The Crystal Lake

by L. J. LaBarthe

  “Metatron is right,” Raphael said. “And when we return, if you’d be so kind as to tell Israfel and Tabbris that this was dangerous, I would greatly appreciate it.”

  “Did they sulk because they couldn’t come along?” Metatron asked.

  Raphael sighed. “You have no idea how much.”

  Haniel laughed. “And you tolerate it because you love Israfel and feel sorry for Tabbris.”

  “Yes. Though the latter must never be mentioned outside of the ten of us.” Raphael tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Why don’t we stop talking and get to work?”

  “Agreed.” Raziel straightened. “Take the coordinates from me, gentlemen.”

  A moment later, Gabriel had a clear image of where they were going in his mind. He felt Michael’s hand slip into his own and then he was moving, the grimy roof of the hotel in Yerevan replaced by mountains, trees, gorse shrubs, and there, in the center, the still waters of the Little Langdale Tarn.

  “This is not what I expected,” Michael said.

  “What were you expecting?” Gabriel asked.

  “I do not know. Something more dramatic, I suppose.”

  Gabriel looked around them. It was serene and peaceful here, and it was quiet. The only sound came from the wind whispering through the trees. Out of all the places to hide a holy relic, this seemed the most incongruous.

  “I see what you mean.” Gabriel turned in a circle. “I don’t even see any sheep.”

  “It’s too quiet,” Uriel said. Gabriel looked at him and saw that Uriel’s sword was in his hand, although he hadn’t switched to his armor.

  “Why the sword?” Raphael asked.

  “Because it’s too damn quiet, and it’s making me nervous.” Uriel was looking all around them as he spoke.

  “You know, I think he’s right.” Gabriel drew his own sword from the ether, seeing Michael, Tzadkiel, and Samael do the same out of the corner of his eye.

  “You’re all dramatic,” Raziel said.

  “But I note you’re not telling us to put them away,” Uriel retorted.

  Raziel shook his head. “I am many things, but stupid is not one of them. Prudence wouldn’t hurt.”

  “Dramatically prudent?” Uriel asked.

  Raziel grinned. “Sure, why not?”

  “I’m glad we got that sorted,” Tzadkiel said. “Can we find this cave, please?”

  “All right, all right.” Raziel started forward, reaching out with his power, probing the earth around them. Gabriel could feel the ripple of it as Raziel worked.

  They followed him, all of them with swords in their hands now, as Uriel’s anxiousness had communicated itself to all of them. Despite the quiet, Gabriel couldn’t detect anything untoward.

  “I’ve found it,” Raziel announced. He stood at the very edge of the lake. “It’s underneath the water. There’s a chamber of some kind beneath the bottom of the lake.”

  “Can you detect anything else?” Michael asked.

  “No.” Raziel shook his head. “It’s warded, and they’re pretty strong wards. We need to get into the cave via the tunnel system.”

  “And that would be where?” Uriel demanded.

  “We’ll have to go through the Cathedral Caves.” Raziel turned around. “It’s not far,” he said, looking at them. “Follow me.” Then he vanished.

  “He’s been doing that a lot lately,” Uriel grumbled. “It’s starting to piss me off.” Then he vanished as well.

  “Do as I say, not as I do?” Remiel said. He had been silent since they had met on the roof.

  “Seems to be. Are you okay, Remi?” Gabriel asked.

  “I’m fine, Gabe,” Remiel said. “Just a bit worried about what we’re going to find. I’m sure I’m not the only one.”

  “True, that,” Metatron said. “Oh well. Let’s go and join Raz and Uri.”

  As one, they teleported to the spot where Raziel and Uriel waited for them. Raziel was peering into the gaping maw that was the opening of the Cathedral Caves, and Uriel was standing behind him, his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Well, we’re here,” Gabriel said. “Let’s go.”

  “Follow me,” Raziel said. “I don’t mean to sound imperious,” he added, looking contrite. “It’s just that I know what we’re aiming for and the direction we need to go to get to it.”

  “It is all right, Raziel,” Michael said. “We understand.”

