Battle Sky (The Battle Series, Book 4)

by Mark Romang

  Spencer thought about reaching over his shoulder and grabbing an arrow from his quiver, and then using the arrow as a weapon. But then he remembered the daggers Eleazar had given him. The daggers were sheathed in scabbards attached to a harness Spencer wore over his robe.

  Spencer dropped his hands and grabbed at a dagger handle with each hand. The daggers came free from their scabbards at the same moment. And in one motion, Spencer plunged the daggers into the demon’s temples and twisted the blades.

  The demon screeched and released his grip on Spencer’s throat. His talons grabbed at the daggers stuck in his head. Spencer fell to the ground and landed on his butt. He immediately felt someone grab his collar and yank him up to his feet. He turned and saw Coleton Webb.

  Grinning, Webb held out Spencer’s bow. “You dropped something, Junior.”

  Spencer snatched his bow from Webb’s hand. He loaded his bow and felled the demon with the daggers stuck in his head. And then once more, he and Webb performed their deadly, synchronized dance.

  Demons toppled in bunches. But more reinforcements replaced them without delay and bolstered their numbers. Spencer kept at it, thankful that his supernatural quiver never ran out of arrows. But as the mountain squirmed and wriggled with more and more demons, a troublesome thought entered his mind. I don’t know if we can take the mountain top.

  Chapter 51

  Heaven—that same moment

  Thorgus stood alone now.

  For thousands of years there had been six other guardian angels who stood near him, each angel guarding a bowl, a bowl containing a judgement. But the other six angels had all taken their bowls and poured them out. Galizar had emptied the sixth bowl not long ago.

  Only one more bowl remained. The seventh bowl.

  The bowl sat on a golden stand in front of Thorgus. Steam curled up from the bowl in a thin wisp. The rising steam was something new. It wasn’t his task to interpret such things, but Thorgus believed the rising steam meant the appointed time neared for him to empty the bowl.

  Amazing events would immediately unfold after he emptied the bowl. Humankind would become awestruck when Jesus and his saints and the heavenly host descended from the sky. Up until now humans had been kept from seeing the spirit world. They have seen things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror. But soon they will see everything in perfect clarity. The invisible will become visible. The hidden things will reveal themselves.

  And when the humans see Christ…they will realize at last how holy Jesus is. They will fall to their knees in terror and hide their eyes.

  Thorgus usually kept his unblinking gaze straight ahead, ever vigilant for threats. But he couldn’t help himself. He peeked at the bowl. The steam had thickened and rose even higher, filling the inner sanctuary. And besides the steam, he could hear the bowl’s contents gurgle ominously.

  Although he appeared stoic and void of all emotion on the outside, Thorgus fought to contain his excitement. I’m about to fulfill a prophecy! What an honor Almighty God has blessed me with!

  Thorgus could sense movement approaching him. Jesus and one of the four living creatures came up to him. The golden glow shimmering from Jesus intersected with the steam wafting from the bowl and created magnificent golden shafts.

  The living creature picked up the steaming bowl from its stand and offered it to Thorgus. Thorgus stooped his tall frame and accepted the bowl. He held it tight with his strong hands.

  “Take the bowl, Thorgus, and pour its judgement into the air,” Jesus said in his gentle yet authoritative voice.

  “May your will, and the will of the Father be done, Lord. I will do as you command,” Thorgus said. The inner sanctuary opened and Thorgus left the throne room. He walked swiftly through the temple. Outside, he gathered his wings and leapt into the air. And careful not to drop the bowl and spill its contents, took flight for the first time in six-thousand years.

  Thorgus accelerated gradually, reacquainting himself with the nuances of flying and the rhythm of his powerful wings. Fully extended, his wingspan stretched to 30 feet.

  As he flew to his destination, Thorgus took in the sights of Heaven below.

  Everything was as he remembered.

  Thorgus flew past golden plazas lined with colorful flowers, acoustically perfect concert halls and elaborate art galleries fronted by fluted colonnades. He flew past lush gardens filled with fruit trees bearing a fresh crop every month, and soaring fountains fed by cascading waterfalls.

