In Exile (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book III)

by John J Higgins

  “I know He seems to be quite upset with us, but He has also told us how much He loves us. It’s worth a try,” added Eve.

  “I have an idea,” Adam was getting excited that there could be a way to be forgiven by the Almighty for eating the forbidden fruit. “Let’s go down to the river. We will pray to the Almighty and promise Him that we will pray all day, from morning until nightfall to show Him how sorry we truly are, let the water rush over and cleanse us as we stand and pray for forgiveness.”

  After a few moments, Eve responded, “Yes Adam, that sounds like a good approach. We can show the Almighty that we are extremely sorry for what we have done. Well, it was me mostly.”

  Adam looked over at Eve and his heart melted, remembering how frightened she was that she would suffer her fate alone.

  “I decided to join you, Eve. I did not want to be alone again. Come, let’s go give it a try!”

  Eve’s eyes were welling up with tears again at Adam’s sacrifice for her, and nodded her head “yes,” as she was afraid that she would not be able to answer Adam aloud without sobbing.

  The two of them left the entrance to their cave and walked down toward the rivers.

  “Why don't you take this spot, Eve? I will go over the ridge there, where the next river runs. I want you to stand in the river and pray to the Almighty to forgive us. Do not leave the river until the Almighty has communicated to us that all is forgiven and that we can return to the Garden of Eden to live out the rest of our days. “

  Adam gave Eve a hug and kissed her as he started walking away.

  “I will do the same as you and pray all day in the water for forgiveness.” Eve called after him. Eve watched as Adam walked over the ridge line and disappeared. She could hear nothing but the sound of some birds and the sounds of the river's current passing over her. They were far enough apart that neither Eve nor Adam could see one another and were not able to hear one another.

  Both of them stood in the water praying to the Almighty for His forgiveness for their disobedience, and promised that they would sacrifice the whole day and spend it in prayer. Their prayers sent waves of sorrow and piety throughout the Earth and into the Heavens themselves, wafting like smoke on its way into the sky.

  Jarahmael and Cerebriel heard their prayers as they were flying down to the Earth to check on the Humans under the Almighty’s commands. The two Angels dropped down through the Heavens but remained hovering high above where Eve and Adam were standing in the river. They wanted to stay at such a distance that Human eyes could not detect the Angels observing from above. They watched Adam and Eve as they prayed and supplicated the Almighty. Both Angels were moved by what they saw.

  “What do you say? Let's fly up to the Seventh Heaven and request an audience with the Almighty. See if He would reconsider forgiving these two Humans from the Garden of Eden?” Jarahmael asked Cerebriel, both of them slowly thrusting their wings.

  Cerebriel responded with a softness that he seldom had or used. “Yes, I think we should try, Jarahmael. Unlike Luciferael and his rebel Angels, they are trying to repent. They should be forgiven.”

  “Let's go then! We shall see if we can convince the Almighty to grant them mercy,” said Jarahmael, changing the pitch and speed of his wings to begin his ascent to Heaven.

  “All right! Let's go,” responded Cerebriel, changing his wings' pitch and flapping to keep up with Jarahmael, who had gotten a small lead in front of him.

  It was not long before they disappeared in the sky, flying up through the Heavens on their way to the Throne Room in the Seventh Heaven. All the while they could hear the prayers of both Adam and Eve wafting upwards as they ascended.

  As they reached the Seventh Heaven, they heard the prayers of Eve stop while Adam continued to pray.

  “What happened to Eve's prayers?” asked Jarahmael as he looked at Cerebriel. “Do you still hear her prayers?” he asked, unsure if it was only him who could not hear her prayers.

  “I don't hear her prayers anymore either,” Cerebriel said.

  “Perhaps something has happened to her,” responded Jarahmael. He was concerned that if something happened to them while Jarahmael and Cerebriel were assigned to watch over them, it was the two of them that had failed and that would displease the Almighty.

  They flew into the Throne Room looking for the Almighty, but a Cherubim guard told them He was not there and was not expected to return.