  Raziel bit his lip. “I’m sorry, Mike,” he said. “For yesterday, for yelling at you.”

  Michael smiled. “I have already forgotten. Let us seek out this cave.”

  “Right. Okay, onward,” Raziel said.

  “If you start singing ‘Onward Christian Soldiers,’ I am going to scream,” Uriel said as he followed Raziel into the caves.

  “Do you not like that hymn?” Samael asked.

  “No, I hate it,” Uriel said. “It always makes me angry. It always makes me think of the Crusades.”

  Gabriel grunted. “I thought I was the only one who felt like that.”

  Uriel shook his head. “Well, you’re not.”

  They continued talking as they followed Raziel into the caves. As the darkness closed around them, Raziel raised his hand, and there was a bright flare of power as he created a floating, glowing orb of light that illuminated their path, hovering above them as they moved.

  “That was a good idea, Raziel,” Samael said.

  “It’s darker than the inside of a pair of old boots,” Remiel said.

  “You can say that again,” Tzadkiel said.

  They continued to walk, and soon, the relatively easy path began to tighten and they were forced to wriggle through one narrow embrasure after another. Then the tunnel evened out, and Raziel stopped.

  “Are we there?” Uriel asked.

  “No, I just wanted to catch my breath.” Raziel looked around. “We need to get down on our bellies and pretend we’re worms for the next bit.” He pulled in a bottle of water with his power, taken from a local supermarket fridge, Gabriel guessed.

  “Great,” Remiel said. “I’ve always wondered how a worm lived. Only not really.”

  They all laughed, and Raziel passed around the water bottle. It didn’t take long to drain it, and when it was empty, Michael used his power to send it to the nearest trash can.

  “Let us go on,” Michael said.

  “Right,” Raziel agreed and got down on all fours to crawl through a tunnel set low to the ground.

  The glowing light he had created continued to float above them, although in the narrow path of the tunnel that required them all to lie flat on their stomachs and move themselves forward on their elbows, Gabriel wasn’t sure just how high above them the orb of light was. It felt like forever, this wriggling crawl through the darkness, and the longer they went, the more Gabriel could feel the oppressive weight of tons of rock and earth above him.

  It was nerve-wracking, feeling that and feeling pressed in from all sides. Gabriel had never thought of himself as claustrophobic, but here in this tunnel, his anxiety oozing out of control, he realized that he’d never been anywhere so closed in before. He hated it and he wanted to be out of this tunnel, to be able to stand up and stretch.

  “I am with you, da bao.” Michael’s voice in Gabriel’s mind was calm and soothing, and it was a balm, a lifeline to Gabriel at that moment. He clung to the sense of Michael within his thoughts and felt the gentle, loving touch of Michael’s Grace against his own. His anxiety calmed and he took slow, deep breaths as he continued to wriggle along.

  “Thank you, Mishka. I had no idea I was claustrophobic.”

  “It is nothing, Gabriel. If I can help you, I will. That is how our love is, is it not?”

  “Aye, it is. I love you, so much. Thank you.”

  “It is nothing.” Michael’s Grace brushed against Gabriel’s once more. “I believe we are nearing the end of this passage.”

  “Thank God,” Gabriel thought, and he heard Michael chuckle in his mind.


  “I am certain He hears you,” Michael said.

  “We’re nearly at the end of this,” Raziel said then, and Gabriel suppressed the urge to cheer. “Another ten feet, and we’ll be through.”

  “Is there much more beyond this tunnel?” Haniel asked from some distance behind Gabriel.

  “Another twenty feet, but it’s a tall and narrow passage, so we can walk through normally,” Raziel said.

  “Thank fuck,” Remiel said.

  For once, Michael didn’t scold the use of bad language. The journey through this subterranean world seemed to have affected them all.

  And then they were free of it, tumbling down a shallow drop into a round cavern that was approximately eight feet wide. As they got to their feet, brushing themselves off, Gabriel felt very dirty and very battered and bruised.

  “We look like hell,” Uriel said.

  “Which dovetails nicely with the fact we probably all feel like hell,” Remiel said.

