Beings that condemned everything they could not explain to legend, myth and fairy tales. Their ignorance was their most contemptible trait.
So why does this mere mortal intrigue me so?
Was it her audacity to question his cause; or simply her willingness to listen without fear? “To attempt to convince someone who is already dead set on what they believe is right seems pointless.”
“No really. I’m genuinely curious as to why you do not consider yourself evil. If I am going to die anyway you could at least spare me the decency of an explanation. Or are you not entirely convinced yourself?”
With the gauntlet thrown down Beelzebub found himself wanting to convince her that his cause was true. “Very well,” he agreed, his mind made up. It would pass the time until the ceremony.
“Some of earths ancient scriptures are laced with small accuracies regarding who I truly am much in the same way that your ‘internet’ contains tiny droplets of truthful titbits regarding vampires, Lycan’s, the fae and other such creatures. But you see, no human has ever had the privilege of visiting Heaven, Hell or Redemption and returned to tell the tale. So most of the information regarding these worlds are tiny snippets of truth mixed in with a whole wealth of speculation and interpretation.”
“I was of the understanding that humans who serve their time in Redemption are returned to earth with a second chance at life. Is that not true?” Darla asked.
“They are returned but not before their memories are wiped. No knowledge of their lives from the moment they first enter Redemption until the moment they leave is retained with the exception of the occasional lucid dream. Their lives begin anew with implanted memories. How else would they re-adapt to their drab, boring lives? They’d be constantly looking over their shoulders, or berating tales of vampire’s and demons. How long do you think it would take until your kind locked them labelled as insane?”
Darla squirmed uneasily in her chair knowing what he said made perfect sense.
“Ah! So now I have you attention.” The demon smiled with satisfaction noticing her discomfort. “I was not born into this world Mrs Gray; I was once an angel, favoured by our lord.” Beelzebub closed his eyes revisiting happier times. “My brethren and I lived solely to worship and obey.” His eyes filled with intensity. “You cannot begin to comprehend what it is to feel the full power of God’s love until you have knelt in the presence of such omnipotent power.”
From the look of euphoric bliss on the demons face, Darla could only imagine how it must have felt.
Beelzebub’s features changed abruptly and intensely, his eyes sharpening with deadly fury. “But with all his power and might it did not stop him from deceiving us. You see, God’s instructions were simple. We as angels were to worship him and him alone. Of course we followed his command without question; after all …he was God, father to us all.’
“As angels we had no needs or desires of our own, so our time was spent studying and reporting on the progress of our Lords new project –humans - and in return we would receive his blessing. Life was simple, idyllic…that was until the rules changed.” Sadness crept into Beelzebub’s voice.
“After centuries of unbridled bliss God gathered us all together and imparted that we were to honour his son in the same way to which we did him; to worship and serve Jesus as we did our father.”
Beelzebub rose from his seat, his fists resting on the table as he leaned in towards her. “For many of us this went against all that we had come to believe in. How could he do this? How could he just change the rules that way? One God! One divine being, that was our belief! As angels we had already accepted the slight against us when he created life on Earth and decided that Humans were to be loved above all others. But to expect us to worship at the feet of one was just too much to bear.”
The demon slowly made his way around the table, each step bringing him closer to Darla. “Some angels blindly followed God’s instructions, never once daring to question, but others…we voiced our doubts. Why were the humans loved above us? Had we not proven undeniably our blind faith? Many of your species didn’t even believe, refuting the very existence of their own creator. Murderer’s, thieves, harlots; they did not deserve Gods love!”
Beelzebub passed behind her chair. “Lucifer was the first among us to take a stand. But even your clergy’s scant knowledge of this event is wrong, polluted by a need to place blame, to seek evil where there was none. His decision to refuse Gods decree wasn’t one made from anger or hatred, not even from pride; it was a decision born out of love, and one not easily made even after much soul searching and deliberation.”
Darla found it strange to hear someone speak of the Devil with such affection and respect. “So you’re saying that Lucifer declared war on his kin because he loved them? You really expect me to believe that?” she asked astonished.
“Why would I lie? I was there. It was love that drove Lucifer to rebel, his unwavering love of our father. For him to kneel before another would be to undermine his love and belief in the one true divine God. And so we went to war, angel against angel. Lucifer, Leviathan, and I, we raised an army from those who mirrored our belief and we stood defiant before God.”
With the demon standing within arm’s reach of her chair, Darla noticed the moment his anger diminished. Some of the warmth in his amber eyes began to return as he once more became lost in memory, revisiting a past that was beyond anything she could comprehend. Slowly he returned to his seat at the far end of the dining table, somewhat easing the uncomfortable tension she felt from such close proximity.
“In time our war was lost; many having paid the ultimate sacrifice for something we had believed in. Punishment for our defiance was absolute. We were to be cast out … never again to be allowed to return home. To be forever denied the warmth of God’s love.” Beelzebub’s voice trembled with emotion.
