Lucifer's Legacy: Book 1 of the Heaven's Insurrection Saga

by Joel Stewart

  Alex, Cliff, and Davis shook their heads no, but Jesse nodded slightly. “I’ve heard rumors. I don’t think anything has ever been scientifically proven, but they are reported to be a single, monstrous version of an average creature. Supposedly the rest of their race share some sort of telepathic link with it and when the big matriarch dies, they all die. But this has never been more than speculation, the last time people were talking about it was ten years ago or so when all the tunnel-boars suddenly died across the world.”

  “I remember hearing about that.” Davis added. Alex and Cliff were now shaking their heads in agreement.

  “That is correct.” Lena confirmed. “And we gained an edge in the war against Serenis when we were able to possess the dragon matriarch. It is a powerful, terrifying creature whose natural toughness had turned back several direct attacks from Serenis herself. Unfortunately for us, this advantage turned out to be our weakness as the link between the matriarch and the rest of its species goes beyond simple death. During an ambush Serenis managed to capture the dragon matriarch, possessed by the angel Ivinor, and somehow tore Ivinor out of the dragon. I am still not sure how she did it. What I do know is that when it happened the dragon’s physical spirit was pulled out with Ivinor, leaving its body in a trance like state. The residual effect of Ivinor’s possession kept the dragon’s body alive, but it was nothing more than a hollow shell.”

  “Wait.” Jesse interrupted. “An animal has a physical spirit? Like a soul?”

  “Not quite.” Lena responded. “Everything that is alive on this world, including you, has a physical spirit that is bonded to this world. It is different from your immortal soul that will go into the afterlife. When a being of this world dies, its physical spirit dies with it. Every world is as a coin with two sides, the physical, or natural, and the spiritual. There is a physical level of existence that you can see and hear and taste, and there is a spiritual level of existence that you can’t experience. Your soul is the spiritual part of you, your spirit is the physical. Your spirit can sense things about the supernatural, it can push you toward seeking the Creator, and it can influence your subconscious.” Lena looked at the group, she could tell she was losing them. “Anyway, where was I . . .”

  “The dragon’s physical spirit was torn out with your angel.” Jesse responded.

  “Ah yes.” Lena said with a sigh. “When Ivinor and the dragon’s physical spirit were pulled from the matriarch, the same thing happened to all the dragons. Every single one of our angels disappeared and every dragon we had under our command fell completely helpless. The Awakening in the caves you were interrogating me about the other day were references to a plan I had to bring you down here and show you the dragons, hoping that it would be enough to convince you of the story you needed to hear.”

  “The dragons are here?” Davis said surprised. “Can we see them?”

  “Yes, and yes. Soon. I need to finish. Michael the Archangel contacted me shortly after we lost our army and told me some background to what had happened and his plan to seal Serenis. I am told that Ivinor is held captive and the only way to free her is for Alesia to get within earshot of the matriarch and command Ivinor to return. This is due to the designated lines of authority inside the angelic ranks and the power those lines hold. While I am the commander of you four generals, Alesia—now Alex—was in charge of the angelic host. Ivinor is being held captive by a force that I can’t countermand as I do not have the authority, but Alesia apparently does. I am still not sure why this is the case or how it happened, but these are the facts. To further complicate things, Serenis was somehow able to revive her dragons without reviving the matriarch. Again, I am not sure how, but this left the war tilted against us. Michael’s plan was bold, but it worked. Alesia died before we could reach Ivinor, but we were successful in sealing Serenis and her generals away for the last 10,000 years—give or take a few hundred. Now that you are awakened to your gifts, our goal is similar to before: we must bring Alex to Ivinor to resurrect her and bolster our forces.” Lena looked over the group. It looked like they had absorbed all they could for the moment. Alex seemed to be in shock, and Davis was the only one that was truly taking it all in. “Any other questions before I show you the dragons?”

  “Just one for now.” Davis responded. “Where exactly is this matriarch located?”

  Lena pondered for a moment before answering. “I will answer that question later. We have talked enough for now.” She turned and headed for the side door opposite of where they came in while waving her hand, beckoning them to follow.

  As they walked the labyrinth of corridors, conversation soon began to pick up. “Well that explains the lack of archeological evidence for dragons.” Jesse began. “I had always wondered how they were so rooted in myth. Seriously, every culture on the planet has references to dragons, but no actual evidence has ever been found.”

  “I have kept track of your technological development and I do not believe any of your creations to date can stand toe to toe with a dragon.” Lena commented. “But still, modern technology may play a key role in the coming war. My main concern is that military technology today has fine-tuned the art of killing and killing is not particularly useful. We need to subdue and detain. I have been perfecting potent doses of specialized tranquilizers that, while normally lethal, should put the dragons into a coma where life is sustained by the demon’s possession alone.” Davis nodded his head with a smirk. Anything weapon related was always interesting to him.

  “What about the dragons we saw the other night? They definitely had some sort of technological alteration.” Cliff asked.

  “The last battle was brutal, and many dragons were severely maimed before it was over. I have not seen this technology in Chengar, so I assume Serenis is working with the Ardian Nomads to repair her damaged army.” Lena replied.

