“That all? Good?” he grunted. “Fine. I get more. Hungry.”
Marcus flew back to the booth and continued to give the angel stocking the grapes a friendly challenge in replenishing them.
“I was going to ask him to mingle with me,” Cadence said, “but it appears he’s busy.”
“How does he know what hunger is? It’s not like we need to eat for survival…I don’t even think we can get hungry.”
“We know the definition, just not what it feels like.”
We watched as Marcus ate with no shame.
“Okay, so…if he doesn’t realize what hunger is, how will he know when he’s full?” I asked.
Marcus grabbed another plate of apples, paused, then grabbed another, laughing heartily from the abdomen as he relished in his newfound love. He took both plates, and tried to shove their contents into his mouth at the same time. The angel stocking the apples threw up his hands in frustration as the plates shattered and nearly all of the apples flew behind Marcus and tumbled down to the stadium floor.
“We might be here a while,” Cadence admitted solemnly.
“Correction. You will be here awhile. I will be with our dear friend, Vergil.”
“Godspeed,” Cadence laughed. “Tell Vergil that we’re sorry for our attitude. We were out of line.”
“I’ll let you tell him personally,” I said as I glanced back at Marcus. He was fighting the angel with the apples, as they both were trying to shape the broken plates in their own way. The angel was trying to restore them to their former glory while Marcus was trying to turn the platters into apples. The result ended up being a doughy, clay-like monstrosity that Marcus was happy to taste.
I missed the group already.
Leaving Cadence and the others to gain some notoriety, I took off to find our lost comrade, but someone tapped me on the shoulder mid-flight. I turned around and the angel – a Glory - placed an arm over my shoulder and pulled me to a table of oranges, where two other angels sat. It happened so fast I could barely express myself.
“Whoa! Hey! I – uh, hello?” I stammered as the two angels at the table stood up and grabbed my hand, shaking it like I was in an exhibition game of tug-of-war.
“This is Lysander!” my kidnapper exclaimed, patting me on the back. “His team defeated Rufus!”
“I recognized him the second he walked in,” an angel beamed, a Guard I assumed.
“No you didn’t,” the second angel, a Faithful, replied, “Geez. Your short-term memory is worse than mine.”
“I don’t think we’ve been introduced,” I said, eyeing the exit. My kidnapper guffawed and pushed me down into a seat.
“I’m Ananias. Big fan of your work.”
“What work?”
“Why, knocking Rufus on his rump. His ego needed a beating or two. And it doesn’t hurt that it was a test from Lucifer. I tell you, I am jeeeeaaalous.”
“You didn’t pass his test?”
“Heavens no. Can’t say my team didn’t make an attempt. Hey, Stasis, when was the last time an angel made it into Lucifer’s company?”
“Too long…last one was Iron, I’d say.”
“It looks like he has a ton of followers,” I said, but Ananias chuckled and popped an orange into his mouth – yes, the whole orange.
“Followers, yes. Team members, not so much. Angels all over Heaven like to play his game but few make it into the inner circle. Angels had lost hope, but then all of a sudden, your troupe arrives on the scene and passes his test with flying colors. No kidding, there’s a bright future ahead of you.”
“Thank you, I guess.”
“You’re welcome, young one. Sorry to harass you. Just needed to say hi.”
“No problem,” I said, unsure of how I should react. “I’ll see you later.”
“Don’t be a stranger!” he called as I hurried out of the Fellowship Hall, uncertain if I would be bombarded with potential fans. Taking to the skies with the grace of an arctic tern, I welcomed the universe with a revived interest.
There is really nothing like riding through the stars at full speed. The way the gases swirl around you like they want a touch, how the light of the stars hold onto your feet after you emerge from them and follow you even outside of their condensed ball, almost begging for you to come back, envying the next one that’s greeting you with open arms. If I didn’t know any better, I would dare say they were alive, and enjoyed angels’ company as much as we enjoyed theirs. But I had no time to play with the stars, at least not the ones I flew past. Only one in particular caught my attention.
The white dwarf, already turning brown, reaching the end of its cycle and turning noticeably dimmer. This waning star, on its death bed – had already been abandoned by all of the angels, who had run off to play with its shiny, brand new brothers and sisters born into the world. All the angels, that is, but one.
How I figured out Vergil would be there, I wasn’t sure, but if there was anything I learned from my battle with Rufus, it was that I had to trust my instincts. Over-thinking and complicating things tended to end badly, and I never was much of a fighter. I wanted situations solved quickly, the conflict and all of the emotions it brought with it to end expeditiously.
I screeched to a halt, a dusty trail of the last star I had emerged from glittering on my soles. I stared at the brown dwarf, steadily dying, glowing one second and dimming the next like it was on its last breaths, its final heartbeats. Vergil, who now had a little more light emanating from him than the star itself was staring at it in awe. Legs crossed and floating in the air, he levitated next to it, with a hand on its surface, like he was consoling an old friend. Without a word, I glided next to him, and sat down, reaching out to copy his movements. We sat there for a long time, just listening to the old-timer and thinking about nothing in particular. In the busy world of Heaven, where everyone darted around like loons, it was nice for once to sit back and relax.
