Alizel's Song (Angel Ward Saga Book 1)

by Pottle, Bill

  A fleeting shadow crossed Lucifer's face. “Once we leave, if Heaven still survives, there will be a chasm fitted across it so wide that none can pass across.” He drew his sword and pointed it at Oliver. “Either you are with us now and forever, or I will destroy you myself.”

  He was waiting in the shadow of a tree, his breathing quick and shallow. The jet of fire still burned upwards from Lucifer's camp. Of all the things it might mean, none of them were good. Gabriel folded his grey wings back and scanned the horizon again.

  There was still no sign of him.

  Demons were covering everything, trying vainly to breach the sides of the mountain he was on. Gabriel furrowed his brow in worry.

  He should have been here by now.

  He glanced back at God Almighty, and thought he saw His glory blazing even more brightly, but it was hard to tell. Even for one of the Seraphim, it was impossible to look upon the Father too closely without hurting his eyes.

  He looked back at the tree again. The branches were healthy, but the leaves had started to show a malaise on the ends. Although it was far better than other parts of Heaven, Gabriel was saddened to see that the poison had reached even here.

  He grimaced. He could not afford to wait much longer.

  At a noise on his left Gabriel turned, and the demon he saw made him draw his sword. Yet, this demon was unlike the others. It was hesitant, and stumbling, still getting used to its body.

  “Gabriel!” it called out. “I am here.”

  Gabriel looked at the demon more closely. “Oliver!” he gasped. “What has happened to you?”

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  “Lord Lucifer is a great master, but a hard one,” Oliver spoke slowly, filling Gabriel's heart with a heavy sadness whenever he spoke. “He has turned me to this once he set his plan in motion.”

  “The plan! Oliver, you must tell us. What does he intend to do?” “Tell you? Why should I tell you anything? You're the one who

  did this to me!”

  “Oliver, listen carefully to me,” Gabriel grabbed Oliver by the shoulders. “The hate has lowered your ability to reason. But you must still accept God and come back to us. It's not too late!”

  “It's too late for me, my friend.” Oliver's words had almost a mocking tone to them. “I've seen too much.” He clutched his head with both hands and cried out. “It's too much! I can't control myself!” “Oliver, there is always a choice with God. It is never too late for Him!” Gabriel cast about franticly for a way to save his friend. Could he grab him and drag him bodily towards the Father? How could he

  extract Lucifer's plan from Oliver when he was like this?

  “You have done enough to 'help' me already!” Oliver shouted, writhing in his new body.

  “Then help me too!” Gabriel pleaded. “Tell me what Lucifer would do.”

  Gabriel looked into Oliver's eyes, and saw something he had never seen in any other hate-filled angel. Oliver was fighting. He was fighting against what was happening to him. But did he still have enough reason left?

  “He...” Oliver stammered. “He plans to destroy the Thrones. Azazel has turned. Lucifer has prepared a new location and he will take us there.”

  Gabriel's mind was racing. Azazel turned? He certainly had had suspicions for some time. But, he was the one guarding the Thrones!

  “Oliver, we have not a moment to lose! Come with me to the Father!” Although time was critical, Gabriel couldn't bear to see Oliver like this, especially when it was on Gabriel's account that Oliver had volunteered to be a double agent in the first place.

  “No, no, I cannot face Him like this!” Oliver wailed. “It is too late for me!” He ran backwards, drawing a sword and brandishing it in Gabriel’s face.

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  Gabriel grimaced with pain. He knew he could overcome Oliver, but to do so would probably render the information Oliver and others had sacrificed themselves for useless. With one last backward glance, Gabriel turned from Oliver and dove into a tunnel in the mountainside.

  When he woke from his sleep he saw that the sun was already nearing its zenith. Its rays spilled down his face, and Adam realized that he was hungry. He had to go but a few paces before he saw a succulent fruit hanging down from a tree, and he plucked it and took a large bite straightaway.

  It seemed so long ago that God had mentioned cultivation of the soil. Adam himself had no idea what that could mean. He did not set a hand to the plow nor tend to the fields. There was such abundance in the garden that he never had to go more than a few steps to find a fresh meal. Each bite held such flavor and nutrition that he felt satisfied and refreshed in only a few minutes. Food was never a concern for him.

  Adam looked to the sky with a frown. For some reason, he felt the slightest twinge of apprehension. He saw the clear blue of the day and the twinkling stars of night. He had never really wondered what the stars were, those things were best left to Eve. However, today felt different.

  Eve came over then, a look of worry on her face. Adam surveyed his bride. “You feel it too then?”

  “As if the world were ready to be torn asunder,” Eve answered. “What could be happening?”

