“Saraqael! No!” Michael grabbed Saraqael by the shoulder. “We go for the girl.”
“But, Michael—” Saraqael contested.
“But, nothing, we go for the girl,” I interjected. “There’s nothing we can do for them.” Saraqael shook his head in disappointment. “Well, Michael? How do you want to do this?” A smile cracked Michael’s face. My judgment had always been clouded in the past. It came time for someone else to take charge.
“Gabriel to my left…Rahovart to my right…Raguel, Raphael center…Ramiel, Uriel, Saraqael take the rear. We’re pushing forward on four.” Michael searched for my approval. It was suicide, but we had no other choice. Michael’s plan was the only plan.
With my agreeing nod, Michael called out, “One!” We raised our shields and crouched behind them so they effectively blocked our necks and chests. “Two!” We readied our swords. “Three!” Our wings opened. “Four!” Gabriel, Michael, and I pushed forward with our shields, shoving the front line back as our swords and wings struck the front line of Demons. Quickly we dropped, allowing Raguel and Raphael to plunge their swords and wings in the next line.
“Heave!” Michael called out. Pushing up with our shields, we shoved back another line, impaling them with our wings. As Raphael lunged over my right shoulder, a Demon jumped on his wing, tearing at it. Saraqael flung his shield back, handing the Demon into the crowd. Raphael lay wounded, his right wing now rendered useless. Swiftly Uriel traded positions with Raphael.
“Heave!” The harder and farther we pushed, the harder and farther the Demons pushed back. For every one we dropped, three would take their place. Demons were coming out of the woodwork much the same as roaches when the lights go out. We had only gained a few yards when Gabriel, Michael, and I found our shields locked with the shields of three Demons in front of us. Uriel and Raguel tried desperately stabbing at them, but they wouldn’t fall. My feet slid back on the floor as I pushed with everything I had. We were losing ground and our footing, and then Michael’s opponent suddenly lowered his shield, throwing Michael off balance. Michael stumbled right into the Demon’s shield as he punched it down onto Michael’s head. Stepping over Michael, Raguel took Michael’s place, giving a final deathblow to the Demon. But Michael had fallen.
As I watched his body fall to ground, I became devoured by the fear of failing. Why had this been so difficult? We should have reached Etta by now with minimal losses. My clouded judgment and Michael’s determination to prove himself a hero were costing us severely. I should have gone for the boulder instead of thinking the eight of us could pull this off. With Raphael injured and Michael down, we had no hope of saving Etta. The word “retreat” replayed over and over in my head.
“Ra!” Etta’s scream thundered over the sounds of the battle, snapping me out of my head. My eyes quickly found Etta and there, whispering in her ear with his hand around her neck, was Alastor. His grin wide and every word he spoke turned Etta’s face paler. Terror filled her eyes as he grazed his claw across her neck. A small trickle of blood splattered at her feet. Alastor flashed an arrogant smile at me as we locked eyes.
A sudden burst of adrenaline shot through me. I brought my right wing down into the skull of the Demon directly in front of me. I spun around to Michael and reached out my hand to him, grabbing onto his wrist. Michael wrapped his hand around my wrist. The second his fingertips made contact with my skin, a golden flash of light surged between us, swiftly traveling up our arms. We found ourselves frozen as it lit us up and beaconed from our mouths. The ground and walls shook tremendously. Demons ran, taking cover from the rock that fell from above. An eruption of golden light burst from all eight of us, then disappeared.
A power I had never felt before coursed through me and from the looks on the seven Arches’ faces, they were feeling the same. “Our strength is restored! We fight as one now!” Raphael shouted. His wing had completely healed. It dawned on me that we were to fight as one family, as one unit. But Michael and I hadn’t truly been working together. Instead we were bickering children. That hate drained all of our powers; we were weakened by our tension. The warriors had nothing to pull from, which is why they fell so easily. But in the end, Michael forgave me and our touch sealed the deal.
