by T. R. Hamby
And an army emerged from the trees, a very large army, full of Valkyries.
Roone grinned. It appeared that the Valkyries who had refused to fight had had a change of heart.
“To the front lines!” Theresa called, and the swarm of Valkyries obeyed, cutting down Angels as they went.
“The rest stay behind,” Theresa continued, as more Angels entered the fray. “Hold!”
Nora
Angel after Angel poured onto the property, past the house and towards the clearing. Nora stayed with her unit, fighting desperately to control the influx. They had no more explosives. The house was a giant ball of fire.
A couple of her Valkyries were dead, having been hit by flaming pieces of debris. Apparently it was fire that was a Valkyrie’s greatest weakness. Nora seethed at the revelation.
She swung her sword, burying it into her opponent’s neck. Blood spurted, staining her hair and her armor.
Suddenly a horrible pain erupted in her back. She shrieked as the Blade pushed through her, before sliding out.
She fell to her knees. Blood gushed from the wound, soaked her shirt and her armor and the snow around her. She got dizzy. The earth tilted, and she was on the ground.
One of her Valkyries rushed to her side. “Nora!”
Nora couldn’t speak. The pain was blinding, and she struggled, feeling the blood seep from her body.
She began to cry, and she didn’t know why.
The Valkyrie took her hand and brushed at her hair. “Shh. You’ll be all right.”
“Tell Mel I love him….”
“No, you’ll be fine….”
But she wasn’t fine. It was getting dark. She looked up and saw the clouds, how beautiful they were in their anger. The lightning was blue and bright.
She couldn’t feel her body anymore. The pain was gone. She struggled to breathe.
Barry
He had to come down. He had to help.
No sooner did he think this than the Angels down below began to falter. Some dropped their swords, raising their hands in surrender. Others simply turned on their own comrades, fighting fiercely. The rest continued to wage war, but Barry could see some were having second thoughts, glancing around at the others confusedly.
And then the Valkyries came. Around six hundred, swarming into the clearing with weapons drawn.
It was over. Now for God to come down….
He caught sight of a squadron of Angels, all bearing bows and arrows, readying just yards from Diana. His heart stalled, and he dove, rushing to the snow. He spun, transforming right before her.
“Barry, no!” Diana cried--just as a wall of arrows soared into the sky.
Barry stretched out his hands, and one by one the arrows slowed, until they halted altogether, hovering in the sky. Then, with an enormous effort, Barry turned them, backwards, and launched them, sending them zooming back toward the enemy. There were cries as the arrows descended upon them.
Then there was an Angel, and suddenly a knife was plunged into his gut. Barry gasped as a great pressure built in his stomach. His leg gave out, and he collapsed. Diana appeared, cutting down the Angel before rushing to his side.
He was already dizzy, very dizzy. Blood gushed from the wound, hot, fast. His vision clouded. Diana’s lips were moving, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying.
Lilith, he thought desperately, and he sensed her fear.
Barry--hold on!
No….don’t come….it’s too late….
And then there was darkness.
Roone
Fire. Roone felt it before he saw it.
He ducked, barely avoiding getting shot by an arrow. Flaming arrows came raining down on them, and Roone bolted behind a tree. It seemed the rest of the Angels from the north had arrived, leaving the burning house behind.
Roone’s heart sank. That meant that the Valkyries left behind had been overpowered.
Nora had been overpowered. Were they all dead? Could Valkyries truly die?
He heard a scream, and his insides froze.
Theresa.
He left the tree, ducking his head as more arrows whizzed through the air.
His heart stopped. She was lying in the snow, frantically beating at her side, which was on fire.
Roone ran to her, grabbed her by the waist and rolled her onto her stomach. She was shrieking and twitching, trying desperately to extinguish herself.
Roone shielded her with his body until the flames were gone. Then, trying his best to ignore her cries, he rolled her over and scooped her into his arms. He ran off. An arrow, burnt out, buried itself in his leg, and he growled. He limped while Theresa shook in his arms.
