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

by John J Higgins

  The rest of the Guardian Angels routed in a panic to get out of the First Heaven and onto the Earth, still hoping that they had bought enough time for Michael and his forces to construct defenses on Earth strong enough to stop Luciferael's advance. In the midst of the confusion of the rout, a band of loyal Angels broke off and made a fast escape unnoticed, headed towards the interior of the First Heaven – right towards the Garden of Eden.

  Gaardrael led this band of loyal Guardian Angels directly to the pyramid in the Garden of Eden, where they took up defensive positions within the structure. He knew that the pyramids were important and wanted to do his best to keep all of them out of Luciferael’s clutches.

  The bulk of the invading rebel Angels passed by the pyramid, as they were not concerned with it at the moment; there would be plenty of time later to deal with stragglers when clearing out the pyramid and the rest of the First Heaven. Gaardrael and his band were safe for now. The rebel legions were more concerned with driving the major force of the Guardians out of the Heaven altogether and getting into position for the rebel attacks upon the Earth to follow. Gaardrael and his loyal Guardian Angels quickly put themselves into positions guarding the portal passageways, but they knew they could not hold long without real weapons, or more reinforcements.

  Beelzebael's legion had broken through the defenses of loyal forces with Beelzebael and Luciferael at the head of the legion, and they found themselves in the upper skies of the Earth. Luciferael held the legions back, as he wanted to relish this moment. He had succeeded in his rebellion and was now the conqueror of all of the Almighty's Heavens. It was late in the day and his rebel forces had fought well. Luciferael felt it would be good to take a breather from the fighting.

  Luciferael was extremely confident. He had just come from visiting a captured Archangel Michael locked away safely in the Hall of the Virtues in the Fifth Heaven along with the loyal Archangel Ariel. The loyal Archangels were therefore down two Archangels, one of whom had always been the leader of the loyal Angels. Counting that the Archangel Jarahmael had disappeared early in the fighting as a casualty, the loyal Angels were really short three of their seven Archangels.

  Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, and Raziel were more messengers than creative Archangels who thought for themselves. Luciferael also knew he had the majority of weapons and from what he had seen from the battlefields and the captives, the loyal Angels did not have any weapons, or only an extremely limited number of them, probably scavenged from the battles, or captured rebel Angels, he thought. Yes, the war had gone well. It would be good to rest for a day or two and consolidate the Heavens. He would now be able to sit on the Throne in the Seventh Heaven as his own, not as a surrogate who filled in the seat for someone else.

  Beelzebael interrupted his thoughts and said, “Congratulations, my lord Luciferael, you are now conqueror of the Heavens!” Beelzebael bowed before him, both of them still flying in the skies over the Earth.

  “Thank you, Beelzebael! You have been of great assistance in this most deserved of victories. The Beings of Light are finally back in control of their own Heavens and palaces. This is but a beginning in what will be a glorious future for all of us.”

  “Do you wish us to continue the attack, my lord? We have them on the run. See them. . . all scattering flying this way and that, off to the surface of the Earth,” Beelzebael said gleefully as he pointed in the various directions.

  “No, not for now, Beelzebael. We have plenty of time to deal with the loyal Angel forces that remain on the Earth. From my estimation it will be impossible for them to reconquer the Heavens. We still need to decide what to do with those Angels that were loyal to the Almighty in this rebellion and who will always remain loyal to the Almighty. The ones who will not change their allegiance to my position as the new Almighty. They cannot remain in our midst. And I would like to have suggestions about what to do with them from you and my other faithful Archangels.”

  “Yes, my lord. Should I have the other Archangels brought here to discuss this?”

  “No. I am going to return up to the Seventh Heaven. Solidify the position of your legions here. Then have the other Archangels from the Auxilium join me in the Throne Room, first thing in the morning. At that time we can discuss what to do with the remaining loyal Angels that remain scattered within the conquered Heavens and the other Angels, loyal to the Almighty, that are on the Earth.”

  “Do you want me to make preparations to attack the loyal Angels who are now on the Earth before I leave?"

