Angels of War (Angels of War Trilogy Book 1) (28 page)

Temeculus talked to the angels back then, suggesting God relinquish his throne. God denied the angels freewill, consolidating his power in Heaven. As an experiment he desired to find out what his soon to be mortals would accomplish with freewill on earth. Like using mice to test some scientific theory.
 

Temeculus raged. Why not rule Heaven with two gods? Divide the kingdom and gift the angels freewill. The realm expanded into infinite.
 

Temeculus brought up Lucifer’s name, the one God favored in rank beneath the Holy Spirit. Lucifer also itched for his own kingdom in Heaven, and possessed the intelligence and bravery to make the coup successful. He needed enough followers to back his plan.

The disgruntled posed their questions to Lucifer. Lucifer, with a head thick with black hair, a strong chin, and dark eyes filled with knowledge, contemplated the questions. At first he feigned outrage at such a thought, yet soon asked God about freewill and power. God consented to Lucifer’s request to travel between Heaven and the yet created earth. He also allowed the angels to exercise freewill in both realms.
 

God, however, maintained His supremacy in the universe.

At first the new planet seethed with fire and violence until God finished his finest work. A few angels decided to stay in Heaven. Others went below to exercise their freewill on earth.
 

Lucifer burned with jealousy at God’s mortal creations. He encouraged Eve to take part in the Tree of Knowledge through a serpent. God blamed the beast for the volatile transgression, and cursed the serpent to crawl amongst the dust for eternity. In addition, Adam and Eve’s mistake drew a harsh penalty when they exercised their freewill.
 

Their banishment from the Garden of Eden planted the seed for future chaos in Heaven. Lucifer made his first gamble at power.

General Temeculus enjoyed earth and his new freedom. He took advantage of the earth women, luring them to his bed. His sons grew into giants. He enjoyed how the regular men feared his boys.

This went on for a good while. Angels traveled from Heaven to earth uninterrupted. Soon Lucifer grew tired of his weak position, desiring more power, striving to be equals with God and create a kingdom beyond Heaven and above God’s throne. God, without warning, decided to end the deal. He ordered all angels to remain in Heaven unless authorized to go to earth. God also reasserted his sovereignty.
 

He chose to save Noah and his family, and flooded the entire planet with rains.
 

Temeculus’s sons and women died within the waters caused by the abundant rains. His heart broke along with the other angels. Their families below cried out for forgiveness before the cold dark waters swallowed them. His entire seed upon the earth erased from one pointed finger on God’s right hand. Somehow, though, one soul other than Noah’s family escaped the floods alive.
 

Joan.
 

No one understood why. To insult the angels further, she arrived to Heaven in secret, and God formed her into an angel with incredible powers. This occurred while he flooded the earth. As if He foresaw in advance the terrible act He planned.
 

Lucifer became enraged and rallied the angels who lived on earth and in Heaven, who fathered sons below. Millions gathered before God’s Palace and asked why didn’t Joan suffer the flood and die with the others?
 

Lucifer held a volatile argument with God who sat high upon His throne. The angels took sides within the grand hall and palace steps. Lucifer drew his sword against God and the battle erupted at the palace front door. The fierce war stretched across the vast Eternal Kingdom.
 

The war exploded with warhorses and chariots. The horns terrific blare, the lightening, the screams and the tears filled with rage and sadness still reverberated in his memory. Above all, he remembered the intense hate.

He remembered Lucifer swirling away from Heaven’s gates. His armies in the millions fell like a meteor shower to the earth. God stripped their immortal beauty and turned them all into distorted horrors. They fell to the earth and found their place in Hell.
 

And in Hell Lucifer reigned.

The general studied the bleak Los Angeles. His strong hands griped the balcony rail built from human thighbones etched with archaic inscriptions meant for the Hell born to read. Billions lived upon the planet, their souls waited for true salvation.

 
Temeculus turned his focus to the weapon he created. A monster built to raise Hell upon earth and a key to Heaven’s gate and Lucifer’s freedom. Within a few hours the spawn would grow strong in its mother’s womb.
 

