by Mark Romang
Once again they circled each other, cautiously like prizefighters. Lord, help me control my chaos, and the chaos this demon brings, Maddix prayed silently.
As best he could, he focused his gaze on the demon’s waist and hips, where his armor ended. The waists and hips would betray the demon’s intentions and give Maddix a split-second warning so he could prepare to counterstrike. But then an idea came to him. And he decided to go on the offensive rather than counterstrike.
Maddix lunged forward and thrust his sword upward. The sword blade came up short, but the flames coming off the Eden sword continued to grow. The tall flames lapped against the demon’s armor.
Maddix stayed on the offensive, giving the demon no time to do anything but react defensively. Maddix slashed continuously without letup. And though many of his strikes came up a bit short, the flames billowing off the Eden sword continued to come in contact with the demon’s breastplate. The armor soon became so superheated it glowed as bright and as molten as a fire in a blacksmith’s forge. Soon the demon would alight and become a pillar of fire.
The demon’s eyes grew wild with fright as he realized he was about to combust.
Maddix sensed victory and was about to launch a final strike, but then intuition prompted him to shift his focus upward. And that’s when he saw it falling from the sky.
Maddix dove to his left and rolled out of the way. He was still rolling when heard a thumping sound and felt the ground shake under his chest. He looked to his right in time to see a giant boulder tumble by him at a high rate of speed.
Maddix jumped to his feet and looked down at a crater in the ground, and at his defeated foe inside. The demon lay sprawled out in a heap, flattened by a trebuchet stone. Though not dead, the demon had lost a great deal of thickness and no longer posed a threat. “That works for me,” Maddix muttered.
He looked over at Webb to see if his friend needed assistance. But instead of battling a fallen angel, Webb busied himself by disarming the ballista. He cranked one of the winches counter-clockwise to slowly release the tension on the missile. A demon lay vanquished nearby. “How did you defeat him so quickly?” Maddix asked.
Webb grinned. “You should trade your Eden sword in on a set of scimitars. Swinging two of them at once confuses the demons. Not all of them are smart like Satan is.”
“And he’s not all that bright, if you ask me.”
Webb nodded. “Satan is dumb in a way. He keeps trying to defeat God. And that is never going to happen. But he’s still crafty. Satan is a shrewd enemy.”
Maddix quickly scanned the battlefield, looking for his troops. He spotted Eleazar battling a pair of demons. Eleazar’s sword was a lethal blur. When he’d been a mortal on Earth, Eleazar’s stamina had been legendary. But now that he achieved sainthood his stamina knew no boundaries.
Maddix shifted his vision to his left and spotted Samson fighting a crowd of demons. Samson still made good use of the Nephilim femur. He actually giggled each time he slugged a demon with the giant bone. On occasion Maddix could hear Samson’s laughter ring out over the din.
Not far away from Samson, Vallen shot his bow with speed and precision. Vallen spun in a continuous circle, spraying arrows in every direction with perfect accuracy. Demons fell victim to Vallen’s arrows in bunches. Vallen reached behind his back and retrieved an arrow from his quiver, loaded the arrow, and shot the arrow in a second or less. Machine-like, he did this over and over.
Maddix reached down and picked up the sword his foe had dropped. He handed it to Webb. “C-Dub, I want you to take this sword to Vallen. He’s going to run out of arrows at the rate he’s shooting them.”
“I’ve never seen Vallen empty his quiver before. Maybe his quiver is magical,” Webb said.
“Even so, Vallen needs a backup weapon. He gave his sword to Mithellius, remember?”
Finished with the ballista winches, Webb took the sword. “Okay, I’ll do it. And then I’ll meet back up with you. Where will you be?”
Maddix touched the ballista with his Eden sword, holding the sword against the dry wood. The wooden structure caught fire and spread rapidly. “You’ll find me at the next ballista emplacement.”
“Ever since you were given that flaming sword you’ve become somewhat of an arsonist,” Webb said with a grin.