  Jarahmael turned to Cerebriel and said “We better go back down there and find out what happened.”

  “Agreed!” said Cerebriel, and the two of them flew off and began to descend through the lower Heaven, headed towards Earth.

  Chapter 8

  PLEAS HEARD

  Jarahmael and Cerebriel were not the only ones who heard Adam and Eve's cries for forgiveness. Luciferael and the rebel Archangels stopped what they were doing as soon as they heard the Humans’ prayers above the fiery din in Hell.

  Luciferael turned to Sammuael with a questioning look upon his face. “Do you hear that, Sammuael?”

  “Yes, my lord, I do.”

  “It sounds like Eve of the Humans and her mate Adam,” said Luciferael as he remembered their voices from the day he tricked Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. “I thought they had been destroyed in the rebellion, as I have not heard or seen anything of them since the beginning of the war.”

  “Didn't I assign someone to go to the Earth and make sure they were killed?” Luciferael asked.

  “Yes, my lord, I distinctly remember you assigning Jarahmael to do that on your behalf when he came to join us.”

  “That traitor again. He was meddling in everything we did.”

  “That's why I keep telling you he must be destroyed or punished for his treachery to our race,” Sammuael said.

  “I agree wholeheartedly,” responded Luciferael. “I trusted him. Since he seems to care so much for the Humans, we can hurt him that way, at least until we can finalize a plan to capture him ourselves. Let's go to the surface and see what we can do to the Humans.”

  Luciferael and Sammuael went to the cave system that had been constructed by Morax, the rebel Cherubim Angel, over Lillith's golden palace in Hades. They flew through the corridors and rooms built within the Earth until they reached the opening on the surface.

  They headed south and east from the cave system's opening, listening carefully to the prayers of the two mortals.

  “Oh Lord hear our prayers. Please forgive us for disobeying Your commandment. We stand here suffering in the cold waters of the two rivers. We shall stand here all day and night until You decide in Your mercy to release us from our deserved sentence of death. Please hear our prayers and send us a sign that You have forgiven us.”

  “If it’s a sign that they want,” said Luciferael to Sammuael, “it’s a sign they shall get then!” Luciferael then adjusted his wavelengths so that he was at his most brilliant and glowing. Sammuael watched Luciferael’s transformation, then took his cue and did the same.

  “Let's go and see Eve,” said Luciferael as he adjusted his flight path. “She is the easier one to convince of things. I see her, she is down there.”

  “As you command, my lord Luciferael. Yes, I see her now too. The man seems to be in a whole other river. Should I go pay him a visit, my lord?

  “No. I want you to stay with me. It could be some sort of trap by the loyal Angels to get us to come out and either destroy us or find another way into Hades and Hell,” Luciferael said as he pulled his wings up in a stall maneuver in order to slow down and make a grand entrance with their wings wide and cupping the air as they descended.

  The two rebel Angels stayed closer to Eve, so that only she could see them and not Adam. Luciferael did not want Adam to be able to protect Eve from them.

  “Shall we destroy them?” asked Sammuael as he put his hand on the hilt of his light sword.

  “I think not,” responded Luciferael. “Let the Almighty or one of His wonderful loyal Archangels have that assignment.
Remember the Almighty already ordered that the two of them shall die. Why should we do their dirty work for them? It's more poetic that way.”

  Sammuael's hand released its grip on the sword as they both descended near Eve, brightening their radiant light to attract her attention.

  Luciferael watched closely as Eve realized that he was descending before her. He watched as her eyes followed him down to the ground on the riverbank near her. He crackled with electricity as he landed. Now that he had her attention he spoke. “Greetings Eve, from the Beings of Light. Your prayers have been heard and you shall be forgiven.”

  “Oh glorious Angel! I am so thankful for you to come and tell me this,” Eve answered as she stopped praying.

  “Come now, there is no longer any reason for you to remain in the water or to keep praying,” Luciferael responded.

