Heart Lessons (The Angel Chronicles Book 2)

by Mary May

  The group of men all looked at one another in shock and disbelief. Kierin spoke first. “You found Belial living in THIS chapel, Gideon?” He asked carefully. The warrior studied Gideon’s face, watching for any sign that this might be a joke, although he never knew Gideon to be much a joker.

  Gideon’s face grew even darker. “Yes, I was just in the presence of dozens…DOZENS of demons and their leader, Belial, just down the hall in a monk’s room. A monk, may I add, that was possessed by the very demon leader we are speaking of!”

  The gasps of anger and outrage could be heard sweeping the sanctuary. “But how, Gideon…how could this be possible? How could we not have felt them or sensed them?” Kierin’s face was a mask of pure confusion; it was a look that Gideon had never seen on the usually confident and competent warrior.

  Shaking his head, he felt most of his anger drain out of him. He knew the warriors had no explanation of why they didn’t sense them. He didn’t sense them either until he found himself surrounded by a whole pack of them. Gideon scowled even harder. Come to think of it, even standing in the middle of them he didn’t have a single tingle go down his spine and not so much as a single feather bristled. That’s what was bothering him in that room earlier. Dismissing all but his captains, he told them what had happened and his lack of…reaction.

  Asiah, who was over the South American continents, threw out the most logical explanation. “I have heard of certain people actually being able to block the presence and even the scent of demons, but I didn’t give it much merit.” Shaking his head, “It looks like maybe I should have paid closer attention.”

  Gideon turned to the slim-built dark-skinned warrior. “So you have heard of this?”

  Asiah nodded. “Yes, I believe so, or at least something similar. I will check into it further; you can believe that!”

  Gideon looked at the rest of his men. “Has anyone else heard of anything like this? Even something remotely like this might yield clues that will tell us what we are dealing with.”

  Of the six men, only Asiah had even known this was a possibility. Grilling Asiah further, Gideon wanted to know exactly what Asiah had seen or heard. The angel went over everything several times with Gideon until he was satisfied the warrior knew no more.

  About to dismiss his captains, Gideon then remembered what the small demon had said. “Who else has arrived tonight? A demon told Belial that another large group of warriors was spotted in the city.”

  The warriors all looked at one another. Kadan spoke up first. “You and your group were the only new arrivals, Commander. If any more warriors have entered the city, we are unaware of it.”

  Gideon bit back a scathing remark about the serious lack of observation skills of the resident warriors and asked instead if someone would go check with the other men just to make sure. Pacing the chapel, he pondered their new development. In all of his years of combat never had HE failed to notice a single minion in close proximity, but to miss an entire league of them? This could prove disastrous if they didn’t put a stop to it, and soon!

  Later Gideon found Kierin perched on the roof of the chapel, pretty much wallowing in self-doubt and shame. Holding his head in his large hands, he massaged his temples, like a human with a headache. He knew he had come down hard on the warrior, but this would reflect poorly on him. As the lead commander, he was ultimately held responsible for his men’s actions. Sitting down next to the other angel, Gideon clapped a hand on the broad shoulder of the warrior.

  Shaking his head and looking at Gideon with raw anguish in his brown eyes he spoke. “How? How is it possible that they can disguise themselves from us? That was the advantage we always had, being able to feel them. Now it feels like the cards are stacked against us.”

  Gideon gave a low laugh. “The cards have always been stacked against us, Kierin; that is nothing new. Mankind has always found it easier to listen to the pretty lies of the great deceiver than to hear the words of truth. This is just another bump in the road, nothing we can’t figure out and overcome.” Gideon was speaking to himself as much as he was to Kierin. He would be lying if he said this new tactic didn’t worry him, and being an angel he couldn’t lie, so, yeah, he was worried.

  “The men are even now out listening for faithful prayers; I have sat here and watched them go from one house to the next and to the next without any luck. Gideon, it’s been days since we have heard even a fearful prayer. I’m beginning to think I won’t ever feel a strong faith-filled prayer again!”