  “Ardian Nomads?” Jesse said in shock. “Aren’t they that weird cult people that live on the large Island off of Denoria’s western coast?”

  “I have had a few run-ins with the Ardians during my active duty days. They are a sick, twisted people that think observing pain is the highest form of entertainment.” Davis added.

  “Just as Denoria is the country that was at the center of what was our angelic empire, Ardia was the center of the demon’s empire.” Lena said matter-of-factly. “Our influence is still seen strongest here, and the twisted people of Ardia are the closest thing to the followers the demons bent to their will in ages past. The people you reference now are a mere shadow to the image of humanity Serenis hopes to create.” The conversation died out again as the weight of what was before them bore down on their shoulders. A few moments later, Lena opened a heavy metal door and a vast natural stone cavern stretched out before them. Lena motioned toward the sea of reptilian forms that stretched across the expanse. “Alex, here are the dragons awaiting your command.”

  Chapter 5

  Denoria Eastern Desert

  Trees passed below General Reminir’s cruiser. A sea of green waves contoured the ground as the hills rolled on by. In contrast to the natural beauty of his surroundings, dark thoughts flooded his head. Why my daughter? Why try to kill her? Why bring on war now? What has changed? My daughter . . . Dragons? Is it possible? Alex . . . are you truly safe? Why am I here and not with her? She is safe with Davis. Wait, desert? Lost in his thoughts he hadn’t even noticed the green hills disappear and the eastern desert extend itself as far as he could see in any direction. He jumped when his pilot announced they were coming up on the site of the downed beast. In the distance he could see smoke billowing up from several sources. The first few smoke columns were definitely coming from parts of a crashed airship. The farthest one was something far larger. Several other cruisers were circling the burning heap and three had already landed—two military and one civilian. He could see the logo on the side of the civilian cruiser—it belonged to Alden Foren’s tech company. I will have to talk to that boy about using top secret operations to further his company�
�s bottom line. He could get thrown off the circle for this.

  As General Reminir stepped out of his cruiser he could see the shape of the monster before him. The details were hard to make out through the smoke, but he could definitely see a reptilian head, the skeletal structure of a wing, a long tail, and two twitching hind legs that were thick as tree trunks. Several feet from the main corpse was a grotesque mechanical arm that was charred and still smoking from some sort of organic material that was smoldering inside of it. “What am I looking at, Major?” Reminir asked the crisp looking officer that was walking toward him.

  “It’s definitely a living organism.” The major replied. “There have been mechanical augments to its head and right talon. The guys from TechnoVelor say they have never seen anything even close to this, technologically or biologically.”

  “What exactly is TechnoVelor doing here?” Reminir had an edge to his voice that perfectly conveyed his current state of mind.

  “They are a subcontractor for Air Capitalis, the company that has the contract for developing the new X-5 airships. They were told by Capitalis to follow the take down of this dragon and gather as much data as they can. The X-5s are into the prototype phase but they think they can make some last-minute modifications to help it better counter this new threat.”

  “Well at least everything isn’t bad news.” Reminir’s voice seemed to lose a little of its edge—at least one thing wasn’t as bad as it seemed. “Did you make sure it was dead?”

  “The first airship on the scene put several rounds in its skull. All we have now is some residual twitching. It’s definitely dead.” The major reported.

  General Reminir stared at the now clear gaping jaws. The teeth protruded like huge knives, the bigger ones easily measured the length of half a small man. They also seemed to waver . . . Was it a distortion from the ambient heat? Reminir stumbled to the side, catching the arm of the major for balance.

  “Are you OK, sir?” The major immediately started waiving to one of his subordinates to call a medic.

  “I’m fine.” Reminir responded gruffly. The whole dragon seemed to be wavering now, the world was spinning. He felt sick to his stomach. So sick that he might . . . he vomited before collapsing unconscious to the ground.

  A world away, Alden Foren stared at the fixed video feed from his company’s cruiser. He was stuck in Dengrin but that would not stop him from keeping tabs on things. The smoking corpse of the dragon changed little with the passing minutes. His bloodshot eyes began to blink more and more often. In his mind, he seemed to expect the image to change the next time he opened them, but it didn’t. He had two phones sitting in front of him, and one of them needed to ring. Soon. He looked around at the council, every member was still in attendance except for the few military generals that had left. Finally one of the phones rang. He put it on speaker.

  “Brief update, General Reminir has fallen ill, he is being transported back to the Jorgen Command post. Updates to his condition will be transmitted when he arrives. Hourly update on the operation Demphni will proceed . . .”

  The crackling voice trailed off in Alden’s mind. Reminir fallen ill . . . that is a blow for sure. We won’t get an update on that for hours if they are not transmitting until they land. I should call Alex . . . A smile formed on his lips that did not really match his glazed-over eyes. He picked up his other phone that was not on speaker and dialed the phone number of Alex Reminir. To his disappointment she did not pick up.

