Archangel of the Fallen

by Devin Lee Carlson

  As a definitive test, I reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “It’s the Musketeer-wannabe.” Relief flooded me when he did not pull away.

  “No matter what, you made sure I ended up with this ring.” Sabree glanced around again, rubbing his neck as if the ghost wound haunted him still. “Your Sabree wore this ring too? Did he come to wear it in the same way? Perhaps, we should talk about your time jump in detail.”

  “We have a wedding to attend. You’re stalling.” Genuinely curious or avoiding the inevitable, I knew him too well. “What’s up?”

  He held out a hand and open it. Cradled in his palm was a marble-sized stone. I recognized it as purple Charoite. It glistened like the night sky full of stars. “What’s this?” I asked.

  “A carry-all stone. Misters use them to store large objects. Or lots of small ones. Turian stole these from the Malakhim before he, before you murd…never mind. Not important. Put your stones inside it for easier passage. It’s my gift to you for being my best man. The present inside is a bribe.”

  Sabree 3.0 must’ve forgotten some of the gory details. I tried to destroy aThorsis, not Turian. Still, my own nosiness nagged me on. “What do you want?”

  “Please take Ariane and me into the portal so our souls can link as one.”

  “Let’s see if the bribe is worthy of such a feat.” Of course, I would grant him this favor but enjoyed teasing him just the same. The simple thought of open made the purple stone vibrate until it puked out its contents. Larger than the stone itself, the antique pocket watch glinted in my eye. Not a common piece. Complex best described it. “Deal. I love it.”

  “The timepiece represents our friendship. You may have to manually wind it from time to time, but it will tick forever. Gold on the outside, filled with intricate gears inside. Just like you.”

  The sentiment warmed me. What a perfect gift for the future Timekeeper. “Thank you, Sabree. I will treasure it always.” I hugged him and he squeezed back. Sabree 3.0 ranked syrupy-sweeter than Sabree 2.0, whose bitterness toward drinking my tainted blood had forced us into a forever friendship. Or perhaps the time travel rendezvous sweetened things up a notch. No matter, Sappy Sabree had grown on me.

  Attaching the pocket watch to my sporran, I said, “We should head downstairs before Ariane makes her grand entrance.”

  “Before we go, there’s something else.” His neck bobbed as if finding the words hard to swallow. “Cayiel, our Caderen elder, wishes to meet with you.”

  “Already on my do-over list, Sabree. Sometime after the wedding and before the final duel.” Aye right. No reason to meet with them unless something emergent came up. And probably not even then. Let the Caderen stew in their own deceit until I defeated aThorsis. Once I lifted the exile, they’d have no excuse not to fall under my command.

  The three of us alone in the house made it easier to set up the great room to portal ceremony. No surprise there, Sabree had outdone himself decorating. A black runner embellished with glitter lined the floor, a path for the bride. One end swept outward to form a circular carpet beneath the starburst chandelier. Flameless candles hung from the ceiling to mimic a starry sky. This would be Ariane’s second trip into the portal, her abduction the first. Hopefully, this trip would be more memorable.

  Music filled the room. Instead of the expected Baroque, a modern tune I liked played. Muse’s “Starlight.” My eyebrow rose as I stared at Sabree.

  “I checked out Ariane’s playlist and found this song appropriate.” A smile spread across his face and his eyes shimmered from lavender to green.

  Entering the great room, my sister mirrored an angelic princess. The white gown glistened from rows of delicate rhinestones encircling the bodice and skirt. Her eyes twinkled equally. The happiest I had ever seen her, my mind took a snapshot to brandish this moment forever. A sniffle prevented me from getting all teary-eyed.

  “You are stunning,” Sabree said to her.

  “So are you,” she replied.

  I hated to break up the admiration society, but we had a wedding ceremony to start. First, I had to give Ariane her gift. “Sis, this bracelet will let you enter the portal whenever you wish. I’ll put it on you once we are inside.” She should not have to suffer the same excruciating pain that tore through my wrist when I first put it on. With aThorsis as a constant threat, worried my sister still had trouble accepting who we truly were, I delayed in giving her the amulet until now. Ready or not, the key to the portal worlds was hers to do as she wished. “Ready?”

