In Exile (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book III) (24 page)

PANDEMONIUM

Jarahmael had never felt so weak as he was being flown to the center of the region known as Hell. Here in the center was a wide open area that led to a number of levels below. Suriel took Jarahmael down, dropping through another six levels of Hell until they reached the deepest level, the Seventh Pit of Hell where Luciferael's throne room sat, a twisted replica of the Throne Room from the Seventh Heaven above.

“Recognize this place, Jarahmael? We recreated the Heavens here in Hell, just as we had created the Heavens in the beginning. Your fallen brethren will be delighted to see you once again. It’s time for you to account for all your so-called noble deeds in our rebellion against the Almighty. What you will recognize as a replica of the Seventh Heaven's Throne Room, we have named the Pandemonium Palace here. Our lord Luciferael will be delighted to see you again, although I believe that Sammuael may very well want to make your re-acquaintance even more.”

Jarahmael knew there was not much he could do to resist, as he had little strength left. It was the equivalent of a Human having his life’s blood sucked out of his veins. “Where is Lillith?” he asked weakly.

“Ah yes, Luciferael was right. You are in love with her, aren't you?” he said as they were coming through the entranceway into Pandemonium.

Too weak to try to deny his feelings, Jarahmael just uttered, “Yes, I am.”

Looking to the front of him, he could see a semi-circle with all the rebel Archangels assembling. All the ones whom he had played an important role in defeating, that is. He had expected to see them drawn and suffering, in this dreadful place. But what he found looking back at him were the five rebel Archangels, stronger perhaps then when they had been up in the Heavens. Red heat rather than white light reflected off them. Jarahmael wasn't sure whether it was a self-generating color of red or whether it was just their light energy waves reflecting the red glow from the molten rock around them.

Each of the fallen Archangels remained beautiful, but in a way different than when they were in the Heavens. There was a hardness to their bodies; he could feel the solidness of Suriel above him as he pushed him into the hot ground where they landed. All of their eyes had an extreme intensity, their gazes burning into him when they looked in his direction. He could feel his opponents, the
rebel Archangel Auxilium—Beelzebael, Mephistophael, Mammonael
, Damiel and Sammuael—watch him with amusement in their eyes as he laid there, weakened on the ground.

Suriel raised Jarahmael's head by lifting up his hair and said, “Here he is, lord Sammuael. Finally, he is our captive!” Sammuael rose from his chair on the elevated dais and walked forward, looking right into Jarahmael's eyes.

“The tables have turned, my former brother Jarahmael. You had kept me confined in that crystal pyramid of yours for too long. Now I will have the privilege of returning the hospitality.”

“Where is Lillith?” Jarahmael managed to say, looking back into Sammuael's eyes defiantly while slowly moving his fingers towards the hilts of his swords hidden beneath him.

“Why? Don't you know? Luciferael has her well hidden here in his palace.”

Sammuael moved around, making Jarahmael stretch his neck to keep eye contact.

“But do not get your hopes up my former brother, for you will never see her again!” chimed in Suriel. “It’s just part of the price you will pay for deceiving us and being a traitor to your own race.”

Jarahmael looked over at Suriel, while a wave of emotions washed through him as he lay there on the ground. On the one hand his heart was excited that she was still alive. That earlier conversation he had about Humans dying and their souls leaving their body had raised a greater level of concern for him. But even though she was alive he was also concerned about what could happen to her at the hands of these deceitful Beings.

Jarahmael thought of jumping up and brandishing his sword and attacking the rebel Archangels, but he was still weak, and did not know exactly where Luciferael's palace was in relation to this place called Pandemonium. Even if he was able to escape these rebel Archangels he would not have enough time to fly around looking for the palace, then look for Lillith within the palace, and then try to make their escape.

“How do I know you really have her?” Jarahmael asked Sammuael, then taunted him, “I bet you really don't have her anyway. Where is she then?”

“Patience, lord Jarahmael. . . everything in good time. Perhaps even Luciferael will let you see her one final time, or better yet maybe he will give you the opportunity to redeem yourself and join our cause,” said Beelzebael with a sarcastic tone. The other Angels started to laugh, as all of them knew Luciferael would never do that again. Jarahmael had tricked Luciferael by pledging his loyalty and then betrayed all of them during the war.

The sound of trumpets off in the distance focused their attention away from Jarahmael as he lay there on the floor. Suriel even let go of his grasp of Jarahmael's long hair and let his head drop against the floor.

“Luciferael returns!” cried out Damiel with excitement in his voice.

“He will be so pleased to find out that we have captured this traitor to our cause!” exclaimed Mammonael as all of the rebel Archangels stood up in respect for Luciferael's return.

The Archangels turned their attention to the skylight that opened up the ceiling of Pandemonium. This place was an exact replica of the Throne Room in Heaven. It had become even more of a shrine to the rebels as it was totally theirs not shared with the Almighty. The place began to swarm with rebel Angels of all the Orders as they flew in to fill the seats in the Pandemonium Palace

Jarahmael noticed that Luciferael was also replicating the procedures of the morning ceremony. Except down here, it felt absurd and sinister. It was celebrating the arrival of the darkness and not the light. The place was filled with a feeling of love, but not the Almighty's love; rather, the feeling of a room full of Beings that loved only themselves.

