by J F Cain
Abaddon raised his hands in protest.
“My love, I was an atheist all my life, and even after all this instruction I still haven’t grasped what the Source is. Why are you surprised by how I deal with It? Besides, when it comes down to it, the way I think is not my fault. It is the one that made me think this way, and It seems to want me to carry on doing it.”
Aranes had returned to the bed and was looking for her nightgown underneath the bedclothes; then she remembered that they wouldn’t be there.
“Can you please clothe me?” she asked and waited motionless for her supernatural partner to rematerialize her nightgown and robe on her body. “Thank you,” she said and continued: “Your atheism is a natural consequence of analytical thought. Any thinking person would question the existence of the God humans created, and because they gave Him their characteristics, they converse with Him as they do among themselves. You do the same, since it is the God you know. The Source is not like the Creator humans have thought up and it might take you a while to grasp Its nature. As for your perception, you are not at fault. And you’re right, It wishes it to remain earthly,” she concluded, having tackled his arguments one by one.
“But why?” Abaddon asked in an exasperated tone of voice.
“I’m sure It has Its reasons,” Aranes replied. She sat sideways on the gray couch in front of the wall with the arched windows, rested her arm along its back, and gazed out at the dark sky beyond the glass panes. “There is something going on between you and It,” she mused.
“Whatever it is, I don’t know it, or I don’t remember it.” Abaddon exhaled loudly, feeling disheartened, and headed for the walk-in closet. They had tried to figure out the Source intentions before to no effect. A moment later he was back in the bedroom wearing a pair of dark silk pajama pants. “Let’s go to bed,” he said to his partner, who seemed miles away. “It’s late, and you haven’t rested all day.”
“You also promised me something,” Aranes said, as if she hadn’t heard him.
Abaddon realized what she was referring to.
“That I’ll give you whatever you ask me for.” He had promised her that the first day she had arrived on Earth stripped of her powers—and from her expression he knew very well what she wanted right now. He also sat at an angle, crossed his legs and took her hand which lay along the back of the couch. The fact remained that the beloved being sitting across from him with her long legs folded under her and her cute belly swelling under her robe was the ruler of the celestial kingdom, and there was no way this discussion would end until she was informed about everything she felt she needed to know. “You never give up, do you?” he asked with a smile.
“We’re more alike than you think,” Aranes replied and got straight to the point. “It is important that I know what is happening.”
Abaddon nodded.
“You’re right. I didn’t want to tell you so that you wouldn’t get upset, but I’m obviously making you worry more. Besides, you’re the brains in this mission.”
“And you its executor,” Aranes added, “and to carry it out we must remain united. So, will you tell me what happened today?”
“Lucifer appeared in my office today.”
Aranes had expected the Dark Lord to make that move.
“What did he say?” she asked calmly.
“He tried to create moral dilemmas in me about how similar Angels and Demons are in temperament. And, of course, he wanted to warn me that the attacks are about to begin. He claimed that he wasn’t going to pursue you and that there was no way the Celestials would help me,” Abaddon scoffed.
“Do you have any questions about the differences in the Ethereals’ traits?”
“No, you’ve explained them to me.”
“Do you need me to clarify anything?” Aranes insisted, wanted to see if the Demon had succeeded in affecting her partner.
“If I need it, I’ll ask,” he replied.
“Alright,” Aranes said and continued: “As for his intentions, never think that he will abandon his goal. He is behind every attack. In one way or another, he will be the one controlling the actions of those who are after me.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Abaddon agreed. He wanted to ask her what she thought about the Celestials helping in an emergency, but he didn’t so that he wouldn’t seem insecure, both to her and to anyone monitoring their discussion.
“And who appeared just before?” Aranes continued with her questions.
“Lyla.”
“I thought it would be her,” Aranes said blankly. “Whoever begins the attacks will have to find out what powers you have and, above all, how quickly you sense the appearance of an Ethereal. That’s an important factor. A split second can mean victory for the one who senses an approaching enemy.”