“All for a righteous cause, C-Dub.”
“Amen to that.” Webb turned and hightailed it toward Vallen. Maddix left the conflagration that was once a siege engine and headed toward the next ballista.
And the battle for Heaven raged on.
Chapter 35
Heaven—the temple
Inside Heaven’s temple, the holiest of all places, Thorgus fought his own personal war.
Unlike outside Heaven’s wall, where violence and mayhem temporarily ruled, Thorgus hadn’t moved from his spot. It was as if his feet were stanchioned to the glass floor.
Thorgus continued to carry out his duty as the captain of the Guardians, a vigilant sentinel who still guarded the seventh bowl, and yet he hadn’t lifted a finger against his opponent.
His gleaming sword still pointed upward near his ear.
But beneath his inscrutable face, deep inside his cranium, volleys had been launched against him with pinpoint accuracy.
He was being shelled.
The projectiles were words. And they came from a single melodious voice.
The words were not thunderous, they were soft and soothing. Just loud enough for his subconscious to hear and decipher.
Satan wooed him. “Thorgus, you are better than this. You are more than a sentinel, more than a mere security guard. Your many talents are being wasted. And you must be bored. How long have you stood there motionless, guarding an ugly bowl?”
“I am not bored. It is an honor and a privilege to guard the seventh bowl. God chose me for this task because He knew my allegiance wouldn’t waver,” Thorgus replied silently.
“If God truly chose you for this task, it was only because He knew you couldn’t fly very well.”
“That’s not true. I can fly as fast as any angel, including Mithellius,”
“That’s nothing to brag about, Thorgus. Mithellius was recently captured while he made his patrol near Teredel. He’s currently under the stadium rotting in a dungeon like all the other prisoners.”
“I assure you, Satan, I am an aerial master,” Thorgus replied, struggling now to keep his responses silent.
“Good, then you will have no problem flying over the wall with the seventh bowl.”
“Why would I do such a treasonous thing?” As soon as Thorgus asked the question he knew the answer. Satan wants to delay the Second Coming.
“Because you’re a lot like me, Thorgus, whether you want to admit to it or not. I once served in the temple like you. I stood near the throne always. And I grew weary of praising God continually. How I hated singing the same song over and over. Deep inside I knew I could achieve amazing things, and that I was just as worthy of worship as God is. So I rebelled. Now I do whatever I want and go wherever I want. No one tells me what to do. You too can experience this liberation, Thorgus. Just grab the seventh bowl and fly to me. You won’t regret it.”
“You’re not listening, Satan. I told you I will not betray my God. You are doomed and I will not join your lost cause.”
“Switch your allegiance and hand me the bowl. If you do so I will make you my equal, Thorgus. You will co-rule every nation on Earth with me. You can do whatever you want to the people of Earth. The world is yours. Every kingdom will bow down to you. Only give me the bowl. It’s all you must do, and all that I require.”
“How can someone who has been created be greater than the One who created him?” Thorgus asked. “There is only one true King. And this King is neither you nor I. It is the Son of Man, who once laid down his life…and then picked it up again.”
“I have been acquiring power and authority ever since I left Heaven. I can deliver on my promises. You need only to trust and believe me, Thorgus.”
Nothing more than lies.
Lord, I know Satan is the father of lies. He’s lying to me right now. But his seductive words sound so believable. Still, I know Satan is a murderer. He comes only to steal and kill and destroy. He hates you and me and every person, living and dead.
I submit to you and you only, Lord Jesus. I draw myself near to you. Strengthen me with your spirit. Help me resist the evil one.
“Thorgus, time is wasting. My offer is not open-ended. You must act now. Bring me the seventh bowl and I will give you the world. I will make you omnipotent like God.”
“The Lord rebuke you, Satan! I will not take part in your treachery. Depart from me!” Thorgus snapped open his eyes.
