Broken Wings: Genesis

by A. J. Rand

As the last of the shadows cleared the Gate, I felt a definite surge of hatred flung in my direction. The last shadow was headed my way. I drew on whatever reserves I could find to shield myself from the two creatures of pure darkness. I closed my eyes against the impact, ready to feel the hurt. It never came.

  I opened my eyes slowly, peering out to see what was going on. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a movement. Abaddon and the other shadow were headed to the surface. I jumped to my feet, ready to run after them, but an explosion pulled me off balance. Smoke and rubble choked the air around me as the tunnel collapsed behind their passage. I was cut off from them with no way to follow. I also had no way to leave.

  The fight was over. I had no idea whether I had won or lost. I was still alive, but I wasn’t sure whether or not that was a good thing. I was drained, tired beyond anything I had ever experienced. As the dust settled in the room, I sank to the floor.

  I looked over at Ke, who was floating in the air, suspended by a web of rainbow color. He looked as though he was sleeping, resting behind the protective barrier I had created. How had I done it? I have no clue. Nothing made sense to me right now. I let the numbness take over my thoughts and closed my eyes against the pain creeping back into my physical awareness.

  Chapter 29

  When you are locked away inside of darkness, time can pass so slow as to be barely noticeable. I hadn’t tried to leave the underground room yet. This was the first bit of downtime that I’d had and I was choosing to spend it in a little wallowing. From my perspective, I had earned it.

  Wallowing is not something I’m good at. But accepting that the blame for whatever happens next in humanity’s cycle is my fault, well, you can’t help but throw yourself into a few endless rounds of self-doubt and worry about whether you did the right thing. Should I have stopped Ke? It wasn’t in me to be a killer. I’ve destroyed demons in the past, but it wasn’t the same thing. Maybe if he had been in full Angelic form I might have been able to, but not while he was locked away in Sarge’s body––another bad on my part.

  The question I was really trying get the core answer for had to do with figuring out why I had turned my back on him instead of finishing him off. Was it because he was in Sarge’s body? I wanted to put the whole of the blame on ethical dilemma, but to be honest, I wasn’t sure it was the true reason.

  Was it because I had fallen in love with him? That was an option I didn’t want to explore. What person in their right mind would want to admit they had chosen the existence of one person over all of humanity? Maybe some serious romantics might buy it, up until the time they were vaporized into nothingness, but it didn’t sit right with me.

  The only other real option left was that I knew what he was going to do and turned my back on him to allow it to happen without me changing my mind. Of course, there could be some small part of me trying to reason that by turning my back, it wasn’t my fault. Years of fighting had taught me that unless you knew the battle was over, you didn’t turn your back to walk away. Not only had I not finished Ke off, I had left him sitting directly in front of the one place he shouldn’t have been––not if I had been serious about stopping him from releasing Abaddon and the hordes from the pit.

  I looked up at Ke, wrapped in his cocoon of rainbow light. I wondered if he could feel inside of there, if he was aware of what happened around him, or if he was in some sort of deep sleep. Testing the web holding, I poked at it with my finger. It was solid, and yet it had a little give to it. He didn’t move. I tried peering past the fuzzy colors blocking him from full view. Was he even breathing?

  “He is alive and breathing.”

  The voice echoed softly in the dimly lit underground chamber. I whipped around, my hand automatically coming up in offensive mode. It was the Angel from the Garden of Eden, the one I had spoken with before this whole mess had opened up. My hand came down slowly, but I was leery. The entrance to the tunnel was still blocked, which made me leap again to the thought that maybe Angels could just appear and disappear at will. Why didn’t they do it more often, then?

  He tipped his head toward Ke and the webbing. “Nice piece of work, that.”

  “Uh, thanks.”

  I was at a loss for what to say. Was he one of the Angels that had been dead seat against me, or was he okay with what had happened? Maybe he was the Angel of Death coming to finish me off? Somehow I couldn’t picture the kind, somewhat amused face as belonging to the dark Angel.

  “No, really, nice work. Have you really looked at it?” He walked over and examined it up close. “I don’t think I could have orchestrated it better if I had tried.”

  The Angel was confusing. What was his game? I couldn’t figure it out. Stepping in closer to look at the web, I had to agree. It was a beautiful piece of intricately woven colors. The pattern was delicate, but woven in such as way as to defy bulging or warping. Then I noticed the little rainbow threads that extended past the surface of the web and faded into nothingness. They were taut, as though connected to something, but I couldn’t see what they were hooked into.

  I frowned. “I thought I had tied those all off.”

  The Angel smiled. “That’s the beautiful part of the work.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Remember the discussion we had in the Garden about how the Angels kept themselves apart from humanity, never feeling that part of existence and yet passing judgments that have an effect on the whole?”

  “Yes?”

  “The energies you brought together here bound humanity’s strength into the lock that protected our friend here.”

  “Okay.” I had known that I was drawing on the strength of those above me, so it made sense, but I was missing something.

  “Child, you have no idea what you have done here this day, do you?”