“So that’s why she vanished without attacking,” Abaddon deduced. “Do you think Lucifer sent her?”
“Most likely. His quick return to action and your unknown powers have made my would-be persecutors hesitant. They don’t know what to expect, and I’m sure that the Dark Lord warned them to stay away from me. But as the time approaches for me to give birth, they will all be forced to make a move. They have too much to gain to give up, and I’m no longer the only prize they are all trying to lay claim to.” She then paused, wondering if she should tell him the harsh truth. Finally, she decided that her partner had to know about what was to come. “Some of them are after our child,” she went on as indifferently as she could. “Before or after the birth, it doesn’t matter. The baby’s vital organs are completely developed and it will survive even if it is removed violently—for those, of course, who want it alive. But, my blood alone is enough to overturn the natural laws of the planet.”
Abaddon imagined dark beings ripping Aranes’ belly open and was consumed by a black rage. His irises and pupils changed, his eyes becoming like smoldering coals in whose depths burned a blazing red fire. Gray energy poured out of his eye sockets, spreading all over his now frighteningly harsh face.
“Whoever dares to mess with you will have nowhere to hide in all the dimensions,” he roared, his voice sounding as if it was harnessing all the power of a dark abyss.
Aranes blinked, feeling bewildered. She had never seen him like this before.
He was a Dark Angel, but he was still a Celestial. As the commander of thousands of Defenders who, like him, had been in danger of finding themselves under Lucifer’s thumb, he had managed to control his rage and keep his warriors in Elether. Where was that part of him? Was it the absence of any memory defining the traits of Angels that was at fault, or had her secret name created an entity that was darker than he was before his incarnation? Right now, he was more like a Demon. Was he doing it on purpose to scare those who pursued her? She hoped so. Otherwise, he would evolve into an uncontrollable entity and his unique abilities would make him a danger to the balance of forces.
Uneasy about what her precious partner was becoming, she burrowed into his arms and hugged him.
“Please, Abaddon, calm down,” she said tenderly, trying to make him see sense.
He realized he had unnerved her and came to his senses at once. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on the crown of her head. As soon as he breathed in her beloved familiar fragrance, his face began to look human again.
“Forgive me, my love. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said, stroking her back reassuringly. “The thought that those awful creatures could harm you and our child drives me mad.”
Aranes leaned back and looked at him with a troubled expression.
“Rage will lead you wrong.”
“No, but it will lead to the elimination of anyone who messes with you two,” the Dark Angel threatened darkly, hoping those entities were watching them this moment.
“When you act, you should be fully aware of what you do. Rage strips you of any control and makes you easy prey to be manipulated by a calm entity,” Aranes advised him for the umpteenth time.
“I know,”
said Abaddon, checking his irritation for her.
It was his weak point. As a human, he had managed his emotions sensibly. But ever since he had learned that his adversary was the greatest of Demons, he had trouble reining in his anger. Being aware of the problem, he had made an effort and had made great progress in handling the fury that arose in him just at the sound of Lucifer’s name. Some small slips were painless, but the total loss of control could carry a heavy price. As much as his duty to protect the worlds’ most precious entity made him anxious, he knew he had to control himself.
Aranes rested her head on his shoulder and put her palm at the center of his chest to send her energy into him and calm him.
“You know that I can feel it when you do your magic, right?” Abaddon said, now in a better mood.
“Don’t feel so proud; many humans feel it when energy flows into their body,” she teased.
Abaddon covered her palm with his own.
“What a pity. And here I thought I was special!”
Aranes smiled.
“I see you’re better. Can we go to bed now? I feel tired.”
Abaddon didn’t need any urging. Her needs came before anything else.
“Of course, my heart,” he said gladly. He got up off the couch, lifted her in his arms and walked to the bed.
