Angels and Magic

by E. J. Bennett

  Even if that person happened to be Jason.

  ***

  There was a large saying that when two elephants meet for battle, it's the ground that suffers.

  The army of the underworld stood menacingly on one side, staring at their angelic counterparts, who had equally menacing looks on their faces.

  Ariel stood beside Lucifer and she could feel the palpable tension between them. The angels had come in large numbers and she noted just how angry they all looked. This was a feud that had been brewing for millennia and it had only been a matter of time before it happened. She noted the lack of gods and goddesses in the angel army and sighed in disappointment. She could think of a few gods she wanted to introduce to the sharp end of her blade.

  She looked, and for a second she wondered where Jason was. He was notably missing from the front lines and she had already made out the commander, and several of her fellow trainees from Karmani. She looked sideways and found Lucifer looking at her contemplatively. She nodded slightly and faced the opposing army once more. Their weapons glinted menacingly and there was a complete and utter silence on the battle front.

  She wondered if some of them would wonder why a goddess was fighting in an angel war. She laughed, wondering what they would think if they found out she was the daughter of Lucifer. She felt red hot anger at her mother for hiding it from her for so long. So many occasions when she had asked and she'd evaded the answer, opting for something needlessly vague and utterly nonsensical. At other times, she just simply stated that she did not want to talk about it. All those times, she had just assumed that maybe he had died one way or the other and the memory was too painful for her mother to dwell on.

  She turned to the army of demons behind her, they stared stoically ahead, engaged in a staring contest with their opponents, one they did not seem intent on losing, just like the actual battle.

  "Leave no one alive. They have dared declare war on this. This is something that had been brewing for a long time and they have had the upper hand for majority of that time..." she said, surveying the crowd

  Beside her, Lucifer did not move, he seemed to be assessing the opponents

  "...well, now, the tables have turned. This time we are not the instigators, they are. They underestimate us, think they can defeat us easily because they are angels and we are fallen. Let's show them just how wrong they are"

  The demons emitted a loud, savage cry and she faced the angels, smiling satisfactorily.

  She'd never envisioned that she would be fighting in a war, let alone be the one to lead it. How quickly things had changed for her.

  You may be fighting in a war, but are you fighting on the right side of it? That familiar voice asked her and she rolled her eyes. Of course she was, the angels were an entitled lot, just like the humans and they deserved to be put in their places.

  The angels began to advance and Ariel ordered the demons to hold their place. The angels, disregarding their strategy, charged them full force and thus the war began.

  Ariel ducked as an Angel lunged at her, as she came back up, her sword tore through the angel, straight up, splitting open his chest. She kicked him aside as she caught an angel raising his sword to impale a demon. As the sword came down, she raced forward and kicked the sword out of his hand, the demon raised his hand and caught the angel in a reverse headlock as she stabbed him in the back.

  She raced into the battle, cutting down several angels who rushed at her. As she killed them, she looked round for the commander Where was he?

  Suddenly, she was aware of a presence behind her and she turned sharply as a blow struck her at the side of her face. She fell to the floor and rolled sharply, getting to her feet in an instant.

  She was face to face with the commander.

  He stared at her with intense hatred and she effected a detached expression, choosing it over an equally hate-filled one.

  "So, you show your true colors, mowing down your own brothers and sisters" he said in an accusatory manner and she scoffed.

  "I have no brothers or sisters. I was never accepted at Karmani and you know this, don't make it seen as if I have betrayed you all. I simply picked a side and I am sticking with it" She said and rolled her sword in the air and thrust it backwards, impaling an angel who'd been attacking her from behind.

  "You picked the wrong side" The commander said and flew at her at a dizzying speed. Before she could move he had taken her up into the air. She struggled against his strength as he lifted her above his head and tossed her to the ground from nearly 40 feet in the air.

  She raced towards the ground and struggled to halt her fall. At the very last minute, just before she hit the ground, she paused, floating just short of the jutting sword of a dead angel.

  She grit her teeth and turned to see the commander moving towards her at a dizzying speed. She was prepared this time and she ducked in time. As he breezed past, she caught hold of his wing and with one smooth motion, sliced through it with her sword.

  The commander screamed in agony as he plummeted to the ground, unable to hold himself in the air anymore.

  She flew down after him and landed beside him where he lay, broken and wounded.

  "You don't have to do this" he said, stammering weakly. She smirked and lifted her sword, bringing it down and stabbing him through his exposed throat.

  She turned to the war and saw a demon combust as an Angel impaled him with his spear even as another demon attacked the angel, stabbing him in the back.

  Where was Lucifer? She wondered. She had to protect him. She scanned the rowdy ground as swords clashed and screams emanated from all corners.

  "Traitor!!!" a voice yelled from behind her and she turned in time to parry an attack from an angel she vaguely remembered from her time at Karmani. She attempted to strike Ariel once more, but Ariel caught her wrist and delivered a smooth kick to her torso, laying her flat on the floor.

