The Lost Book of Chaos: How to Divide the World (The Secret Wars of Angels 1) (15 page)

Ichab turned, wearing a wide grin that broke his face in two.

“Teacher, ah, he, he,” Ichab grinned.

Judas sighed.

Ichab had a huge apologetic grin on his face. “Judas, my teacher!” Ichab said, “You almost scared me, I thought it was the enemy.” Ichab wiped the sweat from his brows in mock relief.

“I'm glad it was you,” Ichab said. Ichab had both of his hands at his back.

“And what do you think,” Judas said, “you're doing with those two items?”

“I can explain!” Ichab said. “People were following you, and I followed your tracks, so I wanted to help you, see. But then the tracks led here, and there seems to be some treasure buried here... And it didn’t look like anyone would come back for it. Why, it would be such a waste.” Judas was quite careful to erase his tracks and mislead his pursuers away from this site. Judas wondered how Ichab was able to find the spot.

“It’s not stealing if no one owns it, yes?” Ichab said. “And I wanted to dig it out because we could maybe sell it and it would help us on our journey. I’m sorry I didn’t get to you immediately, I just wanted to help.”

Ichab handed the amulet to Judas. “Here, it’s really for you, a-he-he?” Ichab did not know that it was Judas who buried it, so he probably thought Judas was unaware of the other item.

Judas raised his brows impatiently.

“And?” Judas said.

“And?” Ichab echoed, his eyes going side to side. “What is it Teacher?”

“There is another item is there not?” Judas said, meaning the dagger.

“Oh!” Ichab said. “Yes, the other item.” Ichab reached under his pocket and took out a small trinket. It would have sold for something, but not nearly as much as the dagger. “Could you mean this?” Ichab grinned widely, his misaligned teeth making up more than half of his face.

Judas looked down, shaking his head. Ichab never failed to challenge his patience.

“I mean...” Judas approached, “THE DAGGER.”

Ichab scratched his head, hesitated, then handed the dagger to Judas, which he had somehow hidden behind a foot. Judas looked at the dagger to make sure Ichab hadn't given him something else, because one never knew what tricks Ichab had under his sleeve.

Then Ichab turned to the companion of Judas and began to introduce himself, “Hi, nice to meet you, my name is Icha—aaaaaaaAAAAAAAH!” Ichab cried as if the world was ending and he scrambled backwards away from Gabriel. As if that wasn't enough, Ichab hid behind Judas. “Who is
that
?!?!”

Judas’s expression darkened in embarrassment. “He is an angel, show some respect!” Judas’s said, the veins on his neck showing. Ichab looked up at Gabriel for a few moments, dumbstruck.

Ichab must have sensed what Judas had sensed with Gabriel earlier. Ichab was no fool, he knew something was off right at the start.

“I apologize,” Ichab bowed, sweating.

Judas sighed.

But Gabriel was not paying attention. Instead, the angel was scanning the distance. “There are people approaching,” Gabriel announced. It must be the ones who saw Judas hang himself, they must have heard the commotion, what with Ichab squealing like a pig. If they saw Judas alive, they would know he was sill alive, and they would continue hunting him down.

Gabriel walked calmly towards the
merkavah
, humans were no danger to him, but Judas hurried on. The sooner he could go invisible, the better. But as he stepped on the
merkavah
, Judas turned to look at Ichab. What was Judas going to do with him?

“We need to go,” Gabriel said.

“Teacher?” Ichab said, looking left and right, as if looking for the best exit in case the pursuers appeared.

Judas sighed.

“I know it's a lot to ask but,” Judas said, “Can we bring him with us? Maybe we can drop him somewhere along the way, where it’s safe?”

Gabriel nodded, as if it was of no importance.

It didn't look like the three would fit, however, as Ichab approached, the
merkavah
expanded in size to accommodate all three. Ichab was a bit jumpy about the
merkavah
, but he kept quiet and tried to be composed. “How does it float above the ground?” Ichab wondered.

Judas held the amulet in his hand and closed his eyes, then he began imagining Arcana’s face. At that moment, he could sense the direction that she was at. He didn’t know how he knew, he could just feel it. Gabriel steered the ship in that direction.