“Can you please stop carrying me?” Aranes asked as she untied the belt on her robe. “I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”
“Nope, I’m not doing you that favor,” he replied adamantly. He dematerialized her robe and materialized it once again on the quilted bench at the foot of the bed.
“And undressing me?” she added.
A roguish smile formed on Abaddon’s lips.
“Especially not that. It’s my favorite.”
He deposited her on the bed, lay down next to her and covered her with the comforter.
Aranes snuggled up to him.
“Then let me not deprive you of it,” she said, her soft voice sounding tired.
“Goodnight, love of my soul,” the Dark Angel replied.
“You couldn’t have said it more aptly,” she muttered with her eyes closed.
Abaddon took her hand and rested it on his chest.
“Yes, it fits perfectly. Now go to sleep.”
“No need to convince me,” she replied sleepily. She draped her leg over his thighs and relaxed in the warmth of his body. A few moments later she was asleep.
Once Aranes was in the world of dreams and her consciousness far away, Abaddon felt alone. He no longer visited that world. He hadn’t slept at all since his transformation. The only biological need left over from his human self was sexual desire. So he spent his nights gazing at his partner as he tried to get his fill of her beauty, or relaxing with his eyes closed while still on guard should there be an attack. Ethereal vision needed no physical body parts to function. It was a type of perception of four-dimensional hyperspaces. In the physical world’s three-dimensional terms, it was like looking at a room from all the viewpoints at once.
Abaddon had another favorite pastime for the hours he spent not sleeping. He watched the meetings of his competitors in the energy industry, as well as the meetings of high ranking CEOs of multinational companies, international organizations and government agencies scheming to gain global dominance. He had promised himself and Aranes that, whether the Source let them live on Earth or not, he would do his best to stymie the would-be world rulers’ plans. For the time being, since the Superior had suggested it, he was limiting his activity to his professional sphere, to donations made to charities and to the creation of welfare organizations around the globe, the biggest of which they would soon be opening in New York. Even so, he was constantly gathering information which he was only storing in his mental archive, until he was given the chance to use it against the Demons’ pawns. But tonight he didn’t feel like monitoring any of humanity’s invisible dictators.
Without opening his eyes, he looked into Aranes’ belly. The baby was sleeping peacefully, just like she was. The thought that it wasn’t safe even in its mother’s belly annoyed him. Before he became consumed with anger, he put a stop to the pointless emotion. He had to watch how he reacted, especially in front of his partner.
Abaddon’s thoughts were interrupted abruptly when his supernatural hearing caught the high-frequency sound announcing an Ethereal’s entry into the physical dimension. He remained motionless, pretending to be asleep. The frequency of the vibrations generated by their nighttime visitor told him it wasn’t a Celestial. He guessed it would be Lyla and was curious to see what the idiotic Demon would do.
In her ethereal form, Lyla appeared close to the bed on Aranes’ side. She stood still for a moment, her eyes glued on Abaddon as she waited for him to react. She didn’t know if he was really sleeping. Ever since he had been restored to his true nature, he seemed to have retained his human biological needs. But, logically speaking, he should have sensed her presence. Seeing that the Celestial wasn’t making any move, she approached the bed. Without taking her eyes off his face, she bent over Aranes and cautiously reached out to touch her belly. Before she could touch her, Abaddon’s ethereal eyes shot open. His ethereal hand left his physical body and grabbed the Demon’s wrist. He lifted her up in the air and flung her over the bed and onto the floor a few feet away. He then immediately came out of his physical host, dressed in armor and ready for battle.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked as he approached her, his voice harsh and mocking.
Lyla quickly recovered from her shock and vanished.
“I thought so,” Abaddon said to himself.
He returned to the bed, lay down and merged his ethereal with his physical body. Opening his eyes, he looked at Aranes and pulled her gently into his arms.
“Is everything alright?” she mumbled, on her guard even in the hours when she slept.
