like we had done to Serpentalia, and entered her mind. But it was not her mind that told me, I could tell from her body that she had a growing infant within her. I moved my hands down to her belly and could tell that the infant was part Lillith, part Jarahmael. I was hoping that it was part yours my lord, as that would have been a glorious day! But the more immediate question is what would you like to do about that, my lord?”

  “Kill the child of course!” Luciferael responded without hesitation.

  “But how would we do that my lord. The Almighty Himself has not yet destroyed Adam and Eve and He sentenced them both to death. Would He not be protective of an offspring by His beloved Jarahmael and the first Human female? We are still recovering from the rebellion and need to regain our strength. As much as I want revenge on Jarahmael, I am afraid that if we harm the child, it could bring Jarahmael and all the loyal Angels down upon us before we are ready to battle them again.”

  Luciferael grew enraged but listened carefully to what Sammuael had said and after thinking for a few more moments said: “Yes, you may be correct. They may be protective of Jarahmael and Lillith. They may think we had taken her prisoner when we were in the Seventh Heaven, even though she came with us thinking Jarahmael was destroyed. And you may be right, the offspring between them may be another of the Almighty's experiments that He would protect.” Luciferael paused. “Who else knows about this?”

  “Only Beelzebael. I have been keeping the other Angels away from her, and I did not want to mention it at one of our Council meetings until you could make a decision as to what to do.”

  “Wise choice, Sammuael,” Luciferael said and then was quiet for a few more moments, thinking with his eyes closed. He then changed his wings from hovering to flying and motioning to Sammuael said, “Follow me. I have a plan!”

  Chapter 16

  THE PRICE

  Cerebriel arrived at the Throne Room in the Seventh Heaven early the next morning, anticipating that he could speak with Jarahmael before any of the other Angels arrived. He had hoped to talk to him last night, but he had not seen Jarahmael return from the Earth. All of the Angels in the Heavens had heard Adam and Eve's prayer to the Almighty mentioning Jarahmael late in the day. Cerebriel felt terrible that Jarahmael had broken the “no contact” commandment and was afraid of the consequences for his friend. They had been through a lot together. Cerebriel knew that Jarahmael was frustrated by the unfairness of Luciferael interfering with the Humans, and they had no legitimate way to counteract his influence.

  The Orders of Angels filled the Throne Room as the time for the morning ceremony grew closer. Still no Jarahmael. Then came the beginning of the ceremony led again by Michael. Cerebriel looked expectantly for the Almighty to appear with the Thrones and Seraphim behind Michael's entrance, but it was another day that the Almighty and his entourage were absent.

  Michael appeared tired this morning as he approached the Almighty's Throne and acknowledged all of the collected Angels. The ranks were still thinned in the Throne Room, seats no longer occupied where the outcast rebel Angels from each of the nine Orders used to attend. Cerebriel noticed Jarahmael's seat remained empty, and hoped that it would not eventually join th
e ones for the rebel Archangels who had been cast out of Heaven.

  Michael took his place on the Throne and the room grew quiet. Before Michael began speaking, he looked at Jarahmael's empty seat, his gaze lingering there as his eyes grew distant for a few moments. Cerebriel instantly wondered if something terrible had befallen Jarahmael as Michael looked directly at Cerebriel and he saw the great sadness in Michael's eyes.

  Michael then looked around the great hall and began to speak. “We all heard the prayers that were sent up here to Heaven yesterday afternoon by Adam and Eve concerning my brother Archangel Jarahmael. Jarahmael was a major hero in the rebellion, and we would not be sitting here in the Seventh Heaven if it had not been for his efforts and risks that he took to make the defeat of Luciferael possible. In fact, Luciferael himself would have never left here except for Jarahmael's fight with him at the last day of battle.” Michael looked around the room again, giving the Angels time to reflect on Jarahmael’s accomplishments.

  “But Jarahmael has violated a commandment from the Almighty. Although Jarahmael and our noble leader of the Cherubim, Cerebriel, were to observe and protect the Humans, Adam and Eve, they were not to have direct contact. As we all can determine by the prayers yesterday, Jarahmael violated that commandment.” A murmur washed through the Orders of Angels as the violation of the Almighty’s rule sank into their consciousness.