Ariel used his power to lift a huge amount of soil from the ground in a prefect circular shape. There was no talk, burning questions had to be answered but not at this moment. This was Mary’s moment. They were going to respect that. Some fifteen minutes later, in a deserted part of Wales beside a grubby war torn old cottage Catherine and her family laid the stalwart Mary to rest. They gently laid her down and blessed themselves before having a few minutes of silence. Ariel blessed the grave and intoned a few words during the momentary service.
“What do those words mean?” asked Catherine, kneeling up and feeling the rain and wind return. It felt like the end of the world. She was drained: how do you comprehend or even begin to accept losing your mother in such circumstances? In any circumstances? These were questions she knew would never be answered. But, as a mother, Catherine knew she couldn’t mourn. David and Claire were her children and they needed to be looked after. No one was going to hurt her babies.
“I’ve placed a marker on her. She’s to be given priority assessment in the afterlife,” he said. In a way he kind of hoped this would make a difference to Catherine, that it would provide her and her family with some hope. They stood in silence, as the rain began to lash down. Amber and the blonde haired lady stood back from the proceeding to give the family a few moments of privacy.
Amber looked the woman standing beside her up and down, before whispering, “Who are you?” She turned her head round to look straight at Amber, and the pupils of her eyes turned white. Amber knew the sign. She withdrew her sword and called Ariel in a panic.
Chapter 24
“Amber, what are you doing?” said Ariel, walking towards her with a grave look.
“She is a demon, sir. It’s a demon. A high ranking one. The eyes, white.”
The demon turned round to face Ariel and showed of her diverse pupil colours once more. Ariel’s response was predictable. Angels were almost pre-programmed to automatically kill any demon on sight. Ariel also withdrew his sword to compliment the staff and pointed it directly at her chest, the tip creating a wrinkle in her fine silk white blouse. She remained calm; she had a reputation for such. She respected this angel; he had a sense of morals, unlike many other angels she had to exterminate over the centuries. David had walked over to join them, an inquisitive look on his face.
“Ariel darling, one does not wish to be rude….but if I can destroy six angels with the snap of my fingers what do you think I could do to you?” she quipped, watching his jaw clench. “I have been genuine thus far. I am here to help.”
“Your name?”
“I am here to help.”
“Your name?”
“Lilith.”
The silence that swept over Ariel and Amber was palpable. Amber looked astounded and alarmed. Ariel was holding his ground but nonetheless didn’t look as confident as he once did – more stunned.
“Who are you?” asked David again. He clearly wasn’t up to scratch on his demon lore.
“She’s a demon,” muttered Ariel.
“I consider that classification insulting,” shot back Lilith bitterly. “If you want to put it in rank. I’m in charge. The first, the last, the everything. And I am here to help you in your cause.”
“How could a demon help angels? Why would you even care?” questioned Amber, her eyes wide.
“Well, from the proceedings tonight I can certainly highlight some angelic attributes which are missing from the two of you. How many did you kill yourself tonight dear?” she quipped, ignoring Amber’s scornful look. “It’s time for you angels to analyse the situation. It is meant to be one of your strong points after all. It’s not in my interest or yours to bring an end to the human experiment which in all likely probability will lead to the destruction of this world. I don’t want my kind to be exterminated because angelic management decides the time is now. But that’s irrelevant anyway,” she said moving the conversation along before the burly angel had a heart attack.
“If the experiment is evaluated now it will lead to the total annihilation of this planet and everything on it. Demon kind is not prepared to allow such a confrontation. If this war starts then you’re going to have every major player fighting on the battlefield. It makes tactical sense for us to combine forces. One has no real wish to perish and you don’t want to upset God. Be under no illusion. Someday he will be back. Any misconception about him not returning, or humanity being surplus is unfounded. I think the death of God would be felt throughout the universe in ways that no one would be under any doubt of his passing. If you don’t believe me, contact Death. Last time I spoke to her that was the line she was taking too.” She gave them a few seconds to take in everything before continuing. “The simple fact is you aren’t strong enough to take on the forces of Heaven and Hell alone. Neither am I. But if we work together we have a better chance at surviving this and figuring out why exactly this family is so important. The other Gods of this planet will not stand idly by while angels create chaos. We are on the verge of true Armageddon.”
“If you’re in charge, why do you want to combine forces to fight demons as well?” asked Ariel in his usual interrogation style tone.
“Not all demons are as forward thinking as I. Most will want to face angels on the battlefields of Earth. I’m a pragmatist. I know what must be done.”
“That’s new,” said Amber, not believing a word from this demon.
Lilith chose not to reply to that remark, she had said enough.
Thunder and lightning returned to the night sky and the wind grew to storm speeds once more. It was as if Mother Nature herself was making her presence known, that she could see what was happening. Ariel again absolutely refused to work with a demon and Amber agreed. They would find another way to win this. David and Catherine, though, had different ideas.
