SENTINELS OF CREATION
SENTINELS OF CREATION
A Power Renewed
ROBERT W. ROSS
Copyright © 2016 Robert W. Ross
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 9781523842506
ISBN-10: 1523842504
For my family: Mom who read me Narnia and cried with me through Charlotte’s Web; Rachel who is my best friend and the love of my life, Tumnal-Kitty who inspired my Juliet, The Bendamin who taught me to be kind, My Little-Boy whose peaceful outlook I try to emulate, and his lovely new bride who has brought much joy by joining our motley crew.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1: PROLOGUE
Chapter 2: KELLAN
Chapter 3: SCOTLAND 1275
Chapter 4: A POWER RENEWED
Chapter 5: NURISHA
Chapter 6: THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE
Chapter 7: SEMPER FI
Chapter 8: GLENN FERRY
Chapter 9: REUNION
Chapter 10: A PRINCE OF CHAOS
Chapter 11: EPILOGUE
AUTHOR’S BIO
Chapter 1
PROLOGUE
Mist rolled lazily across a placid lake as the horizon colored with the coming dawn. Two figures sat quietly, shoulders touching, their posture conveying both contemplation and intimacy.
“But Michael, why speak to Him at all? I cannot fathom it.”
Michael gazed at his brother who sat stoically, great white wings folded tightly down his back. “Your challenge, Raphael, lies in learning to accept God’s will rather than fathoming it.”
Raphael sighed. “Michael, please, let us not begin another endless debate. I love you and hate that we see things so differently. You know the endless suffering He will cause if left unfettered.”
“Do not assume to know God’s mind, my brother. He sees to the finish; we do not. Your assumptions are...prideful.”
Raphael flinched as though he’d been struck. He closed his eyes against the horror of it and Michael immediately regretted his words. At times, Raphael seemed so fragile - so like the mortals who were his divine charge. Michael could see the tears slowly seep from beneath the luxurious lashes. A single tear from each eye slipped silently down Raphael’s cheeks and gathered by his lips. As had happened so many times before, Michael was struck by his beauty, his tenderness, his empathy. Truly, Raphael represented all that was fine.
“I am prideful,” whispered Raphael, “I am no better than He who is fallen; I share his sin, Michael. Oh, Michael, I feel it within me.”
“Hush Raphael. You are not as He! Your pride is such a little thing; speak no more of it.”
“No, you are wrong. There can be no gradations, my brother. Truly, I am guilty.”
“Fine, then be guilty. But know that the fount of your pride lies in your love for the task with which God has charged you. You seek not to raise yourself above Him. Rather you desire only to exalt Him further by your accomplishments. I know your heart Raphael and it is pure. I will not suffer you to compare yourself to Luc-”
“No!! Do not say His name. Especially when He is so near.”
“Lucifer! Raphael, let the name ring out. The battle is won. He is fallen. Hallelujah!! The time for fear is past. We must be strong. Perhaps you above all others. Lucifer has lost his battle to usurp the throne of heaven. Now he seeks to destroy that which God loves. You, Raphael, stand between God and his mortal children. Of us all, you will most directly help thwart Lucifer’s designs on creation.”
“He will not harm them!” Raphael shouted, standing up. His eyes blazed a bright green as though stars burned about the pupil. The aura about him likewise grew bright and from the ether came attendants to see what aid they could offer him. Michael stood and embraced his brother, silently dismissing the attendants.
“Shhhhhh. Such passion, my beautiful brother. You will be their protector, their confidant, perhaps even their friend. They will feel your love and know your protection.”
Raphael pulled back slightly and as Michael closed his eyes, Raphael placed a soft kiss on each. “Your words bring me such comfort. I hope I will be allowed to protect them. Yet, I fear that God and Lucifer will decide otherwise.”
“The decision is God’s alone, Raphael. Do not forget this. As always, Lucifer will try to influence Him. You know God’s love for Lucifer had no bounds; His words may yet have some impact. However, we must believe and trust in God’s wisdom. He is all that is good.”
“I wish I could learn your easy detachment, my brother. You seem at such peace with all that transpires.”
“And I, Raphael, pray you never learn it. Your passion brings you close enough to the mortals to serve our Father. Where I am His right hand that grips the sword of wrath, you are His arms that reach out to embrace the world with love. You are his perfect instrument in this.”
Again the tears welled up within Raphael. How he loved his brother. “Oh Michael, I pray this instrument is allowed to play. How I do pray it.”
The heat came in waves, lapping at him like some celestial ocean. Lucifer closed his eyes-feeling it wash over him, through him. He loved the sensation. He almost felt pity for those who would never know the feeling. Fallen as he was, Lucifer remained an Angel of the Presence. He could stand before the blinding glory of God and not be consumed. No lost battle or exile from heaven could take that away from him. He remained Lucifer. Second only to God and He knew pride.
The voice sounded sad, steeped with regret. “Your pride, Lucifer. That pride you retain even now was your undoing.”
The Angel opened his eyes and smiled as he reclined. Though fallen, he still retained the beauty bestowed by the very God whose power rippled through the air. Streamers of light and energy played about Lucifer’s body, growing ever brighter as his smile broadened. His eyes, which had beheld part of creation itself, glittered with flecks of red, blazing with life.