  Understanding how the warrior felt, Gideon didn’t give the usual pep talk about keeping the faith and this too shall pass, even though he knew it to be true. Sometimes it was best to just let them be.

  The following evening an excited warrior flew in at the speed of sound, just barely bringing himself to a stop before he skidded off the other side of the roof. “Gideon! Kierin! I felt it! A faith-filled prayer! I felt one!” The warrior was smiling and almost dancing in place as he delivered his great news. Excitement ran through the group of warriors that were there on the roof.

  Gideon walked up to the angel and placed his hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him down a little. “Where? Think carefully. Exactly where did you feel this prayer, Makieal?”

  Dragging in deep gulps of air, the warrior pointed back the direction he came, toward the east side of the city. “There in a small home, I felt a very powerful prayer being prayed. I’ll show you!”

  The small group of warriors all took flight following Makieal. They were all smiling at each other, looking forward to feeling the surge of strength from a strong prayer, but Gideon kept his excitement contained for the moment. He knew that if Makieal felt the prayer, the chances were high that a minion did as well; they could already have the believer in chains.

  Makieal pointed to a house that was tucked in a corner lot. The warriors all landed lightly on the roof and held their breaths as they listened and, more importantly, they felt. Gideon closed his eyes and listened hard to hear if the prayer were still going up. Yes, there it was! A very strong faith-filled prayer! The warriors all hit their knees on the small roof and raised their hands as the glory of the prayer fell upon them and poured strength to their weary bodies and spirits.

  After a few more minutes the believer finished the prayer and the warriors all stood up whooping and smiling at each other, clapping one another on the back with joy.

  Gideon pointed to three out of the group. “Seth, Kale, and Makieal, I want you three to stay here and guard this believer with everything you’ve got. No minions are to get within a city block of this house, understood? I don’t care if you have to fly him to the heavens to protect him; he is that important, do you understand?”

  The selected three all nodded their heads and dropped through the ceiling of the home to stay close to their charge. The rest of the group flew back to the chapel to tell the others of the discovery.

  Gideon gathered the remaining warriors in the chapel. “Ok, if we found one believer, then we can find more. I want everyone scouring the city and the parishes nearby to find them. Go!”

  The air currents generated from the force of the departing group’s downward stroke blew Gideon’s hair in his eyes; he ran his fingers through it to clear his vision when he spotted the minion hiding under the pew. Swiftly he drew his sword and walked quickly over to where the little fiend was hiding. Gideon drew back his sword to send it back to hell when it spoke.

  “Gideon, Mighty Gideon! Wait! I have a message to deliver to you!” The tiny demon was the same one that had delivered the news of the other mysterious group of warriors.

  Holding his sword at the ready, he broke his own rule. “Speak then!”

  The shiny black creature looked at him with beady black eyes and licked black lips with a black tongue before speaking. “Belial has requested a meeting; he would have you meet him at the mount overlooking the city at dawn.”

  Gideon frowned. This was highly irregular, and, in fact, this would be a first. The demo
n was groveling at his feet, barely even lifting his head to deliver his message. Gideon didn’t know what this was all about, but he would send Belial his answer in a way he wouldn’t misunderstand. With a swift downward stroke he separated the tiny demon’s head from the rest of its body, stepping over it as it smoldered into ash then disappeared.

  Chapter 10

  The group making their way silently up the mount went unseen by human eyes. Gideon looked back to make sure his men were keeping their heads down and their wings trailing behind them. He didn’t know if the minions could sense them now or not, but he was risking it to see just what Belial was up to. He knew the crafty demon had gotten his answer. He also knew the demon would expect the very move that Gideon was currently making. However, Gideon had a couple of aces up his sleeve he was counting on the demon not to see.

