“Yes, they are most likely looking for their own traitor, Jarahmael,” Sammuael said with a sneer.
“What if we let it leak that we are looking for Jarahmael around that area where the marketplace is?” Glabolas added. “And occasionally we let them see us searching.”
“What would stop them from getting to Jarahmael first?” Suriel asked.
Luciferael smiled broadly again and held up his hand and answered Suriel’s question himself. “Jarahmael is too smart to stay around the area where he was seen, so we can concentrate the loyal Angels and let them waste their time searching there. That will drive Jarahmael away from that location. In the meantime, we can search areas nearby, where he most likely has a secret lair for his family. And to be sure that the loyal Angels come out en masse we can increase the pressure on them to search by claiming that we are very interested in capturing or destroying the young Half-Human, Half-Angel child. They will certainly want to prevent us from doing that.”
“But we aren’t interested in the child. Are we, lord Luciferael?” Damiel asked.
“Not as much as we are interested in Jarahmael, but I would take the child captive if given the opportunity,” Luciferael responded. “Combined search efforts with the loyal Angels would also add pressure on Jarahmael; now he would have to worry about the child, Lillith and himself being captured. There would be no need to keep any of our search parties hidden from Jarahmael, because the more Angels that he could see looking for him the more trapped he would feel. He has outmaneuvered us now for years when we have tried to sneak up on him. This new approach may finally get all of them captured and back under control.”
The Auxilium all smiled as they heard Luciferael’s plan and even nodded towards Glabolas in appreciation for his suggestion.
“Do you intend to contact the Archangel Michael about this?” Sammuael asked Luciferael.
“Directly? Hell no! Or should I say Heavens no!” Luciferael answered, chuckling. “I believe that Glabolas should ‘stumble’ upon some loyal Cherubim as part of a more intense search. Let the information ‘accidentally’ slip to one of the loyal Cherubim, Faumiel, Dubriel or even Cerebriel, that we are increasing our efforts now that we know Jarahmael and that abomination of a family of his have been seen. The loyal Angels would be very suspicious and would certainly outnumber us greatly if they thought we wanted their assistance. Much better to let them think they have discovered the information on their own, that they have secret information about our plans!”
Chapter 28
NEWS TRAVELS FAST
Cerebriel brought down two legions of loyal Cherubim from the Heavens, fully armed and armored. Michael was in charge of the search and was at the head of one of the legions, Cerebriel the other. Finally, Jarahmael had been sighted; it had been many years since he had seen his friend. He had orders to find Jarahmael, but despite the orders he thought it best for the Archangel to roam free along the Earth. If he was not found then he could live in peace. Cerebriel feared that either the loyal Angels, the rebel Angels or both would keep him captive even after they discovered where the Almighty’s Books were located.
Cerebriel felt this news that Luciferael was sending his own legions of rebel Cherubim and others to find Jarahmael was a stroke of luck. They never knew where the rebel Angels would be and they still did not know how to access the Underworld where they lived. Faumiel finding a patrol led by Glabolas was the first break they had. Cerebriel had always believed that the rebel Angels kept their patrols invisible, much like his own loyal Cherubim. The two sides could have been right next to one another and not known it. That was one of the reasons Cerebriel wanted everyone fully armed, so if they ran into one another they could defend themselves, Jarahmael and his family if need be. From his past experience with the rebel Angels, he was sure that Luciferael would not send his own troops out unarmed searching for the fugitive Archangel.
Cerebriel had always felt that the Almighty wanted Jarahmael to return to the Heavens. He wished that Jarahmael had come back to the Heavens with him that day and explained one more time the circumstances of Luciferael’s continued interference with the Humans. Cerebriel felt sure that Michael or the Almighty would have given him or Jarahmael permission to provide direct assistance to Adam and Eve. But alas, Jarahmael moved before permission could have been sought and granted and thereby made himself into a fugitive.
Cerebriel had sent some scouts ahead. The scouts were the first ones armed in the Sixth Heaven armory, and he sent them straight away to keep an eye out for Luciferael’s legions in the area of Aegyptus where Jarahmael had been identified. Soon after the remainder of Cerebriel’s legions were armed, they too descended directly towards the Earth.
Once they reached the Earth’s skies, Cerebriel had them separate. The first legion commanded by Michael would take the lead, while Cerebriel broke his legions into a much wider pattern of squadrons, spread far apart so it would not be easy for someone to see how many Cherubim had come on this search. Cerebriel was putting in some safety mechanisms, because any time there were any dealings with Luciferael, treachery or trickery was likely.
The Earth had numerous clouds spread out in its skies, which would allow the rebel Angels to conceal themselves and observe the surface of the Earth easily. Cerebriel and his Angels were not in the skies long when he saw the red-tipped wings of Raphael fly up from the main Simian cave where Guline lived, heading right towards the Cherubim legion lead by Michael.
Cerebriel took his leave of his legion, assigning command to Faumiel and then flew off to meet with Michael and Raphael.
When Cerebriel flew in to the space where the two Archangels were hovering, he could overhear Raphael at first.