Ichab tried to keep himself calm, but his composure was blown away when the
merkavah
sped up. Judas flinched at Ichab’s screams and had to cover his ears. Gabriel, on the other hand, didn’t seem affected at all. After a while, Ichab stopped screaming, though he looked quite sick. Judas hoped Ichab could hold it in. At this speed, Judas didn't want to imagine what would happen if Ichab blew up in front of them.

Gabriel sat himself down, and Judas followed the angel's example. Although the merkavah already held his feet in place, it felt better to sit. Ichab on the other hand looked too dazed to even make a decision.

Judas watched the trees and the land go by, and took the beauty of creation as it flashed by below. Earlier, he had been busy learning more about Sky Jerusalem, but now he could finally focus on the magnificent view from above. He almost felt disappointed that it was over because, in a few short minutes, they had arrived at their destination.

It was an encampment several miles away from the city, there were dozens of tents. The
merkavah
sped down, and as they drew closer, Judas could make out the small figures of soldiers, and horses, and...

There were battles on two fronts that Judas could see. In the middle of the camp, a tall man with unkempt, raven hair stood at the lead, followed by people who seemed covered in soot and dark mud. As the
merkavah
hovered closer still, Judas realized they looked less like people and more like—

“Great heavens,” Ichab cried out. “Those people look like corpses! In fact...” Ichab peered closer. “I think some of them have bones sticking out of their bodies! Why, they
are
corpses!”

Ichab shuddered visibly.

Judas tried not to shudder back.

“The Undead,” Gabriel said in his unnaturally deep voice.

“Don’t those creatures scare you Teacher?” Ichab said, wondering at the lack of reaction from Judas. To Ichab, Judas might have looked composed, what Ichab didn’t know was that the hands and feet of Judas had gone cold. All his instincts told him to run, but he had to save Arcana and Varak.

“This is where we need to be,” Judas gritted his teeth to prevent them from chattering. He was glad that he had declined Arcana’s Blood Oath, otherwise he would have lived his life like a living hell. What with the Undead, and jinns, and the Inquisition chasing after the power that Arcana possessed.

The soldiers of the enemy camp fought, holding the corpses back by forming a phalanx of shields while stabbing at the horde of dead creatures pressing against them. On closer view, they weren't only human corpses, but corpses of animals, wolves, ravens, serpents, and a host of other animals.

Arrows flew and hit the dead, but they did little to slow the dead down. The others attempted to use fire arrows, which seemed to work better, but Judas could see how the army of corpses would eventually overpower the soldiers.

“It's good that we came when we did,” Gabriel said. “Otherwise your friends may not survive this.” Gabriel said. “Now which ones are your friends?”

Judas concentrated on the amulet to get a bearing then pointed a finger towards a large tent in the middle of the camp. Gabriel swerved the
merkavah
in that direction.

“Shouldn’t we head to the
other
direction,?” Ichab squealed in panic. “That seems pretty close to those dead creatures.”

Judas didn’t need Ichab’s squealing to add any more to the terror that he felt. On the outer edge of the camp, Judas noticed a small band forcing its way deeper into the enemy camp. On closer look, it was Gnaeus, with about a dozen or so men with him. Gnaeus was probably using the commotion as a diversion so he and his men could rescue Arcana, since most of the enemy forces were on the other side of the camp. Judas wondered if the Undead had anything to do with Arcana being there. It probably did, as Arcana seemed to attract all sorts of trouble.

Gabriel landed the
merkavah
behind the phalanx of soldiers. Judas wished Gabriel had brought them closer, but he didn’t complain. There must have been a reason why Gabriel decided to land here. Gabriel removed their cover of invisibility and, at their appearance, both the Undead and the enemy soldiers turned on the apparent threat. It was only for a brief moment that the enemy soldiers were hesitant.

“What's that?” one of the enemy soldiers pointed to the three floating above.

“Shoot it!” their leader called out.

The enemy soldiers began shooting bolts and arrows at Gabriel. However, none of them could reach the angel, as it seemed like an invisible barrier surrounded the
merkavah
riders that slowed down the arrows until they stopped in mid-air.

In response, Gabriel unsheathed his sword and pointed it skyward and, from that, lightning arced in all directions setting the ground and several tents aflame and burning the first wave of walking corpses.

