Evenstar (60 page)

Barachiel’s hands moved in a blur and stripped Andrealphus of his wings.
 
Barachiel cast the broken Archangel aside as if he were trash and took Paimon, making quick work of him.
 
He threw both Archangels out together.
 

Gabriel looked away as pain seeped into his chest.
 
He put his hands on his face and eradicated all of the memories he had of his older brother.
 
He fell to the ground and stared at the world blankly.

Belial watched everything with overwhelming horror.
 
She paled as Uriel stared at her, grinning.
 
Selaphiel and Jegudiel growled at him and pulled her further away.
 

Michael leaned on Lucifer.
 
He put his weight on the spear and tore the first of Lucifer’s wings off; pulling it off in jerks and tugs.
 
He was emotionless as each wing tore away from the flesh.
 
Lucifer remained silent, his eyes fixed on Ladriam’s prison, so close but unable to be touched.
 
Michael ripped his last wing off.
 
“We are not taking Belial’s wings any longer.
 
Do you want to die first or see her fate?”
 

Selaphiel and Jegudiel turned together.
 
“Michael?”

Michael looked up blankly.
 
“I know what he did now,
He
told me.
 
Uriel was not told no, He allowed it.
 
He wishes to see the outcome of Uriel’s methods.
 
He will allow Uriel to have Belial and continue his work.”

Belial whimpered behind the brothers.
 
Uriel looked at her with glee.
 
Selaphiel and Jegudiel shook with barely controlled rage.
 
Selaphiel looked at his younger brother.
 
Jegudiel hissed at Uriel, ready to fight.
 
Selaphiel grabbed his brother’s hand.
 
He looked to Belial.
 
He nodded to her and stepped aside.
 

Belial wailed.
 
Her scream dropped the Archangels to their knees.
 
She bolted and slammed into Michael sending him and his spear flying.
 
She swept up Lucifer’s prone body and shot out of Heaven.
 

Michael scrambled to his feet.
 
“Get her!”
 

Uriel, Gabriel, and Barachiel raced out of Heaven after her.
 
Michael was close behind with the spear in hand.
 

FIND AND KILL THE BETRAYER!

Belial screamed in the cold depths of space.
 
The scattered Fallen heard and followed the sound.
 
They used the last of their power to soar towards her.
 
Furcas grabbed Paimon.
 
Andrealphus recovered Berith.
 
They saw their Primangel and followed his progress.
 
Lucifer clutched at his abdomen.
 
“Belial, get us to
her
planet now.”

Belial oriented herself.
 
She raced past the Fallen.
 
Lucifer grabbed at them as she soared on undamaged blue wings.
 
Ladriam’s planet sparkled in an otherwise empty universe.
 

The Archangels burst into space.
 
They caught sight of Lucifer and Belial.

Belial burned with fire, using up her energy to outpace the Archangels.
 
The Fallen slammed through the red barrier around the planet.
 
Their blood mingled and reacted with the red light.
 
Ladriam’s shield recognized them and let them pass.
 
The Fallen plummeted towards the Earth in a spiral of pain and delirium.
 

The Archangels followed, but the shield around the planet had changed.
 
They crossed the shield and their bodies were thrown into the physical realm.
 
The shock of flesh and bone sent them reeling.
 
The pressure and gravity squeezed at their bodies and pulled at their wings, filling them with pain and sickness.
 
The four that followed the Fallen backpedaled into space.
 
They stared at the planet in shock.

Gabriel touched the energy that wrapped around the planet.
 
“Ladriam did something to this.
 
It is no longer the same.”

Michael stared at his hands.
 
“What does it do to us?”

Gabriel thrust his arm through the barrier, marveling at the look of opaque flesh.
 
“It disconnects us from Heaven.
 
It attacks our wings.”

“And now
they
have none.”
 
Michael grimaced.
 
He flew in circles watching Lucifer fall below.
  

The Fallen smashed into the ground.
 
Lucifer carved out a gouge in the earth as his body skidded to a stop.
 
Furcas and Paimon landed in water, sending up a flood that covered the land.
 
Dazed, Furcas pulled Paimon to shore and collapsed at the feet of Berith and Andrealphus.
 
Those two had hit into a mountain, the area around them molten from the impact.
 

Belial cartwheeled and slammed into a forest.
 
Trees burst into flame for miles.
 
She got to her feet, staggered, and puked.
 
Her four wings still intact; she remained Archangel.
 
She was not of this place and Ladriam’s energy fought her body.
 
She stared upwards.
 
The Archangels hovered above the shield, watching and waiting.
 
She screamed at them in rage and loss.
 

The Fallen could not think or function, their pain too intense, but they heard her scream and they were roused.
 
Belial puked up blood.
 
She wiped her mouth and felt her wings, sensing the connection between her power and her ailment.
 
She looked upwards and leapt into the sky.

On the ground, Andrealphus raised his head.
 
“Belial!”
 
The other Fallen rolled to their backs and watched her, unable to get up to help.
 
Andrealphus crawled.
 
Desperation fueled his movements.

Belial raced through the air until the air ran out.
 
