The Angels' Pride Read online

  Feeling optimistic she glided down to the bank directly underneath her. It also had a wharf, made of stone and looked far sturdier. It was even decorated with worn carvings and sturdy spires of stone with fire burning out their tops. This was a definite sign of Humanity. Rocks didn’t just naturally form such formations. This had been built and decorated, somewhat simplistically, but it had been worked. Behind the jetty was a huge gaping tunnel that swallowed up the light. Faint eerie sounds emanated out, probably the wind playing tricks on a bizarre crevice or something.

  She landed on the wharf glad to feel that it felt as solid as it looked. She looked about in wonder, the fires allowed for a very unique view of the world. Some things were cast into stark relief, every fault and crevice visible, and yet the fires seemed to create as many shadows as they dispersed.

  She leaned carefully over the edge of the wharf, using her hand to channel her magic. She raised her hand and with it rose a black bubble she could hold in both hands. She stared at it once she grabbed onto it. It was bitingly cold and solidly black. How was it possible that water could be so different on Heaven? Did Heaven really make everything so light friendly?

  She drank the water, its biting cold spreading from her mouth all the way down her throat and into her stomach. It tasted strange, almost familiar but not something she had tasted for a very long time. She continued to drink, feeling the cold starting to spread throughout her body. Death had touched this water.

  She had a moment of panic before she remembered she was an Angel of Death. If she hadn’t been, she might well have been dead. This was no ordinary river, this was a Divine River overflowing with the powers of Death. It had the power to snuff out Divine life. That was truly terrifying, she hadn’t known that natural features could contain power let alone strip Divine of their Lifeforce.

  It was strange to think that death felt familiar to her, a long lost memory of the powers she had once enjoyed. This was one of her dominant powers, inherited directly from her father. And denied to her for so long.

  From somewhere there was a ringing noise that echoed around the cavern, bouncing unevenly off its walls. She turned around fascinated by the echoing, flinching back when the flames suddenly roared upwards. Everything danced before her eyes. Fire was rarely used as a light source in Heaven, they preferred the constant light of sunglobes. She could understand why. In the flickering light, it seemed the shadows were alive.

  She stood looking around the cavern, her wings twitching more and more with her increasing uneasiness. She felt sure someone was watching her. She slowly turned around, scrutinising the shadows for any sign of movement. As she did so, she came face to face with a nightmare.

  A gigantic three headed dog stood there, its pure black body seemingly growing out of the shadowy tunnel behind. Each of the heads was her size, the powerfully built body behind them even larger. Drool pooled from three sets of mouths full of razor sharp teeth, beneath three pairs of burning red eyes.

  She was held by those eyes, their predatory gleam paralysing her. There was clear intelligence in those eyes, there was also what could only be described as hatred. She stood perfectly still, barely daring to breathe.

  She jumped back in fright when it snarled before lunging for her. She had never met a dangerous animal before, she didn’t know how to defend herself. Her magic was untrained and untested, and she had no weapons. Her only option was to flee.

  She jumped up into the air as it lunged for her again, its snapping jaws just missing her feet. She had a moment of relief as she flew out of reach of the snapping jaws before she screamed in horror as it sunk back on its haunches and launched forward. She darted out of the way, barely missing those snapping jaws as it sailed past her into the river.

  She watched transfixed as it sunk beneath the waters of the raging river, only to scream as it jumped out of the water at her again. It barked as she darted out of the way, setting the little fires ablaze. She screamed again as the fire roared past her. She started darting back and forth, weaving her way through the raging firestorm. As she glanced over her shoulder, she saw the dog soar through the air, passing right through the columns of fire. They turned blue as it soared through them, seemingly untouched by either flame or the death properties of the river.

  She flew upwards seeking one of the tunnels that she had come through, it wouldn’t be able to fit through it, and hopefully wouldn’t be able to jump that high. She was wrong, it jumped nimbly up after her, soaring from ledge to ledge and scrabbling up sheer cliff faces. Behind it trailed those strange blue fires. It was easy to trace its path, blue fires marked everywhere it had landed, blooming outwards across the barren rock face.