  Luciferael put his arm over Beelzebael's shoulder. “No, old friend. You have done enough fighting for now. Those forces are in massive disarray and unarmed. I doubt there is much that they could do against us now that we have the Heavens if they had a thousand days to prepare, much less only a few. Come, order your lieutenants to get the legions in position along the First Heaven, send some messengers out to the other Archangels and then get some rest. See me first thing tomorrow morning with the rest of the Auxilium.”

  “Yes, my lord Luciferael. I will be there in the morning.”

  Luciferael then flew off, headed back up through the Heavens with a squad of Cherubim Angels following him, just like the entourage would follow the Almighty.

  Chapter 24

  EXPECTATIONS

  Faumiel and his band had finally made it with his cache of weapons into the skies over the Earth, and when he saw another Cherubim dropping out of the sky, aimed at him, he thought that all was lost. He was afraid that Glabolas and the other rebel Cherubim who had been pursuing them since they left the Sixth Heaven had finally managed to cut them off. The Cherubim almost landed directly on top of Faumiel. As Faumiel instinctively drew his sword, he realized that there were not two hundred rebel Cherubim Angels attacking his group, but that this Cherubim was alone. As he looked more closely, he realized that it was only Dubriel who had come to rejoin them.

  Rather than attack Faumiel with a weapon, the Cherubim tapped his arm and said as he laughed, “Dubriel here. How can I help?”

  Faumiel was relieved but still concerned about this last leg to get the weapons safely to the Angels loyal to the Almighty on the Earth. He knew he would need some time after landing to access the weapons on the sleds and to arm enough loyal Angels to successfully defeat the pursuing rebel Cherubim, who would land immediately behind them.

  He also realized that he was going to have to make sure that all the pursuers were captured. If any of the pursuing rebel Angels escaped back into the Heavens they could inform Luciferael as to the exact location where the weapons had gone. All Luciferael had to do then would be to concentrate his forces on that area, defeat the loyal Angels there first and then reclaim the weapons. The larger force of loyal Angels would again be deprived of any weapons to defend themselves.

  Faumiel knew that Aegyptus was the closest location for him to land with the weapons. But it was also the closest place for Luciferael’s rebel Angels to attack from above. And, if Cerebriel had a large force there, the pursuing Cherubim would only have to observe him land there with the weapons, and then turn around and get Luciferael’s legions to attack immediately. Faumiel would not have any opportunity to capture Glabolas and his contingent and the rebels would be warned. These circumstances forced Faumiel to decide not to land at Aegyptus with the weapons but to bait Glabolas to follow him to another location further away on the Earth.

  Faumiel turned to Dubriel and said, “I have decided to head to your old worksite, the pyramid at Occidentus. It’s far enough away that Glabolas will have to follow me for a distance and allow us some time to get organized to capture him and all of his Cherubim. The time we spend traveling may allow us to get to Cerebriel and the others to prepare some kind of defense for us, before we are overrun by this larger force. I want you to drop out of formation and fly ahead. See what you can do to get us reinforcements and assistance to be ready at Occidentus.”

  Faumiel continued, “Inform Cerebriel that we need assistance and I am concerned that if th
ese rebel Angels who follow us are not captured, they will return to Luciferael or Beelzebael and tell them exactly where I have taken the weapons. I hope that by heading to the other end of the Earth that he will stay in pursuit and that Cerebriel can intercept and capture them before they can report. Hurry now, Dubriel, and go!”

  “Yes, Faumiel,” Dubriel said as he dropped down from the sky without using his wings, ducking behind some clouds as he dove. This way he would not be seen when the pursuing rebel Cherubim followed in pursuit through the Earth's skies.

  Faumiel then shouted to the other Angels, “We go to the pyramid at Occidentus. Fly as fast and sure as you can. We need to buy some time to prepare for battle once we land.”