“Yes. Yes. I am prideful. And yet, I don’t feel undone. I have stormed the fortress of heaven itself. True, the battle was lost, but here I remain. My strength is undiminished. My Angels and I live. I wonder why that is. Could it be that even you have limits? Could it be that I and those whom I protect are beyond the grasp of your wrath?”
A voice resounded within the Angel’s mind, “Such satisfaction. You are content in your new realm, Lucifer?”
“It serves me...for now,” he replied. “I am more content to rule there, than serve here. And it is not forever. I assure you. Now, what would you have of me? Why summon your fallen Angel to once again stand in your presence?”
“We must speak of those whom I have created. The ones whose lives are measured.”
“Oh, the mortals. Yes, when I look forward, I see much potential in them. They will serve me well.”
The waves of heat increased. Lucifer found himself buffeted by them as if in a storm. He did not flinch, but rose to face God’s growing wrath. Then, the warmth faded as did their heavenly surroundings. Lucifer found himself standing atop a stoney mountain overlooking lush valleys and grasslands. He turned and beheld God walking toward him with long flowing brown hair and eyes of deep violet. Lucifer saw all of creation within those eyes. He saw all stars and planets, comets and nebulae-all within the eyes of the Creator. For a moment, so overcome with love, Lucifer wanted nothing more than to prostrate himself before God and beg to be received back into heaven, but the pride rose within him and he felt restrained.
Lucifer smiled, “I shall miss seeing you, my beloved Father. I wanted so to be like you in all things. I wanted to create beauty as you have-to bring Order from Chaos. Now, to my utter sadness, I must strive for the oppo
site. Do you see what you have wrought? Did you not know?”
God glanced down and several stones moved, forming an acceptable bench. He sat looking once again at Lucifer. “Yes I knew. But you did not want to be as me, Lucifer. You wanted to BE me. Your pride misled you to believe it was possible. I created you; you can create nothing.” No malice touched His words, and yet they stung the fallen Angel, who motioned and from the stone a rough hewn throne emerged. God shook His head sadly as Lucifer settled onto the throne and glared at Him.
“I do not believe you created me. If you did, then why not destroy me now?”
“Things are in motion that I choose not to stop. Time has begun and must flow to the finish. You are a part of that finish, Lucifer. You have a role to play, as do we all.”
“Oh yes, I know about how far you see. I know my sight does not extend as far, but I have more breadth. I see into the dark and evil side of mortals. I see in those places you would not suffer yourself to go. I see plans born in dark hearts that have millennia before their fruition. I see the chaos of freewill! From that chaos will I build my strength, and with that strength I will unseat you from your heavenly throne.” God stared at Lucifer, his face displaying all too clearly the feelings of loss and sadness. Lucifer tilted his head back and laughed. “Do not weep for me, Father. Weep for yourself. Weep for your Angels whom I will cast out. Weep for your mortals whom I will control.”
A single tear stood on God’s cheek. “I DO weep for myself, Lucifer. And I weep for all that you were and are no more.” God paused, stared at Lucifer, and composed Himself. His aura brightened, eyes glowing their brilliant violet. “You will not control the mortals, Lucifer. You will influence them. You will try to corrupt them and turn them from Me, but you will not control them. I have seen to that.”
The perpetual smile Lucifer had worn since arriving on the mountain disappeared. For a moment, he feared he had miscalculated. Lucifer said, “You may not interfere with their freewill. Your law. To break your law would be to lie. Lying is a sin, Father...you know that.” Lucifer’s mocking smile returned, but God could see the hesitancy behind it.
“Do not presume to lecture me on laws and holiness, Lucifer. As one who broke them with such abandon, you are hardly qualified to raise the issue. You too are bound by that law but, somehow, I do not believe you plan on honoring that promise.” Lucifer smiled, but said nothing. “Yes,” God continued, “well, your position is, at least, consistent. Consequently, I have decided to permit another to intercede on the mortals’ behalf.”
“No. You cannot,” Lucifer shouted, “Appointing another to intercede is no different than You interfering. Their freewill remains compromised.”
God sighed, “Fortunately, Lucifer, I do not see it that way. And, your opinion in this matter, is really quite irrelevant.”
Lucifer fumed. “I will destroy any you send to aid the mortals. I will rend them limb from limb. They will not survive my wrath. I assure you.”
God smiled slightly and said, “Raphael sits between the mortals and the kingdom of heaven. He will guide the efforts of my Angels as they aid the mortals in what manner they are able. Do not feign surprise, Lucifer. You have already appointed Asmodeus to perform the same function for you. To my way of thinking this situation only enhances freewill. My mortal children are able to choose between the Angels of light and those of darkness. No one loves the mortals more than Raphael; I think Asmodeus will find him a worthy adversary.”
“Raphael is weak. He is an Archangel only. He cannot even stand in my presence, let alone yours.”
