The remaining troops struggled to scale the mountain, but they made it to the summit. Once on the mount’s crown, Samael glanced over the edge with a heavy heart, knowing many had fallen to their deaths. He saw only clouds as he stared downward, for the mountain was too high to allow a view of the ground.
He scanned the summit. On the crest of Mount Verve a raging river drained a beautiful lake with pink waters into the River of Life. As the water moved in the river, it lost its pink color, becoming crystalline before spilling over the mountain as the Divina Waterfall. There also grew many unusual trees loaded with small, round pink fruit.
“These trees are heavily laden with fruit.” Samael licked his lips and sniffed the air. “We shall climb them, partake of the bounty, and regain our strength for battle. We must do this in silence and in small groups, so as not to be heard by our enemies in the park below.”
A group of warriors hurried to climb the trees to get to the fruit. When their hands came in contact with the bark of the trees they became stuck. A viscid, adhesive matter covering the bark held them fast, and the trees drew them closer. Large blisters formed on their skin, beginning with the area attached to the tree trunks. The rest of their skin began to blister as the tree’s poison made its way through their bodies. The soldiers howled in agony.
“Assist them!” Samael shouted. The other angels stood motionless, gaping at their comrades. “Pull them off the trees!”
The angels yanked at their brethren but could not release them. The trees began to absorb them; their bodies changed from solid to liquid, beginning with their skin, which melded with the bark. The process was slow, and the victims shrieked and groaned in torment. Samael was forced to make a dreadful decision as general.
“Slay them! Kill those in the trees’ clutches! Silence their cries and put them out of their misery.”
The soldiers hesitated for a brief moment, but soon followed Samael’s orders, using their swords to silence the angels caught by the trees.
Samael watched his soldiers slash their friends’ throats on his command. He was their leader, so he maintained a brave face, but a tear escaped his eye leaving a trace on his skin like the trace of a slug on a leaf. He wiped his face and heaved a deep sigh. After the deed was done, it became quiet once more.
He walked to the edge of the mountain, squatted, and focused his hearing to the ground below. He rose to his feet and addressed his troops. “We must remain calm, alert, close to the ground. We shall receive orders to attack soon. When we hear the sound of doom from Beelzebub’s flute, we shall descend Mount Verve by hand and foot until midway. Thenceforth, we fly to the ground to defeat every holy angel that crosses our path.”
He saw the look of apprehension on his soldiers’ faces. “On our ascent we were able to fly to the mountain’s midpoint before losing our ability, so it is safe to assume that when we descend to that point, we would be able to take flight once more.”
The soldiers nodded in agreement.
“Glide your swords across the toxic secretions coating the trees. We shall take revenge on our enemies with the same poison that forced us to kill our brethren.” Samael glared as he looked down at the park.
Chapter 23
Gadreel’s Misgivings
Gadreel led her warriors through the dense vegetation of the West Forest, and the task proved most challenging. Like Lilith, she ordered several of her most resilient soldiers to run ahead and cut the stubborn vegetation blocking their path.
Some of the insurgents, depleted of energy, decided to replenish their bodies by eating fruit seeds off bushes along the way. The soldiers marched and ate bright red seeds. “These are sweet and scrumptious,” one told another shoving handfuls of seeds in his mouth. Suddenly, he clutched his belly, grimaced and howled in pain.
Gadreel raised her hand. “Halt!” She hurried in the direction of the shrieks to witness the angel moaning and stooped in pain. He fell to his knees and began to salivate. Strange sounds derived from him, and he began to painfully expel the contents of his stomach. The angels around him retreated and winced, some covered their noses.
The afflicted soldier’s face twisted into horrible shapes, and he had violent fits of uncontrollable shaking. Several of his comrades struggled to hold him down. Death followed within minutes.
Soon after his death, several others began exhibiting the same signs, until many lay dead on the busy forest floor. Gadreel stared at her fallen soldiers and a sense of dread crept upward from the pit of her stomach. The hairs rose on her neck and her mouth ran dry. She stood immobile and gawked ahead.