The bustle was a change from the lazy living on the island. A change I would have to get used to. But I still wouldn’t give Heaven up for anything. Just being free to spend time with a friend, listening to the pulse of a brown dwarf, enjoying the calm and soothing hum of the galaxy as it placed celestial headphones over our ears and created a lovely song for us to close our eyes to – nothing was more peaceful.
And I refused to break this tranquility. No, I waited for Vergil to begin the conversation.
“I did go to the Fellowship Hall,” he said eventually, “but no one wanted to talk to me.”
“Why?”
“Some of them said I was a knock-off of Lucifer – my Archangel status and the way I glowed when I ate some bread. Others said they didn’t converse with Archangels.”
“That’s strange. I saw Archangels there.”
“And did you notice they only hung out with each other? Not to mention most of them thought I was too young to contribute to the conversation.”
“I can get Marcus to punch one in the face.”
“What I don’t get,” he said, ignoring me, “is how does being an Archangel mean anything? We’re all angels. Why does my designation matter? I didn’t ask for it.”
“We can’t help how we are made. The sooner we accept who or what we are and just strive to do good, things get simpler.”
“Lysander, I’m finding out that I may never fit in.”
“Is that so bad?”
“Who wouldn’t want to be part of the crowd? Do you enjoy being an outcast? Separated from the group?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Hmm…I think you’re here to do damage control. Bring me back after some counseling.”
“I’m here for a friend, Vergil. Nothing more. And despite what you might think, I can understand how you feel to a degree. When our group was back on the island, I didn’t think I belonged at all. I even tried to leave them and go off on my own, but it never panned out. Because they care, about me…and you. I wasn’t the only one looking for you. The whole group went to the
Fellowship Hall because you’re part of the team. Team Six.” I made up the name off the top of my head.
“Team six, huh?” Vergil said, amused. He played along. “And why can’t we be number one?”
“Because we don’t have the cohesiveness one through five has,” I pretended, “but we’re working on it. That’s what a team does.”
“Working on it…you make me sound like a case number.”
“Whatever you might think, we’re with you. And we all have the same goals – to get back to God. From what I heard in the Fellowship Hall, He’s been gone for a while. It’s important we figure out why.”
“A mystery to solve.”
“So you’ll come back with me to help?”
“I don’t feel comfortable. I never know what to say to them.”
“There is a reason you’re socially awkward. The same goes with why some aren’t. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Sure, you might trip a lot verbally, but how many angels have your level of strength?”
“That’s true,” he said, staring into the brown dwarf star. “I am stronger.”
“And what we discover is that when we unite together, my weakness is overridden by your strength and vice versa. We balance each other out. It’s the only explanation to why God would design us individually.”
Vergil contemplated my words for a few minutes, patting the star tenderly.
“Thank you for your words,” he said eventually, and I felt a surge of joy - it must have been the same feeling Cadence experienced when he helped the angels on the island.
“Then let’s get going. We don’t have to meet up with the group right away. We’ll search for God on our own.”
“God could be anywhere,” Vergil said skeptically. “We could search the whole universe and get no closer to His location.”
“We’re definitely not going to find Him with that negative attitude,” I scoffed, pointing behind me toward space. “If Farah was here, we would both get a scolding for our lack of faith.”
“She sure lost faith when I beat her in that arm wrestling competition,” Vergil chuckled. Strangely enough, I couldn’t laugh.
“Was that too weird?” he asked me. I shrugged my shoulders. I couldn’t articulate it, but his words had touched a nerve, and I couldn’t put together why without creating awkward silence.
“Not sure. But maybe we can get started on the search.”
“I know the first place to try,” Vergil said, his mood lighter. Apparently, he hadn’t noticed my hesitation.
“Where to?”
“It’s like this brown dwarf star. Everyone loves it when it’s shining, when it’s in the midst of its prime. It’s so big and bright, it’s very much like God – but as soon as its light begins to fade, like God’s presence - they all scatter, waiting for Him to reveal Himself once more in a big way. No one denies His existence but few seek Him out. And when God does not show Himself, they forget about Him. They just want the feeling. Not the relationship. So…I think we should go to the one place no one has visited yet – the Throne Room.”
I nodded and smiled slyly, turning slowly but letting my wings stretch out to capacity - letting him know what I was thinking. I didn’t get to race him last time, and I didn’t care if he would beat me. I had to try.
I took off at full throttle, a sonic boom cracking the stillness of space in my wake. Vergil was left behind, in shock, but he soon recovered from my outburst and he followed - quickly gaining momentum. I knew that racing was just as tactical of a sport as fighting was. Going faster than another wasn’t always the best way to win. I decided to skip plowing through the stars, fully aware of their slight yet profound pull on our angelic bodies. It wasn’t much to slow you down, but when we sped through a string of over a million stars getting from point A to B, it made a difference.
I swung around the stars, folding and diving, twisting and turning, letting my wings raise me over them. The stars reached out to me like children begging for candy, wanting me to play, but I refused wholeheartedly. Vergil was still forcing through them with his impressive speed, bursting through each star like it was a wall of water. But even I could see that he could improve his acceleration by skipping them altogether.