  She spluttered, trying to get up as Ariel watched her. Then, she shook her head, lifted her leg and stomped on the angel's neck, breaking it instantly. The angel stopped moving.

  She turned again, in search of Lucifer, but still, she couldn't find him. Two angels flew towards her, blades drawn and ready to rend through her. She ran towards them as they approached and then did a back flip, coursing over them as they floated past. They landed and ran towards her, she stopped the first one to get to her by kicking him in the knee, bending his leg in the opposite direction. The other one faltered as his counterpart fell to the floor and she capitalised on it. She caught him by the neck and smashed her knee into his stomach. As he doubled over, she smashed her knee into his skull.

  The other one had struggled to his feet and she stabbed him through the chest.

  As Ariel turned, she ducked as a sword tore through the air towards her, the sword impaled a demon behind her and the demon spontaneously combusted. Ariel looked towards the hurler of the sword and saw another demon tackle her to the floor and stab her.

  She turned round as the carnage went on around her. From where she stood, it was hard to tell who was winning, but the battle had reached a fever pitch and the dead littered the battle ground.

  As she made to move back in, she sensed a presence behind her and turned to face it. Her face was thrown back by a blow to the head. She fell to the floor, surprised by the ferocity of the attack. As she got to her feet, she reached for her discarded weapon, and looked up. Her breath caught in her throat.

  Jason stood in front of her, looking exactly like he look when she'd left. Sad.

  She touched the part of her head he'd struck and saw that she was bleeding. In a sudden fit of rage, she rushed towards him and punched him. He evaded her attack easily and struck her at the side of her head again.

  She felt dizzy for a second and shook her head as the blackness threatened to take her.

  What was he doing? And where had he been all this while?

  She noticed that he had not drawn his weapon, but he looked dishevelled, showing he'd be
en fighting in the war. So had he hid from her on purpose? And if so, why had he chosen to show himself now?

  "I'm sorry" he said and walked towards her. He was sorry? What for? She swung a right, and then a left, realising that she had lost hold of her sword.

  He evaded both attacks easily and caught her right, he twisted it and struck he at the side of the head once more an she went down.

  The blackness was overpowering now and the battlefront was blurry. She looked up and saw him take out two demons, before turning to her.

  "Again, I'm sorry" He said, kneeling beside her. He raised his hand with his fist closed and smashed it into the side of her head.

  This time, when the darkness came, she didn't resist.

  ***

  She didn't know where she was, but she was surrounded by darkness. She fought to get up but she couldn't. She heard various sounds coming from around her, sounds she couldn't recognise.

  What was happening to her? And why was her head banging?

  The sounds came again. What was that? Chanting? She couldn't be sure. She struggled to open her eyes, they felt like lead.

  Then, all of a sudden, her eyes flew open...

  Ariel looked round as the dizziness threatened to return. The sound she had heard turned out to be exactly what she had thought it was.

  She was surrounded by women she quickly recognised to be witches. They were spewing various incantations in a language even she couldn't understand. She rubbed her head and sat upright, cross-legged. She saw that they had drawn a circle around her and stood around it. She couldn't be sure, but she was fairly certain that getting out of the circle would not be as easy as getting in was.

  She struggled to her feet, feeling a wave of nausea roll over her. How had she gotten here? She turned to inspect the room and then she caught sight of Jason.

  It all came flooding back.

  The war. She'd been fighting and Jason had come and...Had he knocked her out?

  Jason was on his feet and was approaching the witch circle, a concerned look on his face. She felt red hot anger at him, what was she doing here? Where was here? She wondered, looking around as he approached.

  "Hey. Are you okay? I'm sorry, I had to get you here" he said but she turned away, unable to contain the anger she felt. He had made her desert the battlefield.

  As she turned, she caught sight of her mother, walking into the room. What was this? She was in in this as well? What exactly did they think they were doing? And what was with the witches and their annoying chanting. What exactly were they trying to achieve?

  "Ariel. My daughter." Gaia said, gliding towards the circle. She looked both worried and relieved to see her awake.

  "Don't worry, we're going to help you"

  "Help me?" Ariel said, getting even angrier, "Who says I need your help? And even if I did need help, I wouldn't need it from you" She said, spitting out the last words with all the venom she could afford.

  The goddess seemed taken aback by her outburst and sighed.

  "You know" She said

  "Yes. I know...and.." Ariel started, but she suddenly grabbed her head as it threatened to explode.

  "What is this? What are they doing to me?" She screamed as the pain pushed her to her knees.

  "It's for your own good" Gaia responded as she moved backwards allowing the witches to move closer to her.

  Her head felt like it was about to split open and she screamed in agony as the chants increased in intensity. She clutched her head as the pain seemed to increase the more they chanted. What were they doing to her?

  Suddenly she was lifted into the air and lay prone, suspended mid-air. Her arms and legs were spread out around her and she struggled with the invisible force that held her.

  The witches now stretched their hands towards her and as she watched, in increasing surprise, something began to come out of her. It looked like black smoke and came out in thick puffs.

