The Angels' Pride Read online

  “We could burn down all the mosques, racism is more prominent than people are willing to admit. Muslims are hated and distrusted universally across the States, if we target them first then the Angels will not take much notice.” King Joseph offered from his knees, she had scared him badly. To so easily and cruelly kill an honour guard showed just how much power was at her disposal.

  Hera whipped around, evaporating and reappearing next to him smiling. Her long pale fingers lifted his chin, raising his blood red eyes to meet her violet ones.

  “An excellent idea Joseph, let us tear it apart from the foundations. We will divide and conquer on a purely Human level. Let it be done.”

  With a clap of thunder, she was gone, leaving behind dozens of Daemons wondering what they had gotten themselves into.

  Chapter 10

  The whole Council was in session, every single Elder Angel, except Sariel, sat in their seats. This was a closed session, none of the Ascended or Lesser were allowed to attend. The Ascended would be allowed in the second sitting, and the Lesser would be informed later on. This was a matter of Heaven’s security, Heaven had been fought for by the Elders. It was their magic that had combated the Gods.

  Nuriel stood waiting to be called to the centre, her nerves frayed and her wings twitching. Gabriel was not going to like what she had to say, the other Arch Angels would understand. But Gabriel was a loose cannon.

  Those legendary violet eyes pinned her where she stood before calling for her “Nuriel step forward and report.”

  There had been other reports, some from Ariel’s Inquisitors, some from Michael’s Cherubim and some from Gabriel’s Seraphim, each providing evidence on the Goddesses’ activities that they had discovered. She, of course, had the fullest extent of the story, but she had not had time to pass it onto Michael.

  She stepped forward, pushing her nerves away and trying to ignore the two hundred odd eyes watching her.

  “Much of the early stage has been well accounted for. Brigid once escaping helped Hera escape and the two of them fled to the Mount Olympus Portal to descend to the Surface. Traces of Sariel suggest she has been kidnapped and is either contained or unconscious.”

  “This has been covered.”

  Nuriel imagined gagging Gabriel just to make this easier. “From the portal, the two Goddesses were separated. Hera I have tracked to the Grand Canyon in the United States of America. It seems like she inadvertently claimed part of the region, leaving a clear signal for us to track. Since then she has apparently disappeared. There have been some magical traces found in the Gulf Stream, but it seems unlikely she is hiding in it. A rough estimate places her most likely on one of the cities on the East Coast.”

  “Could you be any vaguer Nuriel, the point was to pinpoint them.”

  “Nuriel has identified a clear region which is more than any of the Guards, or Legions have managed. While we have the Legions scouring Europe, it would appear Hera has had the intelligence to go to ground in the New World. Clearly she is trying to be careful, and Nuriel should be congratulated on narrowing it down to one country.” Raphael added in her defence. She felt her heart flutter a little, he was defending her.

  Gabriel’s gaze flicked from Nuriel across to Raphael and if looks could kill he would have been dissected on the floor.

  “Hera you have tracked to the east coast of America, what of Brigid?” Michael asked. He knew the best ways to direct Gabriel’s mounting anger. Her eyes swung back to Nuriel with increased fervour.

  “We have managed to track a small trace near Uluru, Australia, but she seems either more skilled or more careful than Hera. What few traces we have found have been minuscule and old. There was a feel of her across Australia suggesting she is using the Lifestream. We have no clear position of where she might be. Several unusual events in both America and Australia could be blamed on them, or they might be natural events.”

  “So no one has any idea where Brigid is. One of the most powerful Goddesses the world has ever seen can only be guessed to be on the east coast of a huge country and the other Goddess, not a weakling by any standards cannot apparently be traced at all.”

  Everyone fell silent at the cold fury in Gabriel’s voice, not even Michael was foolish enough to speak. Nuriel wished she could run away or hide in the shadows.

  “Have there been any signs from the Underworld?” Everyone jumped as Azrael spoke, even Gabriel looked a little stunned.