  A mere thought opened the portal. Wedged between bride and groom, my black wings flapping behind us, felt strange. Before anyone could protest, I darted inside with one in each arm. We flew to a quiet section illuminated with infinite starlight. I placed the amulet on her wrist. The bar went through her ethereal form with no consequences.

  She sprouted wings, flew ahead of us, and settled next to Sabree as he instructed her telepathically what to do. Ariane held his hands. Their two ethereal forms intersected each other: sister and husband united as one. Pinpoints of lights sparkled and faded as they parted. Sabree kept drifting, unable to control this realm. I sped over to catch him.

  Ariane reached us. “Take us home, Brian.”

  “Open the portal, Sis. It’s your turn.”

  And, she did. We reappeared under the starburst chandelier. It paled in comparison to the portal universe.

  Sabree kissed his bride. Then, he hugged me with all his might. Ariane embraced me next. “Thank you, Brian,” she said. “Best wedding ever!”

  Call me uptight, but something felt off when my best friend hugged me in the nude. Time to hand out another wedding gift. I picked up two white terry robes off the couch and held one to my sister first. Unlike my Scottish warrior costume, the wedding gown had not survived the portal universe. Neither did Sabree’s tux. “Sabree, catch.” I tossed him his robe next. “You two naked lovebirds under these sexy robes are all set for your honeymoon. Get lost.”

  “Brian!” Ariane wrapped the belt around her waist pulling it tight.

  Sabree laughed. “Wait. I have something else in white to serve.” The song “Starlight” still played when Sabree misted away only to return, rolling a cart into the room. A wedding cake thick with frosting widened my eyes. He knew how to win me over.

  Why not enjoy a moment of bliss before leaping into the Lighted Realm to initiate a trial-run attack. I’d leave soon, so my sister and Sabree could share their wedding night in peace. They craved privacy. I craved victory.

  Part Two

  31

  He Who Fights and Runs Away

  T he view from my favorite perch never disappointed. Salisbury Crags had always been my coveted launchpad to travel time, and now, to leap into battle. As if this might be the last ever, my mind took a snapshot of the grand visual. Don’t think negative thoughts. I am going to beat aThorsis. If not this time, definitely the next.

  Not the official battle by any means, the practice run would probably lurk of danger around every corner although no such physical landmarks existed within the realm. A well-known quote, hearing it first in the movie Princess Bride, made me smile. He who fights and runs away, will live to fight another day. Or something like that. Still, I hoped to give aThorsis a taste of what’s to come, even if I had to wing it.

  Uncertain how to destroy him, wing it would have to suffice. Since the last visit, my mind more on the curse, the how to battle light and color had eluded me. Battle minds, aye, but trivial pursuit might not be aThorsis’s forte. Neither of us had fists as did the action movies where the superhero and alien antagonist fought bare fisted instead of using their superpowers. Both equal in strength, the fight dragged on until I yawned and turned off the movie. Nope, not this superhero who knew nothing about boxing.

  Ignorance and inexperience left one solution: observe how aThorsis attacked first and then counterattack using the same method. And hopefully with more ammo. This could work in my favor unless his first blow blasted me into oblivion.
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  Last visit, aAriel threw me a hint: avoid mixing colors. My mind raced. Art 101 Serine style had dealt with colors and the color wheel, not to mention a brief history of famous artists. If blue and yellow were blended, would the color green bleed into the Lighted One who already possessed that color? Leave the other two powerless? Or what if blue and red mixed to make purple? Did that mean aAriel could collect the new hue as her own and come out the winner? Damn, I should have thought this through, because red and gold made orange. Who’d collect the orange? Him or I? An idea clicked, making sense.

  aThorsis used to radiate a golden glow similar to amber. The abuse of powers as timekeeper, darkened the gold to blood red. If my color swallowed his gold parts first, that should leave the red behind with half the power. What about my anti-ness, the black hole wings? They absorb light. Something to consider.

  If the Fates blessed me with another opportunity to battle after today’s trial run, I vowed to take an art class. Learn the color wheel. Every muscle tightened as my body primed itself for the transference from physical to ethereal light. Ready or not, I reached out to connect with the Lighted Realm.