  “God would not forsake us now,” Adam replied, trying to sound more confident than he was. “What did He tell us? Eat everything but the fruit of those two trees in the center of the Garden?”

  “That's right,” Eve nodded. “The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. You haven't eaten of them, have you, my love?”

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  “No,” Adam replied. “I have eaten of many trees, often not knowing the nature of their fruits before I eat them. But I know those trees. If you even walk near them, you feel…different. I don't know what to call it, but they’re not the same as the rest of the trees. I don't think that we could eat from those trees by accident.”

  “You're right,” Eve agreed. “Still…I don't know what I feel today. There is a great sadness in the air.”

  She slid closer to Adam and he draped his arm around her, drawing her in. “It will be okay, my love. We must trust in God and He will take care of us.”

  Eve nodded and relaxed a bit, resting her head on Adam’s bare chest. She stared off into the distance. What would the future bring for them both?

  Alizel paced through the corridors. He had gotten to know the labyrinth much better since they had been driven back into the caverns, but he still knew only a small portion of the tunnels. There were roughly a dozen larger rooms, each big enough to comfortably hold about a third of the remaining troops. They were all encamped there, if it could be called that, spending much of their time simply waiting. The pace of the war had slowed considerably during the last few days. Alizel couldn't imagine any large battles happening inside. The space was just too confined.

  The word that he had heard from those closer to the surface was that the demons were still trying to infiltrate, but were suffering heavy losses and not making much, if any, headway. As far as Alizel knew, nothing more than a few surface tunnels had been breached, and those had been quickly retaken by their own forces. It appeared that their plan was working well.

  He had to admit that although he was grateful they had stemmed the loss of life on their side, he would be glad when they were back out in the open air again. The energy of God did permeate the mountain—it was His mountain, after all. They were still able to feel fully powered and energized. Yet, Alizel longed for the outside, for the Heaven that was before the conflict.

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  Alizel wondered how long it could last like this. They were at something of a stalemate. Lucifer's armies had learned that they couldn't hope to take the caverns. Any attempt brought massive losses and little progress. Yet, Michael’s forces did not want to stay here forever either. They could launch a surprise attack, perhaps even attacking from many places at once. But though they woul
d almost certainly win, they would suffer bitterly in the end. Someone still had to face Lucifer in combat.

  “Come here, Alizel.”

  Alizel jumped at the voice, startled. Eligos, one of Azazel's Powers, came up to him and bowed. “I need to head over to chamber six. Would you mind accompanying me?” They had a rule that angels were never allowed out and about by themselves.

  “Certainly, sir,” Alizel replied. He wasn't doing anything else, and he was happy to help a Power. Usually the Powers kept to themselves, and it would almost always be two of them traveling through the tunnels together. Eligos’s request struck Alizel as odd, so he glanced around. None of the other Powers were there to be seen, and this relieved his suspicions. Eligos simply didn't want to wait for another of his comrades.

  They passed the tunnel sentries with just so much as a nod from the gruff guards.

  They didn't talk much as Eligos led the way. Alizel trusted him to lead, for he traveled the tunnels with the quiet confidence of one who had traveled the same path many times.

  All at once, the mountain shook with a terrible tremor like none Alizel had ever felt. He reached out his hand to steady himself against the rough wall of the tunnel. What was that? Had Lucifer unleashed some new weapon that had the power of shaking Heaven itself?

  Eligos seemed to know more about the earthquake, but all he said was “We have to hurry!” When Alizel questioned him about it, he mumbled some unintelligible reply, and pushed forward ever faster.

  It didn't take long before they reached their destination. It was not chamber six. They were in a side tunnel quite off the beaten path that opened up into a small room. Crossed swords barred entry to

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  anyone. Eligos calmly strode to the two Powers who were securing the room and spoke an entry password. The swords parted and Alizel stepped into the room as well.

  Inside Alizel saw two more angels besides the ones guarding the door. Seated at the far side of the room was Bodiel, his former teacher and one of the twelve Thrones. Next to him was another Power, standing with his sword drawn. His face had a tense sadness to it.

  “Now.”

  Eligos spoke his simple word, and the whole room erupted in confusion. The armed Power stabbed his sword straight into the body of the Throne without a moment’s hesitation. Bodiel didn't even have time to scream before his body was sucked into the Containment.

  Immediately, Alizel felt another tremor identical to the first. There was no doubt about it. With a sickening sensation in the pit of his stomach, he knew Bodiel wasn't the first Throne who had fallen.

  The jarring impact shook the room, and the assassin pitched about. The two Powers guarding the door lost no time setting on him and sending him and Eligos into the Containment. A second after everything had started, it was all over, ending with the Powers pointing their swords at Alizel’s neck.