  She scrabbled up the rock face to find the ledge she had come out on. Only to stare in horror, the tunnels were all gone and in their place stood walls of blue fire. She jumped back off the ledge as the Monster landed, fire bursting outwards across the ledge.

  She dove down, plummeting towards the river her keen eyesight searching for any semblance of escape. The tunnel the Monster had come out of was now a raging inferno, and the tunnels on the opposite shore were pouring out flames. She swooped along the river top, darting in between the growing plumes of fire.

  Her eyes picked out a narrow fissure that the river had carved out downstream.

  Her heart was in her throat as she shot along the surface, she heard the splash as the Monster landed in the river. She could hear it splashing along behind her, growling and snapping.

  She flew along the twists and turns of the river as they zigzagged through the sheer crevice. Behind her, she could hear the Monster gaining on her and also the increasing heat of flames. She used flying skills she had never used before rushing around corners as the river lashed up the sides with ever increasing violence. Blue flames were creeping along the crevices marring the cliffs, bursting outwards in small blooms causing her to swerve from her course.

  She heard the Monster behind her, could feel its breath and the heat of flames on her, all seemed lost before she shot out of the cliff face into the vast void beyond. Beneath her, the river and its flames disappeared in the vast darkness beneath her.

  She flew a safe distance before turning around. The Monster stood at the opening in the cliff face, smaller than it had been. Fire bloomed out all around it, its blue light fading into an eerie glow that was swallowed up by the darkness. Even the howling of the Monster was swallowed up, fading into distant echoes.

  It stood there barking and howling until there was a distant roar. A roar that was not swallowed up by the vastness, it swept past shaking the cliff. Great chunks of rock fell off, splashing into the waters far below. The Monster shrunk back into its tunnel, his fearful whimpering echoing out as it ran back up the river.

  She was left completely alone in the gloom.

  She wanted to rest, she wanted to eat, but most of all she wanted warm sunlight to chase away the creeping cold. She missed Heaven, she missed the Palace, she missed safety.

  She had never been so scared or in such danger in her entire life. She had never been injured, but now her scorched feathers were regrowing, and her burnt feet were healing over.

  She started crying, nothing was this bad. She wanted Michael to find her and save her. She didn’t like the Surface, there were dangers everywhere. She wasn’t prepared for this, she had had none of the training of any of the Legions, let alone the advanced training of the various Guards. She was completely naive to the dangers with little way of defending herself.

  She landed on a rock spire jutting out of the gloom, collapsing roughly. She curled up sobbing, wrapping her wings protectively around herself. She was scared and alone. So very alone.

  Michael looked up from Sariel’s things when there was a knock on the door. He was relieved when he called out for them to enter and Nuriel walked into the room. He had been anticipating her assessment ever since Sariel had been kidnapped. His guard, as well as the Legions, had scoured all of the Citadel and Heaven for her, even th
e obscure islands that had been mostly forgotten about. No one had found her.

  “You have information?”

  “I do my lord. As we had expected Hera opened the portal to the Surface, there are two trace signatures that we are tracking down to the Surface, but it will take us a little longer.

  Hera was freed after Brigid, probably for the sole purpose of activating the portal. Now it seems they have gone their separate ways, most likely to try and elude us. Your Guard is currently setting up a watch on Ireland and Greece. Uriel and Gabriel’s Guards along with the Legion are scouring all of the British Isles and the full extent of the Roman and Hellenic Empires. If we locate the traces, I’ll pass it on immediately.”

  He nodded “Thank you Nuriel, and what of Sariel?”

  “We aren’t picking up on a trace for her yet, she’s probably been eclipsed by either Goddess’s power. In which case it seems likely Hera has taken her prisoner. She is a more powerful Goddess. Sariel was however in all three locations. My concern is that someone either coerced or manipulated Sariel into Brigid’s prison. There are lingering traces of broken spells. I presume that one of Sariel’s protection spells reacted violently with Brigid’s containment spell. The only magical traces I found in her prison was her own and both your’s and Gabriel’s.