  Once it had all been pulled out, she felt the rage she'd been feeling, instantly vanish. It didn't reduce or subside, she simply couldn't feel it anymore.

  The essence that had been pulled over her stirred restlessly as it struggled to rush back into her, but the witches held it in place, chanting their incantations with renewed fervor. She caught sight of Jason and his eyes were widened in surprise at the activity going on in front of him.

  Then as she watched the witches screamed and spread out there hands, palm upwards. The dark essence that had been pulled out of her swirled in the air for a minute and then, in a flash, it blinked out of existence, dissolving as she watched until nothing was left. Gradually, she was lowered to the floor.

  She struggled to sit up, panting with the exertion. She felt different, it was like she was a different person. What had just happened? What had been pulled out of her? She felt arms surround her and saw Jason helping her up. She let him.

  Already the witches were leaving the room and they nodded to Gaia, who smilde gratefully at them, before turning to her daughter.

  "Ariel" She said wrapping the girl in a wide embrace as tears streamed down her face.

  "What happened?" Ariel asked...even her voice sounded different.

  "Well, when you were born, your father placed a darkness on you right before he left. It's taken a very long time but we were finally able to find people strong enough, who knew just how to pull it out and make sure it never finds its way back in" Gaia explained.

  Ariel didn't say a word. She let it soak in. Darkness? There'd been a darkness inside her? And her mother had known? What else was she not telling her? All her life she'd been sidelined and avoided because of something her mother knew about?

  The revelation proved too troubling for her to handle and she felt tears course down her cheeks.

  Why didn't they tell her?

  "You hid my father away from me" She said and Gaia looked away

  "It's a long story" She said softly

  "One so long you couldn't tell me in all my years of existence mother? You know I've done things. Bad things...things....oh my..." Her heart constricted inside her chest as memories of the hurricane came flooding back.

  She'd killed them. All those people, she'd killed them. Her feet shook underneath her and she struggled to keep on her feet. She'd been asked to do something and she'd done something totally different. Something unthinkable. She was a cold hearted murderer. She was exactly like her father.

  The tears were pouring down in streams now and Jason moved to comfort her. She shrugged off his attempts, hugging herself tighter as the full weight of what she'd done dawned on her.

  The war. She'd slaughtered angels...she'd slaughtered a lot of angels. She'd led the demons, the universally acclaimed bad guys in a charge against the unshakeable force of good. What did that make her? Was it really the darkness her father had put that made her evil or was she just that way regardless?

  "Your father deceived me. I met him a long time ago. He disguised himself when he was with me and I believed him to be someone else. We were together for a long time and I did not know who I was with. The first fallen angel got me the direct opposite of everything he represented to fall in love with him. It's no wonder they call him the master of deception. I fell for his antics and we had you, it was only then that he revealed who he truly was. But by then, it was much too late. You had been born and he had put that darkness into you. I could still sense the good in you so I raised you to only see that good. I hoped that, in a case where we were unable to pull it out ourselves, you would be able to handle it and overcome it...can you blame a mother for believing in her child?" Gaia asked, she was crying as well and Jason just watched, uncertain of what to do next.

  "No. But I can blame a mother for lying to her child all her life and leaving her to commit unspeakable acts" Ariel said. She realised that she was not angry. She was just grief-stricken and the sadness clenched her heart in a vice like grip and refused to let go of it.

  She got to her feet. Jason walked towards her, but she turned
to him and shook her head, she couldn't bring herself to look at him. After all she'd done. Why was he still around? What exactly did he want? How could he even still look at her after all she'd done? She definitely couldn't look at herself. After so many years of trying to prove herself to be different from what everyone thought she was, she had proved that she was even worse than they had thought. There was no going back from what she'd done.

  Thoughts of the Commander begging her right before she impaled him, crossed her mind and she shook her head, dabbing at her eyes. Would anyone understand that she'd been under the influence of forces she could not control? Would she...if the tables were turned?

  The lack of answers to her questions only made her infinitely more sad and confused. She looked to her mother and the latter looked to the ground, unable to meet her daughter's eyes.

  Ariel wiped her eyes, breathing in deeply. Who exactly was she? Was she her mother's daughter? Or was she her father's daughter? She'd certainly performed sufficient atrocities to qualify for both. What was she? Goddess or angel?

  Or was she something else entirely....a demon perhaps.

  As she left the room, the questions rolled through her mind, unrelenting in their movement and urgent in nature. But she could not bring herself to answer them.

  Her mother's sobs echoed behind her as she went down the immaculate white hallway.

  EPILOGUE

  "I'll have a beer please...or...make that two beers" the man said and smiled as the waitress went to the fridge to get out the beers.

  As she turned, he whispered to his friend about how beautiful she was. She was new at the bar.

  "Nah man, she's totally out of your league. Don't even hurt yourself" the friend said checking her out.

  "She's really fine though"

  "I know man. Been coming here every day since she got here" the man who ordered the beer said laughing and his friend gave him an odd look.