“You confuse love for weakness. Oh, and you’ll find that Raphael can stand in your presence without much difficulty. Do not mistake yourself for an Angel of high heaven, Lucifer. You are fallen and all may gaze upon you. As for me, Raphael and I have met even as you and I now meet. He does not have your pride and does not need to stand in my untempered presence. He does not covet power; he knows only love. You, however, may perceive him differently when meddling with his beloved mortals. Once again, I think you will find him formidable.”
“Now there is the issue of the mortal protector.”
Lucifer’s attention had wandered off, thinking of Raphael and his Angels thwarting well laid plans. God’s statement snapped him back. “What mortal protector? Anything like that clearly violates freewill.”
“Not so,” God replied, “Such a mortal will have the freedom to choose the role or decline. Those that choose to protect their mortal brothers will be granted extended life, insights into the celestial realm, and the ability to manipulate the laws of creation.”
“And I suppose these protectors will be instructed to oppose anything I might orchestrate. If all my plans are blocked how are the mortals permitted the freedom of choosing between Order and Chaos? Again, I say freewill is compromised.”
“There will be only one protector. When his mortal life ends, the power will be renewed in another. He always has freewill. At anytime he may choose to turn his back on heaven and follow you.”
“You see to the finish, remember. You already know that no such protector will turn his back on you to follow me. Empty words. Where is the symmetry, the balance? If there is to be a protector for Order, there should be one for Chaos. You told me yourself that creation was based upon balance. How can there be balance without two protectors?”
God did not look at Lucifer, but the fallen Angel knew that he had won a victory. God glanced at him as if reading the inner glee, then silently reached down and picked up a handful of soil. From his mouth, God added moisture and shaped the soil. Holding it carefully, he breathed on the form and it began to move. He opened his hand and the thing spread beautiful white wings and stepped in circles on his palm. Lucifer looked on in awe. God whispered something and the creature leaped into the air and flew off. Both watched until it had disappeared from view.
“What was that?” asked Lucifer.
“A dove. It will come to represent peace, love, tranquility, and many such things. I felt it right to create such a thing here, in the shadow of our enmity. Do not long for it Lucifer. For all your posturing, you will never be able to create. You can only alter that which has already been created. From me and me alone springs all creation. But for this balance you speak of, I will allow you one creative act. You may ask one mortal to serve your purposes. He will have the same strengths as the other. You may NOT compel him to accept the role. He must do so of his own accord.”
“One thing further. I cannot see what actions these two beings will take. Neither will you be able to see. I am placing them outside our sight to eliminate any possibility of our influencing them directly.”
Lucifer smirked, “You mean any possibility of My influencing them. You must not trust me, Father.”
God only looked to the sky, as if watching the long disappeared dove. “Your words, Lucifer. Even now, Raphael goes with my acquiescence and blessing to bring his protector into the world.”
“I know. Asmodeus does likewise. I told you, I see far as well.”
God stood and moved close to Lucifer on his throne. “This meeting I allowed for what once had been. It is finished. We will not soon speak again. Send no queries to me, Satan. I will not hear them.” Having finished, God turned and slowly walked away.
Not wanting to show his sorrow, but feeling he must say something, Lucifer stood. “So, these beings. These protectors; by what name will they be known?”
God had returned to his natural form and Lucifer felt the heat. From the center of the blazing light came His answer. “Choose what name you wish. Raphael calls him a Sentinel of Creation.”
The words seemed to hang in the air a moment. As they faded, so did God’s presence. Lucifer felt the chill of his absence. “Sen-ti-nel...” he said the word aloud. “Yes, I like the sound of that.”
Chapter 2
KELLAN
“Mr...Thorny…did you know...”
“Thorne”
“What?”
“T
horne...like on a beautiful Rose stem; the “e” is silent.”
The police officer shifted his weight a little and flicked the diver’s license back and forth, making a clicking sound that Kellan took as the universal sign of annoyance-which was just fine with Kellan. He already knew there was no way out of this ticket.
“Ok, Mr. Thorne, did you know that this is the HOV lane?”
“I did.”
“Do you know what HOV stands for?”
“I do.”
The cop glanced back and forth, taking in the whole of the black sedan.
“Is yours a High Occupancy Vehicle, sir?”
“Sometimes...”
The rain was coming down harder and Kellan heard it pattering against the police officer’s hat. He almost felt bad about being this obnoxious. After all, the cop was just doing his job. Still, there was a principle at work here.
The cop looked at him again with what can only be described as “cop eyes”. Assessing. He took in Kellan’s appearance: the two days of stubble, wavy dark brown hair, and a smile that held the promise of mischief. Then he just stared at Kellan, burrowing into his ice blue eyes. “You’re not military, right?”
“Nope, but my father was-career Marine.”
The cop shook his head, “That’s not gonna help you. You are definitely getting a ticket.”
“I figured.”
“Just out of curiosity, would you mind sharing why you decided to drive in a lane you clearly weren’t qualified to use, knowing you would likely get a citation?”
“Sure, I’d be glad to. You see, there are two on-ramps to the highway - One HOV and one regular. The regular ramp is always completely backed up and it takes damn near 20 minutes just to get on the road. People are beeping, cutting in front of each other, and doing all manner of obnoxious things. I’ve seen half a dozen fender benders and two actual fist fights.”
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