Between Heaven and Hell

by David Burnett

  Both of the figures seemed to be powers. Their voices were soft, though, a sign of intelligence in Lucifer’s experience. One was male, the other female. The breeze dropped, stilling the rustling of the leaves on the trees, and Lucifer could hear them clearly. His jaw tensed when he recognized Adryel’s voice. He knew the other must be Ramael’s. They were inseparable even though they had been paired for a short time. Short from Lucifer’s perspective that is. He was certain their youth would have them thinking a century was like totally forever.

  He rolled his eyes and then took another step, gently moving a branch aside. It was Adryel, indeed. He could see her plainly now. She was beautiful, he had to admit. Her red hair framed her pale, glowing face and contrasted with the deep blue robe she was wearing. Lucifer recalled his speech before the council, his example of what might happen if humans were to be set loose with free will and no bias toward doing good. If the other members could see her now, they would clearly understand how a human might easily choose to do evil.

  “It was my first class this morning, and we were discussing a question of ethics.”

  “Go on,” Ramael encouraged.

  Lucifer pushed his speech from his mind and focused on what the two were saying.

  “A guard had been posted on the wall with orders not to leave his post. Looking down, he saw his friend approaching the north gate on a horse. The horse suddenly reared, throwing the rider to the ground. Afraid his friend would be trampled, the guard left his post, and rushed to pull him to safety.

  “Everyone was happy the angel’s life had been saved, but the guard was confined to his quarters for a week because he had left his post. Was the punishment just?”

  “Who issued the order that the guard not leave the wall?”

  “Who? His commander. You.” Adryel laughed.

  “I did?”

  “Ramael, it’s hypothetical. It’s an example. . .Anyway, suppose it did happen. Would the punishment be just? Can the guard’s action be both good and bad? Praised and punished?”

  Their voices dropped and Lucifer stepped closer. He recognized the debate.

  “Yes. That feels good,” he heard Adryel say. He squinted so he could see clearly. Adryel was lying on her stomach and Ramael was rubbing her back. “Shameless,” Lucifer huffed. “In a public place. Surely they wouldn’t. . .”

  “Cariel, a power, one of my students, argued that an action must be either good or bad, that it cannot be both. She said the guard should be rewarded for saving the friend’s life. After all, she said, the city has never been attacked and never will be. One less guard on the wall for ten minutes put no one in danger.”

  She stopped talking for a moment and giggled at something Ramael had leaned down to whisper in her ear. Lucifer rolled his eyes.

  “Anyway. . .another student, an angel of course, took the opposing view. Cariel was winning the debate, and the other students were becoming involved, clapping, shouting, giving cat calls, when, suddenly, the room went silent. I looked up and found Lord Lucifer standing in the doorway.”

  Lucifer felt his face burning.

  “He asked our topic. ‘It’s an old question I once debated with my professor,’ I told him.” She shook her head. “Lord Lucifer’s face turned fire-red. He whipped around and stalked from the room. I could almost see smoke billowing from his ears.”

  “He’s an archangel. He should not have been angry.”

  “You’re right. He shouldn’t have been. I sometimes think Lord Lucifer is an archangel in name only.”

  “Disrespectful little hussy,” Lucifer hissed.

  “Anyway, he was angry because he recalled that when I argued with my professor, I won and. . .”

  “Your muscles are tight.”

  Lucifer watched as Ramael moved his hands up and began to massage her shoulders.

  “Oh, yes. That’s the spot.”

  “Who was your teacher?”

  “Lord Lucifer, of cour—” Adryel paused speaking to utter a long sigh.

  But Ramael stopped the massage. “You say you won? Lord Lucifer admitted defeat?”

  Lucifer winced at the surprise in Ramael’s voice. “Never,” he growled under his breath. “Never. I did not lose. I merely. . .withdrew.”

  Adryel chuckled. “Lord Lucifer? Of course not. The debate ended when he turned and stomped away. Almost everyone in the room stood and cheered. I had the good sense not to press the issue, and we never discussed it again.”