  I looked at him suspiciously. He was looking way too happy for the Angelic Host. They were always grim-looking and dour––especially where the subject of releasing Abaddon from the pit was concerned.

  “And I’m not talking about releasing Abaddon. That’s only part of what needed to happen here today. The other part you handled quite nicely––and you have no clue what I’m talking about, do you?”

  I shook my head in response to his bemusement.

  “Let me try to help you understand. Since your incarnation on the earth plane, you have been something that has never existed before.” He frowned. “No, that’s not quite right. There have been others at a lesser level––”

  He shook his head. “That’s neither here nor there. You are human, but you are bound in Angelic essence. It was only on your near disastrous trip down here that you unleashed the last of that essence.”

  “The wings.” I was embarrassed. Great. So, what? Had everyone been watching my spastic first flight? They must have gotten a bit of amusement from that.

  “The wings are only a part of what was released.” He reached out and picked the medallion up from my chest, flipping it over in his fingers. “It does appear as though you had some help. That wasn’t something I had anticipated, but it all worked out for the best.”

  “I don’t––”

  He let the medallion drop gently back to my chest again and turned to look at the energy cocoon. “Now Ke, here, is something a little more common, although you made that happen at a different level than had ever been done before.”

  “We are the yin and yang to each other.” I puzzled out what he was trying to say. “I am a human wrapped in Angelic essence and he is an Angel bound by human form.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I still don’t get it.”

  “Patience, child, we are working our way toward your understanding.”

  I frowned. He reminded me of Father David when I was trying to leap toward answers in my studies instead of trying to understand the intricate layers leading to the final result. It would probably amuse the good Father to know that he had similarities to the Angels, or at least to this one. But I felt now as I did then, irritated.
I was looking for the quick fix.

  “See these tiny little rainbow threads?” The Angel brushed his fingers along the suspended edges that seemed to go nowhere. They gave a little under his touch, but held their tautness to whatever it was they were connected.

  I nodded.

  “These are the essence of the true strength of humanity.”

  I shrugged. “Okay.”

  “You tied humanity directly into the web.”

  I frowned, thinking of how humankind was specifically disconnected from the web. “But doesn’t that mean––?”

  He shook his head, as though knowing where my thoughts were taking me. “No. It is not the same as giving them full access. You only tied their spirit into the web, the best that humanity has to offer. What you have done is to give humanity more control over what happens in finalizing the weave to the pattern that was never allowed to complete itself before now.”

  Huh. I thought about it, but knowing the tendencies of humankind toward the darkness, I wasn’t certain whether that was a good or a bad thing. It was still tough to determine whose side this guy was on.

  “There is another thing that you did.”

  What––like the rest wasn’t enough and totally beyond my comprehension?

  “You bound Ke directly into the web, as well.”

  I looked where he was pointing, to the little blue energy lines that held the signature I knew to belong to Ke. “He’s an Angel. Isn’t he supposed to be connected to the web?”

  The man shook his head, the amused smile back on his face. “Not while in human form.”

  “Shit.”

  The man nodded sagely. “Yes. What you have just done is to set into place the last piece. It is something that should have been done a long time ago.”

  “But doesn’t that mean things will start unraveling now?”

  He looked surprise. “No. I thought you understood––no matter. By wrapping everything together the way you did, you not only gave humanity more control over the weaving of the pattern, but by tying Ke into the web along with it in his human form, you have connected his essence to that of the rest of the Angelic Host. You have given something to the Host they have never had before.”

  “I’m not following––” The thought was cut off as it dawned on me what he was getting at. My eyes widened. “You mean––”

  “Yes. The Angelic Host has free will now.” He chuckled. “I would imagine things are going to be a little stressful in the Crystal City for a while. It will take them a bit to get a handle on this.”

  “Oh crap.” The thought was distressing, but I couldn’t help but catch a little of the amusement the Angel was passing along. “My guess is they won’t be as high and mighty and hands-offish, now that they have to actually share in some of the blame if things go wrong.”

  “It will definitely be a wake up call for them as to the true struggles humanity has to face on a regular basis. But they will need some guidance through all of this.”

  His look to me was pointed, and it took a second for it to register. When it did I looked at him with abject horror, shaking my head vehemently. “Oh, no. We’ve had to puzzle it out over the thousands of years of our existence. It’s their turn to have to work at it for a while.”

  He shrugged. “That’s your choice, of course.”

  “But I couldn’t––they wouldn’t––no.” My lips pursed into a scowl. “I didn’t sign up for any of this.”

  “In a sense you did. But that is a discussion for another time. I do want to make something a little clearer, because you are not aware of the entirety of the situation. Angels have had free will to an extent, throughout all these years of existence. But most have chosen to dedicate themselves to the natural evolution of the pattern. They gave over their free will to the continuance of that natural evolution. They have forgotten that through the years and accept it as part of their existence.”

  “So let me get this straight. They chose to give up their free will and just go on their merry little way. They could have stepped in at any time to change things, make humanity suffer less, maybe make the world a better place, but they have chosen to pretend they’ve had no choice and then blame it on the humans when everything goes wrong.”