“No, Ariel. You’re not making this decision. This is a group one. We need her Ariel, we just need her. We can’t get away from that fact. Pravuil isn’t here and by the looks of things he’s been held up, maybe indefinitely. My grandmother has just been murdered by an angel of Heaven,” he started shouting, letting his burning anger get the better of him. “I don’t care if she’s a demon or not. She’s just being practical the way we are. She’s looking to save her own backside as much as we are. So let’s work together because if we don’t we are all screwed.” He walked over and helped his mum off the ground.
“Thon human David has an excellent point,” agreed Lilith to the two angels.
“We have to go home!” said Catherine to everyone.
“What do you mean, back to Ireland?” enquired Ariel. Amber burked her head up, fixing her hair at the same time.
“Mum told me in her final words to go home. She needs us to go home. I don’t know why but we have to go.”
David and Claire both looked at their mum and knew that it was final. Their mum was what they considered the easiest going person they knew but when she decided to do something then that was it. It was going to happen no matter what it took.
“Anyone who doesn’t want to come can stay here. Me and my family are going back home. I need to know why she wants us home.”
“I like this one. She’s got gusto,” said Lilith, smiling mischievously and cocking up an eyebrow.
Catherine shot Lilith a look. She didn’t know much about demon lore or anything, but she knew demons were evil. Unfortunately, they weren’t in the position of cherry picking who they would let help them anymore.
“You do realise that trying to get back to Dublin, with this demon in tow will be almost impossible. All of Heaven will be looking for us,” put out Ariel to everyone.
“Ariel, we have nowhere else to go. My grandmother would not be sending us home unless there was something of importance there. We must find it. As for Lilith, she’s proven herself tonight just as you have,” replied David.
“Give me a moment to collect the remainder of our weapons in the building,” conceded Ariel as he headed back to the house with Amber following him.
No doubt they would be in animated conversation about what just happened.
“I’ll be back momentarily as well. I need to consult with the Princes of Hell,” said Lilith and she vanished.
Clearly she possessed some of the same capabilities as Ariel and Amber. David wondered aloud who exactly the Princes of Hell were and surprisingly Claire answered the question. “According to lore The Princes of Hell are the seven managers of Hell. They each represented one of the seven deadly sins. They never left Hell, instead sending out their minions to corrupt the souls of the world. They are like the Board of Directors in Hell with Lilith being Head of the Board to make up for the missing seventh prince.”
Catherine asked why there were only six and Claire went on to explain that Lucifer was the final prince. He presented pride and ego and the like. She surmised that if Lucifer was set free then Lilith would lose her grand position as the big girl downstairs. She probably wanted him down there forever, though she couldn’t say that to the Princes.
“Where did you hear this?” asked David, confused.
“On the TV,” said Claire smiling, all those supernatural shows she had watched finally came in handy!
“Basically, she’s down there doing the politics of Hell now,” said David incredulously. “And we thought politics up here was bad.”
In that instant Lilith reappeared again but this time flanked by two large, bald, mean looking henchmen in leather jackets.
“Oh trust me dear David, they don’t want him back any more than I. If the boss comes back then they have to work instead of chasing after their own selfish goals. This is in everybody’s interest not just ours.”
“Why would Lucifer be released?” asked David. It really was the last thing they needed.
“Well, if this war happens then the chaos, devastation and confusion will allow those more clandestine elements of all sides opportunity to access some of the hidden prisons spread across the world and other dimensions.”
Ariel and Amber came back out, clutching the same platinum case. Seeing that Lilith had now brought company with her, Ariel could not hide the anger sweeping across his face. The two demons stood motionless at each side of her, not making eye contact with anyone. Their folded arms and general ‘bouncer’ dress code added to their dangerous overtones. Lilith herself had returned in all white again, though it must have been a fresh set of clothes from the battle. Joining them, he explained he had bad news. Michael must have cut him off from Heaven and therefore his powers were limited. He couldn’t transport around the globe anymore. How they would make it to Dublin now was not within his capabilities of thinking. Lilith rolled her eyes and remarked that the timing was perfect. He gifted her a cold hard stare in return.
David looked around the wreckage of fires, cars and lorries. He had an idea.
Chapter 25
They were on the move. The pace was fast. Tensions were running high. Michael’s declaration of Ariel and Amber as traitors in Heaven had stripped them of some of their abilities, including being able to travel across vast distances with just a thought. They now found themselves in the back of a four door dark green Volkswagen Passat saloon. Its chipped fake wooden trimmings, mottled fabric seats and ancient radio meant for some unpleasant smells and noises. One of the remaining cars left from the battle. The other travelled just behind them.
They felt cramped and isolated. Amber herself had never been in an automobile before and felt the sides closing in on her. Ariel fared little better. It felt very strange to him to have another car following him with a squad of demons in it. In any other circumstances he’d have killed them on sight without a moment’s hesitation. These truly were bizarre times.
