Evenstar (59 page)

Barachiel landed on Furcas.
 
He grabbed hold of Furcas’ purple wings and pulled.
 
Furcas gnashed his teeth and punched Barachiel.
 
Barachiel snarled and bit him.
 
“You were
mine
!
 
Now you fight me?”

Furcas kicked him.
 
“I am no one’s but my own!”

“You are mine still!
 
I will show you that!”
 
Barachiel bought his fist down on one wing, cracking it.
 
Furcas veered into a wave of flame, shouting for Paimon.

Barachiel followed him.
 
He leapt on Furcas’ back and got his hands around his throat.
 
“Ungrateful!
 
You are not
his,
not Paimon’s!
 
You are mine!
 
Mine!
 
Mine
!”
 

Paimon rose from below and swung his still attached shackles.
 
The forged metal slammed into Barachiel and flung the Archangel away from Furcas.
 
Paimon grabbed Furcas and pulled him high above the fight.
 
He held him and swung his shackle, slicing and maiming any that neared them.
 
He looked at Furcas.
 
“Healed yet?”

Furcas flapped his mended wing weakly.
 
“I am good, I think.”

Paimon grinned and they turned to the fight.
 
The pair pummeled and swatted down the stray angels that came in to dive bomb the triple terror that was Lucifer, Belial, and Berith.
 

Gabriel flew in front of his brother.
 
“Stop this!”

Paimon paused, startled.
 
“Gabriel?
 
You are Archangel now?”

Gabriel nodded.
 
“They want me to replace you, but I do not want this.
 
Both of you must stop fighting!”

Paimon shook his head.
 
“I cannot.
 
We must do this.
 
Join us.”

Gabriel frowned.
 
“You will all lose.
 
The spear has been forged.
 
You have no calculated chance of success.”

“Spear?”

Gabriel trembled.
 
“Do not get struck by it, Paimon, do not!”
 
He dove into the fray of angels and disappeared.
 

Paimon dropped to Lucifer.
 
“There is some kind of spear.”

Lucifer snarled and unleashed another ray of fire, washing Uriel with it.
 
“Nothing can stop us, their tricks only delay us.”

Paimon shook his head.
 
“Listen, I do not think this is something normal.”

Andrealphus raced towards them.
 
“We have a problem!”

“What?”

“Michael has a spear.
 
It is made from the throne itself!
 
It burns like nothing I have seen before.
 
He points it at
her
.”

Lucifer looked between Archangels and saw Michael waiting near the throne.
 
The spear he carried, a shaft of pure light.
 
Michael had the weapon aimed at Ladriam’s prison.
 
Lucifer roared.

Michael held fast.
 
He looked towards Ladriam with anger on his features.
 
He resisted stabbing the spear into her to end her existence.
 
She had ruined
everything
for him.
 
She had ruined Lucifer, made what once was pure and bright, sullied.
 
For that, Michael would never forgive her.
 
For loving Ladriam, for choosing her over him, he would never forgive Lucifer.
 

Michael sobbed and turned as Lucifer leapt on him.
 
He plunged the spear into the Primangel.
 
Lucifer froze in agony; the light of the throne pierced his body, infecting his limbs like a cancer.
 
Michael grabbed Lucifer’s shoulder and pulled him further on to the white shaft.
 
He brought the stunned Primangel’s face to his own.
 
Tears streaked his cheeks.
 
“You have fallen from grace.
 
As your second I will execute you in His name, as the others will be executed.”

Lucifer had never felt such pain in his existence.
 
He grabbed the spear.
 
He gasped.
 
“You—We—How could you this to me?
 
You are
my
brother
.”

“We are brothers no longer.”
 
Michael twisted the spear.
 
He stabbed the point of the spear into the floor, pinning Lucifer to it.
 
He looked into the skies.
 
“Give up or he dies!”

Lucifer clawed at the spear.
 
“Do not give up!
 
It will mean
your
death!”

Berith, Paimon, Furcas, Belial, and Andrealphus went back to back.
 
Gabriel, Uriel, and Barachiel circled them.
 
Uriel could only see Belial.
 
He swooped in when he passed her.
 
Berith and Andy blasted him back.
 
    

Michael raised his voice, “Give up!”

Lucifer looked to Raphael who tended the numerous wounded.
 
“Raphael, fight with us!”

Raphael’s eyes were empty, seeing something else.
 
He shook his head.
 
“I can only heal that which is broken.”

“Heal
me
!”

“In time, I cannot do this now.”

Lucifer snarled.
 
“
Raphael
!”
 

Michael stomped on Lucifer’s chest making him curl over in pain.
 

Barachiel and Uriel charged the ring of Archangels.
 
Barachiel caught hold of Furcas and pulled him out of the ring.
 
Paimon chased.
 
Uriel went for Belial.
 
Andrealphus leapt on Uriel.
 
Gabriel jumped on Andy’s back, pulling him away.
 

Berith lunged for his brother.
 
Uriel slashed Berith across the face with his hands, temporarily blinding him.
 
He dove for Belial and caught her by her hair.
 
Belial scratched at his face.
 
She bit him in the neck.
 
Uriel punched her and grabbed the wound in his neck.
  

