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

by John J Higgins

  “I don't know!” answered Gaardrael. Raziel shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he didn't know either.

  “Has anyone transported themselves through the pyramids before?” Raziel asked.

  “Yes!” said Jarahmael, with a slight grin growing on his face. “Three of us have, Lillith, Cerebriel, and myself. I know that these portals work and this one in particular. Oh yes, I almost forgot, Michael knows it too, as we used it together.”

  “Quickly then, let's get these portals open once again,” Raziel said.

  The group of Angels split up and went to the various passage ways within the pyramid. There were separate blocked passageways that they needed to open again for transportation. Fortunately, they still had some of the laser cutters up in the Garden of Eden that made the work quick and easy.

  As all of them were working on unblocking the passageways within the pyramid, Gaardrael asked Jarahmael, “Why are there so many portals here?”

  “This is the center hub in the Heavens for the pyramid systems on Earth. The Almighty intended that Adam and Eve colonize the Earth with their offspring, starting from the Garden of Eden. They would be able to travel from one continent to another and set up civilizations across the planet. The other pyramids are connected individually to the one in Aegyptus as well, but at this point I am unsure of what portals had been blocked according to the Almighty’s commands.”

  “All the more reason that we must protect this pyramid at all costs,” said Raziel. “It is good that you moved some of your Guardian Angels in here, Gaardrael. If Luciferael acquires access to this pyramid, he will be able to send legions all across the Earth simultaneously. And with his rebel Angels armed, he would be able to overcome all of the loyal Angels on the Earth and then all the Simians and Humans.”

  “It would be a disaster for our side,” added Gaardrael.

  “We have the element of surprise and the advantage of knowing about this system,” Jarahmael added. “For appearance’s sake and since we do not want an attack in the middle of the night, let’s take the stones that have been used to block the individual passageways to the portals and use them to block the main entranceway of the pyramid itself for now. That way, the rebel Angels will not wander in here and discover us or the passageways.”

  “Great idea,” said Raziel

  “Agreed,” said Gaardrael.

  During the night the group of Angels unblocked all of the nine passageways to the portals inside, took the stones and built up a stone wall blocking off the main outside entrance to the pyramid. It did, however, make for a long night as the Archangels and Guardian Angels worked together. By morning, they had finished blocking the entrance, and it was time for them to rest. From the outside of the pyramid there was a subtle difference in how the entranceway looked compared to the other construction, but it did look solid and as though it belonged there. The Angels inside hoped that the rebel Angels would not have any reason to look closely and just assume that the pyramid remained blocked off.

  Chapter 26

  REST

  Luciferael journeyed up through the Seven Heavens, elated that he was now the new Almighty. He had driven out all of the Angels loyal to the former Almighty. As he flew through each of the Heavens he could see members of his legions coming out of their formations to rest. They had been able to secure each of the Heavens in a very short time. With his wings stroking in long powerful thrusts through each of the Heavens, he felt stronger and stronger the closer he came to the Seventh Heaven. Surrounded by his Cherubim guards, he felt more magnificent as he flew. He was very much like the former Almighty, even though his Angelic guards were Cherubim and not the Seraphim and Thrones.

  It was already dark when he arrived in the Seventh Heaven and, although he wanted to go back into the Throne Room, he knew that Damiel had it secure. He wanted to have some rest in his own palace. As he landed in the entrance of his palace, he was happy to have returned home; this was one of his favorite places in the Universe. He knew he could build a bigger and better palace now that he was the new Almighty, but he wasn't sure he wanted to change anything about this one. Thinking about his palace, he wondered about the palaces of the Archangels who were loyal to the Almighty and who opposed him in his quest to rule the Heavens and the Earth.

  Calling his Cherubim guards to him, he ordered them to go to each of those Archangel's palaces and make sure that the Archangels had not returned somehow and were hiding in the Seventh Heaven. He did not want any surprises wrought by opposing Archangels. He also ordered the guards to report anything that was of interest in their palaces such as weapons, mirrors, etc. They did not need to waken him upon their return; whatever they found could wait until the morning. He then went and with the help of some of his guards he removed his armor and went to his own spacious bedroom to rest.

  The Cherubim guards split up and went to the seven loyal Archangels’ palaces. Each of the palaces was magnificent in its own right. But it was only Jarahmael’s palace that had anything of interest to Luciferael. It was Jarahmael who had created the mirror that Luciferael was the most proud of in his home.

  The Cherubim guard assigned to Jarahmael's palace landed and walked through the entrance way. He noticed a side hallway off to his left that did not look quite right, but there was nothing moving within it that would have made him investigate further. He walked deeper down the main hallway and then he came upon a door that was closed. All the others had been open, so now with his curiosity piqued, he pushed the door open and entered.