We eventually hit the final descent, and Vergil was only a light year behind, probably in straits over how I could possibly be in the lead. Unfortunately, the descent was starless, and this would give him a great opportunity to pull ahead. I gave it all I had, screeching forward, straining for extra millimeters. I could see Vergil gaining, his wings folded behind him. And right before I touched the Throne Room door, his fingers beat me to it.
I collapsed in exhaustion, laughing beyond the strain over how close I was. Vergil was perfectly fine, but sat down with me regardless.
“That was close,” he said. “I was wondering what you were doing dodging the stars.”
“I decided that I wasn’t going to beat an Archangel with raw power, so I improvised.”
“But you didn’t beat me.”
“Yeah, but I sure was close. And sometimes that’s enough. It’s all I need to secure my victory next time.”
“Why’s that?” he asked, scowling profusely.
“Because you’ll have a little bit of anxiety next time. You’ll realize that you should never underestimate –”
“THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!” an angel behind us yelled. It startled me to the point that I shot up into the sky and hovered there, shaking. Vergil chuckled at my reaction. I looked down to see a Godhand standing by the Throne Room door, wearing a blue and gold robe with streaks of red flying across it. He was a lot smaller than Marcus but there was no doubt who he was due to the size of his biceps, ripping out of the robe like he was sporting a tank-top. He was jumping up and down with excitement, clapping his hands, shaking a little of the ground beneath his feet.
“I watched the whole thing from where I was. That was amazing, young ones!”
“Surely you’ve seen a race before,” I said, lowering myself, but he was still overflowing with enthusiasm.
“Obviously, I don’t get out much.”
“What is your name?” Vergil asked him, rising to greet him properly.
“My name is Arthur, and this is my post.”
“God has you in front of the Throne Room? Is it to announce His return or give passing angels messages?”
“No, nothing like that. You should know by now that we have received no orders from the Lord yet. No, I am here because Lucifer asked me to be. He desired that I stand here in God’s absence and carry out my duty of praise and worship.”
“You’re a lot smaller than the Godhands I’ve seen,” Vergil commented, inspecting Arthur’s robe. Arthur chuckled to the point his clothing shook.
“Yes, well, there are many ways to channel the massive quantities of energy we spout around. I choose to sing with it, not fight. My angelic pressure never drops as a result, but there is a slight adverse affect on the size of my muscles.”
He raised an arm into the air, showing his lean forearm.
“Needless to say, I refrain from combat.”
“Is God here?” Vergil inquired. The Godhand shook his head.
“I’m afraid not. You can enter if you like, but it’s just an empty hall. And you’ll need a few more angels to open the doors. The doors are krillic, but they’re also 3 light years in height. You’ll need a couple angels to take the top, some to brace against the middle and so forth.”
I believed him. The door looked like it reached through space itself. The stone cathedral, where our Lord was supposed to be found, extended about twelve miles wide, with extravagant red and gold banners and blue tapestries. Angular structures and marble pillars protruded upward from the building’s face, resembling the structure of a pipe organ covered in crystalline gold. I would have appreciated the artwork more if not for Arthur staring at me like a puppy craving attention.
“How long have you been standing here?” I wondered, attempting to end his glossy-eyed g
aze.
“A week…give or take a few days. But it’s not a bad gig. Lucifer was here yesterday to give me a little bread and cheese. He was in awe of my dedication and thanked me for my hard work.”
“Where is he now?” I asked. “I need to find him.”
“He has a concert starting within the hour at the Symphony Hall. If you hurry, you can make the opening ceremonies. Look into your database, you’ll find the directions.”
“Thank you.”
“Before we go,” Vergil began, “I was wondering if maybe we could hear one of your hymns. You said you sing.”
“Oh, I’m not that good.”
“But if it’s all you do, you can’t be that bad.”
“Well,” Arthur sighed, rocking his head back and forth, weighing both decisions, “I am tired of singing at the moment, but I can grace you with a poem if you like.”
“Sure. We would enjoy that.”
“Ahem…His splendor is uncanny, beyond each galaxy.
His grace is universal, extended to you and me.
The absence of His presence is not a hinder to my praise.
For my thoughts dwell on my Father who did not leave without a raise...
Of a great angel, that carries His order with glee.
A universal grace and love, offered to me and thee.
His vocals are everlasting, as well as his place in God’s land.
His might is unyielding and sound, he crushes heresy in his hand.
For all that love him, will never truly know,
Of the Archangel named Lucifer, who in God’s will helps us grow.”
“The ending needs –” I started to say, but Vergil began clapping manically, throwing off my suggestions for improvement. Arthur bowed as Vergil couldn’t help but gush in admiration.
“That was beautiful, Arthur. It speaks so highly of God’s grace and it enhances Lucifer’s character with such imagery.”
Were we listening to the same poem?
“Didn’t you enjoy it, Lysander?” he asked me. I couldn’t lie.
“It did talk about God,” I said, searching for the right words.
“And Lucifer. Hearing that poem – I can’t wait to see him again.”
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 72