  “You shall be returned to your rightful place. I have spent a good deal of my time since you and your mate were created to ensure that you two are in the correct place in the Universe. Come here to the shore and let me help dry you off,” Luciferael said as he smiled warmly at Eve and motioned for her to approach him.

  She waded through the river and onto the shore. She laid herself prostate before him. “Again, thank you my lord Angel.”

  “Arise Eve!” Luciferael said to her.

  She moved closer and into the circle of radiant light given off by both Luciferael and Sammuael, who stood silently to the side of Luciferael.

  “What about my mate Adam?” Eve asked.

  “You can tell him that his prayers have been heard and that they shall be dealt with appropriately,” Luciferael said with an even wider smile.

  “And whom shall I tell him has told me that?” Eve asked. “You are the most magnificent creature I have ever seen and I would like to know your name.”

  “Tell him simply that the Morning Star told you this,” Luciferael said as he looked upon her. His smile now was more for his own enjoyment as he realized that Eve, too, would betray Adam, her mate, to be with him if he so chose. Perhaps another time in the future, he thought to himself.

  “We must leave now. Go tell your mate Adam what you have seen and heard. Rejoice Eve, justice is at hand!” Luciferael said as he and Sammuael slowly arose and flew up above the clouds. Once they were up in the clouds they quickly turned themselves invisible so they could observe Eve. Silently they dropped back down out of the Heavens and watched her as she walked over towards Adam.

  Eve climbed up over the ridge line and ran to the bank of the river near where Adam was standing in the water. He had his eyes closed as he continued to pray. She called out to him “Adam, Adam, I was just visited by two Angels!”

  Adam's eyes popped open and a look of bewilderment went across his face followed by a smile.

  “Pray tell me what happened?” he called back to her.

  “Come over here and get out of the river!” she said as she motioned for Adam to come towards her.

  Adam moved through the river and climbed up on the shore.

  Chapter 9

  THE MORNING STAR

  Jarahmael and Cerebriel dropped down through the First Heaven and into the Earth's skies as they heard Adam's last prayer while he was standing in the river.

  “Better turn invisible!” Jarahmael yelled over to Cerebriel as they continued to descend and then began to fly in the direction of where Adam and Eve were.

  They flew to where Adam was climbing up the embankment and approaching Eve. The two Angels remained hovering within hearing distance to see if they could discover what had just happened that stopped the Humans from praying.

  “Adam, Adam! Two Angels came to me while I was standing in the river over there, where you left me early this morning. Our prayers must have worked!” she said excitedly.

  Adam looked at her with happiness followed by confusion. “Tell me what happened, Eve.”

  “Two Angels appeared, they were bright and glowing. Told me that our prayers had been answered and that we could stop praying,” she said, still excited.

  “What exactly did they say to you?” he asked.

  “That our prayers had been heard by the Beings of Light and that we would be returned to our rightful place. They told me to come out of the river and that we could stop praying. They had me come up to them and dry myself in their light.”

  Adam looked around to see if he could if any other Angels were coming down to get them and return them to the Garden of Eden. “Did they say when they were going to return us?”

  “No, they did not. I thought they would after I told you and got you out of the river.”

  “Did they say we should stay here and wait to be returned to Eden or that we should go back to our cave first and get our things?”

  “They did not say,” Eve said.

  “Did they tell you who they were?”

  “Oh yes. Well, only one of them did. He was the most magnificent creature I had ever seen,” she said absentmindedly, as her eyes clouded over remembering him.

  “Well, Eve?” Adam interjected, breaking up her musings.

  “He called himself the Morning Star!” she purred.

  “The Morning Star is an Angel?” Adam asked with disbelief. “That does not sound right to me.”

  “You will see that I am telling the truth!” Eve responded. “Wait until we are back in Eden and you will then believe me!”

  “What do we do now?” Adam asked “Should we stay here or go back to our cave?”

  “I say stay here,” she said. “This is where they found us!”

  “They also know where we live, Eve, we have been in that cave since we were cast out of the Garden of Eden,” Adam retorted. “But we might as well wait here for them to return.”