  Lucifer stared, mesmerized again as Adryel turned over and placed her arms around Ramael’s neck. Then he choked as he imagined what might follow.

  “Tell me, Ramael, why do we post guards on the wall? As Cariel argued, we have no enemies. No one is going to attack us. Why do we even have the wall?”

  Ramael kissed her on the forehead. “I can’t say. Lord Michael ordered the wall to be built. He ordered the guard. He told me the time would come when we would need protection.”

  He kissed her cheek. “I follow my orders.”

  “But you graduated from the Institute with honors. You were taught to question everything!”

  “Everything,” he agreed. “Everything except Lord Michael. . .and you.”

  Adryel giggled. “That tickles.”

  “Your right leg has always been ticklish.”

  “So you never question me?”

  “Do you question me?”

  “Of course not. I know exactly what you want.”

  “Give me an order.”

  “Well. . .”

  Lucifer could take no more. He coughed loudly, and the two of them quickly parted. Adryel covered her leg and ran her hand through her hair. Ramael sprang to his feet and reached for his sword.

  “Who is there?” he called.

  “Excuse me.” Lucifer stepped into full view. “Please.”

  “Lord Lucifer, I did not know you were there.” Adryel clambered to her feet.

  “I apologize. I was taking a shortcut through the garden, heard voices, and walked over to find who it was.” He cleared his throat. “A happy coincidence, though, since I was on my way to see you.”

  Adryel stepped toward him. “Is there a problem?”

  Lucifer glanced at Ramael, wishing he would walk away and allow them to speak in private. He didn’t really want Michael to know his plans, although he supposed there was no way to prevent it. Even if Ramael could not hear what was said, Adryel would report to him. If Lucifer asked her not to tell him, she would be suspicious.

  Ramael sheathed his sword and began to pack plates and goblets into the basket. Lucifer stepped between him and Adryel, turning his back to Ramael.

  “What is your opinion of our discussion this morning, Adryel?”

  She cast her eyes toward the ground. “It’s not really my place to have an opinion. . .”

  “Spare me. You’re an intelligent power. You took notes on all that was said. What do you think?”

  “I share your concern, Lord Lucifer, as do the members of the council.”

  “Yes, and they are requesting a clarification.” Lucifer’s tone was mocking. “What if they do not like the response?”

  “I don’t know, Lord Lucifer.”

  “They will do nothing.”

  Adryel did not reply.

  “I do not intend to do nothing.” Lucifer placed his hands on his hips. “And I am not waiting for a clarification that may or may not come.” He glanced at Ramael, who was folding the blanket on which they had been sitting, his back to Lucifer.

  “I will convene a meeting at the Institute tomorrow afternoon. We’ll discuss the plan that was presented and my concerns with it.” Again, he glanced behind. “We will map out a strategy to oppose it.” He looked into Adryel’s eyes, and lowered his voice. “I need our most intelligent minds at that meeting. Can I count on you to be present? I will need your help in formulating a plan.”

  “Lord Lucifer, I am not sure I can be of much help.”

  “You were at the council meeting. At the lea
st, you can confirm my report of what happened. You can help us decide how to react to this dangerous initiative.”

  Adryel nodded. “I see no harm in discussing the plan. Its contents are public by now, I suppose. I will attend your meeting.”

  Lucifer placed a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you. I can always depend on you.” He looked at Ramael, who now appeared to be packed and ready to leave.

  Ramael’s eyes met his. “I trust your strategy will not be a violent one, Lord Lucifer.”

  “Ramael, of course it won’t be violent,” Adryel exclaimed.

  “We plan a discussion tomorrow.” Lucifer paused, not dropping his eyes. “Nothing more. . .You will report my plans to Lord Michael?”

  “Of course, Lord Lucifer.”

  “I’d assumed as much,” Lucifer snorted as he stalked away.