  Radiant streaks of gold, amber, and fiery orange exploded around me, splashing kaleidoscope-like eddies that devoured my Earthly body with radiant brilliance: the archangel wannabe version of me. The crags beneath my feet faded, replaced by the cobalt canvas dotted with layers upon layers of brilliant stars. Home.

  Without delay, gray matter turned lighted phenomena went to work, cataloging the invasion of images, information overload, and the past and future along with time-altered branches. This skill I had mastered, and with any luck, enough to battle aThorsis while the mind juggle carried on. Energy from the stars poured into my light, empowered me. Filled me with the false bravado that nothing could destroy me. Not even aThorsis.

  “Uh oh.”

  Something other than the stars flickered. Having no eyes meant blindness, but a part of me sensed the ripple in space. Ever so slight like a blade of glass being plucked. The colors, constellations, and gaseous mass that fashioned me, condensed into an illuminated blob the size of a pea. Dimensions irrelevant in the realm, a pea might be larger than the Earth’s sun.

  As if my physical body had sucked in a sharp breath, pea-sized me shot away to escape the sudden rush of purple. If blended, my amber and her purple would create a muddy orange. Who’d claim that butt-ugly color? My glow threw off a few sparks. Crippling dread dimmed my amber glow to a dull yellow.

  “aAriel? It’s me, Brian. I’m here for a practice run.” The violet bristled a darker, muddier hue. Did aThorsis attack my Lighted friend to avenge me? What beings would allow such malevolence to exist in the Lighted Realm? Equal in malice, I was here to dethrone aThorsis. Raise Cain. However, aAriel swore my destiny was righteousness upheld to replace injustice. Her exact words.

  Making no attempt to communicate, the purple mass advanced with feeler-like tendrils. A sinister threat unlike aAriel’s usual calm predominated. The outer rim of my being blistered. Stabs prickled my thoughts. The mind juggle faltered. “No! I’m not ready.” Before the fringe of purple, now smoldering a burgundy red, seeped into me, I engaged in JLS to the launchpad on Earth and then bounced back into the Lighted Realm, to the safe zone I usually materialized in.

  Not fair. I wasn’t ready. My senses on full alert, far-reaching, I relaxed somewhat. That was close. Too soon. While my mind juggled, I assigned a micron of awareness to be on guard, less distracted. Keep the swagger down to a minimum. My ethereal glow flickered a dull creamy yellow, and then flashed a dark radiant amber much like a shudder of relief.

  A presence approached again, this time at a slower pace. How slow or how fast didn’t matter. I refused to take any further gambles or risks in this realm. The golden hues condensed once again.

  Lilac sprays of light, mini-constellations, and fireworks of pink, white, and neon lavender hovered nearby, staying far enough away so not to pose a threat. I drifted closer to bask in the lavender calmness. Complete serenity. A breath of fresh air compared to aThorsis’s caustic stench. The calm-peacefulness spread like smooth frosting.

  Melodic laughter chimed, her portrayal of approval. “aThorsis almost caught me off guard,” my inner thoughts whispered, coming clean. Another lesson learned.

  “An unexpected surprise.” The lilac hues flickered brightly. “But you survived. That’s all that matters.”

  “Barely.” A sense of shame dulled my glimmer. “I almost blew it. Almost failed everyone.”

  “I brought you a gift.” A brilliant cerulean stone orbited her radiance. Although microscopic against the lavender constellations that made up aAriel, the gem sparkled like a mini galaxy of its own.

  “Your generosity is appreciated, but I have more than enough stones. Even a Zuni fetish.” Again, laughter jingled as her merriness tickled me in an odd way.

  The gem shot toward me and slipped into orbit. “This jewel is a gift from the Lighted One aMichael.” She smiled when my mind hiccupped, and the golden swirls brightened.

  “aMichael? The prince of archangels?”

  Her laughter jingled like dozens of windchimes caught in the breeze. “Something like that. Accept this sword and be grateful.”

  “How do I use it. I don’t have any arms.”

