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

by John J Higgins

  Chapter 58

  CLEANING UP

  Cain saw that he had made a very large mess killing his brother by using the blade, there was blood all over the ground. What to do with the body? He had not thought that through, and had hoped, perhaps naively, that there would be no remains left once life had left his brother’s body. Now he had a terrible-looking corpse, one that he could not leave lying in the field. How was he going to explain this?

  Fortunately for Cain, the old Simian had followed him, and walked up beside him.

  “You did a great job! What are you going to tell your family and what are you going to do with the body, young master?” he said as he looked around at the scene.

  “I don’t know, Simian. I expected the body to disappear! Do you have any ideas?”

  “You certainly don’t want your family to find the body. You will have a lot of explaining to do then. They will get very angry with you. You can always bury the body in the ground and hide all of this, like planting a seed only deeper,” he said as he used his hand to point down and circled around the area where Abel bled. “Yes, the best thing to do with the body is to bury it, put it under ground. Tell your family that Abel decided to leave, that he ran away from here. Here, I will help you with his body.”

  “You are old and walk with a staff! How can you help me?” asked Cain.

  “Watch this!” the old Simian said as he lifted the staff above the ground next to the body and moved it back and forth across the Earth. As he did so quantities of dirt moved along with it, digging a hole in the ground.

  “That’s a relief,” Cain said as he stood by and watched.

  Neither the old Simian nor Cain could see Enoch approaching from behind them. He was coming to see how his two brothers were doing, thinking he could help them finish off the day’s tasks before they all had to return home to dinner.

  Enoch saw Cain and the old Simian nearby, looking like a bird picking at seed on the ground the way his beak-shaped hat moved up and down as the old Simian continued to move the dirt.

  Then Enoch saw a bloodied foot and leg and instinctively began to run towards the scene. He could not help but cry out when he saw what appeared to be Abel lying on the ground covered with blood.

  “Abel, are you all right?” Enoch called out, and he was soon upon the old Simian and Cain.

  Cain moved in between Enoch and Abel, blocking Enoch from getting to Abel’s body.

  “Stop right there, Enoch. You are not to see this!” Cain yelled back at him.

  “Abel, can you hear me?” Enoch yelled louder, trying to get past Cain.

  “Back I tell you!” Cain yelled at Enoch, drawing out the blade he had just used to kill Abel.

  Enoch took a step back. He did not know why Cain had a blade like that, or why he would point it at him. He was just trying to help their brother, who was clearly in bad shape with all of the blood over his body.

  Enoch then tried to move to the side around Cain and succeeded in getting close to Abel’s body. But then he found himself standing with Cain at his back with the blade and the old Simian in the front of him with a staff that he was raising and beginning to point at Enoch.

  Enoch had heard that Adam’s staff had special powers to it, and although this was not Adam’s staff he feared that this one could also discharge a violent lightning strike and he did not want to be standing in front of it. But he also knew that he was trapped and it would only be a second or two before he was struck either from the front with some form of discharge from the old Simian’s staff or by the blade that Cain still had in his hand. And with his brother Abel lying on the ground covered in blood, he was most likely dead at one or both of these Beings’ hands.

  Chapter 59

  PROTECTION

  Faumiel had taken over Enoch’s protective detail earlier that day. Cerebriel had a number of the loyal Cherubim rotate their shifts and assignments to guarantee that Enoch remained safe from Luciferael and his rebel Angels. All the loyal Angels had felt the shudder of death that resulted from Abel’s murder and Faumiel immediately moved to tighten the circle to protect Enoch. He did not know the cause of the shudder in energy that had passed through the Universe at the time, for this was the first time a Human was murdered and it was sure to set off another chain of events that no one had experienced before.

  What Faumiel did know was that as soon as he felt the shudder through his mind and body, Enoch felt it too. Faumiel knew Enoch was half Angel, so he most likely felt some of the effects as if he were a full Archangel. But Enoch did not even have rudimentary teachings about who he was, or much about Archangels so he could deal with this situation. Faumiel needed to stay on top of Enoch and now. Faumiel immediately sent one of his three guards to bring back reinforcements of additional loyal Cherubim, as there could be major changes afoot with the rebel Angels again.

