Herald

by J Edwards Stone

  The room stopped shaking but had returned to its previous state of decay and ruin. Michael leapt easily over the obstructions and landed beside me. I fell into his arms, wanting to weep with joy. My mind had returned. I had nearly lost myself, but throughout it all, Michael had been by my side. I felt irrepressible love and held him tightly, looking up into his face. His eyes radiated with happiness, with emotions that defied description. He kissed me deeply, and I returned it, wrapping my wings around us both. I felt I could not get close enough to him, I wanted to melt into him forever. We pulled away from each other reluctantly, knowing we would have to address the others soon. But I wanted to stay in this moment forever, looking into his eyes, so full of love and devotion.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, as tears ran down my face. He leaned back his head and laughed loudly, looking back at me and shaking his head in disbelief.

  “I knew. . . my heart knew. . .somehow. The love I had for you then is only rivalled by the love I have for you now,” he whispered and smiled.

  “Perhaps my heart remembered too,” I smiled too, looking up again into his black eyes as they shone brightly. “I remember you, Michael. I remember us. But I am still Larin, somehow.” Michael smiled at me gently, nodding. He understood. A part of me felt frustrated, trying to reconcile my humanity with my past. Trying to explain, I said “I am Seraph. But I am always going to be me. Seraphiel is inside, somewhere. She is a part of me, and I am her, but for now, I can’t. . . I think that part of me is asleep,” I said, sighing. I didn’t know what to make of anything. There were memories suddenly, visions. I had knowledge inside me, as though an entire library had been downloaded into my mind. It would all have to be pieced together soon, but for now, I wanted to be me. The me I knew. The one who could love Michael with all her heart, as she had done before.

  Michael nodded gently, continuing to stare at me with pure tenderness. I sighed happily, leaning my head on his shoulder. Then I gasped as something came into my view.

  “My wings!” I nearly shouted, leaning back and standing up, looking at them in wonder. They were the purest, softest gold I had ever seen.

  Michael smiled, shaking his head. “It truly is a miracle. I had nearly forgotten the glorious wings of the seraphim.” I could only continue to stare at them. The light shimmered off each feather, perfect and whole. They gleamed and sparkled, and I looked back at Michael with tears in my eyes.

  “They only rival your beauty,” he whispered, holding me close. I smiled, then remembered where we were, and what had happened.

  “I couldn’t use the Disc, Michael,” I whispered. “I wasn’t strong enough.” Michael nodded, staring at something over my shoulder and stroking my hair. “I wasn’t able to awaken the others, my . . .brothers. . .” Gentle Dumah. Our leader, Mattatron. I was not complete without them, just as they would not be complete without me. I could remember them vaguely, in that new place in the back of my mind that had recently opened, but I knew them as surely as I could feel my heart beating in my body.

  “I know. The answers will come in time. We will discover them together, and just as we discovered you,” he said, pausing to smile at me, “we will eventually find the means to bring back the others. Of this I am certain.”

  I looked over my shoulder and saw Uriel and Raphael behind me, both smiling widely. When I met their eyes, Raphael shook his head and Uriel surprised me by kneeling. Raphael joined him. Michael, too, stepped back and knelt. The rest of the room followed, and I looked around at all of them.

  “Gabriel. . .” I said, looking at the archangels in turn.

  “He escaped when the Disc vanished, I venture,” said Raphael, a look of sadness passing over his face.

  “He will try to free Lucifer,” I said, knowing in my heart it was true. The others nodded, also knowing the reality of our situation. Lucifer now would be the only creature who could defeat our army. I felt my strength within me, the assuredness of my purpose. I felt a sense of anticipation and excitement as I knew the knowledge would come in time. While I was not presently Seraphiel, I knew I could invoke her... invoke my powers when I grew to learn how. My mind was not ready yet, and the life I knew was gifted back to me in the meantime. I felt a sense of gratitude and peacefulness, despite knowing a great evil still lay just beyond the horizon.

  I looked around the room at the faces of my friends, the faces of my family. They all smiled, some more than others. Iris looked at me in sadness as she sat with Chase’s head in her lap, stroking his hair. He was still unconscious, and my heart ached for him. He would need much love and kinship in the days to follow. I frowned, wishing I could ease his pain.

  My eyes made contact with Tristan, who was sitting beside Ephreim’s lifeless body. He was holding a cloth to his face to stem the flow of blood, and I worried for him momentarily until he met my eyes and smiled a brilliant smile in my direction, something I had never seen him do before. The action took me off guard and I grinned at him, nodding in his direction. I spared little thought of Ephreim. His death meant as little to me as my life had meant to him, as the life of the others he had stolen in his quest to do Azrael’s bidding. Ephriem’s head was split nearly in half, his eyes staring lifelessly in a hideously twisted fashion. I sighed, thinking to leave him here, to let the desert sands reclaim his essence and wear his body away to nothing. It was a fitting end.

  Greyson stood with Robert, a hand on his shoulder in comfort as he wept for Lyric, his friend. They had endured many terrible things together until their liberation. I resolved to make her life mean something in the end. To seek ways to free the soldiers of Azrael’s army, who would undoubtedly now fly under Gabriel’s banner.

  I turned and looked up again at Michael as he put his arm around me, and we locked eyes.