  It is clear cut from there, the blast would presumably have rendered Sariel unconscious, and for whatever reason Brigid has taken her with her.

  Brigid fled through the Palace before flying to Hera’s mansion. Once freed Hera teleported the three of them to Mount Olympus with the sole purpose of activating the portal there.”

  “Someone set Sariel up?” his voice was as cold as ice.

  “I believe so, what other reason would Sariel have for being in the prisons? And the pain of the backlash would have rendered her unconscious before the spells were broken. Someone was there with her, someone pushed her into Brigid.”

  “Do we know who?”

  “Unfortunately not. The backlash has covered all trace of other magics, we will have to wait for it to fade enough for other presences to be detected. I’m sorry, but it may be a long time before I have anything else to give you.”

  He nodded, deeply troubled. Someone had deliberately used Sariel to free a Goddess. There was a traitor in Heaven!

  “Have you told anyone of this?”

  “Only you, my Lord, there are only a handful of my people and yours that have enough information to piece together the evidence. They are dependable people, but I have written the names down for you. What do you wish me to tell the other Arch Angels?”

  This was why he liked Nuriel, she was intelligent, dependable and completely loyal. It was a pity she wasn’t still in his Guard, but her promotion suited her well. He now also had first access to all her information. “Tell them a revised version, make no mention of the traitor. Sariel was kidnapped by the Goddesses and now finding them all is paramount. I’ll fill in Raphael, his Guard can try searching for flares of Sariel’s magic. As for Gabriel, it is better for all of Heaven if she is kept in the dark about the traitor.”

  Nuriel nodded in understanding. There was a reason Gabriel was feared, her anger was legendary and merciless. Something like this could cause her to purge Heaven. If left to her own devices much of Heaven would probably be slaughtered. If however she was given the traitor, then her fury would have one sole receiver. There would be no mercy, but it was what they deserved.

  Yet Nuriel had a suspicion that it would be Michael’s wrath that the traitor would feel. Gabriel’s wrath was legendary, but Michael was just as merciless- he had after all imprisoned the Goddess of Mercy and torn the Goddess of Love apart- and Sariel was his sister. She felt sure that Michael would reveal his merciless fury to the whole of Heaven.

  Gabriel was not the only dangerous Arch Angel.

  Sariel woke up tired, grumpy and sore. She had fallen asleep exhausted from crying but had tossed and turned all night. She was not used to sleeping on solid rock or shivering half the night. She was filthy, ash, sand and dust coated her liberally. Her white robes were ruined, her gold makeup had rubbed and run off her face onto her sleeves. There were long tears and burn holes all over the outer robe. Her hair and wings were just as disgusting. She needed a bath.

  She looked around scowling at the gloomy darkness. Little had changed, but there was a softer grey light from above now, and there were bluish glows from the dark waters far beneath. There were far too many shadows. She was used to the vast expanses of sky and streams of light that made up Heaven. Or the occasional thunderstorm that turned the sky dark then lit it up the whole sky for seconds at a time.

  She sighed looking into the gloom, her only marker was the waterfall and tunnel she had come out of. She wasn’t going back up there, but everything else faded into the gloom. With another sigh she launched herself off the spire, sending up little clouds of ash as she flapped her wings. She headed off with little direction other than as far away from that Monster as possible.

  She flew for hours, losing herself in the simple joy of flying for so long, gliding and swooping above and between the many rock spires. Skimming across the dark river with is occasional blue glow.

  She had just flown above the rock spires again when she heard an eerie cry that sent shivers down her spine. She was not alone. Suddenly very scared she landed on the nearest rock spire and sent out her senses. But her senses slid and slithered through the gloom. She sensed spirits all around her, but they were lost and forsaken. There were quick flashes of vibrant spirits, but they were gone as soon as she detected them. None of them were of any harm to her.