“But you waged war. Did you honestly believe that your crimes would go unpunished?” Darla asked confused by his reasoning.
“No. We all knew what we were entering into, but the punishment did not fit the crime. Gods judgement was too harsh. What we have had to endure has not just been punishment, it has been torture.”
There was no doubt in Darla’s mind that he’d suffered but two wrongs did not make a right, especially when it was her life on the line.
“So now you believe that by destroying God’s house he’ll what…forgive you, welcome you back into the fold”
Beelzebub scoffed at her words. “A great deal of time has passed since we fell. I no longer desire his forgiveness…but I shall return home!” The conviction in his voice sent a shiver of fear tingling across her skin knowing what such an act would cost her.
“Why can’t you see what you are doing is wrong?”
Fire sparked in his eyes; a burning amber glow that flickered in the dim light of the room. “You have seen for yourself how it is here; I am surrounded by ugliness and despair. My only solace is the Nephalim, without whom I would have long since perished and died.”
“The Nephalim?’ Darla asked puzzled.
“My people. Children born of the union between fallen angels and the human females they seduced; too different to live in your world; too similar to humans to be respected in this world.”
Beelzebub signalled to one of the dark shadows edging the room, silently beckoning its hidden occupant. Darla watched as a tall figure of a man stepped forward, although “man” seemed too inaccurate a description. Evidence of his human lineage was clear to see; however the influx of angel D.N.A had altered his form in such a way that added length to his arms, legs and neck, the effects of which not only contributed to his exceptional height, but also produced an almost alien-like appearance. The strange man’s face was no less striking, elongated beyond what would be regarded as ‘normal perimeters’ in her world. It created an illusion of the creature’s eyes being much larger than they actually were.
It was undeniable that such a being would be unable to live a nor
mal life in her world. Humans were cruel, narrow-minded and unaccepting of anything “different”. Darla felt ashamed of her fellow humans as she stared at the Nephalim male. If her time in Redemption had taught her anything it was that ‘different’ could offer warmth and friendship and love where before there had been none.
“What will happen to these people when you return to heaven?” she asked, her heart aching for a race that would never truly belong anywhere.
“They will join me of course.”
“Then you will lead them into a war not of their making and possibly seal their fate along with yours. God will never allow you just to walk back in. He will raise an army as he did before.”
Her condescending tone irked him.
“God will be too busy protecting his gates from other threats to concern himself with us.”
“What makes you so sure of that...? I mean can you hear yourself? You are prepared to destroy the sanctity of a home you profess to love and risk a race of people that follow you unquestioningly, all for the sake of your own selfish end.”
“SELFISH!” The demon slammed his fist down on the table’s surface, his resounding bellow echoing around the large room. “Do you forget he took the life of your only child?”
Beelzebub noticed her shocked reaction. “Oh yes Miss Gray, I did my homework. Do you actually think that I would take a life so lightly? You desired to end your life and be reunited with your son, a son whom God so cruelly took from you. Surely that alone should incite you to cry vengeance?”
Darla stared at him incredulously. “Have you fallen so far from grace that you are blinded by your need for revenge? God did not take my son! He was not responsible for his death. A horrible, vicious disease killed my child.” Tears fell softly onto her cheeks.
“It would be so very easy for me to lay the blame at God’s feet, after all isn’t that what we humans do? So many of us live our lives without faith until that lack of faith is tested… and then what? If God answers their prayers he’s a saviour, but for how long? As soon as their lives return to normal he is once more forgotten.
‘And what if their prayers go unanswered? We’ll that’s simple isn’t it, he’s cursed and blamed. Damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. And yet the simple reality is that we are not immortal. With all our intelligence and advanced technology we can still be brought to heel by the tiniest of organisms.
“I could blame myself as easily as I could blame God. Perhaps some insignificant event while I was pregnant affected the outcome of my child’s life. Maybe the doctors could have diagnosed his condition sooner. There could be any number of variables, all of which I have already gone over and over a million times. But one thing I am most definitely sure of … God did not kill my son!” Darla’s breasts heaved with exhaustion and overwhelming emotion.
Silence filled the room as Beelzebub contemplated the woman opposite, noticing for the first time the striking beauty of her features. With ice blue eyes and full-blooded red pouting lips she faced him bravely without dread or fear.
“I see now why he chose you. You defend him so admirably. Unfortunately I have waited over two thousand years to fulfil this prophecy, since I first laid eyes on the Codex seal and therefore Mrs Gray, I can absolutely assure you of one thing. I will return home!!’
“‘You can see why he chose me’? What do you mean by that?” she asked. “Who chose me?”
Beelzebub laughed a deep throaty exotic, sound. “Why God of course, God choose you. Did you really believe that you being the 999th soul was just an act of random chance?”
“But I ….”
“My father would never allow such an event to fall to pure chance. Your path was set in stone the moment your son drew his last breath…possibly even before that.”
