Angel Warrior: The Complete Series

by Immortal Angel

  “I agree.” I have my suspicions, but now is not the time.

  “Follow us,” Zakiel instructs me, “and don’t hit any of the portals.”

  For the first time, I look down at the planet. The surface is mostly covered in water, and the atmosphere has a purple tint to it. But its alien beauty is marred by large holes that sit at random places above the larger islands.

  “What are those?” I ask.

  “Portals from the hell dimension.” He answers sadly.

  “What?” I should have known after he warned me to avoid them, but I didn’t know they could do that. “They always close immediately on Earth.”

  He sighs. “Somehow they’ve found a way to keep them open. Some of our warriors have died going through to the other side, trying to close them.”

  All of the islands are devoid of people. “Where is everyone?”

  “Hiding underground. Every time they emerge, the demons attack.”

  As if on cue, several demons swoop through the closest portal, riding on small devices like mini air scooters. They close in on us with purpose. – but they don’t have these on earth?

  “They can fly here, too?” I dodge one as he shoots a web-looking thing at me. “What the hell is THAT?”

  “Fuck. Let’s go faster.” He swoops down at full speed, carrying Cas and landing on one of the smaller islands in the vast ocean.

  I turn and fly backwards for the last part, trying to flick away another web with my wing. But the web sticks to it.

  Zak places his hand on the door of the domed house in front of us. It opens instantly and we all tumble inward. One of the demons lands his scooter and tries to run in behind us. I kick him back out the door just as it closes. I hear the demon claw and pound at the outside, trying to open it.

  I shake my wing, trying to remove the web.

  “Don’t do that,” Zakiel warns. “I have a solution that will remove it.”

  “These demons are a lot worse than the ones on Earth.” I comment as he pulls a bottle from a shelf in the entryway.

  He doesn’t answer, but focuses on pouring the solution sparingly and separating the sticky web from my wing.

  When he’s finished, I gingerly move my wing, furling and unfurling it. “Where did they learn to make that?”

  Zak shrugs. “They have those and a lot of other technological devices you don’t want to find out about. Follow me, quickly.”

  “Why haven’t they brought them to Earth?”

  Zak shakes his head. “We honestly don’t know. We think maybe their power source is located somewhere near here. Or their technology won’t work on Earth for some other reason.”

  Gillian would know. Or she would figure it out. My heart feels heavy. I miss my little scientist.

  He glances over at me. “Now maybe you can understand why Michael was so desperate to take the machine.”

  I do understand. But I also understand that whatever happened here can happen to Earth just as easily. It hits me how much we actually need Gillian. Whoever has her can win the war. And spend eternity with her.

  Zakiel leads us down a spiral staircase, strangely reminiscent of his safehouse on Earth. Of course it would be.

  Couches are set out in a circle around a large carpet, mirroring the circular walls of the dome. There are smaller rooms which branch off to the back of the dome. A vaulted ceiling and small slits in the side of the dome let in natural light, and give a feeling of spaciousness. Rather than swords on the wall and Asian décor, there are different daggers on these walls and the paintings feature the strange, archangel symbols.

  When he reaches the bottom of the staircase, his arms open wide. “Welcome to Celeron. I wish it were under better circumstances.”

  Cas steps forward and clasps his shoulder. “It’s beautiful. Even still.”

  Zakiel smiles gratefully at him.

  “Is this Michael’s house?”

  “No.” He gives a rare, genuine smile. “It’s mine.”

  I stop in surprise. I should have known he had a house here. Angels with gold-tipped wings are from Celeron, dummy. I chide myself. Why do I keep thinking we’re all from Earth?

  Maybe it’s because we’re all angels.

  I can see the bottom is clear, allowing us to see the many creatures swimming in the ocean below.

  “This is incredible.” Cas enthuses. “You must bring us back here again.”

  Zakiel nods.

  “It is lovely. But why are we here?” With every second that ticks by, I feel more urgent. “Gillian is with those demons, and I think time is of the essence.”