  But there was something else. Something she could just sense but kept sliding over. The strangest thing was that it felt like Angel Magic, Elder Angel Magic, similar to the spells that had bound Brigid.

  She heard a whoosh and a swish, something was flying around her in the darkness. She called to mind the bright sunlight of Heaven, and with a flick of her wrist summoned light to her hand. The whole cavern was bathed in bright sunlight as far as the eye could see. Above her soared stabbing stalactites and gigantic columns of beige rock. Beneath her, the misty gloom turned into clouds of rainbows dancing across the dark surface of the river. Its watery arms reaching up to grab the hapless souls stuck floating among the mist, their soundless screams made her blood run cold.

  A fluttering shadow at the edge of her vision caught her attention. This time, her blood ran colder than ice as she turned to look at it.

  A man made of shadows flew towards her. He was a sick parody of an Angel, six tattered wings made of shadows, shiny grey-black skin like insect armour and long grey claws reaching out to her, stained with blood and embers. Each time it flapped its wings a strange grating noise followed. It shot straight towards her, his burning red eyes paralysing her where she stood. His mouth showed black teeth/fangs but while his face had been distorted she could see the clearly Angelic features. He collided into her, his claws ripping through her robes and flesh.

  She screamed as they tumbled down into the darkness, her spell ripped from her control. She couldn’t see, she couldn’t focus, couldn’t feel her magic. All she could feel was pain tearing through her. The Demon screamed in fury before it bit down on her neck, they both screamed as he bit into the flesh and blood filled his mouth. She scrabbled at his neck, her strength fading fast. She didn’t know how to fight. It was far stronger than her.

  Her whole world narrowed down to the utter agony of her neck as the Demon chewed through her flesh. She wanted it off of her, she wanted the pain gone. She had magic, but she had to focus and get it right. This might be her only chance. Demons were creatures of darkness and feared the sun. She thought of the power of the sun, feeling it infuse her. She sent it all through her blood into her neck and into the disgusting creature’s mouth.

  His pain racked scream rent the air as he pulled away from her throat. One of her hands flew to her neck to heal, while the other grabbed his throat and poured forth the power of
the sun. He screeched again as his shadows surged in to fight off her magic, but her power was stronger. His skin cracked and peeled, burns spreading across the strange armour. It started to flake off revealing flawless bronze skin beneath. The tattered mess of his wings burned off in a blaze of light to reveal white feathers beneath. The light flowed all over his body burning off the shadows, finally chasing to his burning eyes. The light surged into them washing away red to reveal glacial blue eyes beneath. His scream changed from something unnatural to something that belonged in a throat. He shuddered before he passed out.

  She yelled as she suddenly got pulled down by his dead weight. Adjusting she wearily flew them both over to the nearest outcrop of rock. She dropped his dead weight roughly onto the ground. She used her magic to check that he was still alive them collapsed down next to him.

  She was in Hell. She was actually in Hell. She had to be. She had been attacked by a Demon, she had been flying over rivers of the dead and had encountered some sort of Demonic spirit guardian. How had Hera gotten it so wrong? Were both her and Brigid floating around in Hell also? She didn’t understand how she had missed the Surface.

  She was in so much danger. She was prepared for none of this. She wasn’t ready to face Demons, she didn’t know how to defend herself or fight effectively. She had gotten lucky with this one, next time she may not. And there would be others far stronger.

  He had also once been an Elder Angel, he must be a Fallen Angel. But what had been done to him? Did Hell turn all its occupants into Demons? Was she going to turn into one?

  She wondered who he was but didn’t care enough to not roll over and fall asleep.

  Sariel woke up groaning from her aches and pains. She had healed her neck after the Demon had attacked her but she hadn’t been able to heal away all trace. She was weakened after so long without sustenance. Angels still needed to eat, and it had been too long for her, her powers and natural healing were being affected. Even her skin was looking sallow after everything she had been through.