He got to a quiet place and laid her in the snow. She was crying. Her right side, from her arm, down her waist and her leg, was burnt. Raw flesh bubbled and swelled, and her armor still smoked.
“Fuck!” Roone cried, while Theresa caught her breath.
He brushed at her tears and shushed her. “You’ll be fine. Just fine. Lilith will heal you.”
She didn’t appear to have understood. She squeezed her eyes shut, breathless, and looked up at the sky.
“Mother,” she whispered.
Just then a blinding pain exploded in Roone’s side. And then another in his shoulder. His back. His leg again. Twice more in his side. So many arrows.
He fell backward, jerking. His lungs seared, all the air leaving them. He coughed blood.
Some Angels approached, and his heart raced. He forced himself onto his stomach, clawing his way back to Theresa, shielding her once more with his wounded body.
“Leave them,” one of the Angels said. “They’re both finished.”
Finished. Roone frowned, vaguely aware of what that word meant. Theresa was breathing hoarsely beneath him. He couldn’t raise his head to look at her.
But they were close. He wouldn’t let her die alone.
Lilith
Lilith gasped, clutching her chest. Around her the Valkyries fought, oblivious to the fact that the world had stopped, that time had frozen.
Barry was dead. And where he was going, she had no idea. All her Valkyries were on Earth now. None could save him.
She screamed with rage, and her Valkyries flinched as her power surged.
No. She was done. It was time.
She started across the field. Angels approached, and she knocked them off their feet with a stretch of her hand. Arrows were shot, and they snapped in midair. The wise Angels let her go, looking terrified.
Calypso and Andreas were battling. With a wave of her hand Lilith swept Andreas out of the way. She faced Calypso, who was much taller than her.
But Calypso wasn’t cocky now. She cowered slightly, hissing. Lilith stretched out her hands, and her arms caught fire. Then she shot her hands out, and out came a jet of flames. Calypso was engulfed, screaming and flailing. Lilith forced her down, crumpling her body into the snow. The fire burned, and Calypso struggled under Lilith’s grasp.
Then she stopped moving.
An intense wave went through her, and Lilith stumbled, gasping. Something was moving inside her, something powerful. She had absorbed Calypso’s power, and it was now living within her.
She hunched over, held her head in her hands. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she felt sick. She had never inherited another’s power, and all at once, without any room inside her to adjust. The power flexed, and she did too, jerking her body and taking in a large breath. Her heart thundered in her chest, and her very bones ached. She jerked again, and let out a hiss.
Time slowed. She almost seemed to come out of her body--as she had done before when watching over Mel and his family. She looked around, saw all the chaos around her. It was in slow motion.
She looked at the fallen Angels on the ground. They hadn’t vanished--she had seen to that. It had taken so much concentration--but now it was easy. Simple. As if she had done it a thousand times.
She looked again at the pandemonium going on around her, and raised a hand. Insta
ntly the Angels’ weapons vanished.
She took a shuddering breath. She felt….unrivaled.
She returned to her body, gasping, and straightened. The chaos resumed, but quickly halted, as both Valkyrie and Angel realized the Angels were now unarmed. Friend and foe looked at each other, confused. Then the Angels raised their hands, falling to their knees.
Lilith let out a breath. Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
“Let’s not fight anymore,” Mel’s voice said, and Lilith turned.
He was, like the rest of them, covered in blood. His hands trembled, and Lilith knew he was trying to control his rage.
“We’ve lost enough,” he said in Angel language.
The first language Lilith had ever known.
“Look what Father has done to us. To all of us. Look at the destruction he’s caused,” and he waved his hand at the clearing.
He paused for a moment, looking anguished. Then he said, “Join us.”
The Angels looked at him, shifting uneasily. Some glanced furtively at each other, wondering what the other would do or say. Lilith watched, her heart pounding in her chest.