“What are your orders?” a soldier asked, trembling. “Please, we need to do something, or we shall perish here.”
Gadreel stirred from her stupor. She gazed into the terrified eyes of the soldier. “No one is to consume or have any contact with any of the vegetation in this forest.”
She led her troops forward for a short time before they came across colorful flowering shrubs. They were so numerous the soldiers had no choice but to walk near them. The shrubs’ emitted an enticing, sweet fragrance that left the soldiers in a daze.
Spines discharged from the bushes with great force. The seven-inch spikes impaled scores of the soldiers. The body of one warrior fell before Gadreel.
Screaming, she recoiled, staring openmouthed at the corpse. It was difficult to see he was once an angel. The long, thick spines had ruptured his eyeballs, penetrated his forehead like horns, and stabbed his neck, chest––every part of him. Gadreel stared at his wounds. The spines carried poison. She gasped and pointed at the body. “Behold! Everywhere the spines pierced his body, the surrounding skin turned black, rough, and bumpy. They transmit poison!”
Spines split the air around her and angels ran in a frenzy wailing and shouting. Unable to move she stared, held her head and shrieked. She knew Lucifer had made a grave mistake choosing her to serve as general of his army. There were so many angels better suited for this task. “How many lives lost before battle had even begun?”
A soldier grabbed her and put her over his shoulder, using his wings to shield her body. As a consequence, he suffered the attacks of the spikes. He ran away from the lethal bushes as fast as he could. Many others were killed before they could escape.
They finally reached an open area, and she ordered her rescuer to stop and rest a moment. The soldier placed her on the ground and proceeded to remove the spines, which penetrated his wings. He winced and breathed hard as he did, and his face was void of color.
Gadreel watched his suffering with a grim expression. She held her hand out to caress him but pulled it back to her side. “I am most grateful to you, brave warrior. You saved my life, and Lucifer shall reward you.”
The soldier smiled; pulled free a thick spike lodged in the rear of his head, and fell dead at her feet.
Her mouth opened, but no sound came forth. She retreated from his body. Her eyes rolled in every direction. The forest seemed to spin around her. What should she do now? She would command that they move forward. No. They should linger a while longer. But they could not fall behind. There were so many hurting. They had to keep moving but––When? How?
Soldiers were removing spines from their bodies. The ones who were uninjured or less injured helped others in more critical condition.
Gadreel turned an ashen color and pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes until she saw nothing but shiny spots. She took a few steps backward and almost stumbled. One of her soldiers grabbed her by the arm and kept her from falling. She held too many wild thoughts to form an intelligent idea.
The soldier watched her clutch her hair while turning her head in all directions with a terrified look on her face.
“Gadreel,” he said in a strained voice, “you must tell us our next move.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.
She opened her eyes wide and saw him. “Yes, we must move on.” She wiped her face. “Have those less battered help those who may be of use to us in battle. Le
ave the rest.”
Leaving behind the critically injured and the corpses of fallen warriors proved tough for her. But they must move on, and she could not lose control again. She was a general in Lucifer’s military, and she needed to lead her troops to Guidance Park.
She took the lead and marched forward. Her soldiers followed, staying clear of the surrounding plants. When they reached the entrance to Guidance Park, she peered out from the cover of the forest and saw Michael standing on the large flat rock he often used as a platform. She heard the uninterrupted bubbling and roaring of the Divina Waterfall.
Gadreel scanned her troops. “Stay hidden in the darkness of the forest until the cacophony from Beelzebub’s flute is heard by all.”
She sat in a shadowy corner behind a bolder, closed her eyes and exhaled. They were almost out of this trap, but were they headed into a larger one? The warrior plants in this forest had killed many of her soldiers. How would they stand against God’s holy warriors who outnumbered them two to one? Lucifer was powerful. Lilith said he was as powerful as God. Was he really? What would become of them?