Before we could turn to continue the fight, the boulder that sealed the room exploded, sending rock, dust, and debris flying through the air. Silence filled the room as all movement came to a halt and everyone’s eyes turned to the corridor. Charging down the corridor came a sea of warrior Angels. With power to draw from, they were able to break not only through the gates but the boulder as well.
“Let’s do this!” Saraqael yelled as he stormed into the opposing crowd. The room filled with our cries as we followed him into battle. The difference in our strength was staggering. A small shove of the shield sent a Demon hurtling through the room. Our wings sliced through bodies like a warm knife would through butter. Raguel held his stance as he tried fighting off three demons when one went to strike at his neck. With a running start, Uriel slid on his knees underneath Raguel’s wings, thrusting his sword into the Demon before he could strike. A choreographed ballet, we moved around each other, bringing down another Demon with every movement. With every bash of our shields, every strike of our swords, we pushed the battle line farther and farther back. We were only fifty yards and a thousand demons away from Etta. If we could just reach her, we could retreat.
“Rahovart…line drive?” Michael called out. A line drive requires at least two Arches, but is never done with less than four. Each Arch fully extends his wings, bends over, tucks his chin into his chest and grabs onto the waist of the Arch in front of him. As the line runs forward, the wings slice through anything they touch. Glancing around the room in between killings, I knew the chance of pulling it off were slim. Every Arch was deep in battle.
“Not enough!” I yelled back. A few short moments later, I found Michael’s back against mine. We were fighting together as we used to.
“You and me, line drive, we can make it to her, Rahovart. You take front and get me there. I’ll get her out of here.” As I contemplated Michael’s idea, I glanced at the throne. Etta sat still strapped to it and Alastor seemed to have vanished. I scanned the room to see if he engaged in battle. He was nowhere to be found. “Let’s go!” I bent over. Michael grabbed my waist. It could prove to be the stupidest idea in the heavens, but we had to try.
“Line drive from the rear!” Michael warned our brothers ahead of us. With them jumping out of our path, we had a straight shot to Etta. We took off running at our top speed. Everything went smoothly until we reached the stairs. A Demon managed to grab my left wing and flung me into a pillar. Michael continued toward Etta. The Demon towered over me as he stabbed at me with his sword. Rolling clear of his blade, I jumped to my feet and pushed him into another pillar, smashing it into dust as our bodies collided with it. My sword pierced his stomach as I fell on top of him.
I turned and ran up the stairs. Michael had almost reached the top when Alastor sprung out from a pillar behind him, stabbing him in the back between his wings. Michael fell to his knees and toppled over, crashing onto the ground.
“No!” My cry ricocheted through the room. I swung my sword at Alastor. Ducking out of the way of my blade, Alastor delivered one hell of a punch straight up into my chest. It knocked me on my back. Lucky for me, Alastor was cocky. He thought I was down for the count as he slithered toward Etta. I flipped to my belly and plunged my sword through the tip of his tail and into the ground. Surprised, Alastor twisted his body around, snapping the tip of his tail. Armed with only my shield and wings, I leapt from the ground toward him.
“Ra! Look out!” Etta cried.
Alastor flashed behind me and shoved me to the ground. There, directly in front of my face, sparkled the glitter of ten purple toenails. Looking up, I caught Etta’s gaze as she smiled down at me. It was just the boost I needed. Flinging my body upward, I caught Alastor’s claws coming at me with my shield, knock
ing him back. My wing sliced his forearm as he blocked my blow. I had him on the defensive. Pushing him back toward the stairs, I rapidly snapped each wing at him. My plan was just to throw him off balance at the stairs and leave his chest open for a clean shot. Just as I had him there he flashed. My shield and wings were ready for him to pop up behind me again. I spun around to find he flashed to Etta.
He ripped her from the throne by her neck and held her in front of him as a shield. The tips of nails dug into her soft flesh. Etta squirmed to no avail. Tears streamed down her face as she fought to breathe.
“Put her down, Alastor!” I demanded.
“I don’t think so, Rahovart. Put down your shield and wings or I’ll rip her throat out.”
“You wouldn’t do that. Your Master needs her.”
“Oh, wouldn’t I? You think I can’t find another? You are sorely mistaken.”