  His fellow loyal Cherubim would be able to see any pursuers approach the pyramid on Occidentus as it was on an island and surrounded by water. Until he got closer to his destination, the pursuing Angels would still not be sure where Faumiel was headed with the weapons. That way Glabolas could not send a messenger back to Luciferael with the location of these weapons and where they should attack. There were a few pyramids on that continent, one in Chinaeus and another in Indigus. Even knowing the general direction they were flying would not be enough for Glabolas to determine where Faumiel was headed. Not at least until he dropped down to Occidentus. And he could do that at the last moment.

  After a while Faumiel and his weapon bearers were approaching the pyramid on Occidentus from far above. Looking back, he could see Glabolas and the rebel Cherubim closing in on him. He didn't want to get too far ahead of them, as he needed to lure them closer. He hoped that once he landed that they would continue to follow him, rather than break off and report back to Luciferael and the others.

  Faumiel indicated to his group that it was time to drop down to the pyramid below. The rebel Cherubim were still closing in fast. Faumiel’s Cherubim descended at an ever increasing rate, and then just two hundred feet above the pyramid began to slow themselves down. As they neared the entrance of the pyramid, they slowed down even more, while Glabolas and his troop closed the distance. Faumiel looked at the sky behind the rebel Cherubim, hoping that Cerebriel had gotten his message and was in pursuit. But there was no sign of Cerebriel and his loyal Cherubim in the skies behind them, nor was there any sign of loyal angels on the ground below Faumiel to help him. Faumiel’s plan had failed.

  Chapter 25

  PREPARING AGAINST HOPE

  Michael and Jarahmael watched from one of the clouds as Luciferael and his entourage ascended back through the First Heaven. Raziel and Ariel watched from another neighboring cloud. As soon as Luciferael passed by, Jarahmael motioned for the other two Archangels to come over to where he and Michael were standing.

  “Luciferael has left. Must mean they broke through to the Earth and have conquered all of the Heavens,” Jarahmael said sadly. He looked directly at Michael and said, “We need to get you to the surface of the Earth to lead the legions there.” Jarahmael was concerned about Michael and hoped he would return to being himself. Despite Jarahmael freeing him, Michael had been withdrawn after being captured by Luciferael and Sammuael. Michael needed to lead the loyal Angels and to be in top form.

  Jarahmael continued, “Hopefully, Cerebriel has been organizing the rest of the Cherubim and Raphael, Uriel and Gabriel have been able to assemble legions from the other Orders of Angels working on the pyramids.” Jarahmael looked off into the distance, where the gateway of the First Heaven intersected with the skies over the Earth. “I hope that Faumiel succeeded in getting those weapons down to Cerebriel and the others. It was a long and dangerous trip from the Cathedral of the Cherubim in the Sixth Heaven to down there on Earth. I sent him days ago and tried to get him out of the occupied Heavens as best I could.”

  Raziel said, “It’s a good sign that we have not bumped into Faumiel or any of his Cherubim, or seen them captured. Remember, lord Jarahmael, you and I have been up and down the Heavens extensively in the past couple of days.”

  “True, lord Raziel,” acknowledged Jarahmael. “But we are far from finished. We still have more work ahead of us.”

  Jarahmael turned to Ariel. “Lord Ariel, I want you to go with lord Michael and sneak into the Earth's skies. It's getting late and if Luciferael has gone back up into the upper Heavens, I suspect there will not be any attacks on the Earth today. And his rebel Angels are probably celebrating their victory and will not be worried about someone slipping through and heading towards the Earth. Gives us the perfect opportunity to get lord Michael back to the legions of loyal Angels!”

  Jarahmael looked off to the west in the First Heaven and could see the Garden of Eden situated there. The Pillar of Fire was still burning between the Garden of Eden and the Earth, set there by the Almighty to keep Earth creatures including Adam and Eve out of the Garden. The fire seemed so much smaller from this distance, Jarahmael thought to himself.

  After a moment he continued. “Lord Raziel, you and I are going to slip back into the Garden of Eden and get into the pyramid there if we can. I don't think Luciferael and his minions understand how the pyramids work and we need to keep them safe at all costs. I am hoping we will be able to communicate with the loyal Angels on the Earth through them.”