  “I should have explained.” Zakiel walks to a large glass-looking tube. “We can only get to the center of the planet from inside one of the domes. It’s under the ocean.” He presses a button and it opens. “After you, gentlemen.”

  I step into the tube, and am instantly sucked downward. I see the floor of the dome, then I’m surrounded on all sides by ocean. The suction isn’t extremely strong, so I travel at a comfortable speed.

  After a while, I see the bottom of the ocean approach. It’s coming fast enough that I cringe as I get to it, but I go straight down through it. I land on my feet in an enormous cave.

  The space is enormous. I step out of the way and Cas, then Zakiel land behind me. I take in the wide, open space. The décor is mostly the natural stone of the cave, but there are columns holding up the center at regular intervals, decorated with more of the swirling Celeronian symbols. Lights are placed at regular intervals, they give a kind of glow to the space rather than a harsh glare.

  Zakiel doesn’t waste any time. “This way.” He starts at a quick stride to the other side of the cave and down a corridor, and stops before the first door on the left. “Michael is probably in a meeting with the council. Let me do the talking.”

  We enter to see Michael sitting at the head of a long table, the machine in the center.

  “Zakiel. What are you doing here?” His eyes narrow at Cas and I and he points to the door. “Get out.”

  Zak holds up his hands for peace. “Gillian has been taken by demons to the underworld. We need your help to rescue her.”

  Michael shakes his head and slams his fist down on the table. “We’re in enough trouble here, if you hadn’t noticed.” He gestures upwards. He looks at Zakiel condescendingly. “There are enough of us helping Earth. I’m not leaving to help a human now.”

  Zakiel steps toward him. “Michael, you’re the only one who can help us, and you know why.” He turns to the others at the table. “We’ve never turned down another planet in need of help.”

  One of the other archangels at the table stands. “You’re right. And now that we are in trouble, no one has come to help us.”

  Zakiel shakes his head. “You know that’s not true. But no one knows how. No other people are as strong as we are.”

  “That’s right.” Michael rises. “And now we can help ourselves. With the help of this device.” He gestures to the machine.

  I step forward. “I bet you can’t even turn that thing on.”

  Zakiel gives me a meaningful glare, but I can’t be silent now.

  Michael’s eyes narrow in hatred.

  “How did you know?” one of the other archangels asks.

  “Because Gillian has the power supply. She told me before she was kidnapped.”

  The other angels all look at Michael, and he raises his hands. “How was I supposed to know the device needed a separate power source?” He glares at me. “Your human is more of a pain in the ass than you can imagine.”

  “I don’t know. It looks to me like she’s made a device that will save your world. And all you need to do is save her to get your power source back.”

  Michael’s clenches his jaw and slams his fist down on the table. “Silence, human.” His voice is filled with disdain. But then he realizes even his own people are looking at him expectantly. He grinds his teeth. He slams his fist on the table again, but this time it splits, the crack running
along the entire length. “Fuck. You want help? I’ll help you.”

  “No, Michael!” I hear Zak protest as the council room begins to fade away.

  “Too late. It’s done.” The satisfaction in Michael’s voice makes my insides quake in fear.

  What’s done?

  5

  Gillian

  “It’s time for dinner.” Xion’s voice breaks through my concentration.

  I’m about halfway through building the receiver, with Xion’s help. He hasn’t been talking much, just sitting quietly, helping when possible. To my surprise, his knowledge of electronics and circuitry are extensive.

  “You can go without me.” I really want to get this machine built.

  He touches my arm, and I don’t even flinch. I’m getting used to the pull between us. Maybe I’ll get to the point where I can ignore it. “You need to eat. And my father is expecting us.”

  I set down the piece I’m working on. “I don’t really care what your father expects. I don’t want to please him, or you.”

  I try to pick the piece back up, but he places his hand over it with enough force that it slams back down on the bench.