David sat in the front, driving the sluggish car. He tried not to think about what had just happened at the cottage. He couldn’t believe he had just lost his grandmother; an ache in his stomach was encompassing his whole body making him feel physically sick. The first moment he had to stop and think would be the worse. This would be the point where the tears would come in their millions. He dare not look round to his mother in the front passenger seat. He knew one more look at him would set her off. She sat quietly, reminiscing about the good times and about how her mother had suffered such a horrible, sadistic death. She always felt it was the children’s job to look after their parents in old age. Make sure they didn’t suffer and that they had a peaceful comfortable retirement as much as was feasibly possible. The reassurances of Ariel that she would be granted into Heaven did nothing to placate her. She was concerned with the now, the living. David and Claire needed her now more than ever to be strong, if she was seen as coping then hopefully it would provide them with a little strength.
“When will we get there?” she asked, steeling her voice over the noise of the car wipers on full blast. Would this rain ever stop, she thought.
“Probably an hour,” muttered David. He was totally unfamiliar with these roads and was trying to follow the signs to Cardiff as best he could. The docks were there to take them back to Ireland. Then they could take the boat trip and sail home to Dublin. He had no idea what Mary had meant in her final breaths but knew they had to get back home as quickly as possible. Neither Catherine nor Claire had any idea either but they would deal with that aspect when the time came. The main mission now was to just get there in one piece. Ariel suspected that the angels would do something, or multiple things, to stop their advance to Dublin. He suspected another attempt to board the ferry over to Dublin would not happen directly. It was more likely they would just ensure the ferries were cancelled. With this storm, David was sure the planes would definitely be cancelled. Plane travel had been sporadic at best ever since this storm started many months ago.
The car behind them held one of the most powerful demons on Earth – Lilith. She looked more angelic than most angels, but with a deep sinister danger emanating from within. When David found out she was a demon, it didn’t scare him as much as he thought it would have. He knew that they needed her. It was going to be at least another hour, probably two before they reached the docks. David knew this was an opportunity to get some more answers.
“Ariel. We have some time now until we reach the docks. We need to know everything if we’re gonna survive the next few days. After your actions tonight, both of you will never be in the employ of Heaven again. We’re all in this together now.” David leaned his head back on the headrest of the front seat and tried to relax. They had reached the motorway and now it was a straight run to the docks. He waited for Ariel to start. He knew without looking everyone else was as well. The silence in the car was strange compared to the chaos of the last couple of hours. The calm before another storm, he thought.
Ariel looked at every passenger in the car, and Amber nodded her head. They had to provide some information. He knew that, but just because he went against Heaven didn’t mean he felt he was betraying God, quite the opposite in fact. “Michael has decided to evaluate the human experiment now, and to do so he must rid evil from this world. Doing that, with the current levels of evil would in most respects destroy the planet and leave only a smattering of humans left. That is totally unacceptable. The human experiment is of paramount importance beyond the comprehension of most, and that includes me. Only God knows. Unfortunately, there are many who believe God is dead. That allows for some in management to believe they are answerable to no one.” Ariel simply stared out the window as he spoke, effortlessly counting the thousands of raindrops pelting down with his angelic vision.
“Ariel, where do you think God is?” said David. He didn’t want to interrupt his train of thought but he really wanted to know where the top guy was. How could God sit by and allow all this to happen.
“For angels, the subject of God is probably the most fiercely debated. Some factions truly believe he will be back, that he’s simply populating other planets in the galaxy. They’re what I would call the divine angels. They serve the word of God wholly and don’t engage in the politics of Heaven and Earth. That�
��s left to Michael and his followers. That’s another movement. They believe, mostly because of Michael, that God is gone and is not coming back, citing the tragedies that have happened to mankind since its creation. The slavery from the Egyptians, the brutality of the Romans, the genocide tendencies of the Nazis. The plagues. The World Wars. They think God is dead. Which leads me onto the final movement,” he paused for a moment. He could tell from his eyes he was not saying what David had wanted to hear, but it was the truth. “Those who believe God is alive but simply has no interest anymore. That he’s out roaming the galaxy and has probably created life far beyond our imaginations by now. They think humans are just test subjects for God; early creations with defects. Therefore the experiment serves no more purpose. Angels have come to believe that if the experiment ends then they are free. One of the clinching arguments for their case is if God created everything and planned everything, why would he create so much evil? Why would he allow what we’re going through even now to happen? It’s enough to destroy your mind. Even Heaven’s greatest scholars dare not even entertain questions such as that. It’s like those who have difficulty in believing there even is a God. If God was always there, and created humans, well then who created God? It is one of the most divisive questions that I would hope one day may get answered.”
“What do you believe, Ariel?” asked Catherine, without moving a muscle, but she was genuinely curious in the tone of her voice.
He saw David looking at him through a mirror perched on the top middle front screen of the car. “I believe God is alive. If God was dead then the universe would feel it. We would all feel it. But I don’t think he’s innocent either. He has a lot to answer for simply leaving without instruction. An entire world was left to us to run. I do think he will be back, there’s no other reason for the arrival of Pravuil. I can’t over-state enough how ground breaking his arrival is. Pravuil is considered the oldest angel in creation, the book keeper. He has been with God since the beginning and many surmise he may have even been his first angelic creation. Hopefully we’ll see him soon. He was heading to Rome apparently.”
CounterPoint Page 17