“How could you know that? Some parents manage to go on with their lives even after the loss of a child. How could God have possibly known that I would have begged to do what I did?”
“Because during your sons illness or possibly soon afterwards, in the midst your grief, you must have at some point asked for his help.”
Darla’s instantly remembered the day of her son’s funeral, staring up at the stained glass window depicting the heavenly angels she had begged God to allow her to die.
“I must say, I had fully expected him to show his hand before now. It’s not like him to allow a threat to his kingdom to go unchallenged but now that I finally have you it’s all a little too late. And while we are on the subject, it’s only fair I should warn you, best you put aside any thoughts of a rescue attempt. As gifted as your friends are, anyone foolish enough to enter my home will find themselves trapped within. A small matter of a dampening spell I had performed just as a precaution. You see I really have thought of everything.” Lifting his legs up to rest them on the table, Beelzebub lounged back in his seat looking extremely pleased with himself.
“If that is the case, why are you boring me with these pleasantries?” Darla swept her gaze down indicating her change of clothing. “Why not just get on with it and kill me now?”
Beelzebub laughed once more, the deep rich tone echoing through the room. “Mmmm Darla Gray, you really are such an enigma. I’m finding it more and more difficult to believe you are truly human. Under different circumstances I believe I would have enjoyed getting to know you better …. much better!” Hooded eyes slowly travelled the deep plunging neckline of her dress, his meaning more than obvious. Her body involuntarily shuddered at the thought.
“You assume your advances would be well received, I can assure they would not!” she snapped, irritated by his arrogance.
“Well said, but then you have never been touched by an angel… fallen or otherwise.”
“And you have not explained this.” Determined to change the subject Darla glanced down at her clothes.
“Ah, the dress! The dress I’m afraid is a necessity for the ritual.” The demon swung his legs off the table and advanced towards her with a cat-like grace. Slowly circling her chair he reached out, lightly brushing his fingertips down the exposed column of her throat. “You see my dear; the ritual demands access to you beautiful neck.”
Snapping her head away from his touch Darla closed her eyes only to be greeted with a flashing image of her head separating from her body. Refusing to allow the demon more pleasure from any show of fear, she willed her heart to slow its frantic racing.
Undeterred by her response Beelzebub brushed her hair aside and leaned towards her, bringing his lips a hairs breath from her ear. His voice lowered to a whisper. “Have no fear; I promise the act will be relatively painless.”
“I do not fear you!” she snapped with conviction, knowing the demon was now just toying with her.
Inhaling long and hard, his nose caressed the skin above the arterial vein of her throat. “Your first lie Darla. However I will forgive you under the circumstances as your bravery and candour up to this point has proven to be most refreshing.”
Snapped his fingers, several Nephilim appeared from out of the shadows, each carrying trays heavily laden with an abundance of food. Moving away from her chair, Beelzebub indicated the veritable feast as each dish was laid out on the table. “I had thought you might be hungry. We moved you here late last night and it is now well past midday. I believe you humans require regular sustenance.”
“Your concern for my well-being would be most touching were it not over-shadowed by your desire to kill me. So I hope you will forgive me if I say I’d rather starve than except your hospitality, so how about instead of prolonging my agony we just get on with the task you brought me here for?”
Beelzebub took his seat, shaking his head and tutting. “I will never understand how such fragile beings can court death so readily. Have you never heard of patience’s?”
She shrugged, displaying an air of indifference. “You apparently have thought of everything. So what purpose is there in delaying the inevitable?”
“I do not relish what must be done Miss Gray and
I had wanted to make this as easy for you as possible; however, I will not force you to accept my hospitality. As for the ritual, the prophecy is very clear. The ceremony cannot be performed until nightfall.”
Darla’s heart sank. Having stubbornly refused the food she now faced several long hours of waiting, her growling stomach already protesting at its neglect. “Then may I suggest that instead of tormenting me further with unwanted time spent in your company, you could perhaps lock me in a dungeon somewhere. This is a castle isn’t it?”
Spending her last few hours all alone in a cold dank cell was not an ideal choice but in light of the alternative she relished the idea. How dare the smug demon sit so casually feigning concern for her needs whilst making sure that everything was in place for her execution!
“I am not a monster that throws women into dungeons,” he replied looking offended at the implication.
“No of course not, you just kill them instead;” she sneered sarcastically, “which of course would never make you a monster.”
His eyes narrowed but Beelzebub refused to take the bait. “Be assured, I will not be the one taking your life Miss Gray. I am not so far removed from my celestial origins that I would not find the idea of taking an innocents life abhorrent. But unfortunately for the prophecy to work it will need to be followed to the letter.” The demon’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. “In light of that if you so chose to remain alone then I give you permission to return to your room.”
Darla rose immediately waiting for direction.
Without taking his eyes from her he summoned one of the Nephilim. “Take Miss Gray back to her room and be sure that she has everything she needs. Oh and double the guard.”
Redemption - A Darla Gray Novel Page 24