  The Cherubim guard found himself surrounded by fourteen mirrors. They were all set up in a circle that reflected back the image of anyone who stood in the center of that set of mirrors. He looked at his reflection in the mirrors and noted to himself that this would be of interest to Luciferael. He then left the room and searched the rest of Jarahmael's palace but did not find anything else worthwhile. Although he did have a strange feeling when he was walking near the entrance way that he was being watched. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but he still stopped and listened. There was no other sound or movement. It was late, and he had a long day and needed sleep. I am sure we will come back in the morning and can look further then, he thought. He then walked out to the entranceway and took off flying back to Luciferael's palace where all of Luciferael’s Cherubim guards were spending the night.

  Chapter 27

  DESPAIR

  Lillith had been alone in Jarahmael's palace for days now. There had not been any news, nor had any of the Angels come to visit her. The last contact she had with Jarahmael was when he left her after creating the invisible hallway. Jarahmael seemed concerned that other Angels would be coming to destroy her, but she had not seen anyone at all since Jarahmael, neither Angel or non-Angel. She had heard some noises coming from the direction of the Throne Room that was situated down and to the left of Jarahmael's palace, but she did not see anything actually happen there.

  As the days went by, she was growing concerned that she could may be stranded up here in Jarahmael's palace with no way of getting down from it. She was not an Angel, and so could not fly. She also did not know what would happen if she jumped from the height of the clouds that encompassed the palace itself. Even if she got down to the base of the Seventh Heaven, she had no idea of where to go from there.

  At least she was safe and taken care of in the palace. Jarahmael had set up a room within the invisible hallway for her that provided her with water and any other food she may want. So she was neither hungry nor thirsty. Besides, she always carried some of the Tree of Life with her, and with that she would never go hungry or die. She was, in fact, immune to the death decree of Adam and Eve since she had not disobeyed any of the commandments of the Almighty. She was the only true Human immortal.

  Jarahmael had told her that even though she was immortal, he had concerns about her safety, especially when he saw Luciferael assembling an army. He was not aware that the Almighty had Luciferael assembling an army, and there was some talk that t
he army would destroy the Simians and the Humans on the Earth. That also raised a question as to whether Luciferael was given some means of killing Adam and Eve, who had been immortal, the same as Lillith. Jarahmael was especially concerned that he had to leave her on her own because he would not be around to defend her. But he also knew that he had to go and attend to the problems that were occurring in the Heavens. He promised to return as soon as he could.

  Lillith also recalled her conversation with the Almighty when Jarahmael had first brought her up to the Seventh Heaven. The Almighty had asked if both she and Jarahmael were willing to do anything for Him, and they both agreed. He had told her that she would have to endure some loneliness and pain before things in the Universe would get better. All she had to do was trust in Him and Jarahmael and all would be right. Neither Jarahmael nor she knew what the Almighty was talking about, and He told each of them that He could not give them any more details about it, but that it would become obvious as events unfolded.

  Here she was on faith, alone and hidden in Jarahmael’s palace, hoping that Jarahmael was fine, that everything was all right in the Heavens and that he would soon return to her. She missed Jarahmael in ways she had never missed Adam. Often in the silence, she would imagine she heard something and that Jarahmael was finally returning to her.

  When the Cherubim guard had arrived in the middle of the night, she almost charged out of the invisible hallway, hoping that it was Jarahmael who had returned. She did see that there was something different about this Cherubim. She never particularly liked the Cherubim; there was coldness about them. Perhaps it was their animalistic appearance and qualities that made them frightening to her. She could not get rid of all her fear of them, even for Jarahmael’s friend, Cerebriel, who she had grown to like on many levels.

  She was glad she held herself back from revealing herself. The Cherubim seemed to be only interested in the rooms with the mirrors. He also seemed to know that she was around, and she watched him as he stopped and became silent, waiting to hear or sense her in the palace. But she stayed silent, and he eventually left.

  The mirror room raised her curiosity again and she went into it after the Cherubim had left to make sure he had not disturbed anything. She was able to look at herself from head to toe in the mirror and could not help but admire her own form. Her hair was silky blonde, with crystal blue eyes like the water in the streams in the Garden of Eden. She had white skin, soft but firm, perfect like the polished light-based walls in the palace, not a blemish or mark upon it. The Almighty made a beautiful creature, she thought to herself. She thought back when she and Jarahmael stood before these mirrors, how strikingly handsome he was with his long brown hair and intense blue eyes. For his part, he had a perfectly proportioned and muscular body, with an even firmer set of shoulders and back muscles from the long, smooth, feathered wings. He towered above her in height yet she never felt smaller than him or insignificant in any way in his presence. And how her body would melt for him when they made love. It was nothing like the crude animalistic way of Adam, this Angel gave her immense pleasure from even his touch. She missed that so much. Where was he and why hadn't he returned when she wanted to scream aloud in the empty palace? She was only answered by more silence. Better get back to the invisible hallway, she thought, and get some rest. Who knows? Maybe the arrival of the frightening Cherubim meant that Jarahmael was on his way back to her.

  She walked back to the invisible hallway near the entrance, but took a moment to look out once again across the Seventh Heaven's skies and made a wish and said a small prayer to the Almighty that her Jarahmael would return in the morning. She slipped back and safely tucked herself into the hallway, went to her room and slept.