General Temeculus returned to his empty war room, his eyes gazed at the map etched into the skin. “Conqueror,” he said. His voice echoed within the dark cathedral. “Conqueror of worlds.”
 

51

Black Angel entered her private chambers within Hell’s Cathedral. Five minutes later, from war room to bedchambers, her belly swelled into its third trimester. She placed her hands against her stomach, taut as a melon, and gave herself a massage with cold fingers. A spot bulged underneath her skin. Pain rippled from navel to sternum.
 

Black Angel sucked icy air into her lungs. She did this for General Temeculus. He wanted a weapon, a secondary device if the battle in Denver failed. She leaned against her empress-sized bed made from human bones. Thick blankets dyed red with blood and heavy pillows stuffed fat with crow feathers covered the bed.

Pain flashed in a red shock from her lower belly and lodged underneath her ribcage. She groaned and slumped upon the rough blankets. Three nursemaids appeared from the shadows within the room. The two thin ones adorned with red horns stood next to the bed, the fat one, with a navel so huge tiny human headed worms crawled within the crevices, placed a calm hand on Black Angel’s shoulder.

“Lay back,” Tud said, her voice raspy. She stroked Black Angel’s swollen belly with a calloused hand. “The baby is ready to come out.”
 

Black Angel stretched out on the bed and pushed herself further on the crimson blankets. Her stomach bulged, a hoofed foot and clawed hand pushed against her swollen stomach. Red pain flared in hot spasms along her spine as if the little beast wanted to rip itself from the confined space.
 

General Temeculus entered the room. “I’ll kill you three if you lose this baby,” he said. The three bowed their heads low.

The big one leaned in. “Push.”

Black Angel never birthed a child. She pushed and tried to relax her muscles. Her fingers dug deep into the red blankets. Fire burned in her belly and between her legs, pain rolled in unbearable waves throughout her body. She screamed until she thought her head would split open.
 

General Temeculus leaned forward, his eyes brightening. “Push, Black Angel, push.”

Black Angel’s back arched. Tud thrust both her huge hands between Black Angel’s spread legs. “Push, push. The head is coming out.”

Black Angel sensed a frigid wetness splatter between her thighs as if someone doused her with ice-cold water. Blood splashed over the big one’s face. A huge creature forced its way from between her legs, the pain doubled. The mad world around her narrowed into a tunnel, darkness began to swallow her consciousness.

The beast did not cry, it fought and clawed at the gore and bloody afterbirth. The baby growled like some tortured animal. Complete darkness closed in on her vision and she fell into blackness.
 

General Temeculus smiled as Black Angel fainted. Blood and gore soaked the wrinkled blankets. Tud lifted the baby with her blood-slicked hands. The pale form strained and trembled. Its tiny hands bald into fists flowered open to reveal little wicked claws.
 

“Good…good,” the general said.

Temeculus seized and yanked the meaty cheek on Tud’s horrible face with a thumb and forefinger. “Tud, take the baby to San Francisco. Change your ugly face to fit in with the other mortals and protect the child as he grows. We will need him later.”
 

He shoved the fat demon away. She held tight to the larvae pale monster in her hands. The spawn opened its mouth to reveal tiny white incisors. Wings, one black and one white, slick with bloody fluid, wiggled out from its back. Tud bundled the newborn in black towels and fled the room.
 

General Temeculus approached Black Angel sprawled on the bed naked and unconscious. “Thank you.”
 

52

Joan and Daisy Lane stood under a clear blue sky clad in armor. The Guardians, in formation, waited in silence. Their polished armor gleamed from the sun. The two angels moved along the first rank and studied the soldiers. They insured the Guardians armor fit and their souls worthy enough to wear the blessed metal against their flesh.

The ranks, opened for inspection, allowed the two warriors easy clearance to the troops. Calm hung upon the afternoon air. Even the local wildlife gave pause to enjoy the scene. The angels completed the inspection within an hour. The five battalions stood ready to train in full battle dress.
 

Joan leaped upon the wooden training platform. She seized her jeweled sword, drew the silver blade, and pointed its sharp tip towards the air. “This is the gladius,” she said and lowered the weapon. “Do not be afraid of the enemy, make them fear you. Take this blade, with its edge so sharp, and slice off your enemy’s head.”
 