  He winced. “It’s not quite like that, but yes, that could be one interpretation of it.”

  “What a bunch of hypocrites.”

  “Yes, for the most part. But don’t you see? Their free will was given up so humanity could choose to evolve their world in the way they will. Giving up their free will, in essence, is what gives humanity theirs.”

  “And none of the Angels have a problem with this?”

  “One did.” He frowned. “Well, there was actually more than one.”

  “Lucifer.”

  “Yes. But Lucifer wouldn’t have done what he did if humankind hadn’t been created.”

  “Right. Because Lucifer believed humans should not have more rights than the Angels.”

  He shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable. “Lucifer did no more than exert his free will, and actually––”

  “Yes––?”

  The Angel seemed to be struggling with something he couldn’t quite find the words to speak out loud. “There is the balance––”

  I frowned. “I get that. Light, dark, good, evil––what does that have to do with––shit. You can’t be serious.”

  He wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  “So you must be among the Fallen Ones.”

  “What––?” The look of confusion that he turned on me was real.

  “The balance. Life and death. Creation and destruction. Isn’t that what you’re getting at? Aren’t you trying to tell me that old Lou’s not such a bad guy because all he was trying to do was tip the balance back against God himself?”

  “Well, yes, that is what he was trying to do––”

  “So, what? Now he should be applauded because he was doing the right thing and that humanity was a big wrong on God’s part?”

  “No.” The guy actually looked a little pissed. “What Lucifer did was to help restore the balance. How he did it, and is still trying to do it, is the wrong.”

  “Okay. So you’re not one of the bad guys. I get that. But what happens now?” I rubbed my eyes tiredly. My head was beginning to hurt. It was too much for my very human brain to assimilate at this point.

  “That could very well be up to you.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. I’ve done my part.”

  “It’s only the beginning, Yeshua Star. There is a lot more to do in the days to come.”

  I pulled my hand back from my eyes, to see his fingers coming up to my forehead. I jerked, but didn’t step away from his touch. It was cool and soothing, relaxing my mind and body, drawing away the pain I felt at the peripheral edges of my awareness. His blue eyes held a look of sadness that went deep to his core. It would be easy to lose myself in that sadness, it touched so deeply into my own. I could see a curtain of darkness coming down across my eyes. The room faded around me––his smile, the Gate, and Ke in his cocoon all disappearing into the nothingness that enveloped my mind.

  * * *

  I floated in the darkness for a while, letting it wrap around me, healing me, relaxing me. It was a good feeling, one of comfort. I needed a little comfort about now. It would be a struggle to wake up, but I knew the time would eventually come.

  A hand reached out through the darkness and caressed my cheek. It felt good, and I turned into it instead of pulling away.

  “It is time for you to get up Yeshua.”

  The voice belonged to Ke. I opened my eyes to see him smiling down at me. His form was bathed in the glow of rainbow light, but there was no doubt that it was him.

  “You’re not real.”

  “I’m very real.” He laughed. “I’m just not able to reach into the physical.”

  I looked around at the darkness and frowned. “Are we in the dreamscape?”

  “Something like it, but not qui
te. We are in the web.”

  “How––?”

  “He brought you here to heal before you had to face the rest of what is to come.”

  “He who?”

  “Him. He brought you here.”

  Him? Who did Ke mean? Oh the Angel. Then his emphasis hit me. “Him? As in a capital H? The hookah Angel is God?”

  Ke frowned. “Hookah Angel? I don’t––”

  “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. It might explain a lot, but it doesn’t matter.” I wondered idly if Morpheus knew who had been a visitor at his establishment. “So did He let you go?”

  “No. Until you find a way to unbind me, I will remain in the web.”

  “But I don’t know how I did it.”

  Ke sighed. “I know, but one thing at a time. There is a lot of work to be done to finish the pattern of the web. I am the least of your worries right now.”

  “But you are a big part of my worries––”

  He laughed, but it held a note of bitterness. “I wish I could believe it was because of me, and not what I represent.”

  “Maybe it’s a little of both.” I shrugged. “There is still a lot I have to work through.”

  “I know.” He nodded. “And it will all take time.” His voice was fading into a whisper, and I could see his form starting to dissolve into the darkness of the web. “You can come here whenever you need me. But I can only stay for short periods. It takes too much out of me to hold this form for long––”

  “Ke?” I called out to him, but he was gone. The darkness changed, and a warm glow filtered into the black. It was reddish in color, the color of early morning sunlight. It hurt at first, adjusting to light after the darkness and I shut my eyes against the glare. When I opened them again, I was in the bedroom of my apartment.

  The door to my room was open, and I could hear Chaz and Father David talking in the other room. I couldn’t help the sigh that passed my lips. If everything was so different now with the Angels and humanity, and whatever else might be thrown into the mix, why did it feel the same? Maybe it was and the whole level of concern on the part of the Angels had been for nothing. I wished that were the case, but somehow I knew that it wasn’t.