by L. M. Brown
“I don’t want to rule anything. I never did.”
“Then I’ll rule the world and you’ll be my consort.”
Michael shook his head. “Are you even listening to yourself? What has happened to you? Why have you turned away from Him?”
“My eyes have finally been opened,” Lucifer replied. “Come with me and see for yourself.”
“No.”
Lucifer held out his hand. “Michael, you know how I feel about you.”
“Do I?” Michael asked. “You’ve never spoken of your feelings. For all I know you consider me with as much contempt as you do the rest of the angels.”
“How could you think that?” Lucifer said and Michael could hear the shock in his voice. “You are everything to me. I care for you more than anyone or anything in any world.”
“Do you? Then come back to me, undo whatever you’ve done to the other fallen angels, beg forgiveness, and be restored to the light.”
“That’s not possible,” Lucifer said. “The past cannot be rewritten and each of my demons made their own choice. Only they can choose to return to what they used to be. They are not my slaves. They have the free will to make their own decisions.”
Michael had a feeling Lucifer spoke the truth, though it didn’t make it any easier to hear.
“I won’t join you,” Michael said. “I stand with the rest of the archangels.”
Lucifer’s blue eyes flashed red for a moment and Michael stepped back in horror. “You would strike against me?”
Michael raised his sword and pointed the blade at Lucifer’s throat. “I would not want to, but, if I have to, I will.”
“Such weapons cannot harm me, any more than they can you,” Lucifer said.
Michael stepped closer and let the sword nick the skin of Lucifer’s neck, drawing a tiny drop of blood. “This is no ordinary sword. It has the power to bring you down and, while it would pain me to do so, I will if I have to.”
Lucifer casually brushed the sword to the side and shook his head. “You will not harm me, Michael. Not after all we’ve shared.”
“Turn back to the light, Lucifer,” Michael begged. “Don’t leave me.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Lucifer replied. “I’m right here. All you have to do is take my hand and we’ll be together for the rest of eternity. Together, we would be formidable.”
Michael closed his eyes and blinked back the tears he didn’t want his lover to see. Lucifer was lost to him and he didn’t know how he would go on without him. For one terrifying, fleeting moment, Michael considered taking Lucifer’s hand and accepting all he had to offer. He pushed the thought aside before he did something he would regret.
When he opened his eyes he thought Lucifer might have gone, but he found him still there, standing arm’s length away.
“Oh, Michael,” Lucifer whispered. He raised his hand to Michael’s face and cupped his cheek gently. “One day I hope you’ll change your mind and join me. There will always be a place for you at my side. You only have to ask.”
“It won’t happen.” Michael raised his hand to the necklace he had not removed since the day Lucifer had placed the jewelry round his throat.
Lucifer touched the stone, which glowed red for a moment before transforming back to its usual blue color.
“What did you do to it?” Michael asked.
“I’ve turned the sapphire into a key,” Lucifer replied. “No angel can set foot in the Underworld, but your necklace is now a key to my personal chambers there. When you’re ready to take your rightful place at my side, use the key to come to me and I will welcome you back into my bed, my arms, and my life.”
“How does it work?” Michael asked.
Lucifer smiled. “Just say my name while touching the stone.”
Michael nodded to acknowledge that he understood. “I won’t fall from grace for you.”
“Not yet perhaps,” Lucifer replied. “But I can wait however long it takes for you to accept your destiny.”
“My destiny is to continue my work as an archangel.”
“No, Michael. You are mine and one day you will reign at my side. It may not be this year, or even this century, but one day you’ll take your true place. It’s only a matter of time. Whatever it takes, I will convince you to join me.”
Michael watched Lucifer vanish from sight, and he knew he would not return to his former home again. They were of different worlds now, and on opposing sides of a war. Michael knew he should cast aside the gemstone, but the necklace was the only gift Lucifer had ever given to him, or at least the only one he could keep. He couldn’t bear to part with it, especially knowing it was the last link he had to the angel he had loved more than any other.
He should probably tell Gabriel and the other archangels of his meeting with Lucifer, but he knew he wouldn’t. Some things didn’t need to be said out loud. He had made his choice and the decision was still too raw for him to talk about.
Maybe one day he would confide in his friends. In the meantime they had a war to fight and Michael had to learn to use the sword he held, because the demons he had seen in the pool of visions had powers they couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Chapter Four
Michael stared out over the battlefield and the army of demons congregating on the other side of the plains. From his vantage point, in the air above his own army, he could see the angels were vastly outnumbered.
Lucifer had recruited more demons during the centuries since his fall. His army was composed of thousands of humans, every one eager to sell his or her mortal soul for the promise of power, vengeance, or whatever else Lucifer and his demons offered them.
Gabriel flew up to join him. “This battle will decide things once and for all,” he said.
“I know.”
“Lucifer has been spotted at the rear of the eastern flank.”
Michael’s heart leaped at the name of his former lover and he touched the sapphire he still wore round his neck.
“Do you think he’ll fight personally?” Gabriel asked.