Selaphiel tore Belial out of Uriel’s grip and knocked the crazed Archangel back.
 
He pushed Belial gently towards Jegudiel.
 
Jegudiel held Belial and her features calmed under his touch.
 

Uriel glared.
 
“You both fight with them as well?”

Selaphiel shook his head.
 
“We fight on no side.”

“Then give her over to me!”

Selaphiel advanced on him.
 
“No.”

Uriel snapped his teeth at them.
 
“
Give her to me
!”

Selaphiel tensed.
 
“You may
not
have her.
 
What you want is not authorized and you will pay for what you have done.
 
You have damaged this one enough.
 
If she is to be executed, we shall do so cleanly and mercifully.”

Uriel sneered and made ready to attack.
 
Berith smashed into this brother and the two wrestled away.
 
Above them, Gabriel slashed at Paimon’s throat.
 
Paimon held the wound and gaped at Gabriel.
 
“Why?”

“You give in now and you will have a chance to live.”
 
He snapped Paimon’s wings and slammed his brother into the steps next to Lucifer.
 

Furcas leapt for him, but was similarly beset by Barachiel.
 
Barachiel tore one of Furcas’ wings off as they plummeted together.

Paimon ignored his own pain as he heard Furcas’ wail.
 
“Furcas!”
 
He glared at his brother.
 
“Get off me, you shit!”

Gabriel held his brother in place.
 
“You would rather die for that one than live?”

“Yes!”

“That is not rational, Paimon.”

Paimon clawed at his little brother.
 
“Rational?
 
I love him!”

Gabriel stared at Furcas and Barachiel.
 
“How odd.”

Paimon gazed into Gabriel’s emerald eyes.
 
“You are just as screwed up as I was!”

Between Lucifer and Michael, things were quiet.
 
Michael looked grim.
 
“They are losing.
 
You should have known you would lose.
 
None of us are as strong as Him.
 
You could have spared your friends and suffered alone, instead you mislead them, and now they suffer for your choice.
 
Everyone loses.”

“No.”
 
Lucifer fought against the pain in his stomach.
 
“It is you who have already lost.”

“I think not.”

“No matter the outcome of this, you have lost yourself.
 
You are no longer Michael my brother, you are a puppet.
 
You are a soulless used toy.”

Michael twisted the spear bringing tears to Lucifer’s eyes.
 
“I am no such thing.
 
I will replace you, just as Gabriel replaces Paimon and Uriel replaces Berith.”

“Uriel is a cancer!”

“Uriel
obeys
!”

“That is all that matters?”

Michael stared into the fight.
 
“There is nothing else for us but His will, Lucifer.
 
You used to know this.”

“Michael, do not become Primangel.
 
Do not.”

Michael sneered.
 
“Why not?”

“He uses, He does not care.
 
Union with Him is an empty place.
 
I see that now.
 
Your soul will be consumed.”

A shadow of doubt fell across Michael’s features, but he wiped it away.
 
“You would say that.
 
Betrayer!”
 
He leaned on the spear, blinding Lucifer in agony.
 
“Traitor.
 
Liar!
 
You cast us aside for her, the Impure!”

Uriel drove Berith to the ground near Lucifer.
 
Andy fought above, but flagged, outmatched by angels that rallied under Uriel’s command.
 
Andrealphus called to Raphael for help, but again the Archangel refused to aid them.

Michael nodded at the sight.
 
“All are subdued, or will be soon, as He said they would be.
 
Now you all will die.”
 
Michael lit up and his body spasmed.
 
“No, their wings to be removed.
 
Cast out of Heaven to suffer and die in darkness.
 
Then execute Lucifer, after he has watched his friends in agony.”
 
Michael regained himself.
 
He stared at Lucifer, clearly wanting to kill him now and be done with it.
 

Michael looked to Barachiel.
 
“Begin and be quick.”
 

Barachiel ripped the other three wings off Furcas’ back.
 
Four bleeding gouges remained behind, the muscle beneath shuddering uselessly.
 
Furcas struggled to get up, the agony rendering him speechless, but lending him strength.
 
Barachiel slapped him back to the ground and stroked his face.
 
“What a waste of such a pretty, pretty thing.”
 
He threw Furcas out of Heaven.
 
Hands freed, he launched himself at Andrealphus.

From this point on the memory is what I have gleaned from Belial and Lucifer together.

Uriel laughed and tore off Berith’s wings in pieces.
 
He picked chunks of muscle off, throwing up feathers and blood into the air.
 

Michael watched him with distaste.
 
“Uriel, get it over with
quickly
.”

Uriel frowned.
 
He put his foot to his brother’s back and tore.
 
He kicked Berith until the tall angel moved no more.
 
“You are no longer my brother.
 
I cast
you
away.
 
You do not cast me aside!”
 
Uriel hurled Berith out of Heaven.

Gabriel stared at Paimon’s back.
 
He did not feel emotion, but for this instant, he was afraid.
 
He could not tear Paimon’s wings off, but he could not hand him to Uriel to do what he had done to Berith.
 
Gabriel looked to Barachiel and Andrealphus.
 
“Do Andrealphus first then take this one.”