In Rebellion (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book II)

by John J Higgins

  “Morning Volac. See anything we should be worried about this morning?” Michael asked.

  Volac appeared to have been weeping.

  “I am concerned for my Dominion colleagues. We were being overrun yesterday. I don't know if they were able to hold and protect our beautiful Fourth Heaven,” Volac said, on the verge of tears again. “Perhaps you and I could take a quick flight up and see how things are in my home. Later, you can prepare for war,” Volac pleaded.

  “I understand,” Michael responded. “I need to know what's going on in the upper Heavens too.”

  Michael walked over to Gabriel and gently woke him. “I need to go up to where the fighting is and see what we can do to stop this. Keep preparing here on Earth. Collect whatever tools are available and have the Cherubim turn them into weapons if they can. I hope to return before midday — tonight at the latest. Tell lord Cerebriel I will return and to keep organizing the Angel work crews from the pyramids. If the rebel Angels aren't stopped in Heaven I am sure we will be attacked here.”

  Raziel had awoken and he jumped up. “I am coming with you, Michael.”

  “Your company and assistance would be most welcomed,” Michael said. “Volac, are you ready now?”

  “Yes, more than ready!” he said. Michael walked over to the entrance of the pyramid, where a pile of lasers used for cutting rock were laying. He gave one to each of his companions and strapped one on himself.

  “These may not be the best weapons but they are better than nothing,” Michael said as he began to fly off into the Heavens.

  Raziel and Volac followed, strapping on their weapons, and they were soon in flight too.

  They passed into the First Heaven. Michael and his two companions stopped when Michael saw Gaardrael organizing his Angels into legions and separate ranks.

  “Greetings lord Gaardrael! Any news from the Heavens above?” Michael asked the head of the Guardian Angels.

  “Not anything that we can confirm, my lord Michael. I thought I saw a squad of Cherubim pass through carrying some sleds, and being pursued by another group of Cherubim. They disappeared not long ago, below on the Earth. We could certainly use some weapons here. I know that the Dominions and Principalities have been struggling to hold back the rebel army of Angels. The rebel Angels have been led by Beelzebael from what I have heard.”

  Gaardrael recognized Volac and Raziel and nodded to both of them. “Volac, didn't you come through from the Dominions’ defenses just yesterday?” he asked.

  “Yes, it was Beelzebael who was attacking us. Suriel and Jarahmael were along in separate legions, but it was definitely Beelzebael's legions in the forefront. We barely got the protective walls up.”

  “Have the Dominions continued to hold?” Volac asked Gaardrael.

  “Can't tell from here. All I know is that the rebel Angels haven’t broken through the Second Heaven above us. I don't know how the Potentates can defend themselves even if they did have the weapons the Cherubim created for the rest of us Angels. I am afraid that if Beelzebael breaks through the last defenses at the gateway into the Fourth Heaven, they will come easily through both the Third and Second Heavens in a large force and my Guardian Angels will be the last line to try to hold them back in the Heavens. We may be smaller in stature than the higher Orders of Angels but there are more of us. Get us the weapons and we will fight!” Gaardrael added with determination.

  Raziel asked Gaardrael, “Have you seen lord Ariel?”

  “No, lord Raziel, I haven’t seen him. Last I knew lord Ariel passed through the First Heaven on the way up with you. My Angels told me you came back without him. True?”

  “Yes, Gaardrael, we had gone to the upper Heavens together and he remained behind in the Fifth Heaven to see what was going on while Luciferael was assembling the main army. He was supposed to join me back on the Earth once he had the information. I have a bad feeling that something has happened to him,” Raziel said with concern.

  “Too many strange things have occurred over the past couple of days!” exclaimed Gaardrael, shaking his head.

  “Has anyone spoken to the Almighty since this began?” Michael asked.

  “Not that I know of, and I was one of the last Angels up in the Seventh Heaven. The Almighty was not in the Throne Room when I was up there with Ariel. . .” Raziel said.

  Michael interrupted. “We had better get up through the other Heavens, see if we can find out how well or poorly things are going.”

  “Agreed,” said Raziel.

  Volac nodded his head and said, “Follow me!”