  Chapter 28

  PORTALS

  Jarahmael and Raziel awoke refreshed, still hidden in the pyramid located in the Garden of Eden. Gaardrael and his small detachment of Guardian Angels had slept there as well. They had slept well into the day, having been up most of the night before, hiding the pyramid’s entranceway with stones. They heard voices approaching the pyramid that grew louder the closer they came. Jarahmael put his fingers to his lips to make sure that they all stayed quiet within the structure. Getting up against the wall, he could hear rebel Angels talking as they walked past. The rebel guards were searching for any stragglers from the loyal Guardian Angel legions.

  Jarahmael was concerned that they might determine that the entrance had been blocked up overnight, but the guards walked past without any alarm or investigating further. After their voices faded off in the distance, Jarahmael turned to his companions and said, "We must have done a good job. They haven't noticed that the entrance has been blocked up. We need to see if we can get the portals working, and we may be able to open up a pipeline between the Garden of Eden and the Earth."

  "You said you have used the portals before, lord Jarahmael?" Raziel asked.

  "Yes, when I was trying to find Lillith. She had run away from Adam and used the portals to travel to the Earth and around the planet."

  Jarahmael thought about how he had to spend another day without seeing her, despite wanting to be near her again, and make love to her. He really wished he could have found a way to have brought her with him and moved her out of the Seventh Heaven. But trying to bring her along with him would have slowed him down and increased the chances of both of them being caught. And once the rebel Angels found out how he felt about her, they could use her as leverage against him to make him do their bidding. Even if he cooperated, there was no guarantee that Luciferael and his rebel Angels would not destroy her or done far worse. He knew that he had made the right choice, and that she was safer in his palace for the time being.

  His thoughts were interrupted by Raziel. "Which portal goes to the one in Aegyptus?" asked Raziel. "We at least know that one is still open. Shouldn't that be the first pyramid we go to?"

  Jarahmael walked down the hall to the first passageway on the right. "It's this one. I think we should go there first too. Hopefully, Michael and Ariel made it there by now and we can begin to make plans to counterattack."

  "Do you think Luciferael will continue to attack?" asked Gaardrael.

  Jarahmael eyes glazed over in thought before he spoke. “He has made a steady and incessant attack through all of the Heavens. I am sure he will continue to attack, and move the war to the Earth as soon as possible. Though with all the fighting that has gone on for the past few days, and with Luciferael having driven the loyal Angels out of Heaven, he may take a day or two to secure his victory and gather up whatever stragglers are in the Heavens and confine them. Once he has them confined, they can no longer be a threat to him and he will not have any more distractions. Perhaps we will get lucky and he will allow his troops to rest for a day before going on the final assault. This may give us the time we need to get properly prepared for his next onslaught.”

  "Will that be enough time?” asked Raziel.

  "It will have to be," responded Jarahmael as he turned to walk down the portal heading towards the Earth. "Lord Raziel and lord Gaardrael, I think the two of you should stay here with the detachment of Guardian Angels. We need to keep this pyramid secure. I will send for you as soon as I know more about the status of our loyal forces around the Earth. And I promise to send you replacements and reinforcements as soon as I can. I believe that the pyramid here is safe and will not be disturbed for a few days, as the rebel forces have little knowledge about its potential and I suspect they will attack in the way they know and are the most comfortable with. I am sure they will want to stream down in a great attack right from the Heavens into the Earth's skies. The rebel guards who had just passed by didn't seem the least bit concerned that anyone was hiding in here. That should give us the element of surprise when the time comes."

  Jarahmael then took his leave, turned and went down to the portal. A quick flash of light illuminated the passageway and then he was gone.

  Gaardrael took over as Jarahmael had left. "Better make sure we
are all in good positions in case the rebel Angels do discover how to the use the pyramid or that we are in it. Everyone duck into one of the passageways and stay alert! Keep talking and any other noise to a minimum. Let's not give ourselves away. "

  Chapter 29

  NEW PLANS

  Michael and Ariel received a warm welcome when they flew down through the Earth’s skies towards the pyramid. The legions of refugee loyal Angels that surrounded the area around the Aegyptian pyramid cheered when the two Archangels arrived just before sunset. Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael had thought them to have been captured, destroyed, or permanently cut-off from them after Luciferael's legions cast out the remaining defenders of the First Heaven.

  All the loyal Angels felt that Michael was now their leader. Luciferael had become distant to many of them as Michael became closer to them. As time had gone by, they felt that Michael acted more as a personal agent for the Almighty, not someone with his own agenda and who was replacing the Almighty. Unfortunately, when Michael went missing and the loyal Angels were driven out of the Heavens, the loyal Angels became disheartened and believed all was lost. Now that the Heavens were in the hands of Luciferael and his group of rebel Archangels, it was up to Michael to revive their spirits and give them hope. They all needed to pull together and defeat Luciferael and his rebel Angels if they would ever have a chance of joy again, because they knew they would become slaves to the rebels’ whims under the rule of Luciferael and his Auxilium.