Please, she thought, join us….please, let there be no more death….
She waited for Barry to comment, before remembering--he was gone.
“Barry,” she whispered desperately, “please come back to me. Please.”
Just then an Angel--a little one, standing beside Gilla--started toward her. She walked purposefully, stepping over the bodies on the ground. Her eyes were round, and there was a strange look on her face--perhaps curiosity. Or wonder.
She finally stood before her. Her face twitched, and she was trembling. She stretched out a shaking hand, and Lilith, uncertain, took it. They were the same height.
The little Angel breathed, “Please don’t let him kill me.”
Lilith’s breath hitched. “No. I won’t.”
The Angel shook her head, tears in her large eyes. “He said he wouldn’t hurt us. But I don’t believe him anymore. I know who you are now. I’ve heard stories all my life about you. Father killed you--and we’ve all tried, all these years, to pretend it didn’t happen. To blame it on Michael. And now you’re….”
She trailed off, seeming unable to find the right words.
Finally she whispered, “Forgive me.”
And then she sank to her knees.
Lilith stared, shocked, and unsure of what to do. She was about to help her rise when another Angel approached.
He knelt before her. “And me.”
“And me too,” another said, kneeling beside him.
And one after another they came. It wasn’t all of the Angels--but it was far more than Lilith, and probably Mel, had dared hope. Lilith was surrounded by kneeling Angels, a whole crowd, so many. And she was overwhelmed.
“Lilith,” the little Angel said, over and over again, and several others followed. Some then said “mother,” and others “queen.” The chants buzzed in the air, electric, emanating their own power.
But there was no time to thank them. Something horrible was happening. Lilith’s head twitched, and her body stiffened as she felt the immense power rushing toward them. The others felt it too, and scattered. Thunder cracked, the wind roared, dust and snow and dirt whirled in the air….
And he was there, several yards ahead of her.
Father.
Mel
Mel’s breath hitched, and his blood ran cold.
The overwhelming power, the intense Presence that accosted him was enough to make his knees weak and his head dizzy. He had an enormous urge to kneel, to bow before his Creator. Every last inch of him longed to worship.
Master of the dimensions. Lord of Legions. Father.
He was the spitting image of Michael. From his short blonde hair to his dark, glittering eyes, his broad shoulders and powerful body. If it hadn’t been for the glossy armor he wore, or the horrid rage that emanated from him, Mel would have easily gotten them confused.
But he would not be confused. Quick as a flash Father flicked his hand. Michael cried out and fell hard on his knees.
Mel dropped beside him and grabbed his shoulders. Michael held his hand to his face, and Mel pushed it away.
His stomach turned. The left side of Michael’s face had been cut, three long swipes running from his hairline all the way down to his jaw. They bled freely, and Michael swore, blinking blood out of his eye.
A noise, and Mel turned. Father was livid, his anger so strong that Mel’s breath was taken away.
“So no one will mistake us,” Father said.
His voice was rather like Michael’s, but he spoke differently. There wasn’t just anger there. There was arrogance.
Mel’s anger surged, and he stood. Father watched him beadily. Lilith stood several yards before him, staring, and breathing heavily.
“Hello, Father,” Mel hissed, his voice shaking with rage.
Father smiled. “Hello, Melkira. Always my wayward son. Your speeches today have been inspiring. How you have turned so many of my children into traitors.”
The Angels shivered. The Valkyries watched in horrified awe.
Father’s smile faded into a sneer. “Perhaps you can show them what happens to traitors.”
And Mel cried out, collapsing. Horrible fear was overwhelming him, making his heart pound, his body contort and shake. He breathed raggedly, and he moaned, held his head….
He heard a sickening chuckle, echoing in his head, and he gasped. He was freezing; cold was seeping into his bones….
But suddenly the air warmed, and his heart slowed. The fear faded, and he relaxed, panting. Michael was beside him, gripping his arm.