  ***

  “It’s just a meeting, just a discussion,” Adryel said as they strolled, hand in hand along the path that led to the palace. “No harm in a discussion, is there?”

  “None at all.”

  “So why are you so quiet? It bothers you for some reason.”

  Ramael hesitated. “I don’t trust Lord Lucifer.”

  “Why not?”

  He shrugged. “Just a feeling. . .Something seems to be bubbling below the surface. He was clearly angry this morning. He should not have been angry. What happens when an angel or an archangel becomes emotional?”

  She smiled. “He becomes one of us? Normal?”

  “He has lived for eons without emotion. What happens if he no longer has control?”

  “I’ve no idea. Still, there is no reason to think he’d do something bad, is there?”

  Ramael sighed. “I suppose not. It’s just a feeling.”

  They reached a side entrance to the palace, and Ramael turned to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Let me see if Lord Michael is here. I do have to tell him about Lord Lucifer’s plans.”

  Adryel chose to remain outside. As the door closed, she began to inspect the notices posted both on the door and on the walls on either side.

  Some were official notices. The announcement of the morning’s council meeting still hung on the door, not having yet been removed. The chancellor’s public works committee would meet in the morning.

  Other notices were personal. There was a post about a debate that would occur the next morning, an advertisement of a concert, and a few requests for assistance in locating items that had been lost. Most of the announcements, however, concerned couples who had decided to become pairs.

  Pairing was a custom, not a law. There was no formal ceremony, no registration for pairing. Couples would simply decide they would be together. It was a happy occasion and, typically, the couple would post a notice, but doing so was not required. Tradition, not law, dictated that pairing was for life.

  Marriage, on the other hand, was a formal process, governed by law and enforced by the courts. Long ago a group of angels, the Bachists, had been prone to jealousy and suspicion. They were constantly changing partners, creating dissension and discord. Brawls had broken out between males as they contested for particular females. Females were occasionally known to poison their rivals.

  Marriage had been developed to bring order. The Bachists, however, had ignored the law and the problems had continued. Finally, those who caused disruption were banished beyond the eastern mountains, and marriage, no longer necessary, had ceased to exist.

  Adryel smiled as she remembered pairing with Ramael. He had come to her apartment one afternoon and helped her to move into his house. They spent the night together, and, the next morning, they rushed to the palace, eager to post notice of their pairing. They had been surprised to find a large crowd waiting at the palace’s door. Friends and family all came out to watch as they took turns pounding the nail that held the notice. Even Lord Michael had been there, and he led the cheering that erupted after the last blow was struck. He had even invited them all to his house for a celebration.

  Adryel cracked open the door and looked down the hallway, searching for Ramael. She wanted to go home and climb into bed, perhaps pick up where they were when Lord Lucifer had interrupted.

  As she stepped inside, intending to follow him through the maze of halls that led to Lord Michael’s office, she spied Ramael hurrying toward her.

  “Did you find Lord Michael?”

  He nodded. “I did. He’s concerned too. We’ll post extra guards tomorrow.” He took her hand. “Let me walk you home. Then, I’ll set the guard.”

  As they strolled past the Great Gates, through which the procession had entered that morning, Ramael told her more about his conversation with Lord Michael.

  “He’s afraid Lord Lucifer will attempt to sabotage the plan.”

  “All he wants is a discussion.”

  “And then he intends to map out a strategy of opposition. That’s what he told you.”

  “Right. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Lord Michael has also noticed Lord Lucifer has been easily angered recently. He, too, fears Lord Lucifer is losing control of his emotions.”

  “But. . .”

  “He is concerned Lord Lucifer may be allowing himself to be swayed too much by his emotions. Since he has little experience controlling them, he may start something he will not be able to control. His emotional state and his plans for a discussion remind Lord Michael of Robiel’s rebellion. You recall what happened then?”

  “Of course. Robiel opposed the creation of the powers. He believed we should be angels and, if not, then we should be forced to adopt their way of life, even though we are not born to it. He formed an army to support his belief.”