“My lord, Guline reports that he had seen the Archangel Jarahmael and a smaller child with Angel wings a few days ago in the Aegyptus area, not far from where Adam and Eve lived. He had concerns about the Archangel because over the last few days there have been many patrols by flying Angels acting as though they are looking for someone. And Guline was even more concerned because he still does not totally trust the other Cherubim.”
“Why is that?” Michael asked.
“Because Guline was seriously wounded when he was attacked by a dinosaur and then he also saw what happened to another lead Angel on the day we decimated the dinosaurs,” Raphael explained, acknowledging Cerebriel’s arrival with a nod.
“That is good. Shows that the intelligence of the Simians is growing. I was hoping that the Simians were becoming capable of remembering those things,” Michael said as he acknowledged Cerebriel’s arrival, too. “With all these rebel Angels searching too I want to make sure the Simians remain safe. Cerebriel, send down a squadron to the area where Guline is living to act as protectors. I don’t trust what Luciferael is up to, and don’t want him to succeed in getting a large group of hostages.”
“Should I send anyone in particular?” Cerebriel asked.
“No, Cerebriel I trust your judgment on this. You have proven yourself a major warrior, and have more experience than anyone other than Jarahmael in combatting Luciferael. Besides, you know how Luciferael leads his troops as well as how Jarahmael thinks.”
Chapter 29
PLAYTIME
It was a particularly beautiful morning that dawned over the eastern sky. The lushness of the forests gave a green hue to all of the mountains, with the exception of the highest peaks which were white and covered in snow. Jarahmael decided to go into Nod, a village not far from where Adam and Eve had their cave. Lillith was still withdrawn and he decided to leave her at home. He spent most of the morning in the land of Nod with Enoch allowing the boy to interact with Cain, Abel and other Simian children and to pick up some items in the local bazaar. Jarahmael could always generate money, as one of his skills was the ability to create gold out of dirt itself. After all, it was just another form of dust. He went in his Simian disguise and changed back just before he approached Adam and Eve’s cave.
Enoch, Cain and Abel wan
ted to go for a flight up to see the snow on the top of the mountain. It was always fun to be able to play in the snow, especially when the temperature was so hot close to the ground. Jarahmael walked into Adam and Eve’s cave with the children in tow.
“Good afternoon Eve,” Jarahmael said when he came upon her preparing food inside the cave for the midday meal. “The children would like to fly up and play in the snow for a while.”
“That is sweet of you to take them with you, Jarahmael. I am sure they will enjoy it,” Eve answered with a smile, her two boys having run over to check on what she was cooking for dinner.
“Would Enoch like to eat with us?” Eve asked.
Enoch looked up expectantly at his father. Enoch always enjoyed eating the meals Eve prepared and Jarahmael encouraged his eating as it made him blend in better with the Humans. Jarahmael was unsure about what Enoch really needed to eat, if anything, to survive. Lillith always gave him some of the bounty from the Tree of Life and allowed him to eat other Human foods. As parents, neither Jarahmael or Lillith wanted to expose their son to hunger or starvation, and encouraged him to eat as a Human.
“That would be fine,” Jarahmael replied while he watched Enoch’s smile broaden. “In the meantime, I want to fly back home and see how Lillith is doing and whether she would like to come with us to the mountaintop.”
He looked over at the corner in the cave and saw his spear and two swords and their scabbards leaning against the wall. The weapons should be safe here, and I will be right back, he thought. He then nodded goodbye to Eve and the boys, took a few steps outside of the cave and flew off towards his home nestled in the side of the mountain.
Chapter 30
WATCHFUL REBELS
Luciferael and his Auxilium led the flight out of the entrance to the Underworld. Glabolas followed with a legion of armed Cherubim. Everyone turned invisible before entering the surface of the Earth; they had been able to preserve the secret locations of the entrances to Hades and Hell this long, and did not want to give that information up. They were hunting Jarahmael, Lillith and this hybrid Half-Human and Half-Archangel child and wanted to be able to hold them captive. If the loyal Angels found out their location, they far outnumbered the rebels and could attack and free the hostages.
Luciferael turned to Sammuael and said, “Today is a good day to use our new approach to capturing Jarahmael. Let’s head over to where he was sighted by the Simians in his Archangelic form and see if he will reappear.”
“Yes, my lord, do you want us to turn visible again once we get there?”
“Not yet, I don’t want to make him aware that we know he has appeared there. Let’s see if he reappears first.”
“As you wish my lord,” Sammuael said as they moved closer to their destination.
Once they arrived over the village, they dispersed among some newly developing clouds that began to appear over the village and in the local mountains. Luciferael and his other Archangels watched the Simians in the village below for any indication that Jarahmael and the others were with him.
“If Jarahmael appears again in his true Archangel form, he will tower over the Humans and Simians. And with a hybrid child carried on his back between those magnificent wings he should be easily identified,” Luciferael said to Sammuael.
There were numerous creatures walking through the village, but no Archangel that Luciferael could see.
Sammuael, though, pointed out a taller Simian that was walking through that had three children following him. All four of them wore hoods unlike the other Simians who were bareheaded.
“My lord, look at the Simian walking through the village over there. See the one with the three male children?”