And when his cobalt eyes opened he saw the other six guardians of the bowls pointing their double-bladed swords at him, the gleaming sword tips poised mere inches from his face. And encircling the six guardians and hemming them in were twenty more angels, all warrior angels with their swords drawn. Thorgus saw Michael with them. “It is over,” Thorgus told them. “He no longer tempts me. I resisted Satan and he fled.”
****
In full retreat mode, Lucifer slinked through the garden and along the River of Life. Anger at Thorgus and disappointment spurred him on, pushing at his back like twin bullies. He moved swiftly. Having once lived in Heaven he knew every street and shortcut.
Every few yards he let out a frustrated growl. He couldn’t believe his brilliant scheme failed.
Despite his generous offer, Thorgus turned him down. Just like the first time he tempted Thorgus, the Guardian captain had wavered and nearly relented. But in the end he stood strong and resisted.
Lucifer racked his brain as he traveled, drawing on his vast intellect to come up with another scheme. He had no doubts he would come up with another plan. He long ago mastered the skills needed to plot trickery. Intrigue and stratagems were his constant bedfellows.
And yet as he retreated he felt his doom approaching with ever increasing speed. Inside his head he could hear tall flames crackling and hissing. And in his mind he could hear himself screaming as he tumbled through the bottomless abyss. I have to figure something out, and I need to do it quickly.
But first he needed to escape Heaven. Go back to Earth and regroup.
Thinking about Earth brought a grin to his face. Final preparations at the temple in Jerusalem would’ve been completed by now. The big day was at hand.
Henrik Skymolt’s coronation awaited. It was time at last for Skymolt to take his place on the throne and announce that he was…God.
It was sure to be a memorable moment, and a shocking one.
Chapter 36
Heaven—outside the wall
The war is starting to turn in our favor, Maddix thought. He could see the enemy being driven back from the wall little by little.
The demons had held their own at first. Fighting ferociously, the vast demon army presented a formidable challenge to Heaven’s warriors. But the tide was turning now. Angels continued to pour over the wall in massive numbers—a tsunami of heavenly fighters.
With help from the saintly archers and the trebuchets flinging their giant stones, the angels were slowly but surely gaining the upper hand.
Still, the battle raged with an energy unmatched by any human war fought in the past. Screams and grunts and swords clanging against each other fulminated continuously. Everywhere Maddix looked, hand to hand combat boiled over.
Both the sky and ground melded together and became as one. A writhing, pulsing entity where good and evil clashed in the fiercest combat no mortal would ever see, or want to see.
Savage wrestling matches played out in the sky and on the ground. Brutal sword fights seethed without letup. And strangely enough, as Maddix battled a demon brandishing a mace, a quote from Ulysses S. Grant came to his mind.
“In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins.”
Maddix loved quotes. He considered himself a quote junkie. Before he become a saint he’d memorized hundreds of them. He had often repeated them in his head right before going on a SEAL mission. The quotes had motivated him, made him want to aspire to the greatness of the person who originally spoke the words.
But now that he was a saint, he found greater motivation in scripture passages. God’s reassuring words resonated in his head even now as he faced his supernatural foe.
Maddix’s opponent swung his mace in a circle above his head. The mace made a shrill whistling sound as it whipped around and around at breakneck speed.
Maddix felt a little intimidated by the demon’s great size and the mace gyrating around his head. But he took courage in his savior’s provision.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle, Maddix mouthed silently as he kept a sharp eye on the spiked ball whirling around the demon’s head.
Maddix stayed back, kept outside the range of the mace and looked for an opening. Unlike the demons in Teredel, this demon’s eyes—though dark and filled with malice—looked normal. Apparently Satan had recruited demons from Earth to bolster the ones from Teredel.
Maddix tried a series of feints and false lunges to get the demon to commit with his mace. He switched the Eden sword from his left hand to his right hand several times and feinted with both hands to try and confuse his foe.