Chapter 24
Return to the East Forest
As Dagon and Fornues led their troops through the East Forest, they heard the loud, eerie flapping of a million wings. They came upon the vicious vines with the red spines and large wing-like leaves they had encountered long ago. The brutal creepers fought them every step of the way, obstructing their passage into the deep woods. Now armed with weapons they were able to fight them off and continue on their way.
They reached an expanse of giant, white flowers. The unusual blooms sprouted close to the ground, and their stems were hidden underground, so the angels could only see the heads of the flowers as they approached. From a distance, these blooms appeared beautiful and inviting.
As the rebel angels stepped closer to them, the foul, haunting stench of death wafted from the blossoms. Many angels were afraid to go any farther.
“Keep moving!” Fornues yelled as he shielded his nose with his arm.
“We must continue moving forward. It is our one option,” Dagon said when he saw his soldiers dawdling. “Delaying the inevitable shall only make matters worse.”
The soldiers followed him and Fornues, weapons drawn. They moved with care across the expanse of gigantic, white flowers, which covered the ground almost entirely.
As Dagon and the others slipped between the massive blooms, they noticed round openings in the middle of them. A strange viscous liquid bubbled within the cavities.
The flowers began to vibrate, making loud, piercing noises. As they moved by them, many winced and covered their ears. The dark, pungent fluid in the center of the flowers began to seethe and the sharp, putrid stench followed the angels and bombarded their nostrils.
Some soldiers began to cough and wheeze, while others gagged and retched. Many covered their nostrils. The soldiers became confused, unable to focus due to the loud piercing sounds and potent stench.
“Make haste!” Dagon yelled. “We must get through this field as quickly as possible.” The flowers oscillated faster and faster and then began to discharged globs of the toxic fluid at the soldiers. The pelting liquid bored holes in the flesh wherever it made contact with the angels’ bodies.
The flowers spewed their poison into numerous angels’ eyes. Blind and disoriented, these soldiers shouted and flailed about in terror. Many of them tripped into the flowers and were caught in their toxic, liquid pools. The flowers then ingested them.
Some soldiers risked their lives trying to help their comrades. A warrior grabbed the legs of one who had fallen into the flower. He tried to pull his friend out while dodging globs of poison. He fell back hard on the ground, his hands still gripping the victim’s half-dissolved severed legs. When he realized this, he howled and let go the limbs, only to have multiple globs hit his face and melt it away.
Dagon grimaced. “The soldiers in the flowers are beyond our help. Do not attempt to aid them in any way!” Many angels trembled and wept as they witnessed death for the first time, and their fearful eyes searched for Dagon and Fornues.
“Run! Use your wings to shield your eyes!” Dagon ran ahead.
“Keep moving,” Fornues hollered above the terrible vibrations of the flowers and the tortured shrieking of the injured soldiers.
Dagon and Fornues ran with their wings safeguarding as much of their bodies as possible from the acid bombs the flowers were flinging. Their troops followed closely behind.
Many warriors remained behind, half consumed by the giant white flowers. Parts of their bodies not yet devoured still jutted from amid the petals.
Dagon, Fornues and the remaining soldiers finally got through the territory of the carnivorous flowers. Weary and shaken to the core many collapsed and crumbled on the ground, while others cradled their faces weeping and shaking their heads.
“I can hear the burble of the River of Life!” Fornues’ face was etched with excitement.
“Quiet.” Dagon tilted his head and focused his hearing. “If we can hear the sounds in the park, they can hear us. Guidance Park is beyond the trees and bushes ahead of us. We shall get close enough to see into the park, but we must remain out of sight. We must all wait in silence for Lucifer to give us the signal to attack. Stay alert, for we are not out of the woods yet.”
Chapter 25
Mount Verve’s Labyrinth
Beelzebub led Lucifer and his legion of warriors into the cave. The cavern was not very wide, but three or four angels could pass through at a time. After a short while, he stopped, and several angels ran into each other.