She soared to the shield and stared through it.
 
The four Archangels waited beyond; they watched her unsure of what she planned.
 
Uriel snatched at her.
 
Michael threw him back.
 
“You are vulnerable there.”

“So is she!”

Michael looked at Belial.
 
“Come back with us and you may keep your wings.
 
He has offered to take you back if you give up your memories and this new body.
 
You will return to being angel and male.”

Belial reached over her shoulder.
 
She got hold of one wing.
 
She ripped and threw the wing through the shield.
 
Her body trembled in pain; she fell a little in the sky.
 
She raised her hands over her head and tore two more off, letting them drop.
 
The Archangels edged back, frightened of the sight.

The wings landed near Andrealphus.
 
Her blood rained down in a fine mist.
 
He got to his feet.
 
“Belial!
 
Belial
!”

Belial held on to her last wing.
 
She ground her teeth and tore.
 
A scream escaped her lips.
 
The pain became too intense and she passed out.
 
She plummeted.
 

Uriel grinned and threw Michael’s hands off him.
 
He dove through the shield for her.

Andrealphus watched in horror.
 
“No!
 
Get away from her!”
 
He stumbled, barely able to walk.
 
“Get away!”

Chronos formed out of his shadow.
 
The boy threw himself into Andrealphus, disappearing in his body.
 
Andy stopped, his skin darkened.
 
Chronos leapt out the other side of Andy, no longer a boy, but a man.
 

Andy clutched his chest as his color returned to normal.
 
He gasped, free from pain.
 
His back was healed.
 
Only four scars remained of his injury.
 
Andy looked up at Belial.
 
He broke into a run, but he was not fast enough.
 
He needed time.
 
He needed speed.
 

Energy clicked inside his chest.
 
His body turned to a blur.
 
A sonic boom ripped through the air around him.
 
Andrealphus leapt from the earth and soared.
 

Uriel caught Belial by her hair and grinned, triumphant.

Andy caught Uriel’s foot.
 
“Drop her, Uriel!”

“She is
mine
!”
 
Uriel flapped his wings.
 
“I made her mine!”

“No!”
 
Andrealphus pulled himself up Uriel and punched him in the face sending all three reeling in the sky.
 
Uriel and Andrealphus’ eyes met and they realized one thing.
 
Here on this planet, Andrealphus was stronger than the weakened Archangel was.
 
He was not sick or pained.
 
He felt as strong as the planet itself; he was imbued with Ladriam’s energy.
 
Andy grinned.
 
Uriel quailed.

Andy yanked Belial out of Uriel’s grip and kicked the Archangel into space.
 
Uriel was flung out past the shield.
 
He recovered and swung back around to dive.
 
Michael grabbed his wings and pulled him out.

Andrealphus cradled Belial and fell towards the planet.
 

On the ground, the Lilliam children attended to the Fallen.
 
Gaea joined with Paimon, Titan with Berith.
 
Ouroboros and Leviathan dove into Furcas together.
 
Nix caught up with Belial as she fell.
 
Ra and Ifrit hovered over Lucifer, but he would let no one near.

Nix wrapped Belial in darkness and her back healed.
 
Andy and Belial hit the ground at the same time.
 
Her eyes shot open on impact.
 
The darkness left Belial and Nix stepped away a woman.
 
Belial looked at her hands; black nails of night extended from each fingertip, sharp as obsidian.
 
She turned and gazed at Andy, thankful.
 
He looked at her only with concern.

The emptiness in her features filled with anger and love.
 
She threw her arms around him.
 
“Thank you!”
 
Andrealphus hugged her.
 

Her chest ached and her heart pulsed against her ribcage, scraping, seeking, needful, craving.
 
She tore herself out of his arms, repulsed.
 
She pushed him away, shaking her head.
 
She ran towards Lucifer.

Furcas blasted into the air and hit the ground.
 
The earth turned to mud.
 
Electricity arced over his skin, and winds cut the air around him.
 
Leviathan and Ouroboros watched him with concern.
 
Ouroboros glared at Leviathan.
 
“I was first, Levi!”

“I did not know!”

Paimon sat up.
 
Gaea sat next to him, a green woman.
 
She looked him over carefully, maternally.
 
She appeared satisfied and left him to Furcas.
 
She padded over to Lucifer.

Furcas stumbled to Paimon’s side and electrocuted him.
 
He fell to his knees.
 
“I am sorry!”

Paimon eyed Furcas and managed a smile.
 
He grew a rose and handed it to Furcas.
 
Furcas let a smile touch his lips and electrocuted them both.
 
“Sorry!”

Berith sat up from his molten metal cradle.
 
He held his head.
 
Titan sat at his feet, similarly dazed.
 
The two rumbled at each other.
 
Berith nodded his thanks and went to join Lucifer.

Lucifer stared up at the sky as pain ate at him.
 
Ra and Ifrit put their hands on his chest, but he repulsed them.
 
“No!
 
NO!”

Belial reached for his hand.
 
“Why will you not let them heal you?”

Lucifer’s eyes were unseeing.
 
“I
failed
.”