  “Presently there are none. Your Reapers have not mentioned any changes, Hell and Purgatory appear the same. However, change might come. It is clear Brigid is utilising the Lifestream, Hera may be as well. Quickening the Lifestream could have unforeseen effects upon the Underworld.”

  There was a moment of silence as the implications sunk in before Michael asked: “has there been any sign of Sariel?”

  “I’m sorry my Lord, but there have been no traces of her at all. It is as if she has vanished into thin air. There are no magical traces anywhere on the Surface that we have found. We are scouring everywhere we can, but either she is being blocked by one of the Goddesses which seems unlikely considering the small amount of traces or she remains unconscious.”

  “Is it possible that she is in the Underworld or on the moon?” All eyes turned to Ariel with her unusual suggestion.

  “I can have Angels check the moon as soon as we are done, but as for the Underworld, there is no way to check. If she is down there, then she is trapped.” Her words hung in the air, there was nothing anyone could say. If she was in the Underworld, there was absolutely nothing anyone could do to help her.

  Chapter 11

  The Underworld was darker when Sariel moaned herself awake. She was utterly exhausted, on the verge of starting to Desiccate, Angels were, after all, living Divine, they didn’t have the benefits that the Gods did.

  What was the point of doing anything anyway, if a Demon attacked she wouldn’t be of much use. She might as well lay here and listen to the gentle lapping of the river against her island or the rhythmic sloshing…that was getting closer.

  She gingerly stood up, turning around to face the approaching noise.

  A woman stood in the river, wearing darkness like a cloak. She was stunningly beautiful in a way she wasn’t used to. Exceptionally pale skin that looked finer than porcelain, long flowing black hair that swept over bare shoulders. Amethyst eyes that seemed to glow in a striking face with amethyst lips. She wore a black dress, exposing her shoulders and with long slits that revealed her legs as she walked. Knee high boots sloshed their way through the river, before crunching on the island.

  She was like something out of a story, an Underworld Nymph or Demon.

  “When the spirits said there was an Angel near Hell we thought they had been deceived. I feel as though my senses are fooling me, for I cannot believe that an Elder Angel would be so foolish as to venture into the Underworld let alone approach Hell.

  Sariel blinked back not comprehending “It wasn’t my decision to come to the Underworld, Hera was disturbed when opening the Portal.”

  The woman’s eyes widened, and her whole manner changed “Hera opened a portal?”

  “Yes she opened the Mount Olympus Portal when we fled from Heaven, but we got separated, and I don’t know where the others ended up.”

  “The others?” More than one God had escaped Heaven? The Fates be praised!

  “Brigid and Hera”

  Two Goddesses free from the Angels, pity the girl didn’t know where they were, but if they were on the Surface, there was hope yet. This Angel surely had more information, but she looked about ready to keel over. What kind of Elder Angel went wandering around the Underworld in such a state? She looked on the verge of Desiccation, then she would have been of no use other than a power source.

  “I am Hecate, and I have been asked to escort you back.”

  She started crying “thank you, I’ve been so lost and hungry, and I was attacked by a Demon, and it’s been absolute Hell, and it’s been scary and”
she trailed off crying, her rush of words touching a soft spot in Hecate. Hecate gently pulled her into a loose embrace, what was a girl doing outside of Heaven? She lacked the usual mettle of an Angel, and it seemed like she had had a rough ride. For some reason, she felt compassion towards her.

  “What is your name?”

  “Sariel” she felt her blood run cold, and her compassion wither.

  “The Arch Angel Michael’s sister?” she was absolutely horrified, Sariel was the famous sister raised by Michael and Gabriel. She had never been seen outside of Heaven and was rumoured to be providing him with powers. It certainly explained his legendary powers during the War. Which meant she had the potential to be an Arch Angel.

  “Yes Michael is my brother, do you know him?”

  Her question asked so innocently re-stirred her compassion. But how had Michael’s enigmatic sister gotten involved with Hera and Brigid?