  “Talk to you when we come back, lord Gaardrael. Keep up the good work!” Michael said to him.

  Up and away they flew again. They entered and passed through the Second Heaven where the Potentate Angels were clustering together. A formation of the floating orbs with round faces seemed odd; they seemed to float and bob and weave. Michael had never seen them form into a solid core. But there had never been a need for such a thing before. Their formation only increased his curiosity about them. Perhaps they gained even more strength collected together like that.

  The three Angels entered the Third Heaven just as Luciferael's horn began blasting through the Dominions’ Fourth Heaven defenses. The mad rush of Angels began to pass through as Dominions and Principal alike routed through the Third Heaven. Raziel took off to try to stop the rout and Michael was about to fly off and do the same, when he felt the laser cutting tool against his back.

  Volac commanded, “Do not move, lord Michael, or I will laser you!”

  Michael was shocked. He did not know what to do. “Never expected you to be a rebel Dominion Angel,” Michael said. His head was pushed forward when he attempted to turn around and look Volac in the eye.

  “Yes, you will be quite the prize, lord Michael! You are considered to be the lead Angel of the loyal Archangels. I am sure that Luciferael or Sammuael will provide a high reward for capturing you.”

  Michael looked around him hoping for some kind of assistance. But with the panic having set in among the defending loyal Angels, none of the loyal Angels were focused on him or the Dominion behind him as they were all flying to the next safe place.

  Volac reached over and removed Michael's laser cutter, and threw it away into the cloud.

  “Let’s go!” Volac said, as he pushed Michael to fly in front of him towards one of the clouds off to the eastern side of the main traffic of fleeing Angels. Volac knew that Beelzebael and his legions would be coming soon in hot pursuit of the loyal Angels.

  After a few minutes the panicked loyal Angels had passed by the two of them and they could see the leading ranks of the rebel Angels charging through the gateway. They moved fast and loudly, the sound of the trumpet still deafening.

  Volac and Michael noticed lord Luciferael leading a legion, too far to the west for Volac and his prisoner to be noticed.

  Beelzebael's legion came through next and moved parallel to Luciferael's legion. Beelzebael was closer, but as Volac thought about it, why he should bring the prize of the day to a lesser Angel? He should bring it to the Prince of the Heavens, lord Luciferael. He just may have to be patient until Luciferael returned through this Heaven.

  “Where are we going?” asked Michael, surprised that Volac hadn't turned him over as a prisoner immediately and now forced him to sit on one of the more solid clouds near the entrance to the Fourth Heaven.

  “We shall go up into the Fifth Heaven and wait for Luciferael there. In the meantime, you are to be under constant guard.” A small squad of rebel Cherubim Angels passing through were stopped by Volac. They surrounded Michael as Volac spoke to their leader. After he was done they all began to move in unison towards the upper Heavens, Michael in the center of them all.

  “Why have you captured me, Volac? I thought you were a loyal Dominion Angel,” Michael asked Volac.

  Volac responded proudly, “I intend to be in the upper ranks of the Heavens once Luciferael becomes the Almighty. Capturing and turning you over will
remove any organized resistance to Luciferael and I am sure he will reward me greatly for assisting him conquer the Heavens and the Earth.”

  “Take him to the Hall of the Virtues,” Volac said to the Cherubim guards, “we can keep him with Ariel, one of the other Archangels.”

  Volac turned to Michael and said, “I am sure lord Luciferael will give you the opportunity to serve him rather than the Almighty. Although I can't imagine that you would willingly serve Luciferael when he becomes the Almighty.”

  “Truer words were never spoken!” Michael said to Volac. “I will remember this day, Volac, as should you. I intend to make sure that it will haunt you for a long, long time.”

  Raziel had been unable to stop the rout and realized that Michael and Volac had not followed him. As he searched the sky to find them, he noticed a group of rebel Cherubim Angels ascending through the entrance into the Fourth Heaven with Michael surrounded by them. The Cherubim’s weapons were aimed at Michael, with Volac flying alongside. Raziel wanted to attack the Cherubim guards and set Michael free, but there were ten of them and they were all properly armed. He wouldn't stand a chance to free Michael. Raziel decided to surreptitiously follow to find out where they were taking Michael. Then, he would try to assemble a group of loyal Angels to free him.