  As Enoch ran towards the field that was farmed by the two stepbrothers, Faumiel and one of the other guards flew forward, remaining invisible, to see what caused the original shock wave. As Faumiel drew closer he saw a sight he had never seen before. Thantos, one of Luciferael’s rebel Angels, was pulling out a soul from the body of a Human lying in the grass field below them. Faumiel had thought Thantos was destroyed in the rebellion. The last time Faumiel had seen him, Thantos had been struck in his chest and head by one of the lightning bolts Faumiel had cast during the rebellion. That could explain why he was covered in that black shroud.

  Faumiel saw Thantos pull the soul out with a quick jerk. It was a transparent copy of the lifeless Human body that lied below, there was a glow that came with the removal of the soul, leaving the corpse look even more drained. Abel’s soul, despite the glow still maintained a blank and stupefied stare. It was clear to Faumiel that Abel’s soul did not have any idea of what had just happened. There had been talk in the Heavens about what would happen when the Humans would die. It was a task that none of the loyal Angels wanted as an assignment. The Almighty and Michael decided to give that task to Luciferael and his rebel Angels. They would deal with the Humans as they died, housing them in Hades. The rebel Angels would then be responsible for the safekeeping of Human souls until the Almighty found a way to redeem them all from their sins.

  Faumiel looked again at Abel’s corpse with its blood all over on the ground. What a terrible fate, he thought. Cain and this old Simian moved in and started to dispose of the body. Burying the body from what he could see.

  Thantos shot out a chain that bound Abel’s soul by wrapping around it and then began to rapidly fly away from the scene, pulling Abel’s soul behind him. The soul barely acknowledged what had happened to him, although he began to mumble. Enraged by the scene he saw below and disregarding any prior agreements made with Luciferael, Faumiel knew he had to act quickly before the soul was taken away. Acting impulsively, Faumiel indicated to his companion to draw swords as they rushed to intercept Thantos, cutting the Human soul free from him. Thantos would not be taking this murdered soul back with him to the Underworld.

  In the meantime, Enoch had arrived at the scene of the murder and was yelling back and forth with Cain. During the shouting match Enoch pushed himself past Cain and was now standing between him and what appeared to be an old Simian. Faumiel watched most of this unfold while finishing stealing Abel’s soul from Thantos. Concerned about Enoch’s safety, Faumiel quickly handed over control of Abel’s soul to his companion Cherubim.

  “Take this soul upwards into the Heavens, do not stop until you are safely in the First Heaven. Seek out Gaardrael, tell him to assemble a legion and guard the entrance into the First Heaven and keep this soul safe. Suggest he take Abel’s soul to what is left of the Garden of Eden.”

  Faumiel then changed directions and headed back towards the scene of the murder. Still from a distance away, he saw Cain and the old Simian moving in for the kill. He would not get there in time to save them from murdering Enoch.

  To his relief, he saw his other loyal Cherubim guard become visible and push Enoch
out of the way as he drew his sword to protect the hybrid Angel. Enoch was safe finally, he thought, neither a Human nor a Simian would be able to fight past a seasoned Cherubim guard.

  Then there was a bright flash, an explosion of light that made it appear the old Simian was blown apart from within. To Faumiel’s horror, he saw that the old Simian was not an Earth creature at all, but that it was Luciferael himself, and with an energy surge from the staff in his hand, the Cherubim guard was blown backwards, out of reach to help Enoch. Luciferael then focused on the Cherubim guard and moved forward, sending more energy blasts his way.

  Luciferael’s distraction and wrath aimed at the other loyal Cherubim gave Faumiel the chance he needed to swoop in, grab Enoch by the wings on his back, and lift him skywards along with him. By the time Luciferael had discovered Enoch had been taken from him, Faumiel was halfway to the gateway into the First Heaven, and Cerebriel and a full legion of loyal Cherubim were passing them by, armed and ready to defend against any Angel who would be a threat from the Earth below.