  Jarahmael had looked quizzically at Cerebriel when Eve had said that the beautiful Angel who had appeared before her called himself the “Morning Star.” Once they heard that Adam and Eve would remain by the river to be returned to the Garden of Eden as promised by the “Morning Star,” Jarahmael motioned for Cerebriel to join him as he ascended towards a low flying cloud that was floating overhead.

  “Morning Star means Luciferael or some imposter using his name is behind this,” Jarahmael said as he positioned himself on the cloud to watch the two Humans below.

  Cerebriel sat right next to him and agreed. “I had hoped that when Luciferael and his rebel Angels were cast out of Heaven, they would no longer be allowed on the Earth.”

  “Yes. If he and his rebel Angels are free to interact with the Human species, you and I will have our work cut out for us. There is no telling what destruction they can wreak on a race as gullible as the Humans. Luciferael already tricked Eve once and had her convince Adam to eat of the Forbidden Fruit.”

  “There are no limits on what Luciferael can trick these Humans into!” responded Cerebriel.

  “It’s a shame we were not able to just destroy Luciferael and his rebel horde of Angels when we won the rebellion. They should have been destroyed, not simply cast out of Heaven. Has anyone seen where they live now?” asked Jarahmael.

  “No. Until this episode I believed that they were cast into one of the other Universes the Almighty has created. Now we can see that they are involved here on Earth and can appear here at will,” Cerebriel said.

  “We had better keep a close eye out. Do you think Luciferael may try to create another war between the loyal Angels and the rebel Angels?”

  “If he has half a chance to conquer the Heavens and the Universe . . . he will, I am sure he will,” responded Cerebriel.

  “What if it wasn't Luciferael?” asked Jarahmael. “What if another fallen Angel is posing as Luciferael?”

  “I can't imagine any other Being save for Luciferael coming up with this scheme,” Cerebriel added.

  Jarahmael had been looking down in the area where Adam and Eve remained during this entire conversation.

  Below on his right he saw some movement. “Look at that,” he said, pointing to two winged creature
s. “Isn’t that Luciferael and Sammuael?”

  Cerebriel said, “Yes, I believe so. Both Archangels have blonde hair, the tips of that one Angel are capped in gold and the other is capped in black.”

  “We should attack them,” said Jarahmael, “drive them out of this Earth.”

  “Yes, we should. But we don't have any arms or armor with us. And they do appear to be armed.”

  Jarahmael was disappointed that they would not be able to capture the two of them. He thought about using his crystal pyramid but it still had all the mirrors and crystals in there. The last thing he wanted to do was to give Luciferael and Sammuael access to magical mirrors or the powerful crystals by trapping them inside this crystal with them all.

  Once Luciferael and Sammuael got above the lowlying cloud levels, they changed themselves into waves of light and disappeared.

  Jarahmael and Cerebriel looked at one another. Jarahmael pulled himself up so that he could prepare to launch after them and find Lillith.

  Cerebriel kept a cooler head, reached out, and held Jarahmael back. “I can see what you are thinking. I am sure that we will have another opportunity, my friend. You can't help Lillith if you are captured, confined or destroyed by Luciferael. Besides, we haven’t searched the planet for her, and we may yet find here on the surface.”

  Jarahmael wrenched himself out of Cerebriel's gentle, yet firm grasp. He rocked back, unsteady near the edge of the cloud where he was standing after pulling himself out of Cerebriel's hands.

  “Besides, don't you think we should keep a close eye on those Humans, too? The Almighty did assign us, didn’t he?” Cerebriel added, as he steadied Jarahmael.

  “Yes, I understand that, but it doesn't help me get Lillith free. I am just surprised that the Almighty allows Luciferael and the others go free. They even have their own kingdom,” Jarahmael quickly added.

  Cerebriel patiently responded, “Everything will come to pass in its own time.”

  Jarahmael's voice was rising as he spoke, despite Cerebriel's calmness.