It had stopped. Why? Mel looked to his right, and found Lilith.
There was something terrible about her. She didn’t look like the shy, uncertain Lilith she normally was. No, she looked powerful. Mel could feel it in his bones, this great force, this horrible anger. Sparks of lightning were reflecting in her eyes, and the air around them was tense, waiting.
She was electric.
“You can’t hurt them anymore,” she said, her voice dangerously quiet. “I’m shielding them. All of them. Every Angel, every Valkyrie. You can’t touch a soul.”
Father looked at her. “How dare you speak to me.”
“You can’t send the others to do your dirty work now, oh lord,” Lilith hissed. “Come fight me as you are.”
Just then the trees around them burst into flames. Michael dragged Mel out of the way, and the others followed. The fire was raging, as if it had been burning for hours.
Lilith lifted her hand, and the fire extinguished. The trees looked untouched.
“There’s no use trying to distract me,” Lilith said, fury in her voice. “I have Calypso’s power now. Whatever you gave her, you’ve given me. And that’s not to mention the power I already possess.”
“You’re Lilith,” Father breathed, and Mel was relieved to hear him sound unnerved.
He hissed. “I sent you to another Place. I killed you. How are you standing here now?”
Lilith’s lips twitched. “You should know. You give a piece of yourself to every creature you murder. A piece of your power. You didn’t destroy me--you left me to rot in Heaven for the ages. My power grew, and you never knew. All that time, and you never cared enough about me to check.”
Father hissed. “You were a waste.”
“I was the greatest thing you ever Created,” Lilith said, and there was triumph in her voice. “You just didn’t know.”
Father roared, and drew his sword. Lilith drew hers.
And they dueled.
Mel and Michael stood, watching. Everyone around them was staring, awestruck and terrified. Some of the Angels, who had stood so defiantly on Father’s side of the clearing, now scuttled over to Lilith’s, looking angry and afraid.
Both were incredible forces. Father swung his sword with ease, but his lip curled as he worked against Lilith’s mighty blows. She was fast, quick on her feet, an
d no matter how hard he tried, Father couldn’t find a weak spot.
Mel suddenly felt an intense happiness, a wonderful feeling of victory. He whooped, and the others jumped and stared at him.
“Look what you’ve become, Benjamin,” Mel taunted, taking a few steps out from the treeline. “Look what you’ve done. Look what you’ve thrown away.”
The Angels and the Valkyries stirred. Up ahead Father’s head twitched. He was listening.
Mel turned to the remaining Angels, standing uncertainly on Father’s side of the clearing. “Look what he’s done,” he called, gesturing at the pair as they struggled. “Look what he’s done to us. Look what he’s done to her. So many millennia ago, when we were all still innocent. He condemned an innocent woman to death, and now she triumphs!”
“Lilith lives!” Diana roared, and the Valkyries shouted, whistled, beat their fists against their chests.
And they started to chant. Lilith, Lilith, Lilith. Lilith.
Mel joined, and so did Gilla. The air crackled with energy, thundered with the beat of fists against strong hearts. The air was becoming so tense that Mel nearly sank to his knees; others did. The wind whipped harder, shook the trees. The two gods struggled, teeth bared, Blades clanging.
Mel looked around, and saw Michael withdrawing his bow.
He looked back at Father and Lilith, and his heart stopped. Father parried, and Lilith lost her footing. She stumbled, caught herself in the snow, and rolled as Father brought down his sword.
Mel’s breath hitched. “Father!” he called, racing closer.
Lilith threw out a hand and knocked him a few feet back.
He righted himself. “Tell me, Father, how weak do you think you’ve gotten? After all the Creation you’ve killed, all the evil deeds you’ve done?”
Father hissed and flicked his hand. But nothing happened--he had forgotten about Lilith’s shield. Lilith scrambled to her feet and swung her sword.
“You killed your wife,” Mel continued. “You killed Silas. You’ve killed yourself.”