I should have grabbed Etta and gotten out of there when I had the chance. Instead, my ego led me to believe I could defeat Alastor and save the girl. My next move would decide both of our fates. Rush him, and he might kill her. Strike at him, and I might kill her. Wait too long, and she would suffocate to death. I stood at Alastor’s mercy.
“Okay, Alastor.” I hesitantly dropped my shield and kicked it across the floor.
“Now your wings!”
“Okay! Okay, just don’t do anything to hurt her.” I slowly folded my wings down.
“Ha! You always were weak.” Alastor clawed Etta’s throat and threw her, sending her spinning in the air until her limp body folded around a pillar and dropped lifeless to the ground. Blood pooled around her. She couldn’t have survived Alastor’s claws ripping her throat out or the impact of the pillar.
“No!” I screamed as I ran toward her. Alastor flashed in front of me. He delivered a head-butt, knocking me back a good twenty feet. My ears rang from the blow. My vision blurred, and I was disoriented. Pushing with my hands, I tried to get up. My grip slipped, smacking me right back onto the ground. My eyes found Etta’s motionless body. I had failed yet again.
“Should have left well enough alone, Rahovart. Now look what you’ve done. You really ought to stop killing the ones you love. It isn’t healthy.” Alastor snickered as he stood over me.
I could have probably found the strength within me to knock Alastor down and finish him off. But as I stared off at Etta’s lifeless body, I knew I was done. I didn’t have the fight in me anymore. There’s no guarantee that her soul had found its way to Heaven, and I didn’t want to exist in a world without her soul there to light me up.
“Be done with me already, Alastor.” I kept still, waiting for him to strike me, when in the corner of my eyes, I saw two flashes of white light shoot from the throne and up the stairs toward Etta’s body. Michael was alive. Racing to her, he was met by Raguel. Michael rolled Etta’s body over toward him, put his ear to her chest and listened for a moment. A glimmer of hope sparkled in his eyes as he looked up toward Raguel. If there stood any chance she could still be alive, I had to know. Just as I called out to them, Raguel wrapped Etta in his arms and ran down the stairs into the chaos below. Michael began slashing at anything that came near them.
There twinkled the hope I needed. With a shattering roar I flipped to my feet. Alastor froze in shock as my wings unfurled. Grabbing him by the throat, I lifted him off the ground. “This is for Etta,” I screamed as my right wing found its way completely through Alastor’s scaled torso. In a futile attempt to release my grasp, Alastor grabbed my wrist with both claws. Blood poured from his mouth. His body wiggled as I tightened my grip around his neck. I watched as he gurgled his last breath and his soul fled from his eyes.
“Let’s go!” I commanded as I ran down the stairs. The Arches and warriors were already trying to make their way out to follow Michael and Raguel.
I wasn’t sure how far Raguel and Michael had made it with Etta, but I couldn’t waste any time getting to them. I seriously doubted Lucifer would make it easy for them to flee with the prospective mother of his child. Though he could not enter into a physical confrontation with any being, I knew he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
Gabriel took to my right and the others followed. We were met with little resistance as we made our way through the rooms until we finally caught up with Michael and Raguel. The corridor that the led to the city was sealed shut with rock and dirt. Raguel held Etta tightly to him and shielded her from flying chunks of debris. Michael furiously hacked away at the earth with his wings and sword. Behind us, the roar of the oncoming Demons echoed through the room.
Eight Arches and fifty thousand warriors were crammed tight into the room. With no room to properly maneuver during a fight, I ordered everyone to help with the digging. Hopefully before the oncoming legions reached us, we could bust a hole through. With every stab into the earth, the roar of thousands of Demons got closer. An escape seemed impossible at the rate we were chipping away.
The corridor was narrow. Only one or two Demons could funnel through at a time. If I had my sword and shield, I could probably hold them off for a few more moments. With any luck that would give us the time we needed before the onslaught of Demons trampled through me. I reached for my sword, but it wasn’t there. In my haste, I had left my sword and shield in the throne room. The entrance from the corridor to the room was too tight. My wings would be useless.