  Metatron chuckled. “I’ve spelunked before. I knew what this would be like. But that damn cave we just crawled through was a nightmare. I’m bloody glad we’re out of that.”

  “I think, when we head back, we should teleport from this cave,” Tzadkiel said. “I really don’t want to go back through that tunnel. It was like crawling through a tube of spaghetti.”

  There was a chorus of agreement at that.

  “I’m fucking glad you suggested that, Tzad,” Gabriel said. “That cave was the worst thing I’ve done in centuries.”

  “We can complain about it later,” Raphael said. “After we’ve finished here and had a shower and something to eat.”

  “All right.” Raziel moved to the tunnel opposite them. “Let’s go.”

  They began to walk forward again, the glowing orb bouncing along above them, casting its comforting light. Gabriel was feeling very fond of that orb. He knew it was just a part of Raziel’s power, but its presence was reassuring.

  It didn’t take long to travel along the tunnel, and then it opened out into an enormous chamber, lined with crystal quartz. The roof of the cave was the bottom of the lake, and the light, dimmed by the water above them, was further refracted by the quartz. Gabriel looked around, awed at the beauty of the cave, the ever-changing light patterns creating an eternally different wonderland.

  “At last you have come.”

  Gabriel whirled around to stare at the owner of the voice. He was very old, ancient, in fact, and he lay on a bed made of dry branches. His hair was wispy and white and his beard was long and yellowed. His skin was sallow and his eyes were covered by a milky film. Although he seemed to be looking at them, his face was tilted slightly to the left. Gabriel realized with a start that he was blind.

  He was also a vampire.

  “You have been expecting us?” Michael asked as he stepped forward.

  “I have, Holy Michael,” the vampire said. “When the evil one came here, I knew—I hoped, prayed, in fact—that you would not be far behind so that I could tell you what happened before I passed into the great beyond.”

  Gabriel stared at the vampire. “How long have you been here?”

  “Since the waters of the Flood unleashed by Holy Uriel receded. My kind put me here, Holy Gabriel.” The vampire sneered. “They used to visit me, to try to force me to turn a magic user into one of us. I never did.” The vampire held up his bony arms. There were silver shackles around his wrists. “They kept me here, and then they forgot about me.”

  “I’m sorry,” Gabriel said. He meant it, too. Near eternal imprisonment in this cave would be akin to Hell itself.

  “I have endured,” the vampire said. “I have survived on small creatures that came close, all unwary. And I have listened to the world above, to the sounds of humanity growing and learning. It was a good life, here.”

  “Forgive me,” Michael said, “but I do not know your name, and you seem to know us all.”

  “Oh yes, I know you all quite well. I have heard your movements as the endless years roll on their stately march. And I honor you all, even though the rest of my kind do not. You Archangels have a difficult path to walk, a very fine line between the destruction of all and the preservation of all.” The vampire smiled, his fangs, yellowed and chipped, obvious. “I am so old,” he mused, “so very old. I seem to have lost count of how many years I have lived in total.”

  “Your name,” Michael said gently.

  “When I was born, my mother called me Amur-sin. I lived in the city of Ur, and when I was turned into a vampire, my maker came from the lands that would later be Egypt. I remember the Tower of Babel and the rise and fall of empires. I listened to King Solomon address his people, and I heard Jesus pray to his Father, your Creator, in the Garden of Gethsemane. And I was here when Joseph of Arimathea’s youngest son, John, came here to hide the Holy Grail.”

  “So it was here?” Raziel asked.

  “Yes, Holy Raziel, it was. I am tired,” the vampire said with a sigh. “It has been so long. Tell me, Holy Samael, what happens to one of my kind when we die?”

  “Most vampires go to Purgatory,” Samael said. “There have been a few who have redeemed themselves and gone to Heaven, however.”

  “Do you think that I will go to Purgatory?”

  Gabriel looked at Samael and then at Michael. “That’s a damn good question, actually.”

  Samael was thoughtful. “You have committed no crimes that I can tell by reading your soul. No, I do not believe I will be guiding you there. I believe I will be taking you home to the Land of Light.”