  Thorgus applied more lift to his wings. He climbed higher and flew over towering architecture hewn from pure gold and inlaid with gemstones.

  There was absolutely no darkness to be found anywhere in New Jerusalem. Only the shadows cast by his wings darkened the light-infused city.

  But noticeably absent were the saints. Thorgus didn’t see any of them walking in the streets or sitting in the plazas. Nor did he see any saints strolling along the River of Life or enjoying the gardens. But he had an idea where they went. The saints were likely congregating near the stables.

  The horses would have been led out by now; the vast army of saints preparing their mounts to be ridden hard into battle. Oh, the victory that will be won today, Thorgus thought as he neared the outskirts of New Jerusalem.

  The time had come for him to fly faster, much faster. Thorgus added thrust to his wings and he sped up rapidly. He soon left the third heaven and entered the second heaven, or the Milky Way galaxy as humankind likes to call it.

  Thorgus rocketed along at hypersonic speeds past glittering constellations and supernovas, and through multihued nebulae. All the elements of the cosmos—even the dark matter—declared glory to God as Thorgus sped through the second heaven.

  Thorgus enjoyed the fast travel and his beautiful surroundings, but he would never get to his destination flying only 7,000 miles per hour. Even if he could fly at the speed of light it would take him 100,000 years to cross the breadth of the Milky Way and reach Earth.

  To overcome the staggering distance and time constraint, Thorgus entered a traversable wormhole—a tunnel connecting two separate points in space-time. Thorgus had heard murmurings from other angels talking about how they’d used wormholes as shortcuts to travel incredible distances.

  Thorgus had never doubted the existence of wormholes. He knew his fellow angels were not lying. If they had been lying they would have been banished from heaven at once. Dishonesty cannot exist in Heaven.

  Thorgus flew through the wormhole, never reducing his speed, and a short time later exited the tunnel. And just like that he entered the first heaven somewhere over Iceland.

  Angels have always possessed a good sense of direction. Perhaps God the Father placed a compass inside each angel’s head to aid them in their many travels. Thorgus instinctively pointed himself toward the Middle East.

  He soon spied a huge cloud forming into a thunderhead. The thundercloud was shaped like a pillar, and he knew he’d reached the precise spot. Thorgus slowed his speed and glided into the mammoth cloud. He hovered in place inside the thundercloud. Lightning streaked all around him and lit up the cloud’s interior. Looking around, he noticed hailstones beginning to form. Far below him Thorgus could see Jerusalem. And he could tell the city had come under siege.

  Thorgus peered into the bowl he gripped so tightly. The seventh bowl appeared just as it had in Heaven. He hadn’t spilled any of its steaming contents during his long journey to Earth. All that remained for him to do now was tip the bowl and pour out the judgement.

  “I thought I would find you here.”

  Thorgus recognized the voice. Hearing the voice filled him with dismay. He lifted his head, already knowing who he’d see. Satan hovered nearby. “Why have you left the Swede, the Antichrist?”

  “I think you know why, Thorgus.”

  Satan appeared as did before his fall. He illuminated the cloud more than the lightning flashes. Thorgus tried not to stare. He didn’t want to become mesmerized. He knew Satan was only wearing his angel
of light disguise, and that beneath the dazzling glow and adornment hid a disfigurement too hideous to look upon. “You cannot change what is about to take place, Satan. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—who can change his plans. When his hand is raised, who can stop him?”

  “I request you address me as Lucifer. I prefer it.”

  “Lucifer means ‘bringer of dawn.’ It is a beautiful name that you forfeited when you led a rebellion against God.”

  “For the longest time I was loyal to God. I was just as duty bound as you, Thorgus. But then I realized God was jealous of me, even afraid of me. He kept me at arm’s length and forced me to stand among the fiery stones for a reason. And it is the very same reason he has had you stand by a bowl for six-thousand years. He knows you are capable of so much more.”

  “You speak nonsense, Satan. Worse, you blaspheme.”

  “Do I? Dwell on my words, Thorgus. God is a very jealous god. From the beginning He realized he made you and I too powerful and too beautiful. So he kept us in the inner sanctuary to keep us in check. I figured out quickly that my potential would never be reached if I stayed in the throne room on a short leash. So I left. You should do the same, Thorgus.”