  Nearing the top of the mount, he stopped and lifted his hand to keep his men from following too closely. He listened carefully and he all he heard was the flapping of what sounded like wings. He looked behind him again. All of his men’s wings were still, so he listened even closer and he was certain that was what he was hearing. Trying to ignore the very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, he raised his head and cautiously looked over the peak.

  “Oh, Heavenly Father… NO!!” Gideon’s heart cracked into a million pieces as his eyes confirmed what he had heard. Three sets of black warrior wings dangled from a post in the middle of the clearing. The wind was ruffling the feathers and causing them to swing. They were obviously savagely torn from the bodies of the three warriors he had watching over the believer. He could see the strips of bloody flesh and tendon still hanging from them. A pool of blood had formed on the ground below them.

  Hearing Gideon’s cry, the rest of the warriors rushed over the edge with swords drawn then stopped, staring in horror at the scene that was before them. The fact that he knew the warriors were not dead, that they, in fact, could not die, did not ease his mind in the slightest. The downside to being truly immortal was that the minions could torture them over and over. Unlike demons, even when you decapitated an angel the body did not disappear; it lay there until it regenerated. The men all looked at each other with various looks of anger, shock and disbelief on their faces.

  Finally, unable to stand it any longer, Gideon went up the post and gently took down the wings. He knew the warriors wouldn’t need these anymore, that they would grow new ones, but he wasn’t about to leave them here to rot. No one had said a word. The men were looking carefully around the field searching for any minions that might be getting ready to attack. Gideon knew they were safe. The minions had done what they needed to do to get his undivided attention and then they left. He dropped to his knees and began tearing at the earth with his bare hands, scooping out handfuls of dirt and grass until he had a hole big enough to bury the wings. He put them in the grave and then filled it in and patted the dirt down firmly. He sat for a full minute on his knees staring at the mound of dirt before he finally spoke. “It’s time.”

  The warriors all looked at Gideon with concern; every one of them knew exactly what he meant when he uttered the words, “It’s time,” but they could scarcely believe it. Only once in all of time had this been done before, and that was during the Great Heavenly War, when Lucifer had risen up against God and was tossed from the heavens, along with one third of all the angels, down to the earth. There he became known as Satan and along with his demons waged a war against God, using humans as the chess pieces.

  Kierin placed a hand on Gideon’s shoulder. “Are you sure?” he asked softly. Gideon never looked up, but Kierin heard the anger and the resolve in his commander’s voice. He knew once Gideon had reached this point there wasn’t any talking him out of whatever he had said. “They wanted my attention; now let’s see what they will do when they have it! Men, head back to the chapel now!”

  The warriors all took flight heading back to the chapel, but Kierin waited to keep an eye on Gideon. He knew he was very on-edge and honestly was likely to do something rash and stupid. He watched as Gideon drew out his small dagger and sliced it across his palm; though the cut was deep, he never flinched. When his palm had filled with blood, he stood and dripped it over the makeshift grave. Immediately grass started to grow, the pale green shoots springing forth from the earth spreading over the mound until it was covered completely. Then the dirt settled back into place. Within seconds it looked like the rest of the field.

  Gideon turned and faced his fellow warrior. He knew Kierin had stayed, had actually expected it. He knew what he had in mind wasn’t something to be taken lightly and was done only under the direst of circumstances. He felt that the capture and torture of his men qualified.

  The warriors had all assembled per Gideon’s orders; they were discussing what was coming up. Some spoke with excitement and others with grave concern, but they all had a sense of anticipation. The battle that would be waged had happened only once in all of time, so they knew this was serious. The opening of the door had every head turning; a swell of gruff whispers filled the room when they saw the three warriors that had been captured come crawling into the room. The men rushed to help the wounded soldiers to their feet. They were so pale and weak they could hardly stand even with support, but Seth finally uttered three words: “They have Gideon!”