  He was having a hard time not thinking about her after their dinner the other night. He could not tell if she was interested or oblivious, but for his side of the equation, he was definitely interested. He put the phone back on the table when it suddenly began to vibrate in his hand. He was so tired the vibration made him jump in surprise, but after a moment he calmly answered. “Hello? . . . I get that the findings are just preliminary, tell me what your best estimate is? . . . And you think you can implement these changes with the current prototype? . . . We don’t have the time to backtrack to the drawing board, we need them by the time the war starts, and it started yesterday! Castle Dengrin is still burning! I like what you are telling me about the proposed changes, and I want them installed on the current prototype, make it work!”

  Alden moved out of the room after getting glares from the other members who were listening in to the hourly report on the recovery and examination of the dragon. Nothing new had come through those reports for several hours and Alden found them useless to listen to. “Get the approval from Air Capitalis to move the current prototypes into production starting next week. We can work on modifying the produced models after production and use them as prototypes for the new ones that roll off the line. If we can’t build what we want into the current model it will just have to wait until we begin design of the X-6. We needed the air ships last night, and we didn’t have them . . . Understood, let me know if you come up with anything else. Send me the technical reports and I will look over them personally tomorrow.” Alden looked back at the conference room and then at the exit door. He needed sleep. The rest of the council thought it was noble to push through and be there with every insignificant status update, but he knew that the mind was sharpest when it was rested. We need our minds sharp to navigate this situation, he thought. He headed toward his room for some much-needed rest.

  Chapter 6

  Chentar, Capital of Chengar

  Alexander Denof, the former Supreme Ruler of Chengar, understood one thing well: opulence. It was said that the throne room of the royal palace had a greater net worth than the bottom 50 percent of the entire population of Chengar. The room was enameled with pure gold including numerous pillars, statues, and elaborate trim. The throne was massive. It was made of two small dragons whose heads became the armrests and one large dragon that served as the back of the throne. The large dragon reared its head over where the Supreme Ruler used to sit.

  It is ironic that they used dragons to make this throne, Serenis mused to herself. She sat with her legs sprawling to either side of the throne and her shoulders slouching into the back of it. There were luxurious cushions seamlessly built into the sides of the throne that made it almost impossible to be uncomfortable in. She twirled a crown in her hands. This crown she had made to her own specifications. She put it on her head and adjusted her flowing black hair into position. She was a queen again, and in time, these humans would learn what that meant for them. She could not begin reshaping humanity yet—she needed to consolidate her power first—but soon they would all know her vision.

  A red circular ruby now sat in the middle of her forehead while the gold bands disappeared into her hair on either side of her forehead. Protruding out of her hair a few inches to either side of her hairline were two large gold horns that she knew mirrored the ones that grew on her spiritual form when she rebelled against the Creator. That day all the rebelling angels were transfigured into grotesque demons complete with horns and alternate bone structures. She embraced her new identity.

  Below the black hair framing her face, a heavy black cloak flowed down her back and over one of the arms of her throne. Cruel horns curled up from her shoulders, elbows, and knees. Some demons were gifted with horn growths that turned out to be rather unfortunate, one leg into the other, out of the inside of the arm and into the ribcage, but her horns were all functional and vicious, and she enjoyed the terror her recreations inspired in those that looked upon her.

  She had a black leather shirt and pants on under her cloak. She loved the invention of modern leather—it had a way of tying together the other parts of her wardrobe into a terrifying visage. She felt the same way about her black boots. Her pale face and hands seemed almost out of place in comparison, but when she got really fired up and her eyes glowed, the fear in those gazing at her was palpable. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the dragon arm of her throne. She was bored.

  With lightning speed she flew from the chair and to the main exterior door of the room. Her long cloak flowed behind
her, rippling in the air currents she created as she moved. She held out her hand and the doors blew open and almost off their hinges. They had been repaired three times already.

  On the steps leading up to the throne room there was a man tied to a wooden pole. He was the former mayor of Chentar, a man who initially gave vocal opposition to the new ruler. That was a mistake. So far he had been strapped to that pole for three days. He had a feeding tube shoved down his throat that gave a slow but continual flow of nutrients and water to keep him alive.

  On the first day his left arm was set on fire and left until it burned out about halfway up from his elbow to his shoulder. Now a charred skeletal structure was all that was left. On the second day his left leg was submersed in a potent acid until no flesh remained below the pelvic bone, and again he was not allowed to die. On the third day a case of starving rats was attached over his right arm and, when they removed it that night, he had nothing more than a stump remaining. Now, the fourth day, Serenis wanted to have a little more fun.

  She looked the man over and smiled, pondering what to do to him next. I could make his family cook his remaining leg and eat it . . . no, I’ll save that for the coronation celebration scheduled for tomorrow. Her eyes flared red and her wicked smirk grew. She waved for the man in charge of her tortures to come over for instructions. “Sanitize several spears and shove them through his body, make sure you do not hit any vital organs. If he dies from you misplacing a spear or infection before I want him to, you will be the next one on the stake.” The man nodded and ran off toward his car to procure spears. He did not want to be near Serenis one moment longer than he had to.