  Raziel followed them as they ascended up through the Fourth Heaven and then into the Fifth Heaven, home of the Virtues. This is where he had left Ariel. Maybe he could find out what happened to Ariel as well. Raziel watched as the Cherubim guards remained with Michael and placed him within the Hall of the Virtues. Not too far away, he saw that Ariel was also a captive, watched by four of the rebel Cherubim, yet far enough so Michael and Ariel could not speak to one another.

  Raziel needed help to free them. But how can he get back and forth between the Earth, where the majority loyal Angels were, and here? At least two of the Heavens below Raziel were under the control of Luciferael. They would easily pick off any squad that Raziel could bring. Raziel thought about his options. If he could not succeed in heading downward in the Heavens, what about heading above? Having been up in the upper Heavens only a couple of days before, Raziel knew there were not a lot of Angels who remained in the Sixth and Seventh Heavens. But he also was not sure if any of the loyal Angels remained free and would be able to assist him.

  The only Angel he knew to be up this high in the Heavens and loyal would be Jarahmael. He should be around somewhere. Raziel knew that Jarahmael would try to get his hands on the Crystal Prisms now hidden within his mirrors. And the risk of the rebel Angels taking over the Heavens would repulse Jarahmael. Jarahmael may be my only hope, Raziel thought. He needed to find him soon, as the loyal army was now without a proper head. Who knows what will happen to the loyal Angel armies on the Earth, once they find out that Michael is a prisoner or destroyed? They haven’t even assembled themselves into a functional fighting force, and without weapons and leadership, Luciferael will be the next Almighty, unopposed.

  Raziel watched as the rebel Angels bound Michael and kept him under Cherubim guard. There was nothing more that Raziel could do here, so it was time to take a chance and fly upwards. He flew quietly away from the Hall of the Virtues, staying out of sight and headed towards the upper Heavens, praying that he would find Jarahmael.

  Chapter 19

  ONE STEP AHEAD

  Jarahmael headed directly to the Throne Room. He had been able to dispatch the lead group of Luciferael's Cherubim, but he wouldn't be that lucky with more of them coming. He needed to get to those Books of the Almighty's in the Throne Room and secure them. He knew if Luciferael was able to gain control over those Books there would be no stopping him. Even if Faumiel had succeeded in getting the weapons he sent down to Michael and the others, the weapons would be meaningless against the power contained in those Books. He needed to move quickly before more of the rebel Angels arrived.

  Jarahmael had flown up to the Seventh Heaven as soon as he had been able to get free of Beelzebael and Suriel by feigning his own capture or destruction. He had been concerned about the Books as soon as he found out Luciferael was assembling an army in the Fifth Heaven. Jarahmael knew that these Books controlled a large portion of the Creation and were the tools that allowed the Angels to create and control all the life forms and things of substance in the Universe. He also wanted to make sure that Lillith remained safe in his palace here in the Seventh Heaven, for Luciferael and his rebel Angels intended to destroy all the Humans and Simians.

  As Jarahmael moved into the Throne Room and thought about it, those Books would allow any Angel to become almost as powerful if not equal to the Almighty. Luciferael had used the Book of Creation and was well aware of its existence and power. Jarahmael was not sure of the powers of the Book of Life, but surmised that it was as powerful as the Book of Creation as they were secured in the Throne itself, together. The Book of Life hidden even further from view at the Almighty’s instruction.

  Jarahmael thought about the predicament he placed himself in. Should have brought some of Zachiel’s loyal Cherubim along with me instead of coming alone. Now I am here in the Throne Room all by myself, trying to protect these Books. I will never be able to hold the rebel Angels back alone, he thought to himself. He had made sure the doors to the Throne Room were closed, but it would be easy enough for the rebels to get through them. And when they came through, he would find himself trapped with no unexposed way out.