  With his sword sheathed at his side, and his hands holding the seventh bowl, Thorgus knew he was at a terrible disadvantage. I need to perform my appointed task, he thought. And not listen to the Deceiver.

  With one flap of his magnificent wings, Satan approached to within twelve feet. His sapphire-blue eyes softened. “Surely you must have wondered about it. Surely when your mind grew weary, Thorgus, you thought of what it would be like to leave the inner sanctuary and strike out on your own.”

  “I do not know why God chose me to guard the seventh bowl. But I know it wasn’t because God is afraid of me. I suspect God chose me because He trusts me, and because He loves me.” Thorgus heard Satan laugh at his statement.

  “God does not love you, Thorgus. If he did he would not wait until now to give you a taste of freedom. The other six guardians were kept in the inner sanctuary for the same reason. God did not need them to guard the bowls. The bowls were always safe. You and the other six guardians were only tricked into guarding the bowls. Your beauty, intelligence, and power posed too big a threat to the kingdom and Christ’s rule.”

  “Then what of Michael? He is beautiful. He is intelligent. And he is powerful. Yet God allows Michael to roam the universe.”

  “Apparently you haven’t seen Michael in a long time. He is far from beautiful. I find him repulsive,” Satan said, his voice clipped.

  “Michael’s beauty is still there. His beauty is only covered up by battle scars, scars he’s received while fighting you and your legions.”

  “Blind loyalty to God is clouding your judgement, Thorgus. Bring the bowl and come with me. Together we will rule Earth. The humans will worship us.”

  “You tried once before to trick me into giving you the bowl. It didn’t work then. It won’t work now.” Thorgus noticed the hailstones had grown larger, and that the lightning inside the thundercloud flashed more frequently.

  Satan inched closer. “I need you to think carefully before you act, Thorgus. You get nothing in return for your service to God. But pledge your allegiance to me and I will share everything I have with you. I only ask for the bowl.”

  Thorgus knew he could never outtalk the devil. He would never get in the last word. He sighed heavily “Very well, Satan. You have worn me down with your logic and endless words. I will grant your request and give you the bowl. But you cannot have what’s inside it,” Thorgus said, just before tipping the bowl and allowing the steaming judgement to spill out into the cloud.

  Satan let loose a guttural scream. The angry snarl vibrated Thorgus’ chest, and the hot blast of sulfur propelling the snarl caused Thorgus to briefly close his eyes. When his eyes snapped open…Satan was nowhere to be seen, and Thorgus was alone in the cloud. “Your will be done, Lord, on Earth as it is in Heaven,” he said.

  Now that he performed his appointed task, Thorgus thought about returning to Heaven. But he quickly decided against it. Heaven was about to empty out.

  Here in the thundercloud Thorgus had a perfect viewing point to watch Jesus lead the heavenly host and the saints to Earth. It was sure to be the greatest spectacle in the history of Creation. He would simply meet up with the holy procession when they drew near. It won’t be too much longer anyway, he thought.

  Thorgus unsheathed his sword and began his short wait. He sang Holy, Holy, Holy as he waited. And the lightning and the hailstones kept him company while he lingered.

  Chapter 52

  Jerusalem—Mount of Olives

  That same moment

  As in any battle, the fighting intensifies right before the end.

  No one wants to lose. And as the chance to win begins to slip away, the losing side makes a final push, a last-gasp effort to fend off the inevitable.

  The millions-strong demonic army led by Zarkien no longer acted shell-shocked and confused. They had recovered from the ambush and fought back with a vengeful rage, forgoing cunning for the benefits of full-throated savagery.

  Andrew Maddix could tell the demons were making their final rally to hold on to the mountain top. Enemy archers stood atop the mountain and shot flaming arrows into the mob of fighters below. Streaks of fire rained down on angels and demons alike, turning the crow-black sky a crematory-orange.