“Yes, my love, go back to sleep,” Abaddon replied tenderly.
He kissed her forehead and, eyes open, began to think. Now the Demons had discovered one of his powers. At times this would serve him, while at others not. But, at the very least, it would make his enemies more wary. And that would definitely help.
Lyla rested her palms on the stone urn that stood in the middle of the dim room and leaned forward, letting out a relieved breath. That had been a close call. She had almost clashed with Abaddon, and she didn’t want that. Her plans didn’t only involve gaining the Superior’s powers; she also intended to get her partner. She had had her eye on him for quite a while now and his new powers made him even more desirable. The discovery that Abaddon could retain two bodies and split them at will had taken her by surprise. Ethereals could assume either a physical or a spiritual form, never both at once.
Lucifer’s sudden appearance in her private chamber also caught her unawares.
“So, how did you find your first contact with Abaddon?” he asked, pointedly letting her know that he was watching her closely.
Lyla withdrew her hands from the urn and straightened.
“I was just feeling out the situation,” she replied loftily.
“I see,” the Lord of Darkness said, his expression impassive.
“I’ll find a way to abduct her,” Lyla assured him.
“Naturally. Besides, Abaddon won’t always be with her,” Lucifer said patronizingly, his cryptic gaze on her.
Lyla felt his eyes boring into her but didn’t show her unease.
“No, he won’t,” she replied shortly.
“Alright, carry on with the good work,” the Dark Lord said, holding in a mocking smile as he left her chamber.
Trust me, it will be so good that you won’t know what’s hit you, Lyla thought.
Somewhere else in Eregkal, Beleth was reclining on the arm of an alabaster chaise longue that stood in the middle of a white kiosk. Exquisite poisonous flame lilies and deadly nightshades grew beside the steps and thorny blood-red rose bushes wound up the columns, while bunches of purple wisteria hung from
the roof, forming a blossomy dome.
Around the kiosk there stretched a vast diverse garden with scattered orchid trees, cherry trees and jacarandas in bloom. Clusters of white daffodils and blue-tinted iris grew on the grassy expanse among multiform Peruvian lilies. Winding cobbled paths wove through bushy Bristol Rubies and large colorful arrangements of daisies, China asters and forget-me-nots. Birds-of-paradise extended their strange exotic bird-like blossoms over white tree heaths, and thin-stemmed larkspurs with their sky-blue flower clusters stood beside purplish-red lupines. Little cascades rushed down hills, between tall cerimans, broad-leaved ficus and multicolored geraniums. Their waters fell burbling into little ponds on whose shores grew daleas and flamingo flowers, white Brazilian jasmine and purple cyclamens. Streams traversed the garden, passing by white-trunked poplars, at different spots bordered by gloxinias in all the colors of the rainbow. The grove was washed in strong yet hazy light, and despite the abundance of flowers in bloom, the air held not a single scent.
Beleth consumed substantial energy maintaining this visual imitation of Elether in the dark dimension, but she didn’t care. She longed for the light of her previous nature, which was why she often entered the formative plane to enjoy the sun. Sytry had nicknamed her the “Evening Primrose”, but didn’t dare calling her that to her face. Beleth, previously a member of the high-ranking order of Virtues, had already been powerful before the Fall. Since she had subsequently evolved into one of the most powerful Archdemons, no one wanted to court her wrath.
Beleth shut down her ethereal screen that had been suspended in front of her like dark vapor and Abaddon’s face faded away in gentle ripples. She looked up and her dark brown locks swayed over her red bodice and the gossamer veils covering her tall, taught body. Her left leg emerged from between the veils, clad in a bronze boot and protected by curved metal plates that reached mid-thigh. The eye-catching gold pauldron on her left shoulder was shaped like a king cobra, its jaws wide open and its fangs curved menacingly. The snake’s body spanned her back and coiled on her right shoulder, forming another pauldron, and then wound down her arm with its tail wrapped around her wrist.