  As quickly as they could, they told what had happened, that Gideon had shown up and freed them then offered himself in exchange for their release. The warriors all surrounded their wounded comrades and laid hands on them, sending forth their healing powers into their mutilated bodies. Within seconds their flesh was knitting back together, bones were being fused and their wings were quickly growing back out and feathering with new glossy black feathers. Once the three were back up on their feet and fully regenerated, the men gathered together to come up with a rescue mission. Every man there offered up different ideas to get their commander back, and as the hours passed one plan after another showed to have major flaws.

  They had all decided to go and come up with a plan as they went when the door opened again and their commander stumbled into the room. Kierin rushed to slip his arm around Gideon’s waist and held him up as his feet went out from under him. “Gideon, what happened?” his second in command asked him.

  Gideon opened his swollen eyes and spoke through busted lips. “I got my men back, that’s what happened.” Then his eyes rolled back in their sockets and he slumped forward.

  Gideon became aware of his surroundings by degrees; first thing he felt was that he was still in more pain than he had ever felt in his entire existence. The demon bites were blistering and eating away at his flesh, causing his body to be filled with a toxin that would be deadly if he was mortal; as it was, it just made him miserable. His ribs were giving him the most trouble; he could feel the ragged edges scraping together every time he pulled in a breath. Belial had a wicked roundhouse kick, he would give the demon that, but even as powerful as it was, Gideon still took him down, along with however many of his minions that were torturing his men.

  Next Gideon became aware of voices, lots of hushed voices. At least he thought they were trying to be hushed; unfortunately, his ears were probably the only thing not damaged, so he could hear every word. Most were concerned for him, a few felt like he got what he deserved going after the men alone, and he didn’t disagree with them. It was foolish and reckless, but he wasn’t going to put anymore of his men at risk. It wasn’t actually planned to happen like it went down anyway.

  Once he found the site where they were holding his warriors, he didn’t think too much beyond getting them back. The demons had the warriors stretched out by putting a wire on each hand and foot and pulling them out tight. The wire cut into the flesh and sawed against the bone. It was maximum pain with little effort on the demons’ part. The weight of the warrior’s body did all the work. The wings that were ripped off their backs were trying to grow back, but it looked like once they got about halfway in they were torn out again. He counted fif
teen sets of partially- developed wings lying in a bloody pile in the corner.

  That was what had set him off. He had roared into the room, transforming as he ran forward. The brilliant light coming off his body as he transformed blinded the demons for a few precious seconds, giving him time to slice through the wires that held his men suspended off the ground. He spun around with his wings flared, bristled and sharp, a sword in his right hand, his dagger in the left; he stood between the demons and his men who were trying desperately to get to their feet. The room was filled with minions of all sizes and they all looked at him with malice in their eyes, but they didn’t attack. Gideon kept track of the position of every minion there, his eyes sweeping the floor, walls and ceiling. But they all held still, other than shuffling and turning their heads to look at each other.

  Soon he heard laughter coming from down the hall. Belial walked in laughing and clapping his clawed hands. He had chosen to wear his own physical form, which was supposed to be intimidating. At well over seven feet and as muscled as a professional weight lifter, Belial was an imposing sight. His black skin was stretched tight over his misshapen body. He had bony protrusions coming from his elbows and knees and on the knuckles of his hands. His head was a grotesque oblong shape with tiny black eyes that never blinked and an oversize mouth that had no lips, just rows of sharp dripping fangs. As many demons did, he also had nodules covering his skin that leaked smelly pus-like substance that hissed when it hit the floor, burning its way through whatever it landed on.

  Belial looked around the room, taking in the scene before him with glee. “Well, so kind of you to join us, O Great One! I assume you got my little…gift?”

  Gideon didn’t reply; he just kept sweeping the area keeping check on all the minions crawling everywhere. His men had finally made it to their feet, swaying and shaky but standing. Belial walked back and forth, the long claws on his feet clicking against the concrete with every step he took. He would walk, stop and stare at Gideon, walk, stop and stare at Gideon. He repeated this until Gideon thought he was going to explode. He could feel his jaw muscle ticking, which was a really good indicator that things were about to get ugly and fast.