“Why are we stopping?” Lucifer frowned.
Beelzebub trembled and giggled. He rubbed his cheeks nonstop.
Lucifer stepped toward him, and heaved a sigh. “Well? What is the matter?”
“This passage has changed.” Beelzebub wore a confused expression.
“You were in this cave but a short while ago. It could not have changed in such an insignificant amount of time.”
“Except it has.” Beelzebub tittered. “The walls have been altered by some means and the passageway ceilings have lowered. I saw subtle variances when we first entered, but the changes have become more challenging.”
The soldiers glanced at each other, their expressions marked with fear and confusion.
“More challenging? How so?” The muscles in Lucifer’s face tensed.
“The tunnel before us was not here––it did not exist before.” Beelzebub’s wings quivered. “There is a menacing red glow emanating from it that I have never seen.”
Lucifer sucked his teeth and looked at his troops. They stared back, looking stunned. “We must move on. Lead the way.”
Beelzebub shifted closer. “The shaft seems to lead in the right direction toward Guidance Park, but I am afraid I am unable to guide you through it. I am weak-willed.”
Lucifer glared at him. He squinted and scrunched his nose. “Remain close to me.”
Was Beelzebub up to something? Perhaps Gabriel was able to convert him and now he led them to a trap? No. Beelzebub would not betray him. Then again, his love for Gabriel was great. Lucifer ordered two of his craftiest soldiers to lead them through the tunnel.
The two warriors got to their hands and knees and entered the low passage one at a time. Beelzebub followed after them, Lucifer followed him and behind him the rest of the angels crawled in a close line.
After a while, the tunnel expanded, allowing the rebels to stand. As they drew closer to the glowing red light, the temperature increased. The air became scarce, and many soldiers began to wheeze and breathe heavily.
One of the angels near the rear of the line panicked and attempted to exit the tunnel. Gasping for air, he pushed angels behind him against the walls and ran back the way they had come. As he crawled in the narrow area near the tunnel’s exit, the others heard a rumble and saw rocks collapsed on him, burying him and sealing that end of the tunnel. The angels glanced at each other wi
de-eyed.
“There is no retreat!” Lucifer pointed at the rock pile. “Perhaps now this fact shall be embedded in your minds for all time. Keep moving onward!”
Upon hearing his command, the angel at the head of the procession continued forward.
The passage became smoky. “I am having a hard time seeing the path ahead through the smog,” the lead angel told the angel behind him and Beelzebub. “My eyes sting.” Beelzebub shrugged and waved his hand signaling him to continue. The lead angel and the angel following him coughed and wheezed. Beelzebub fanned the air before him.
A thick film of moisture covered the angels’ bodies and their hair and garments were humid with perspiration. The lead angel’s face began to singe from the intense heat emitted from the red glow ahead. Beelzebub watched great drops fall from his eyes, only to sizzle and evaporate on his cheeks.
The angel in front stopped. “The cave ends a few feet away. We must stop.” A fissure interrupted the tunnel’s pathway.
“Halt!” the lead angel cried, but the other angels kept pushing forward. Beelzebub panted as he rubbed his eyes and squinted. More angels began to wheeze and cough in the intense heat and smoke. They rammed into each other and pushed forward as panic began to spread through the group. They shoved the lead angel forward, closer to the edge of the deep crack.
“Stop, I implore you, stop advancing!” the angel in front shouted, to no avail. He tried to grip the rocky walls, breaking his fingernails against the surface. The angel directly behind him finally saw the pit, as did Beelzebub, but the mass of rebel angels kept moving forward.
They glanced at each other, openmouthed. Beelzebub tittered and rocked while the other angel shouted, “Stop! There is an opening!” He pointed to the ground, but the horde continued to move forward, shoving the lead angel, until he was forced off the edge of the crevasse and into a pit of molten fire. He shrieked all the while as he plummeted and then burst into flames.
The Fall of Lilith Page 19