  A different sort of fire rained down from the sky in the physical realm. SSM—surface-to-surface missiles, as well as artillery rockets pummeled the mountain and the Old City. The Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men fought bravely with their limited weaponry, but they were no match for Henrik Skymolt’s military conglomeration. The Antichrist’s army had barreled in from the north, using the Kidron Valley to circle around and advance up the Mount of Olives from the south.

  The Jews fell in great numbers.

  So did the historical buildings and hodgepodge of residential homes and businesses that clung to the hillsides in the Old City. The structures collapsed under withering artillery fire and toppled in a chain reaction like a tumbling domino display. Fires burned in several spots and a huge cloud of dust and black smoke choked Jerusalem.

  Samson had accomplished his goal of stopping the tanks near the bottom of the Mount of Olives, but he couldn’t stop the rockets and ballistic missiles screaming in from the Megiddo Plain 128 kilometers to the north, or possibly ICBMs—intercontinental ballistic missiles—that could be fired from 10,000 kilometers away. Maddix stole frequent glances in the sky, expecting Russian warplanes to start bombing the city at any moment.

  Though he saw no warplanes, he did see hundreds of paratroopers descending over Jerusalem. White chute canopies floated down like seedpods from a cottonwood tree. Door to door fighting would soon commence. Women and children would be slaughtered alongside the men.

  It was a grim situation, but Maddix felt no sadness. The end of the age had arrived. Everything transpiring had been prophesized and written down long ago. This has to be, he thought.

  More determined than ever, Maddix advanced up the mountain, igniting demons nonstop with his Eden sword. If the demons wanted to wage war with fire he would be happy to oblige. He felt no fear walking among the enemy. Today wasn’t a time to exhibit cowardice, only confidence. This was the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

  Dodging the flaming arrows filling the sky, Maddix came abreast of the sprawling cemetery. The tomb markers had not fared well under the artillery bombardment. They lay in shattered pieces like broken pottery. Coffins lay exposed throughout the cemetery. Bone fragments littered the ground.

  Maddix gritted his teeth. Perhaps the holiest site on earth had been desecrated. It wasn’t the first time the cemetery had been violated. But it will be the last time, he thought. The defilement ends today.

  Maddix dispatched two more demons rather easily, but then came up against a very tall demon on the mountain top. He could tell this demon, attired in black armor,
was not just a grunt, but a high-ranking officer. The demon caught sight of Maddix and swung his long sword without hesitation.

  Maddix jumped back. The sword tip narrowly missed connecting with his head. And he realized right away he was in for a much tougher battle. Lifting the Eden sword into the high-guard position and holding it in place like a Samurai, Maddix set his feet and waited to counterstrike.

  The demon nimbly stopped his sword’s arc and reversed it into a forehand slash. Maddix parried the blow. The two swords collided and briefly crossed. When the demon pulled back his sword, the blade glowed molten orange.

  The demon stepped back. “You are the one they call Maddix. You have vanquished my predecessors: Selachian and Drakon. I am called Zarkien.”

  “Just another name to me. Another general I will defeat by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

  “I didn’t expect you to show me any respect. You never do.”

  “I show respect to those who deserve it, Zarkien. You warrant only scorn.”

  “Your confidence will be your undoing.”

  “Not on this day.” Because Zarkien was so tall, Maddix had to leap into the air to fight on the same level. In mid-leap, Maddix spun and generated maximum velocity on his sword strike. The Eden sword made a fiery arc in the air. The sword tip clanged harshly off Zarkien’s armor over his neck and shoulders, but did little if any damage.

  Maddix landed on his feet and ducked as Zarkien responded with a lightning-quick strike of his own. Maddix felt Zarkien’s blade graze against the folds of his robe over his shoulder blades. Maddix straightened back up and pivoted to face his foe. He waggled his sword, prompting the hot flame to grow taller. “You are quick for such a big spirit.”

  “And you are bold for such a little spirit,” Zarkien spat. He lunged and feinted a strike toward Maddix’s ribcage, but then dropped to a squat and slashed at Maddix’s knees. The flat part of Zarkien’s blade smacked against Maddix’s knees, taking his legs out. Maddix toppled to the ground. He managed to roll to the side an instant before Zarkien’s plunging blade tip pierced the rocky soil.