  “I had no idea, I swear loyalty to God alone!” Alizel was frantic, hoping that they wouldn't just decide to destroy him rather than take any chances. “I don't know what's happening, but we have to protect the others!”

  Alizel’s last point seemed to convince them.

  “Give me your sword, and follow us,” one of them said. “If you are truly loyal to God you will have it back.”

  He didn't want to hand it over, but he wasn't about to argue with these two, especially not when the rest of the Thrones were in danger. Alizel gave the handle to the nearest one and the Power sped off into the corridor.

  Alizel followed him without a second thought, the other Power just behind him. It seemed like a kind of madness to be going straight into trouble, but he had no choice, not if he wanted to help save the rest of the Thrones. He couldn’t believe that wise, gentle Bodiel

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  was gone! All he could keep thinking about as he rushed down the corridor was his teacher’s lesson about the boulder crashing into the pond below, how small actions could change the course of the future.

  They hadn't gone far before they felt another tremor. This one rocked Heaven so hard that they had to hold up and wait for it to subside before they continued on. Alizel was getting worried. If these tremors got much stronger, they could reconfigure the paths of the tunnels in Mt. Zion, leaving them hopelessly lost, or trapped. Even worse, the whole mountain could cave in. Was that Lucifer's plan all along? Alizel couldn't imagine God allowing that to happen. True, he never thought that He would have let things get this far. But a collapse in the mountain could affect the throne of God Himself!

  Boulders were falling in their path every few feet, and the Powers had to blast them apart with powerful blows from their speeding fists.

  Soon they were at another opening, and Alizel had a horrible feeling as he saw the swords of the guards scattered on the ground. The three of them leapt in and saw that the target was still alive.

  Orifel, the greatest teacher and head of the Thrones, stood weaponless and defenseless in the corner of the room.

  Towering over him, with sword drawn and weapon lust in his eyes, was Azazel himself.

  Oliver raced down the mountain, not daring to look back. How could they have done this to him? He had risked more than anyone. The others had stayed safely behind their lines and their armor, waiting for the information that only he could give. And yet, what was behind the way Gabriel had looked at him…was it loathing in his gaze? Contempt?

  A part of Oliver told him that it had been nothing more than pity, or sadness even, that had marred Gabriel's visage when Oliver went to give his final report. The strange feeling stormed up within him and pushed these thoughts away. What right did Gabriel have to

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  pity him? They had always thought themselves better than everyone, those Seraphim. They gathered in secret, dreaming up plans of how to run everything.

  And those plans had consequences. Good angels had been sent straight to the Containment, and for what? Just so Michael and Gabriel could get Oliver close to Lucifer.

  The part of him that was fighting for his sanity reminded him that those angels had volunteered to sacrifice themselves, and that it was bravery to sacrifice oneself for the greater good.

  But was the good really good?

  Was an army that asked its members to destroy themselves worth fighting for? Was it right to be a part of such a force? His mind conveniently pushed aside the fact that Lucifer had done much worse—he had created a war for no other purpose than for a diversion.

  Was there anyone left who was blameless? Any who could stand before the Father with alb as white as the day of their creation? Oliver felt the fiery love of God emanating from behind him, and he longed to turn back into it. Yet, how could he face God now? Could God forgive and welcome him back? Did he even want to go back? In his heart he did, but in his mind, he wondered. Being around Lucifer for so long had clouded his judgment.

  Talking to Lucifer was an unsettling experience. Every statement he said made sense, every argument sounded perfectly benign and logical. There was always something underneath, in the heart, that one knew what he was saying couldn't be right. Yet, it was never easy to say exactly how he was wrong.

  He felt the intensity of the Father's energy change, increasing and yet at the same time becoming mellower and even…sorrowful. It was the feeling Oliver had every time one of the angels was infused with hate, but magnified thousands of times.

  He had already used it. Could he now go back? Did he want to go back?

  With torment in his heart and without any particular destination, Oliver staggered down the mountain.

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  “Don't do it, Azazel.” Orifel's voice was calm and composed. “Think about where this will lead you!”

  “Enough talking, doomed one.” Azazel did not flinch in the least. His silver eyes narrowed. “There is no way around it. To destroy Heaven, you must die!”


  At the last word he brought his sword down with all his might. They were all powerless to stop him. Alizel’s scream of terror died in his throat as he braced for Heaven to come crashing down on him.

  He heard only a loud clang.

  Looking up, he saw Orifel's forearm raised above him as he crouched in defense. Alizel’s heart leapt. Orifel was a large, odd-shaped angel. Under his robes, he must be wearing armor!

  That's not all that was under his robes.

  Orifel shoved Azazel back and stood. His features seemed to suddenly melt, his long cloak falling from his shoulders and slipping to the ground. His extra eyes fell too, leaving another angel emerging from his disguise.