  The vampire’s face lit up. “Heaven? Truly?”

  “I would not lie about such a thing, ancient one,” Samael said kindly.

  Tears slipped from the eyes of Amur-sin. “I had not dared to hope.” He turned to Michael. “Most holy, could I… I wish to ask….”

  “You wish to be released from this prison and allowed to rest?” Michael asked.

  Amur-sin nodded. “It has been my greatest wish for some time.”

  “I will grant you your wish,” Michael said. “But first, we have questions.”

  “I will answer whatever I can.” Amur-sin pushed himself up to lean against the wall of the cave.

  “Thank you. Raziel?” Michael looked over at Raziel.

  “Did Joseph’s son say anything when he brought the Grail here?” Raziel asked.

  “Yes. He saw that I was confined here and we spoke about my life and what had happened. He tried to break the shackles, but they were too secure for him. So he asked me if I would guard the Holy Grail. I said that it would be my honor to do so. He left the Grail here, resting upon that stone by the southern wall.”

  They all turned to look at the stone, a flat rock that was bathed in the light refracted by the quartz above them.

  “Did anyone come here to seek out the Grail?” Raziel asked, and Gabriel turned back to look at the vampire.

  “Yes. Two years ago, I was visited by a young man and a young woman. They did not tell me their names. They wanted to steal the Grail, so I fought them. They fled, cursing me and swearing revenge.

  “They returned two months ago. They were not alone. This time, they were with a woman who seemed strangely familiar to me. It was not until she introduced herself that I realized this was one of the Four Sisters—Naamah. The young man and young woman were, she told me, her children. She told me she had come for the Grail, and there was no point in my fighting her as she had magic that could block me.

  “I asked her what she wanted with the Grail. She laughed and her children looked smug.” Amur-sin’s expression became contemptuous. “I dislike misplaced smugness. She told me that she had been wronged. That her three sisters had received all manner of rewards and gifts—Agrat marrying Shateiel; Lilith as the consort of Lucifer; Eisheth bonding with the stars—and all she had were two unexpected children that she had not planned for and the hatred and enmity of her family. She wanted to tear down the walls of realities and unleash chaos and exact her revenge. Her reve
nge upon Heaven for ignoring her, upon Hell for choosing Lilith, and her revenge upon all who live upon the Earth for having a life that she felt she had been denied.”

  “So that blather about the sea was a pile of old bollocks,” Gabriel exclaimed.

  “Oh, she mentioned the sea,” Amur-sin said. “She said the ocean had rejected her, had banished her because she was too angry and too bitter and did not exalt in the joy of creation.”

  Michael’s expression was grim. “I will enjoy killing her a very great deal.”

  “She expects you all, holy ones. She said that she is waiting for you all. She knew you would come to me eventually, and so she felt that I would make an excellent messenger for her.” Amur-sin shook his head. “I do not wish to do anything to help her, but I believe that you knowing these things benefits you more than her.”

  “You have it aright,” Samael said. He moved forward and laid one hand on the vampire’s pallid brow. “You have done us a great service this day. I thank you for it.”

  “There is one more thing,” Amur-sin said. “She is in Purgatory, although I imagine you already know that. She has bewitched all who dwell there.”

  “Do you know anything about her children?” Raziel asked.

  Amur-sin shook his head. “I am afraid that is all I know. Once she had told me these things, she cast a spell, using relics from Saint Augustine. Then she was able to take up the three pieces of the Grail without any problem, and I was unable to stop her. She and her offspring left, taking the Grail with her.” Amur-sin looked down. “I fear that I have failed.”

  “No, good Amur-sin, no,” Michael said, and he knelt down beside the vampire. “You have done all that you could, and we are in your debt.”

  “Thank you for everything you have told us,” Raziel added.

  “I am glad to serve, holy ones.” Amur-sin bit his lip. “I do not know anything else, I am afraid.”

  “That is all right,” Michael said. He looked over his shoulder at Raziel. “Are you content?”

  “Yes,” Raziel said sadly. “Rest in peace, Amur-sin.”

  “Thank you, Holy Raziel.”