The first few Demons were running around the bend of the corridor. We were out of time. Swiftly, I jerked Michael’s shield and sword from him and bolted to the corridor just in time to strike the first Demon down. I opened my wings to block anything coming through. The only thing standing between them and our deaths was me. One by one, the Demons charged at me.
If they kept this up, I would surely be successful, but Demons aren’t stupid. They came at me, squeezing in two, three at a time. When one dropped, another would take his place. I pushed my body farther in the corridor using my wing as leverage. The pressure of the Demons trying to push me back was intense. The blades of my wings snapped and broke.
Bracing for another wave of Demons, I dug my feet into the ground. As they crashed into my shield, my left wing took a damaging blow. The sound of shattering metal filled the air. I began to fall forward when something from behind jerked me back into the room.
“Let’s go!” Michael shouted as he took off running. I scrambled to my feet and followed Michael through a cramped tunnel. They had made it through. I managed to hold on just long enough for them to not only burrow a hole through but for everyone to get out. As soon as we made our way through the tunnel to the city, we opened our wings and took off into the air with a sonic boom, bursting through the ceiling and leaving the Demons that followed in our dust, literally.
Chapter Nineteen
The trip back to Heaven only took minutes, but it felt like an eternity. When we finally reached the gates, my seven brothers stood outside the infirmary. I rushed through them when Uriel stopped me.
“Father is with her.” I lowered my hand from the doorknob. Father only took care of serious injuries and never in person. That was the job of the Powers, a choir of angels who specialized in healing. My brothers stayed with me through all of my pacing and complaining about how long it took. The eight of us waited outside for minutes that seemed like hours when the door finally opened. A female opened the door and waved me in. I walked somberly into the room, not knowing what to expect. Etta’s neck was bandaged. Her pale skin blended with the white sheets on the gurney. She looked limp and lifeless.
“Is she…?” I couldn’t say the word.
“She’ll be fine. You did very well, my son.” Father spoke, startling me. I hadn’t noticed Him in his angelic form. He sat in a chair near Etta. “She may have a small scar, but nothing noticeable. Now, it’s time for you to get her home and say your goodbyes.”
“Goodbyes to whom, Father?”
“Don’t worry so much, my son. She’ll remember moving, going to school, and normal day-to-day life, but she won�
�t remember anything she’s seen beyond the veil,” Father answered before I could finish. He always knew what I intended to say before I could say it.
“You mean…?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, my son, but it has to be this way in order for free agency to work. If I don’t close the veil completely, the slightest reminder can bring back all her memories. But, do not fear. I have assigned the best Guardians to keep an eye on her. She will be safe. Take her home, Rahovart.”
As I lifted Etta in my arms, He touched my shoulder. “You can stay with her until she wakes up, but then you must say goodbye and close the veil behind you.”
I had accomplished my objective. Etta would be able to live as a normal girl—a life without Demons and pills, something she had been denied for so long. She would lose all knowledge of the past four months. Her mind would be erased of everything having to do with the celestial worlds, including any memory of me. Part of me wanted to take her away so I would never have to lose her, but I knew there was nowhere I could go. I would just be denying her the life I fought to save.
I held her close as I traveled down to her home. It would be one of the last times I could. Landing on her porch, I hesitantly opened the door. No sign remained of the destruction Ramiel had caused. As I walked up the stairs, sounds of snores filled the hallway. John would wake up with a slight headache and the same memory loss as Etta. Gently, I place Etta onto her bed. The sun beamed from the open drapes, giving Etta’s face an angelic glow. As I softly kissed her lips, she stirred and pulled the blanket from the side of the bed over her. She needed her rest.
I didn’t want to leave her side, but if the veil closed when I left, I had to make sure all trace of me disappeared from the home. I climbed into the attic. It was musty with the smell of mildew. It never bothered me before, but now I entered the small room a different being. There in the corner were my trinkets. I grabbed the empty box I used to put rats in to watch them fight over scraps of food. Carefully, I placed each item in the box until I noticed a note taped to my stack of CDs. The note was from Etta.
The Demon Side Page 13