  “Of course you don’t. Use your mind to wield the sword. Our minds are the foremost grace in the realm. Equally as deadly. The stones enhance our powers. Practice this time, but make sure you bring all of your stones, including the Zuni wolf for the final battle.”

  The lavender hues darkened to a rich violet when I chuckled over the thought. Condensing somewhat, I readied myself to flee if she hadn’t softened to a rich plum. A wee bit paranoid, but who could blame me. “Sorry, all of those stones orbiting around is hard to visualize.” At least Abyss’s obsidian wouldn’t have a place in the mix.

  “But extremely important that you do as I say.” She rephrased her words after my hue darkened to a rich tawny. “Not a command but an offer of help.”

  My mind toyed with the power within me to appear more ominous. “Please thank archangel um, Lighted One aMichael for me.”

  “No need. aMichael knows all, already senses your gratitude and that you still don’t trust our realm. You will in time.”

  In this realm, time was aplenty. The cobalt sky darkened to midnight blue. aAriel left without wishing me luck. But then she didn’t have to as it swam within me, the wish bathing my soul. The single gem spun in orbit as a reminder of her visit. Should I retrieve the others? Couldn’t hurt, since this was a practice round. The sky darkened more. Black hole black. Not good.

  I hovered in a tight orb as a flash of crimson barreled toward me. Migraine-like missiles ravaged my mind. Distraction would be the death of me. Before the red completely obscured my amber, I flashed a few light years away and dive-bombed back, this time slamming into aThorsis. His once golden hues blazed with my own but only for a millisecond. Almost.

  aThorsis’s thundering curses rattled me with crimson bolts. Could I mimic the charge with lightning of my own? Conjured images flickered at first until they overpowered me with pulsating strobes. Mental anguish exploded when the golden bolts struck me instead.

  “Fool! You have no idea what you’re doing. Shall I sit back and watch you destroy yourself.” Unlike aAriel’s laughter reminiscent of jingling bells, his roared as thunderous as a massive waterfall, assaulting my mind with the Lighted version of a migraine. This was the first time I inflicted pain in the realm. And on myself no less. aThorsis had every right to mock me.

  Besides running away with my imaginary tail between my legs, hyper-leaping into JLS seemed to be the only viable way to end the torment. However, fleeing would wield only cowardice. Instead, my mind absorbed the pain, the battle nowhere near finished. Lightning discharged well beyond my celestial border. Golden bolts shot outward until my amber-self mimicked a spherical ball of electricity similar to a plasma lamp.

  The red glow dimme
d to a hue of muddied dried blood. Dulled for a few countable seconds. Ecstatic without mulling on how or why, distraction kept at bay, an imaginary arm latched onto the gift—aMichael’s cerulean sword.

  A laser beam of silver, brighter and sharper than any metal blade, sliced into the red mass and zipped back into orbit. Did I order its return or did the sword have a mind of its own? It left a scar, one that did not fade. Rage equivalent to a defeated army of millions roared inside my soul.

  “Cheat! How did you come upon aMichael’s sword?”

  “You cheated first.” aThorsis must have been aware of the stones that followed me around as if I were the Pied Piper. “Given to me. A gift.”

  “Bah! No Lighted One would willingly arm a minion. You are an abomination that I alone created. And shall destroy.” Twinkling stars of light dimmed as they gushed from the scar the laser sword had left. A deep wound. “We shall battle later. Destiny has spoken the truth. You might triumph over me after all.”

  “Not so fast. Let’s end this now.” His heightened rage meant he was either worried that I’d beat his ass or that aMichael had given me the sorely needed edge to succeed. I took advantage of his weakened state and shot bolts of lightning with increased crescendo. The red turned muddy for a few seconds longer. When I concentrated on launching another blast, aThorsis vanished. “Come back!”

  The blue sky darkened to midnight. Mocked my disappointment. Then stars against the backdrop sparkled in harmony to my jubilation. To rejoice the victory however brief, I spun in place, all three hues blending as one. The cerulean gem orbited even faster. When the spinning formed a mini-tornado, I stopped, embarrassed by the child-like joy. At least I survived this bout. On the return home, I planned to celebrate with a shot of scotch whisky. Nothing came close to a swig of numbing alcohol in this realm. Nothing that I had discovered yet.