“Yes. Strange that they are covered up like that, none of the others down there are,” Luciferael replied. Luciferael motioned Beelzebael over.
“Keep everyone up here, Beelzebael.” Luciferael then turned to Sammuael. “Come, let’s drop down and look for ourselves.”
The two rebel Archangels remained invisible and glided down to the edge of the village, making sure they landed silently and away from the Simians.
Quietly, they walked over by the side of the main pathway and waited for the Simian and the three small ones to appear.
Luciferael and Sammuael remained silent as the four creatures passed by them. Led by the adult Simian, the three smaller children ran to and fro as they progressed down the path. Each was clothed in a dark brown hooded cloak that hid most of their features, all of their hair was completely covered, their faces in shadow, although blue eyes appeared on the taller Simian and on one of the children. The other two children appeared to have brown eyes. Then the Archangels moved and stood away from the village.
“That Simian was taller than most of the ones I have seen,” Luciferael said, still watching them walk off into the distance.
“Yes, it’s difficult to tell if that was Jarahmael in some disguise, my lord.”
“What did you think of the children?”
“That was even harder to tell my lord, the cloaks they wore didn’t let us see much of them. Two of them looked very similar, the third one I could not see much of his face, although he did seem to have blue eyes rather than the brown eyes of the others.”
“Agreed,” responded Luciferael. “I don’t know enough about these Simians to know what colored eyes they have. Most if not all that I have seen had brown eyes, but the older Simian that accompanied the children appeared to have blue eyes too. Let’s keep a safe distance and follow them, see where they go.”
“Yes, my lord,” Sammuael said as the two of them started following the four Earth creatures at a safe distance, being careful that their slung weapons did not make any noise.
Chapter 31
FINDING A FRIEND AGAIN
Cerebriel assigned Faumiel to take a small force down near Guline’s cave while he took the main force in the direction of the village known as Nod. Adam and Eve’s cave was about the midpoint between those two locations. This area was becoming one of the major gathering places for the Simians as well as the fledgling Humans.
All the loyal Angels were instructed to remain invisible and to conceal themselves as best as possible during this assignment. They did not want to violate the Almighty’s policy of non-interference and it would be very tempting for the Simians and Humans to try to speak with the rank and file loyal Angels if they were visible.
Once the larger force was in position, Cerebriel decided to take a small squadron of his Cherubim along with him directly to the area of the village of Nod, to see if they could secretly locate his friend Jarahmael. As they approached for landing, Cerebriel dispersed them all around the area of the market place, reiterating his strict instructions to observe and not interfere. As Cerebriel surveyed the area for a final time from above he could feel a strong presence of other hidden Angels in the area and he had a foreboding that something bad was going to happen soon.
He flew over just in time to watch a tall Simian and three children walking away from the village. It struck him odd that all four of them were hooded and cloaked as it was a warm day, but the Simians and Humans could be a strange lot. Cerebriel did not know everything about the Humans and Simians, even though he and Raphael had been assigned to keep an eye on them. He thought it best to keep more of a distance from the Humans after Jarahmael violated the Almighty’s commandment and disappeared. It was a frustrating and difficult task to try to protect the Humans while at the same time not being able to make their presence known. Jarahmael’s violation and its consequences made Cerebriel, Raphael and any other observing loyal Angels much more cautious; none of them wanted to be placed in Jarahmael’s position.
Cerebriel gave a signal for his squad to regain altitude and they followed the Simian and the three children from the air, remaining high enough that they could not been seen or felt, but close enough that they always maintained visual contact with the four creatures.
The Simian and the children walked quite a distan
ce away and then entered a cave in the side of the mountain. A familiar place to Cerebriel, it was Adam and Eve’s Cave of Treasures. This was where the two Humans had been placed after being cast out of the Garden of Eden. Cerebriel remembered that the Almighty had assigned Gabriel and Ariel to provide the Humans with some tools that could assist them in surviving on the planet at the time.
Cerebriel noticed that there were fields that had been cleared of trees near the cave, and now there were crops of food stuffs for Humans that had been planted and were growing. I wonder if Jarahmael provided them with more information from the Book of Creation, Cerebriel thought to himself. Then he saw that off in the far fields there were herds of animals that were being moved about by Adam. Jarahmael must have also shown the Humans how to raise and keep animals.
This was a good sign, Cerebriel thought. Jarahmael must be around here, or at least his home would be close-by. Maybe they would be fortunate this day and find Jarahmael, Lillith and their child before the rebel Angels captured them.
Cerebriel landed in a tree a small distance from the entrance into Adam and Eve’s cave and watched the four figures walk inside. He also saw that the small group was greeted by Eve, the female responsible for the Humans being cast out of Eden. He wanted to walk into the cave himself but was concerned that Jarahmael may sense his presence even if he remained invisible because they were very close and spent a lot of time in one another’s company.
Cerebriel also still felt a strange presence outside the cave, but did not see anyone. He waited for a time for the four figures to re-emerge from the cave, but instead, he saw an Archangel fly out of the cave, his blue tipped friend, who was now headed towards the side of a mountain off in the distance.
In Exile (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book III) Page 13