  Jarahmael approached the Throne itself, the ornate altar composed of silver and gold images of Angels engraved around the cylinder. He knew the Book of Creation and the Book of Life should be lying within. Moving quickly, Jarahmael lifted the top cover off the pedestal and reached in to find the the Book of Creation, and reaching down further and sliding the door to the hidden compartment was the Book of Life as well. Jarahmael was relieved; Luciferael could have sent someone to secure the Books for him earlier. It would have been easy, as all of the Archangels both in and out of his Auxilium had mansions up here in the Seventh Heaven. Since Luciferael seemed to have had this rebellion planned, they could have easily grabbed the Books before they began their attacks.

  Reaching down into the open compartment within the Throne, Jarahmael pulled up one Book at a time, the Book of Creation and then the Book of Life. He could not help himself and had to take a moment to look at the two volumes. The Book of Creation had instructions, spells and commands to create anything in the Universe, while the Book of Life, at least according to what the Almighty had told him in his private audience with Him, dealt with the various life forms that were on the Earth, with a huge portion committed to dealing with the lives of the Humans. He could not help but wonder if Luciferael had any idea that there was a Book here that dealt with the Humans. He had not heard it ever mentioned by the Almighty or Luciferael in any of the morning ceremonies or in any conversations among the Angels. The Book still did not make much sense to him. But at least now, he finally had both of them in his hands.

  Damiel slipped quietly into the entrance to the Seventh Heaven, brushing aside the gigantic gate. He expected a great deal of resistance from loyal Archangels defending the place as he entered, but found no one around. Nor was there any sign of the Cherubim guards that Luciferael had sent up earlier. Damiel moved in further and saw the Throne Room ahead and paused. Better wait until the rest of his squadron of Angels arrived behind him. With just one Potentate Angel behind him he could take on a large group of lesser Angels, but it was important to get the Throne Room secure quietly, if possible. He had been given a special assignment by Luciferael, and that was to secure the Book of Creation in the Throne Room.

  A few moments later, the rest of his squadron of rebel Angels had arrived. The squadron was composed of a group of Dominion Angels and a small detachment of additional Potentates. The Potentates could provide energy and store energy from other Angels if required. They were pulsating behind him in bright full colors, indicating that they had large reserves of energy within them. Damiel indicated to them to
all move forward and they approached the mammoth Throne Room door cautiously and quietly. They needed to clear the way for Luciferael to occupy and control the Throne Room without delay. Damiel was wary of any traps and making sure there were none present or any loyal Angel defenders lurking about. Not finding any, Damiel decided to wait for the arrival of Luciferael himself before entering the Throne Room.

  Jarahmael was suddenly awash in light and looking up, he could see the hint of a golden glow in the skylight opening in the ceiling of the Throne Room directly above the pedestal. Luciferael must be arriving, he thought to himself. Only Luciferael had that tone of color and power to fill the sky like that. If Jarahmael was discovered standing there with the Books, he was sure Luciferael would capture him, if not worse. As far as the rebel Angels were concerned, Jarahmael was either captured or destroyed. He was sure they would take it upon themselves to end him once and for all, once they found out what he had been up to while supposedly dead or captured. Pushing that out of his mind, he focused again on what he was doing. He certainly did not want to leave any evidence that he had taken the Books. Luciferael and his minions would most assuredly hunt him down to get them.

  Acting quickly, Jarahmael then tore out the centers of each of the Books leaving only the covers. Reaching down, he fashioned new page sections out of the cloud-like floor material underneath the pedestal in his hands and then attached the Book covers. The golden light in the Throne Room grew brighter and he rushed, fumbling with the secret compartment that covered the Book of Life and it didn’t quite close properly. Running out of time, he slid the Book of Creation over the crack that was left, and quickly placed the top back onto the Throne. Hopefully, Luciferael would not move the Book of Creation and see that there was an additional Book hidden underneath. Above all Jarahmael hoped that Luciferael would not bother to verify the content of the Books. At least until Jarahmael could get the Books out of the Heavens. He had to count on Luciferael's pride to prevent him from even thinking that someone could have gotten to the Books before him, especially since he was conquering the Heavens so effectively. Jarahmael then carried the real, coverless Books and flew to the doors of the Throne Room. Jarahmael gently pushed the doors open slightly just as Luciferael's golden glow grew even brighter, preceding his descent into the Throne Room from the skylight opening above the Throne itself.