“If he has to,” Michael replied. “We’ve already seen he is perfectly capable of fighting his own battles.”
“What of you?” Gabriel pressed.
“I think I’ve proved where my loyalties lie by now,” Michael replied sharply. “If I intended to join him, I’d have done so long ago.”
“You haven’t seen him in person since he fell,” Gabriel pointed out.
Michael didn’t correct him.
“You still wear his gift,” Gabriel commented.
Michael dropped his hand and lowered his gaze.
“It’s all right to remember your love for him. Just don’t let your feelings cloud your judgment now.”
“I won’t.”
Michael gazed at his own army of angels from high above and knew many of them wouldn’t see another dawn. One of them might be the angel to kill Lucifer. Michael’s heart ached at the fleeting thought.
“You’ve been a good leader these last centuries,” Gabriel said.
Michael acknowledged the compliment with a nod. He still didn’t think Gabriel had made the right choice when he had stepped down from his position as unspoken leader of the archangels. Any time Michael asked him about his choice, he simply said he thought the one who knew Lucifer best would be more suited to defeating him. Michael disagreed but had stepped into the role with an ease that sometimes worried him. He didn’t want to lead others into battle. He wanted a life of peace, with the man he loved beside him. Unfortunately, the man he loved was across the other side of the battlefield, leading an army of demons whose sole purpose was the destruction of all things good.
“We should report back to the others,” Gabriel suggested.
Michael agreed and they flew to the tent situated at the rear of the ranks of angels.
Raphael greeted them with a sharp nod. “Did you see any fallen angels?”
“No,” Michael confirmed. “I don’t think any more have left our side. Onl
y Lucifer remains.”
Gabriel agreed. “Those who fell initially have all been captured or destroyed centuries ago. Those we face now are merely their offspring or converted humans. They won’t have the same powers as their predecessors, who we faced in the first war.”
Michael studied the battle plans laid out across the table. So many angels had followed Lucifer to the Underworld and not a single one of them had forsworn the leader of the demons.
“They may not have the powers, but they outnumber us five to one,” Raphael said. “This fight won’t be easy.”
“What fight ever is?” Michael asked. “Killing should never come easy, and certainly not to an angel.”
Raphael gripped his sword and glared at the table. Michael considered how his friend had changed over the centuries since the creation of the demons. Raphael had become a formidable warrior with little compassion for the enemy. His first instinct was always to kill them rather than to try to bring them back to the light. Michael, meanwhile, always tried to save their souls before striking the killing blow. Although his attempts to save the souls of the demons had been unsuccessful, Michael continued to persevere. He had to believe it possible, or where did that leave him and Lucifer?
Gabriel pointed at the map. “Lucifer has been reported here.”
“Lucifer himself?” Raphael asked. “It’s been many years since he stepped out of the Underworld.”
“Nevertheless, the reports come from several scouts. He’s here, readying himself for battle.”
“Then the war ends today,” Raphael announced. “Lucifer’s reign will soon be over.”
Michael couldn’t meet Raphael’s eyes. The thought of his friend killing his former lover made him nauseated.
“Even if Lucifer falls today, there’s still an entire army of demons to deal with,” Azrael pointed out. “Not only the demons who haven’t come to fight, but those who will flee the battle before the end. Not all demons are fighters.”
“Azrael is right,” Gabriel agreed. “The sexual predators aren’t here, nor are most of the demons who prey on greed.”
“The fear demons are here in force,” Raphael said, “as well as those who thrive on hatred. We need to warn our angels where those numbers are congregating.”
Michael nodded and Raphael departed to speak to his angels and pass the word along. The rest of the archangels, except Gabriel, did likewise.
“Michael, how are you doing?” Gabriel asked.
Michael shrugged. “I’m ready to do what I have to. This is just one more battle, isn’t it?”
“A battle where Lucifer would appear to intend to fight,” Gabriel reminded him. “Raphael intends to take him on personally.”
“He does?” Michael had suspected as much, but hearing Gabriel’s confirmation still hurt.
“Yes. How are you with that?”
“I’m dealing with it as best I can.” Michael glanced back at the table rather than meet Gabriel’s gaze. He couldn’t afford to fall apart now. “Can we organize our ranks so Raphael is well away from Lucifer?”
“And who would you put in Raphael’s place?” Gabriel asked.
“Myself,” Michael replied. “If it comes down to single combat against Lucifer, I should be the angel fighting him.”
“I don’t think that’s wise.”
“It probably isn’t, but I can’t bear to think of either of them killing the other. I continue to hope Lucifer might come back to us.”
“You still believe that?” Gabriel sounded sad, as though he thought Michael wasted his time. “After all these centuries, you honestly think Lucifer might suddenly give up his throne in the Underworld and return to the light?”
“I have to believe it,” Michael replied. “Otherwise, I’m the worst sort of fool for loving a monster all these years.”
“No one who knows you could ever call you a fool.”
“Raphael might disagree.”
“Raphael sees everything as black and white. There is good and evil and nothing in between. But even he would not call you a fool.”
“Not to my face.”