  “Exactly. Lord Michael told me it all began with an emotional appeal during a discussion at the Institute.”

  “Not every academic discussion leads to an armed uprising, Ramael. Most such discussions are talk, and nothing other than talk. Really boring talk, in fact. No rebellion will be planned at the Institute tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Robiel’s insurrection began with boring talking, and then it escalated.”

  “I’m sure nothing like that will happen. Lord Lucifer is certainly arrogant, but he’s mostly bluster. Underneath, he’s a creampuff, as long as you don’t interfere with his work.”

  She suddenly giggled. “Can you even imagine Lord Lucifer and Lord Michael meeting on a field of battle? I can picture Lord Lucifer’s hand becoming entangled in his academic hood as he tries to draw his sword.”

  Ramael laughed as she demonstrated how it might happen.

  “It does sound ridiculous,” he conceded, “but Lord Michael is concerned. We’ll have extra guards out tomorrow, and I want you to be careful.”

  “Should I skip the discussion?”

  Ramael shrugged. “Go if you want. In fact, it might be a good thing. If Lord Lucifer exaggerates when he describes the plan, you might be able to pull him back on track.”

  They walked on in silence. As they approached their house, Adryel giggled.

  “Do you think Lord Lucifer was embarrassed tonight in the garden?”

  “Certainly. He’s an archangel.”

  “What would have happened if he had not coughed?”

  Ramael chuckled. “It might have been interesting. Can an archangel have a heart attack?”

  “You’re horrible.” Adryel playfully swatted his arm. “Lord Lucifer is not as bad as he appears. And, you are correct, he does have feelings.”

  “That’s what worries Lord Michael.”

  They reached their house and stopped beside the door. Ramael placed his arms around her and kissed her.

  “Why don’t you set the guard later,” she whispered.

  Ramael smiled. “Don’t fall asleep. I won’t be long at all.”

  An Academic Discussion

  Adryel yawned as she closed the door and made her way to the bathroom. After heating water for her bath, she filled the tub, and sprinkled petals of lavender across the surface. Then, she slipped of
f her robe and stepped into the water, closing her eyes as she drew a deep breath, the calming fragrance filling her lungs. She stretched, reaching high above her head, and then bending over so that her hands sank beneath the surface, caressing her feet. Finally, she lowered herself into the tub, allowing her body to be enveloped by the warmth of the water.

  Half an hour later, completely relaxed, she stepped out of the tub and toweled dry. Then she stretched out on their bed, hoping Ramael would return soon.

  She smiled as she gazed absently at the shadows dancing across the ceiling. Some nights when she lay awake, she would try to identify objects in the shadows, everything from an angel dancing a jig to a candle flickering in front of a mirror. Tonight all she found were intricate patterns and abstract designs.

  Her mind wandered to Lord Lucifer. He had been shocked, she supposed, not so much at finding two powers about to make love in the garden—in angels’ minds that would have been typical of the powers—but at discovering that she was one of them.

  At the Institute she projected an air of total rationality. Her classes in logic were over-subscribed. At faculty meetings, her presentations reflected unassailable reasoning. She was seldom bested in a debate.

  Even so, Lord Lucifer had never acknowledged her intellect. While her appointments to the faculty and as secretary to the council implied his endorsement, some suspected they were hers solely because of her gender. She was one of only two female faculty members at the Institute and the only female ever to be secretary to the council.

  Adryel suspected that intellectually she was Lord Lucifer’s equal and that his refusal to acknowledge her was simply a way to leave her a step beneath him. As a result, his interest in having her attend his meeting pleased her, especially his effort to find her tonight rather than mentioning it to her in passing tomorrow morning.

  She giggled as she imagined his face peeking from behind the bush. Powers and angels were certainly different. While angels and archangels had few emotions to begin with, some, like Lord Lucifer, went even further, learning techniques to quash even the weak feelings they did experience. Others, like Lord Michael, were content with the limited emotions with which they had been born. Lord Michael even smiled occasionally.