  Chapter 60

  A HERO

  Cain was dumbfounded when he saw the old Simian change form into that of the Archangel he knew as Morning Star. But there he was, standing in front of him on the other side of Enoch and the loyal Cherubim guard. Cain watched as Morning Star drove the Cherubim backwards, and was shocked further when another Cherubim came down out of the Heavens, picked Enoch up, and flew off into the sky with him. Now Cain would be unable to kill him before he could tell someone what he had done to Abel.

  A few seconds later, Morning Star turned around and saw that Enoch was gone.

  “Where did Enoch go, Cain? Where is he now?” Morning Star said in an angry and booming voice that frightened Cain. All he could manage to do was to point skyward and say, “They swooped him up and took him that way!”

  “You now belong to me, Cain! I am going after them!”

  Cain fell to his knees and begged, “What about me? What should I do about Abel’s body?”

  “Tell the other pieces of dust that the heavenly Angels came down and captured your brother Enoch and killed Abel as he tried to protect him.”

  “But what if the other Angels come back and tell them the truth?”

  “The loyal Angels do not speak to Humans, Cain, the last one that did was banned from the Heavens. On my word as Luciferael, there is only one Angel who would dare do that and I have him safely imprisoned in my Kingdom. Not to worry, they will not tell them anything!”

  Luciferael then took off skyward, flying quickly in the direction where they had taken Enoch.

  Cain felt drained by what he had seen. I never knew these Angels could be violent and destructive like that, he thought to himself. Now he belonged to one of the most powerful of the Angels. Morning Star was actually Luciferael. He had fought off at least three other Angels that he could see, and protected him in the meantime. He certainly was a very powerful Being, the most powerful Cain had ever seen or imagined.

  Now that it was over, Cain saw he was all covered in dirt and blood. When he looked down at himself it did look like he had been in a terrible fight. He could make it appear that he was a hero, especially with no one to contradict his version of the facts.

  He looked down again at the body of his brother Abel, and thought that it may be better to just finish burying the body. He would claim that Abel was taken just as Enoch was taken. Otherwise, in his mind’s eye he could see Adam and Eve and the others crying over Abel’s body, and they would not be paying much attention to him and his story of being a hero. Yes, it was best to just bury this corpse.

  For another hour, Cain finished burying his brother, and to further cover over the grave site he took control over Abel’s herd of sheep and chased them back and forth, trampling the ground and making the whole area look like there was a broad battle that occurred there.

  Chapter 61

  A STOLEN SOUL

  Luciferael had ascended about a quarter of the way up in pursuit of Faumiel and Enoch when he saw Cerebriel and a whole legion of loyal Cherubim descending head first, weapons drawn. Knowing he was outnumbered, and not wanting to show Cerebriel how he and his rebel Angels were accessing both the Underworld and the Earth, he diverted off and headed back to tree top level, heading away from all of them.

  A few minutes later as he continued to fly, heading back to his kingdom, he began to relax again, feeling secure that he had successfully escaped. Then he heard the voice of Thantos as he approached, flying up to him from below.

  “My lord Luciferael, we were lucky to escape that loyal Angel onslaught!”

  “Yes, we were Thantos. How did you escape?”

  “I was knocked out of the air by one of the loyal Cherubim before the battle began, my lord. I had just pulled the soul out of that Human named Abel and was going to take him back with me to the Underworld. He was going to be the first Human soul to ever enter the Underworld, my lord.”

  “Excellent, it’s about time we got one of them. I always thought the souls of Adam and Eve would be the first ones to enter Hades, as they are older than any other Human.”

  “I did too, my lord. But as soon as Cain murdered Abel I found myself transported over to the scene of the killing, my lord.”

  “In any event, congratulations on your first soul, Thantos, that is wonderful! So where did you put Abel’s soul?”

  “That’s where there is a problem, my lord. I lost control of the Human’s soul.”