He weighed his options as he lay there, watching while the rebel Archangels busied themselves in preparation of Luciferael's arrival. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Damiel and Mammonael organized the choirs of rebel Angels that lined the walls of Pandemonium, and all of the various Orders of Angels, there to welcome the return of their master. They may have looked strong and vibrant, but no longer clean and pure. Many of them bore the scars from the rebellion, unhealed, open and ugly.

Jarahmael was able to summon more of his strength back now that Suriel was no longer in contact with his body and able to steal it from him. He felt stronger and more confident that if needed to, he could arise with his swords drawn and attack at least a few of them. But he held himself back, waiting for an opportunity.

Jarahmael could hear the rustling sound of wings above him as Luciferael began his descent from far above into the open room of the Pandemonium Palace. The room grew quiet as the rebel Angels watched and waited for Luciferael to descend into the room. As he dropped down through the open ceiling, the choirs sang out his praises just as they did when he was in the Throne Room of the Seventh Heaven. Except now Luciferael's arrival took longer, and was greatly exaggerated as he descended from the first level, where Hades and the First Pit of Hell co-existed, just as the Garden of Eden and the First Heaven co-existed, all the way down through the Seventh Pit of Hell. The deepest Pit, where Pandemonium lay, was the most sacred to Luciferael and his Auxilium. As Luciferael finally arrived and descended the last bit of distance and took his seat on the Throne, he looked in front of him and smiled broadly when he saw Jarahmael lying prostrate before him, guarded by Sammuael and Suriel.

Luciferael waited until the choirs were finished singing, still with that wide evil grin of his, and then asked, “What do we have here? Jarahmael finally captured?”

Suriel responded, delighted with himself. “Yes, my lord Luciferael. Your plan worked and now we have the traitor here for his punishment.”

“What? Should we not offer Jarahmael the opportunity to join us?” Luciferael said, his tone sickly sweet. Luciferael exaggerated his look around the room to the rebel Angels, looking for their attention. “Arise my former brother, my Archangel Jarahmael!”

Jarahmael hesitated in getting up, as his right hand was now firmly on the hilt of his sword. Luciferael nodded to both Suriel and Sammuael to force him to get up and each grabbed an arm on either side of Jarahmael as they lifted him up.

Jarahmael took the opportunity of the movement to thrust the two of them aside as he stood and pulled his swords out of their scabbards.

Not to be outmaneuvered, Luciferael raised his hands and with a throwing motion created a fireball which hit Jarahmael squarely on his chest and sent him back a few feet from its impact. A second and third fireball followed in rapid succession before Jarahmael could regain his footing. Each fireball hit his swords and sent both of them flying out of Jarahmael's hands.

“Grab him and make sure he cannot use the spear on his back!” Luciferael barked to Suriel and Sammuael. Once they had gotten the spear off him, Luciferael called out, “Bind him!”

Mammonael appeared with chains made out of Hell's strongest iron and he bound them across Jarahmael's arms and legs.

“I am disappointed, my dear Jarahmael. Do you not wish to join us?” Luciferael said, his voice toned with fake concern.

“No, I do not, Luciferael. I only want to free Lillith and make sure that you and your rebel Angels stay off the Earth and out of their history,” Jarahmael responded defiantly, looking directly back into Luciferael's eyes without faltering.

Laughing, Luciferael responded, “You are in no position to have any wants here. I have Lillith safely hidden from you and the other loyal Archangels. Not that they care at all, nor does the Almighty. Before long she will prefer to be here with me and the other rebel Angels. Remember, Jarahmael, you deserted her in the Seventh Heaven during the war. What did you think? That you would not have consequences to face for ignoring her safety and needs? She is mine now to do with as I please!”

Jarahmael knew that it would only make matters worse for him if he explained that he chose to help defeat Luciferael and his rebel Angels rather than go to Lillith. He was at Luciferael's mercy no matter what he said or did here, and he did not expect any mercy from him or the other rebel Angels.

“I can see by your silence, Jarahmael, that you agree. I have taken Lillith for myself and my rebel Archangels as retribution for what you and the Almighty have done to us. She was, after all, the First Born of the Humans who were given free will. Now that I know Lillith can become pregnant by mating with an Archangel, I have decided that blending our two species will create hybrids who can fight the blind obedience to the Almighty.”

Luciferael then motioned to Sammuael, who had been waiting impatiently to speak.

“We need to punish Jarahmael, my lord. He should not be allowed to run free through the Universe. It would be a fitting punishment for him to be confined as I was confined during the war for Heaven!”

“Agreed!” said Luciferael.

“He should also be tormented for his efforts to thwart our rebellion. He should not be able to be comfortable while he is confined.”

“You have some ideas, Sammuael, on how to do this?”

“Yes, my lord. He should be chained to a rock and tormented by day. But not to the extent where he no longer feels the pain. I have come up with the idea of using one of the flying creatures that you have so wonderfully created here in Hell. You should make Jarahmael solid just like a Human, particularly since he seems to care so much for them. I suggest we create a new carnabus, my lord, a creature that will eat of the insides of Jarahmael as he lies chained upon a hot rock during the day. Then by night, his insides will grow back with all the pain that comes from the organs growing back within him. Then by day the carnabus will eat of his organs again. We will place him where Hades and Hell meet near the Phlegomon River, that way he will be far from Lillith and the inner workings of Hell.”

“Excellent idea, Sammuael!” Luciferael looked down upon the face of Jarahmael. “Doesn't that sound like a fitting punishment to you, Jarahmael?”

Jarahmael chose to stay silent again as he knew there was nothing he could say that would lessen the anger the rebel Angels felt towards him.