  Michael, Raziel and Ariel all looked at Jarahmael and felt reassured that things would be all right. The three of them realized that Jarahmael had grown so much in the days of this war. No one before the rebellion would have suspected that Jarahmael would have turned out to be such a crafty warrior. Much less Jarahmael himself. Michael had always been the leader under Luciferael, but Jarahmael proved himself quite resourceful, traveling extensively among the rebels and the rebel-occupied Heavens. He overcame any obstacle that he encountered and was even able to free both Michael and Ariel.

  Jarahmael looked back at his three Archangel compatriots and said, “We need to go, there is still much to do. Pull yourselves together, will you?”

  “Yes, lord Jarahmael!” said Michael as he and Ariel dropped out of the cloud and headed towards the gateway between the First Heaven and the Earth below. They saw an opening off to the left, obscured from view by the remnants of the defenses put up by Gaardrael and his Guardian Angels before their defeat.

  Jarahmael waited until he saw that Michael and Ariel succeeded in getting through to the Earth's skies. He then turned grabbed Raziel by the arm. “Come, let’s get to the pyramid over there. Quietly! Let's glide!”

  Dusk was falling upon the skies of the First Heaven, making it easy for the two Archangels to stay concealed as they glided gracefully towards the pyramid in the distance. Silently, they glided and landed inside the entrance of the pyramid. Jarahmael lifted the tips of his wings and stalled slightly just as he landed, without making the slightest sound. Raziel came in behind him and tried to mimic Jarahmael's stall but was not as graceful and landed with his sword clattering. The noise gave his position away, and four of the Guardian Angels jumped out from within the pyramid and surrounded Raziel before he could pull out the sword. Gaardrael come out from one of the passageways armed with one of the laser cutters and was aiming at directly at Raziel.

  Jarahmael had remained hidden and quickly disarmed Gaardrael before he could move another step closer or use the tool on Raziel. Jarahmael called out to the Guardian Angels surrounding Raziel, “We are friend not foes! Jarahmael and Raziel, Archangels loyal to the Almighty!”

  Fortunately, the Guardian Angels were stunned by the quickness of Jarahmael's maneuvers and did not have an opportunity to harm Raziel. A few moments passed as the Guardian Angels and Raziel regained their composure. Jarahmael, in the meantime, helped Gaardrael get himself together. “Sorry, lord Gaardrael, I was afraid you were going to hurt my brother Archangel,” Jarahmael said, still brushing Gaardrael off.

  Gaardrael turned and looked at Jarahmael and said, “You were much faster than I expected, Archangel. Thanks be to the Almighty you were a friend and not one of the rebel Archangels!” And after regaining himself further he added, “I am so
glad you are here. Did you bring reinforcements?”

  “No, sorry lord Gaardrael. This is the best I could do at the moment. We did manage though to get Michael and Ariel freed. They should be arriving on Earth any moment now.”

  Gaardrael nodded in understanding. “If you are always this fast, lord Jarahmael, we have a formidable ally here already. Welcome to you, too, lord Raziel,” he added, looking over at the other Archangel, still amazed over their arrival.

  “Is this pyramid in Eden clear of rebel Angels?” Jarahmael asked Gaardrael as he waved his arm in the air to encompass the structure of the pyramid.

  “Yes, my lord Jarahmael, we have searched the entire structure. Nothing seems disturbed. And I kept an eye during the battle to see if any group of rebel Angels entered the pyramid.”

  “Did they?” asked Jarahmael with some concern.

  “No, I did not see any of them enter the pyramid at all,” Gaardrael responded.

  “Good. Luciferael and his other Angels must not realize how the pyramids are connected,” Jarahmael emphasized.

  Jarahmael then continued, “We will need to remove the stones put to block the passage ways that were inserted after Adam and Eve were cast out of here in the Garden of Eden. As soon as it gets a little darker out, let's work on that. It will give us all an escape route if we need it.” He then grew quiet for a few moments and then said, “If we can transport ourselves to the pyramids on Earth from here, why can't we transport Angels and weapons to here from a pyramid on Earth?”