  “You’re coming to dinner. It wasn’t a request.” He leans into me and whispers gruffly in my ear. “And you will be courteous and pleasant to my father. Or you will find out what it’s like to really be spanked by a demon. All night. In my bed.”

  I pull back. “You can’t seriously think I’m going to share a bed with you.”

  “You can’t seriously think you have a choice.” He counters. He runs his hand down to the small of my back, brushing his thumb over my spine. “Any choice you do have depends on your behavior at dinner. So I’d try really hard to be pleasing.”

  By the time he’s finished, I’m trembling with a mixture of fear, rage, and desire I’m trying to ignore. I need to get away from this demon. Where are you, Brion?

  I slam down my screwdriver. “Fine. I can be pleasing.” I throw him a fake smile, full of malice.

  “You can think what you want, but watch your mouth. I’m not kidding about the spanking.”

  I realize I do need to watch my mouth. You’re not going to have an excuse to touch me again.

  Xion keeps his hand on the small of my back as we exit the lab. He leads me down the hall toward the main entrance, and then guides me through the last door on the right before the staircase. To my surprise, there is a banquet laid out on a grand dinner table. The King sits at the head of the table, and Xion leads me to the chair on his left. He pulls out the chair for me and makes sure I’m seated comfortably before taking the chair on his father’s right.

  The king turns to me, “Have you enjoyed your afternoon?”

  I want to snark at him, but Xion catches my eye. “Yes.” I choke out.

  We begin to eat, passing dishes to each other. I haven’t had a meal like this in a long time. It feels almost like a holiday meal. I wonder what they do if it is usually just the two of them, but I find myself hesitant to ask. They seem happy now, and from the lines on the king’s face, I have the feeling that’s a rarity. For the first time, I wonder. Where is Xion’s mother?

  We chat about the weather, the waterfall, the beauty of the view. Then the moistness of the chicken, the fragrance of the rice. The flavor of the vegetables.

  But all of it is irrelevant. Unimportant. As I quench my hunger, I find that I’m having more difficulty quelling my questions. I finally set down my fork. “Why do you build portals to Earth?”

  Xion looks taken aback, but the king nods his head patiently. “We build the portals so we can remember what it’s like to be human.”

  “But why?” I press.

  He also sets down his fork, and takes a sip of wine. “In the Heaven dimension, over time, the vibration of the souls goes higher and higher.”

  “Okay…”

  “Well, in Hell it goes lower and lower.”

  “So…?”

  “…it’s important for us to visit earth as often as possible,” the king finishes for me.

  “Why does that matter?”

  “It allows our souls to remember what it was like to be human, and raises our vibration.”

  “But we don’t have many portals, so the waiting line is long.” Xion explains.

  “When was the last time you went to Earth?” I ask him.

  The king reaches over and clasps his shoulder. “My son is different. He was born here, so he doesn’t need to go to Earth to remember. His vibration always stays the same.”

  “Huh?” I feel like this is all a puzzle that doesn’t quite fit.

  His dad gives me a meaningful glare. “He isn’t a demon. He never lived, and he never died. Not the way everyone else here did.”

  And that’s when it hits me. He didn’t do a crime. Xion shouldn’t be here.

  The king looks back at me. “That is how it will be for you, as well. The One who makes the choice doesn’t follow the normal rules. Her vibration won’t lower.”

  “My vibration won’t lower anyway if she chooses Heaven.” I retort.

  “Ah, back to that.” Xion sets down his fork angrily and his eyes narrow. “Heaven is the easy choice. Why not? You can live with an angel. He’s good. He doesn’t push you. You don’t have to be someone more than you are.” He frowns bitterly. “You’ve only known him for a couple of days. And already you’re ready to spend eternity with him. What do you know? He’s new. Young. What does he know about leading people? About sacrifice?” Xion’s voice rises and he gestures to the room around him. “I’ve been the prince for a thousand years. I could have left at any time. Could have lived on Earth, even gone to heaven. But every time I wanted to, I understood that I was doing something more by being here. Something important to all these souls who are stuck here, unable to find their way out.”