  We both knew this wasn’t the end. It was only the beginning. Lucifer would awaken. I would need to find the means of defeating him. I looked down at his sword, laying harmlessly on the ground, and reached down to pick it up. I looked at it, a memory flashing through my mind of a time long ago, seen through my eyes as Seraphiel. Of Lucifer holding the blade casually over his shoulder as he stood at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the valley below.

  I took the blade now and handed it to Michael, and he slid it into the sheath at his side. We would have to keep it safe in the days to come.

  “Let’s go home,” I said softly, and the faces around turned to leave. Just as we were about to walk out, one of the others who had been collecting the dead and the wounded cried out from an area near the place where the Seal had been.

  “Over here!” he cried, looking at Michael and me. We glanced at each other briefly, then made our way quickly to the area behind the rubble, and I stopped, gasping.

  There, lying unconscious in a heap on the ground, his golden wings splayed haphazardly beside him, was my brother.

  Dumah.

  Gabriel stood at the entrance to the dungeon where he knew Lucifer to be, looking around with a paranoid eye. He had quickly dispensed with the Citadel guard parties, they not being equipped to stand alone against an archangel. He ignored their bodies, sheathing his sword. Thus far the Council angels hadn’t caught up to him, but it wouldn’t be long, and he had to hurry.

  He tried not to remember the faces on his Council brothers as they stood in the Sanctum, looks of grave disappointment and hostility on their faces. He had steeled himself against the memory, the strength of his conviction as strong as ever. They would be made to see, or they would fall.

  The thought of Azrael turned his stomach. How stupid he was to attack a Seraph in full glory. They had not captured the girl, but there was always another way. He had thought of one, as he fled from the Sanctum, commanding the army to return to Solomanta in the process to begin reconstruction efforts. He anticipated no great coup in the meantime, any siege against the city his brother had constructed so painstakingly over the eons. It would now serve as Lucifer’s fortress, and it would grow stronger. Thus far there was only one Seraph,
and Lucifer had the power to defeat her.

  Now he had the means to free him.

  As he escaped, he remembered the words of Leviathan before the creature had retreated to the depths of its cavern.

  “. . .the blood of one shall bring forth the other. . .”

  Larin was not simply the key to the Seal. She was the key to everything.

  Gabriel had never flown so hard, so fast before. He wasted no time making his way to the banks of Leviathan’s pool, nearly whooping in joy when he found what he was looking for. He didn’t need the girl after all. He only needed what she left behind.

  Now, he held the black feather up as he approached the room containing Lucifer and turned the thing in his hand. Sure enough, there remained traces of her blood on the feather, and he smiled, feeling the magic within respond to his approach.

  The tunnels shook, but he strode forward. Walking into the room, he called his brother’s name.

  There was a stirring sound amongst the quaking all around, of great metal chinks as they slid across the ground. Silver eyes came under the light of the only torch in the room, squinting at him with hostility. A low growl was heard beyond the veil that held him.

  “I have come, my brother. Let us fly!”

  Gabriel held the feather out, pushing it with great difficulty through the barrier. There was a great explosion as the walls shifted menacingly, ready to cave in at any moment.

  Gabriel’s breath caught within his throat as a white hand grasped him there, squeezing painfully. He gasped, choking, as the hand continued to squeeze. He looked down frantically at the silver eyes staring back at him, narrowed into slits and full of malice. He resisted the urge to fight, to pry the hand away to demonstrate his submission. Gabriel made a choking sound as he felt himself losing consciousness. Just as suddenly, he was being dragged through the tunnel with lightning speed, and then upwards and upwards. They emerged through the entrance just as it collapsed in on itself, the dungeon sealed forever with the secrets of the great monster it had held within.

  Gabriel rolled over in the snow, grasping his throat and coughing harshly. He looked over at a bare foot, the metal shackle hanging down, the link holding it having been ripped off. He looked upwards, past the rags, and saw his brother staring off into the distance, before snapping his head round to look at Gabriel.

  “Bring me my sword,” said Lucifer.

  Acknowledgments

  * * * * *

  This book couldn’t have been written without the support and love of my husband, Mark. You’re my champion. My best friend. A simple acknowledgement can’t express my gratitude for all that you do, for me, and for our family. So instead, I’ll show you the only way I can: I dedicate the whole shebang to you, bub. This book is for you.

  To my children: I am not whole without both parts. You both complete me. I hope I make you proud. Take the leap of faith and never stop following your dreams. My love always and forever

  To my sister Phoebe: My rock and closest confidante. Your encouragement and support have made this dream possible. I couldn’t have done it without you. All my love, sissy, always.

  To my mom: I did this for you. I did this for dad. Wherever he is, I’m sure he is reclining with a copy of my book in one hand, and a cigar in the other.

  To Shauntel: I fell into twitter and found a best friend on the first day. Your friendship and support, your words of encouragement and advice have uplifted me and given me courage to embark on this journey. Thank you for everything you’ve done, and continue to do. I love you!

  To Kristen: You’re a rock star! Thank you so much for rallying at the end to make this book come together. I hope you enjoy your bagels!

  To my beloved Beta Readers: (In particular, Laura B.) This book has come together from your insights and commentary. I am so lucky to have found such amazing people who helped make this book a reality. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

  Hope you’re ready to tackle book two!

  ~ A Word From The Author~

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