  “How could you have lost control over his soul? That was part of the agreement Michael entered into with me on behalf of the Almighty. The loyals are supposed to allow us to harvest all of the souls.”

  “I know, my lord, but one of the loyal Cherubim cut the chains I had bound the soul with and took off with it. I was unable to get it back as he quickly ascended into the Heavens and I could not catch up with him.”

  “That is terrible, Thantos, and a major injustice. We really need to find those Books of the Almighty soon so we can mount another attack and remove this Almighty from the Heavens!”

  Chapter 62

  TRANSFORMATION

  Cerebriel led his Cherubim downwards, heading towards the field where Cain had murdered his brother Abel. He was relieved that Enoch was already rescued and on his way up into the First Heaven. Cerebriel knew that he would have some explaining to do to Michael and the Almighty, but he was sure that it had been the proper thing to do. Saving Enoch was not interfering with the Humans, because the boy was only half Human.

  As they broke through the last set of clouds, Cerebriel could see that Thantos and Luciferael were already fleeing the area. They could try and cut off Luciferael, but Luciferael’s escape could be another trick or set-up for an ambush. Thinking better of it, Cerebriel held up his hand to halt their descent, then circled with his hand and raised it upwards, pointing for the legion to disperse among the clouds they had just passed through. He had led the legion down from the Heavens in an assault configuration, afraid that Luciferael and his rebel Angels had started another major attack. Now in a defensive position, they waited in case a rebel attack was next.

  After a while, Cerebriel’s attention was drawn to the skies above him. There he saw that the Almighty, and His Thrones and Seraphim, were headed down to the Earth, lighting up the ground below that was entering into the darkness of night. The difference in lighting made the area on the ground even more beautiful, like a spotlight highlighting colors in an otherwise black landscape.

  As the Almighty and His entourage passed by, the Almighty spoke to Cerebriel and said, “I am pleased the boy Enoch has been rescued, Cerebriel. Have no fear, that was the right thing to do. Place the boy in the Garden of Eden, I want him to live there. You will also find the soul of Abel in the care of another of your loyal Cherubim. The soul of Abel, too, is to be taken to the Garden of Eden, for that shall be his new home as well. Now go!”

  Cerebriel was pleased that the Almighty approved of his Cherubims’ decisions about Enoch and th
e soul of Abel. Now he had to make sure that there would be no interference as they finished their journey into the First Heaven and Eden. No one had been there since the end of the rebellion, so it would be good to check on that paradise once again.

  With a signal to return their weapons to the sheathed position and an arm gesture indicating that they should continue to rise upwards, Cerebriel’s legion moved upwards again into the Heavens.

  They were some distance behind Faumiel’s Cherubim as they entered through the First Heaven’s gate. Cerebriel could see them off in the distance as they were approaching the entrance into the Garden of Eden. Much further in the distance, he could see the Pillar of Fire guarded by one of his loyal Cherubim still in place at the gateway that used to open upon the Earth. Cerebriel motioned for the two closest Cherubim to come near, and told one to find Gaardrael, leader of the Guardian Angels, and the other to find the Archangel Raphael and request that they meet him in the Garden of Eden. Cerebriel then dismissed the rest of his legion a small distance beyond the gate at the First Heaven, and relieved them for the rest of the day, so they could return to their homes in the Sixth Heaven for the night.

  A little while later, Cerebriel caught up with Faumiel and Bakiel, the Cherubim who saved Abel’s soul from Thantos. They had just gently deposited both Enoch and Abel in the Garden. Both Enoch and the soul of Abel were confused, as everything had happened so quickly. Enoch was in much better shape, more amazed at the wonder and beauty that surrounded him here. Abel’s soul, on the other hand, was in a daze, frightened, and his face constricted, looking like he was in pain. The shadows of his hands kept touching his throat where Cain had cut Abel’s former body.

  Bakiel reached out and stroked the disembodied soul’s forehead, or the area where it would have been on his former body and tried to calm him from his fear. Bakiel told Abel’s soul that it would not be long now and they would ease his pain.