  When he finishes, I realize my mouth is open in shock. I snap it shut. For the first time, I have nothing to say. I don’t even want to yell at him for bringing me here.

  We finish our dinner in silence, then Xion escorts me back to my suite.

  “This is your suite.” He gestures to the door.

  I’m relieved that we don’t have to fight about where I’m going to sleep. But now I have so many questions. Before opening my door, I turn and really look at him for the first time. How was Xion born in Hell? “How old are you?”

  He gives me a guarded glance. “Why?”

  “Your father said you were born here. I was just wondering how old you were.”

  “I’m nine hundred and ninety nine years old tomorrow.” He grins ruefully. “You’ve arrived just in time for my birthday celebration.”

  He lifts my hand and kisses the back of it. A frisson of awareness shoots up my arm, but I ignore it, needing to be alone as soon as possible.

  I open the door to my suite, closing and locking it behind me. I hear him laughing in the hall. “That lock will do nothing against me, my little angel.”

  Thanks for making me feel safe, asshole. I lean against the inside of the door, trying to still my swirling thoughts.

  A thousand years ago, his mother was the last One. I’m sure of it. She chose the dark side. She loved the King.

  And the worst part of all is I can almost understand why.

  6

  Brion

  Suddenly, I’m standing in a throne room, about halfway down the hundreds of tiny steps that lead to the throne. I would think it was Peter’s throne room, except for the wall of windows behind the throne that look out onto the largest waterfall I’ve ever seen.

  And in front of the throne stands the Gillian and the demon prince, flanked on the left and right by the four archdemons. Xion has his arm around her possessively. My vision turns red for a moment.

  Just then, Zak appears to my right, and Cas on my left.

  “What the hell happened?” Cas asks.

  “I guess Michael sent us straight to Hell by ourselves.” Zakiel answers angrily. “Figures.”

  We only have the el
ement of surprise for so long. I pull out my dagger and fly at them as fast as I can. The other two match me, Cas taking the two demons on the right, Zak taking the two on the left. I swoop over the top of them and grab Gillian, the prince missing me with his dagger by millimeters. He roars in anger.

  “Thank god you’re here,” she says, “Let’s get out of here while we can.”

  I swoop around and see Cas and Zak. It’s obvious that the four archdemons are going to get the better of them. Quickly.

  She looks into my eyes. “No, Brion. Don’t do it. There’s no way you three can win against five of them. And I don’t want to lose you, too.”

  I break one of the glass windows behind the throne, watching the shards fall into the water below. I place her on one of the outcroppings of rock. It will be impossible for the demons to get to her here, but she can still see into the throne room.

  I pull out a pendant from my pocket. It’s been my safety net since I stocked up under the stairs at my cabin. “If you open this pendant and turn the dial to the circle, it will open a portal to Earth.”

  Tears stream down her face. “No, Brion. Please.”

  I kiss her one last time. Because it really might be the last time.

  Then I turn and jump off the ledge, flying back into the throne room below.

  Both Cas and Zak need help, but the prince has joined the two demons against Zak, so I help him first. But the moment I land, the demons turn from Zak to me.

  “Help Cas!” I yell at Zak as I fight the three of them at once.

  But just then we hear a scream that shreds my insides. Not Cas.

  I glance over just in time to see him mouth the words, “I’m sorry.”

  Then he turns to golden dust.

  I can’t believe my eyes. Rage begins to burn inside me and I fight harder, kicking, punching, striking out with my dagger.

  But somehow, they other two have joined them. At the last moment, I realize they’ve surrounded Zak. The prince comes out of nowhere. He jumps into the center of the circle with a huge cry, and thrusts his dagger straight through Zak’s heart.

  Zak’s expression is surprised, and I see him start to come apart. A million tiny cracks spread across his body, and golden light shines out from them. He looks over at me, his expression filled with understanding.