Joan cut the air, her blade sung with a high musical pitch. A few gasps rippled throughout the army. “Don’t be alarmed, for that is the sound of victory. Angels, prepare for training.”

Daisy Lane drew her sword. “First and Second Battalions of infantry follow me.” She jogged off to another field with four thousand troops close behind her, their armor rung into the morning air.

Joan circled her blade overhead. “First and Second Cavalry Battalion, follow me. Owen, take the archers.”

Owen nodded. The angel drew his sword. “Archers stand fast.”

Joan took off on a jog as four thousand cavalry troops followed. The field they trained on sat two miles away. She did her best to mimic Heaven’s training grounds. The 13
th
Engineers expanded the present field to double the original size. The logistics seemed impossible at first until the engineers laid out the plan to accommodate ten thousand troops and support soldiers. This included additional space for buildings, roads, and stables for horses.

Joan ran the troops up a steep hill thick with powdered dirt and sand. The soldiers called out rhythmic cadences to keep their pace. Once they crested the steep hill, the land flattened to reveal four thousand warhorses from Heaven. The muscular beasts, dressed in silver armor, stood in rows and ranks to await their new masters. The troops slowed their jog to an easy trot.
 

Joan paused for a moment, allowing her eyes to take in the warhorses. Each horse owned its name. A white mare suited in golden armor stood before the herd. The muscular mare turned and cantered over to Joan, its white main flowed from a slight breeze. The warhorse stopped before Joan and placed its wet muzzle against her face. The angel stroked the mare’s thick neck.
 

“Hello, Basil,” she said.
 

Joan ran her fingers over the armor and leather saddle. The name Basil carved along the saddle horn teased old memories from her mind. “Captains of the companies find your warhorses.”
 

The troops moved ahead and the horses broke formation and found their owners. Within minutes the Guardian Cavalry stood mounted and ready.

Joan spent her day with the cavalry and put them through intense training. They practiced battle drills, attacks on a dead charge, flanking maneuvers, diamonds, blocks and how to break an enemy formation. She then led the entire armored cavalry formation on a fifty-mile ride.
 

She trained until the sun slipped behind the green Virginia hills. Upon their return to camp, she ordered the troops to eat and prepare themselves for the next day’s training. She returned to her room in the Presidential Cabin and removed her armor.
 

The angel eased into the shower, cranked the spigot to high and allowed water to spray hot needlepoints over her body. Steam built up in the bathroom. She closed her eyes and thought about her family.
 

Joan turned off the shower, pressed her head against the warm tile and cried. She still loved her family. She missed them, even though she served a higher purpose. The tears made her memories more real, gave her a stronger push to succeed and protect her family in Heaven.

Joan stepped out the shower and toweled off. She dressed herself in Wrangler jeans, a light blue silk shirt, and slipped her tiny feet into blue flip-flops. She went to the cabin’s kitchen, poured herself some coffee, and headed outside into the fresh air.

Joan strode out on the redwood porch with cup in hand. The night sky sprinkled with stars and soaked with music from crickets relaxed her mind. The training went well. She expected General Temeculus to field a large army filled with throwaways, villains not well trained. However, she still pushed the Guardians hard.
 

She became surprised at who joined General Temeculus’s Black Army. Special Forces units implanted amongst the enemy army delivered dreadful reports. Yet she admonished herself for being surprised about human nature.
 

A few billionaires and millionaires opted to side with the general, along with some local law enforcement and military personnel. Also, ministers in the handful changed heart and brought their flocks along with them, weak souls too afraid to fight against Hell’s army.

Joan sipped her coffee, savoring the heavy burnt flavor spiced with cinnamon. She still enjoyed coffee. The hot brew brought back sweet memories. Charles, William, love and sunrises, fried applewood smoked bacon, and eggs over easy. After being mortal, she would rather live as an angel, aware and immortal. She wanted to experience all reality, like the dark sense about Okura. Somehow, she suspected he did not escape Hell’s Cathedral unscathed.