Even though none of the lightning hit the soldiers—Judas remembered that Gabriel was not allowed to kill—they were all shaken by the attack and many scrambled away as fast as they could. The Undead appeared to be holding back, and Judas doubted that they did so because they were afraid. He wasn’t sure if those creatures still had their minds or hearts to feel any terror at all.

With the ground clear, Gabriel stepped down the ship. Then one among the Undead stepped forward, though this one looked more like a man and less like the dead, if not for being ghastly pale.

“Immortal King,” Gabriel said, his voice booming. With the figure of the Immortal King standing several hand spans taller than Gabriel, it looked like a young man fighting against a tall giant. But Judas knew better.

“Scourge of mankind,” Gabriel said, “I will cleanse the world of your pestilence.” Gabriel's words of conviction reminded Judas of the man he had met earlier, Shaul. Judas shuddered at the memory, or rather, also at Shaul’s memories. He could still remember Shaul's experiences, thoughts, and sensations like it were his own.

“Ah, Gabriel,” the Immortal King sneered as he took one slow step after another and closed the gap between him and Gabriel. “Perhaps you will make a fine addition to my undying army. An angel Undying. Can you imagine?” The Immortal King cackled a mad laughter.

“Think about it,” the Immortal King said, “you will gain True Immortality, and have eternity at your fingertips. Out of respect, I will give you a chance to surrender. I would rather have you fresh and complete, rather than... torn to pieces and reassembled. I will even let you keep your consciousness. You will not be like the others who are mere puppets.” The Immortal King reached out with his long fingers, towering over Gabriel.

But before the Immortal King’s hand could reach Gabriel, the angel struck the hand in two and cut the Immortal King’s hand. Then Gabriel dashed forward and swung his sword to cut off the Immortal King’s head.

The Immortal King's head fell down, an expression of disbelief on its face, as the head rolled on the ground. The head stared lifelessly at the sky.

From the severed neck, blood spread everywhere, and to Judas’s surprise, it was the color of human blood.

“HAH! All that talk and he’s not that tough after all,” Ichab snorted. Despite Ichab's bravado, Ichab was hiding behind Judas, and Judas could feel the man shivering.

Ichab was right. Though the Immortal King appeared powerful, he probably had not accounted for the fact that this was an angel he was fighting against. In the face of an angel of Gabriel’s caliber, even the leader of the Undead stood as no match.

However, as if responding to Ichab’s words, the eyes from the severed head suddenly shifted and fell on Ichab. The severed head smiled an evil grin.

Each one of the Immortal King's teeth were sharp fangs.

Then the eyes shifted back towards Gabriel.

“Pity that even an angel of the highest rank can’t kill me,” the severed head spoke, then smiled mockingly at Gabriel, showing more fanglike teeth. “After I get one angel, it will be easier to get more angels. And after that, guess what's next?”

The Immortal King laughed madly.

“After I take the angels,” The Immortal King said, “I will take on God himself!”

At this, Gabriel sent lighting and blew up the head in flames.

Was it over? Judas hoped, but he felt doubtful because the headless body still stood standing.

The charred remains of the head melted into the ground, leaving only mist. But even that mist gathered around the headless body, and slowly formed into the head of the Immortal King. Even after all that, the Immortal King looked unscathed.

Ichab shrieked.

“Go,” Gabriel said in a commanding voice.

Judas wasted no time. Judas followed the amulet to the tent where Arcana and Varak were being kept, while Ichab trailed closely behind.

Ichab muttered prayers.

“We’re in trouble, BIIIIG trouble!” Ichab managed to say as he finished one prayer and started another one.

Reaching the tent, Judas was glad that the two guards outside were unconscious, probably even dead, the ground around their bodies burnt from Gabriel’s lightning earlier. Were the two guards dead? No, Gabriel had sworn that angels of Sky Jerusalem made a covenant to never kill humans. However, the two guards looked dead.

But there was something off about the two corpses. Blood spilled around their bodies, as if they were stabbed. This was not something that lightning alone could do. It had to be done by a piercing weapon. But, who could have done it?

Judas had a sick feeling in his stomach. If someone else had gotten first to Arcana and Varak... He shook his head. He hoped the two were all right.