Keeping the sword in his left hand, Maddox feinted another lunge. This time the demon whipped the mace downward. Maddix took a half-step backward and toward his right. The spiked ball just missed colliding with his head, and its follow-through buried the spiked ball into the ground.
Maddix took a long and fast step forward with his left foot and performed a Muay Thai leg sweep with his right foot to the demon’s left leg. Already off-balance the leg sweep nearly took down the demon, but agile for his great size, the demon regained his balance and remained upright. With the mace ball still stuck in the ground, Maddix thrust his sword at the demon’s belly. But the demon twisted to his left and deflected the kill thrust with his armor-covered right wrist.
Maddix backed up, and the demon took advantage and jerked the spiked mace ball out of the ground. Again he whipped it around over his head to gather momentum. Again the spiky ball began to whistle.
This isn’t going to be easy, Maddix thought. But then he caught an unexpected break. A large arrow tip suddenly burst through the demon’s sternum. The arrowhead was as large as a spear tip. Maddix recognized the arrowhead as one of Vallen’s.
Maddix grinned inwardly as another arrow, as long as a harpoon, burst through the demon’s armor in nearly the same spot. The demon wobbled, dropped his mace, but stubbornly maintained his upright stance on shaky legs.
Maddix didn’t hesitate to try another Muay Thai leg sweep. And this time the demon toppled over onto his back. Vallen’s arrow shafts snapped in half upon contact with the ground. Emboldened, Maddix jumped up onto the demon’s chest and straddled Vallen’s large arrowheads. “This may hurt a little. Just try not to swallow,” Maddix said before plunging the flaming Eden sword deeply into the demon’s throat and twisting it into his gullet.
The demon let loose a gurgling scream as his neck caught fire. Silvery-black blood sizzled and popped as it spewed out his mouth.
Maddix hopped off his vanquished opponent. And as he landed back on the ground he happened to look up at the wall. Just in time he saw a demon scaling the wall. The demon had almost reached the top.
Remembering Michael’s prayer that not one demon make it over the wall, Maddix knew he had to act. He looked over at Webb nearby and saw that his buddy—the consummate warrior—fared well with his opponent, meting out punishment the demon would ne
ver forget. Convinced his friend didn’t need his help, Maddix teleported to the top of the wall.
“Dad?!”
Maddix turned and saw Spencer standing nearby, an arrow resting on his bowstring. Maddix held a finger up to his lips. And then pointed downward.
Spencer nodded. But his head gesture was more a look of trust than understanding.
Maddix eyed the wall’s ledge. He raised his sword to a striking position, and readied himself for another altercation.
First, one scaly hand appeared on the ledge, followed soon after by another scabby hand with long fingers and blackened nails. Maddix pushed aside his repulsion and brought down the Eden sword in a sweeping motion across both demon hands.
The Eden sword severed all the fingers on both hands just below the top knuckles. The demon screeched in pain and fell back. But the wall surrounding the city was so tall that the demon had plenty of time to gather his wings and take flight.
The demon rocketed up into the sky, circled around and headed back for the city. Spencer raised his bow and took aim.
“Don’t fire yet, Spencer!” Maddix held his sword up a safe distance from Spencer’s bow but close enough to ignite the arrowhead. Flames instantly engulfed the arrow’s tip. “Now, barbeque him, Spencer.”
Spencer adjusted his aim, led the demon and loosed the arrow. The flaming arrow shot up into the sky and tracked after the demon, closing the distance quickly. The demon turned its ugly head just in time to watch the flaming arrow enter his eye socket and protrude out the back of his head.
Dozens of Spencer’s archers then took aim and released their arrows into the sky in perfect synchronization. The arrows all found their mark, and the demon became a flaming pin cushion. The demon careened into a nosedive and spiraled to the ground like an airplane with wing and engine damage, crashing into a flaming heap outside the wall.
Maddix squeezed his son on the shoulder. “Good shooting, Spencer. Vallen couldn’t have done it any better than that.”