“Not ever,” Gabriel corrected. “He wouldn’t follow your leadership if he didn’t respect you.”
“I don’t want him fighting Lucifer,” Michael said. “I’d rather take him on myself.”
“Can you really do what’s necessary when you’re standing face to face with him?” Gabriel placed his hand on Michael’s arm. “We don’t want to lose you.”
“I’ve been fighting for centuries while Lucifer has been hiding out in the Underworld. I have the advantage in this fight.”
“That’s not what I meant. If you, an archangel, should fall, the power the demons would draw from you could turn the tide against us.”
“I won’t fall.”
“You don’t know that. Lucifer can be most persuasive—just look at the sheer number of demons in his army. Far more humans are giving up their souls to join his cause than are becoming angels. If you should meet, face to face, you don’t know how you’ll handle the confrontation.”
Michael touched his necklace and turned to face Gabriel. “I have already seen him since he fell.” He was careful not to say Lucifer’s name while he touched the sapphire.
“What? When? Why didn’t you tell us, tell me?”
“It was right after he fell,” Michael said. “I could barely believe what had happened and I went to his house, hoping there might have been some sort of mistake. He came to me there.”
“In the realm of angels?” Gabriel grabbed Michael’s arm. “Lucifer has access to the realm?”
“He said nothing could keep him away from me. We spoke for a few minutes and he left. I’ve not seen him since.”
“You should have told us he can enter the realm.”
“Perhaps, and if he’d come back again I would have said something. Before he left he indicated the realm of angels held nothing for him, save me.”
“What else did he say to you?” Gabriel asked.
“He asked me to join him,” Michael replied. “I refused, of course.”
“Of course.” Gabriel hugged him briefly and patted his back. “Were you tempted?”
Michael didn’t want to answer, but his oldest and best friend deserved honesty. “Yes.”
Gabriel smiled. “Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For giving me the truth. If you had said no, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
The sound of a horn came from outside the tent. The battle was about to begin.
Michael checked his sword and armor and faced Gabriel. “I resisted temptation and have done whatever has been necessary to bring about an end to this war.”
Gabriel clasped Michael’s arm and squeezed. “God speed, my friend.”
“You too.”
Michael left the tent and flew above his angels, the ones he had personally recruited and trained from the souls of humans who had ascended to Heaven. Today he would face Lucifer and one way or another this impasse would come to an end.
When the trumpets sounded, the angels charged across the field. Some, like Michael, flew, while others ran on foot. Not every angel felt comfortable going into battle with their wings visible. They were vulnerable to attack and did have a habit of getting in the way at precisely the wrong moment.
The battle cry from the demons rang out across the field, but the angels didn’t hesitate in their assault.
“Onward,” Michael yelled as he flew ahead, his sword outstretched toward the section of the army of demons he wanted his own angels to attack.
To his left Azrael drew his bow, his weapon of choice, and fired one arrow after another into the demon horde. Thankfully an angel’s quiver always had an endless supply of arrows and, when fired by an archangel, they always hit their mark. One demon after another fell, but thousands still stood.
Michael’s angels reached the demons and, with their swords raised, they swept through the ranks, slicing and stabbing at any demon in thei
r path. Michael studied the demons, searching for those who seemed to be in charge, finally spotting a large bull-like creature shouting commands from his chariot. Michael flew down at speed, his sword raised, and with one clean swing of the blade he decapitated the demon and flew up out of range.
The loss of one of their leaders didn’t seem to bother the demons. Michael suspected, in the heat of the battle, most of them hadn’t even noticed.
Michael swerved to avoid a demonic fire arrow aimed in his direction as he chose his next target. A huge snake demon, slithering through the angels, below their line of sight, caught Michael’s eye and he realized the creature headed in the direction of the tents. Michael swooped and sliced the snake in half, only to find he faced two smaller demons. When he struck the first, it too split and formed two more demons.
His sword useless against such a creature, Michael flew over to one of the torches at the edge of the camp and returned to the snakes with fire as his weapon. He thrust the torch at the largest remaining snake and set it alight as easily as a bale of straw. The snake writhed in pain, catching against the smaller snakes, which caught fire too. Finally the flames consumed each part of the demon, leaving no trace it had even been there.
His target destroyed, Michael flew back to the battlefield once more.
With the exception of Azrael, who still fired arrows from above the battle, the rest of the archangels were nowhere in sight.
Michael took out two more powerful demons with timely blows from his sword and was searching for another when he spotted a flash of gold high on the opposite hillside. Even though the glint came from some distance away, Michael felt in his gut it was Lucifer watching from the hill and he flew in his direction.
He was still some distance away when he realized his instincts had been correct. Lucifer, his gold horns glinting in the sunlight, rose from his seat on a boulder and drew his sword.
Michael increased his speed and let loose a battle cry as he flew at Lucifer. He could tell the moment Lucifer recognized him. The fallen angel lowered his sword, just a little, hesitation clear in his stance. Michael pressed on and swung his sword at Lucifer as he landed in front of him. Even caught by surprise at the identity of his attacker, Lucifer parried Michael’s blow with ease.