  “Not personally” and for that she was thankful, it hadn’t been a personal betrayal nor had he had a personal reason to track her down. He had literally ripped Aphrodite limb from limb, beating her to a pulp before finally draining her Lifeforce and giving her the final release. Then again she had been cruel and unusual in her treatment of her servants. He hadn’t been the only one attacking her, but the others were no match for his power or fury.

  “Where are you escorting me back to and who asked you?”

  She hesitated, wondering if Sariel would know any of the names or connotations. “Back to Erebus” Her vacant look was answer enough “There is a castle there, come on you look ready to keel over.”

  “Is it far” she wouldn’t be able to go far, her body was beginning to run on her magical powers just to keep her standing.

  “Distance is relative in the Underworld, to those who know how to use it great distances can easily be traversed. Only within each domain are distances set.” She held out her slender hand for Sariel, she took it surprised that it was warm.

  Hecate laughed “I’m not dead, I can resist the chilling of the Underworld easily.”

  She took a step supporting Sariel as the whole world suddenly lurched. Hecate continued to take steady, even steps, her iron grip holding Sariel up as she staggered. Sariel couldn’t keep her balance as rivers, tunnels, chasms and cliffs surged past her. She saw flashes of orange fire and white-blue spirits. Suddenly they all stopped solidifying back into the current world. They stood on the stone jetty she had seen not so long ago.

  “Sorry Travelling can be very disconcerting, especially the first time. I’m so used to it I forget about the side effects.”

  “Why are we here? A giant Monster tried to kill me. It had three heads.”

  “Oh, so you were the one that got away from Cerberus. He was riled up for days over the Angel that had escaped him. He moaned about how it had run away into the Borderlands, cheating he called it.”

  “He tried to kill me!”

  “Well naturally he is a guard dog, and he has no fondness for Angels.”

  “Because of the War?”

  Hecate stopped herself from spluttering, she had said it so casually like it was some small event. Was she so naive that she didn’t grasp the complexity of the War? The Angels had destroyed the Old Order, confining what remained of her brethren to the Underworld. Never to feel the sun or the rain, to never feel fresh air running through her hair or the living strength of the Lifeforce.

  There was a loud creak followed by heavy padding, out of the darkness glowed six pairs of red eyes all fixed on her. His teeth bared back in anger, his serpentine tail flicking back and forth like some great weapon. She felt his anger as though it was a solid and living thing, tangible between them.

  “Sit” Hecate snapped.

  Within an instant the snarling Monster became a simpering puppy, his shoulders hunched and his heads hanging. Sariel understood, she had to resist the urge to sit, such had been the commanding tone in Hecate’s voice. A thunder clap combined with the roar of the ocean.

  Hecate sighed “You are so skittish Cerberus, I sometimes wonder if you remember the power you have at your disposal.” She reached up, scratching under his middle chin. A low growl echoed around the cavern as his hind leg started to quiver.

  Sariel hesitantly stepped forward, angling herself behind Hecate’s comforting presence. Instantly his hackles were raised, and his teeth were bared. Those glowing red eyes paralysing her.

  “Cerberus be nice. This is Sariel she may be staying with us for a while” she glanced back at Sariel “hold out your hand for him to smell.”

  She stared at the Monstrous dog then down at her hand. With the greatest trepidation, she held out her hand before three sets of jaws almost bigger than she was. The middle snout gently sniffed her hand before he started to whine.

  Hecate gently rubbed his head “it is okay, I know she smells, but a wash will solve that.”

  Sariel hesitantly sniffed herself. She hadn’t noticed that she smelled. Hecate’s eyes were watching when she looked back “You smell like Heaven, down here that is a bad smell.”

  “Oh,” she hadn’t realised that Heaven had a distinct smell.

  Before she could ask any questions Hecate snapped her fingers and Cerberus was off bounding down the tunnel. She steered Sariel down the tunnel, gently supporting her.

  The tunnel was very long and dark, it felt very foreboding. There were the occasional blue-white flash or amethyst flame but otherwise the darkness was unbroken. From what she could see in the small pockets of light, the walls were decorated with carvings. Many looked like they represented Gods, at least she presumed they were Gods. The other figures were often bowing or praying before them. There was one image of a man wearing a helmet that kept reappearing again and again. She guessed he must be important, or had been.

  After a time, they came before a colossal door. It was a construction unlike any she had ever seen before. Not only in its design but its materials. It appeared to be made from granite and steel but was highly decorated in inscriptions of gold, silver, copper and platinum. There was also the occasional flash of cobalt blue and red, their colours so stunning in this realm of ever grey.

  Hecate waved her arm, dark purple flames burning in its wake. The same flames seared along the crack of the door before it started to groan open. They swung out leisurely to reveal only darkness behind. No not just darkness, living darkness, it was like looking at a pool of tar or ink.

  Sariel instinctively feared it, she was a creature of the light. It would consume her, destroy her. She started to step back, but Hecate steered her forward again. She tried to hold her ground, but she had no strength. She might as well not have been trying for all the notice Hecate took. She wanted to scream, but it was trapped in her throat.

  Then she was being swallowed by the darkness, it reached out to embrace her, wrapping around her. There was nothing but darkness. She could not sense or feel a thing. Temperature, light, and sound had ceased to exist. The only thing she felt was Hecate’s hand.

  She fell to her knees blinded by the light. Behind her, Hecate laughed. She gasped for breath not understanding where the darkness had gone. It had been swallowing her, she had lost all sense of everything then she was in a brightly lit meadow with the light hurting her eyes. Once her eyes adjusted she looked around at the gently rolling green hills, some had laughing people running across them or lazing under the shade of a tree.

  They stood on a road that wound down between the hills to where lines of people stood before an open air classical styled building. Behind it, there were three distinctive lands. To the left were skies of fire and smoke, sharp black mountains pierced the sky, some even reaching up to the ceiling far above. To the right stood serene glades, rivers, and healthy looking fields. In the middle were shadows and light, it seemed about balance. Fire raced along parts of the sky beside dark clouds releasing rain and rainbows. The land was both gentle and harsh, sharp pine trees stood next to stout oaks, raging rivers and gentle lakes.

  She g
lanced behind her to look for the door of darkness, but instead there just seemed to be a portal of blinding light. Instead of the wispy spirits she had seen in her travels through the Underworld, there were bronze-skinned people walking out of the light. They looked at them both curiously before following the road down the hills.

  “Welcome to Hades,” Hecate said smiling, she looked glad to be back.

  “What is it?”

  Hecate looked at her funny, did this girl know nothing? “It is the realm of the dead, the afterlife for those of the ancient Greek or Roman colonies and empires.”

  “What about those that just entered, surely they can’t be from ancient empires?”

  “You would be surprised how long some people get lost in the Underworld. Generally, though they are likely to be unclaimed spirits that have found their way here.”

  “What are unclaimed spirits?”

  “Did they teach you nothing in Heaven? Your ignorance is astounding for an Elder Angel.” She shook her head sadly at the girl, starting to feel sorry for her, how much of her ignorance was intentional.

  “With the spread of the Angels religions; Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, there also spread the Angels influence. Their influence includes the claiming of the spirits that belonged to them, either up into Heaven or for the sinful cast into Hell or Purgatory. Up until the last century it was very rare for there to be unclaimed spirits, but now Humans are turning away from the Angels’ religions. With no claims, they are at the mercy of the Underworld. They might be lucky to stumble across one of the realms or be unlucky enough to be swept up in the rivers to Hell.

  “It has been a pleasant change having new faces.”

  They turned when they heard screeching. Several bird women were chasing a running man out of the fiery landscape and onto the hills. They screeched again before diving down and attacking him. His agonised screams reached them, cut off by a faint gurgling sound. Hecate stood watching passively while Sariel stared in horror as they dragged the pieces of him back towards the fiery landscape.