“Wait here and stand watch,” Judas said to Ichab. He peered inside and found his two friends tied to a chair.

Relief flooded him.

Arcana looked up. She looked well, even more beautiful despite being captured. Varak, on the other hand, was a bloody mess.

“Judas!” Arcana said. “How did you—” Judas quickly moved to untie the two. “And who’s that with you?” Ichab's head peered inside the tent despite the instructions of Judas. Great, who was watching the outside?

“Hurry, you need to go,” Judas said to Arcana. “The soldiers who captured you are holding off a wave of walking corpses. You need to escape quickly.” Arcana and Varak looked at each other. Arcana quickly moved to Varak, however Varak refused to be healed at this time, as it would consume Arcana's energy.

“We will need your strength if we are to fight,” Varak said. Apparently, their captors had tortured Varak to force Arcana to talk, but Varak stood as if his wounds meant nothing “I have survived worse than this.”

“The Undying King,” Arcana said. “I had hoped to lose his trail, but he has finally caught up. He is one of those who want the power of the Zohar, though for different reasons than others. Where others seek the Zohar to gain power and immortality, he seeks to use the power to end his existence.”

“The Immortal King is a pitiful existence,” Arcana continued, “who fights and seeks the battlefield to find an opponent who can slay him once and for all. But since no one can kill him, his army keeps growing larger as those who challenge him end up becoming his pawns.”

Judas tried not to shudder.

“Your sacred blade,” Judas said, handing Arcana the blade of the Zohar. Deep inside, Judas was glad to finally be rid of it.

“How did you get past the enemy?” Arcana said in awe. “And what is that
tremendous
power?” She was probably referring to Gabriel who was still sending lighting everywhere to scare off the enemy soldiers and scorch the Immortal King.

“An angel,” Judas said. “You probably don’t him to know that you're here.” If what Arcana said was true, that angels of heaven were looking for her too, then meeting Gabriel would mean trouble. It was only by luck that there was the commotion of the corpses to distract Gabriel, otherwise, Judas still had no plan about how to hide Arcana from the angel. He hated to think it, but in a way, the Immortal King's unexpected presence had created an opening.

“Why is an angel here?” Arcana said in disbelief. “And one of such power...”

“I asked him to help us,” Judas said. “But of course, I didn't tell him who you were.”

Arcana looked at Judas, astonished.

“And here’s the amulet,” Judas offered.

Arcana shook her head, refusing to take it back. “You should keep the amulet,” Arcana said.

“But if it falls in the wrong hands...” Judas started. “They can find you.”

“I have cast the spell between you and me so no one else can use the amulet,” Arcana said. “If ever you need anything, look for me.”

Then Judas remembered. “Gnaeus is outside the enemy camp,” Judas said, “Gnaeus just tried to force his way in, probably using the cover of the Undead presence as a distraction. But now that you are safe maybe we should call him off from the fighting.”

“Or maybe we can leave the fool here,” Varak suggested. “He would never know that we were here in the first place. Let him fight it out.”

There was a commotion outside and the sound of hooves closing in.

“Some soldiers are coming,” Ichab said as he entered the tent, “there's too many! I don't think I can hold them back.”

Judas cursed mentally.

The three went outside the tent, and to their relief, they found Gnaeus and his soldiers surrounding the tent. Gnaeus looked relieved too, and signalled his men to stand down.

Gnaeus and his men were covered with blood, dirt and sweat; they had probably ridden a long way, in addition to fighting the Inquisitors stationed in the camp.

Varak muttered something under his breath.

“Arcana, My Lady,” Gnaeus said as he dismounted and rushed towards her.

Varak immediately put himself between her and Gnaeus.

“Are you all right My Lady?” Gnaeus said, ignoring Varak. Gnaeus wore a look of concern. “I was awake the entire night worried about you and what
they
would do to you. I couldn't bear the thought...”

“I am well,” Arcana said. “Thank you for coming to my aid.”

“He couldn't sleep the entire night,” the second in command of Gnaeus said, “Why, if something ever happened to the Lady, Captain Gnaeus would kill himself.”

The soldiers laughed and hooted. It was a wonder, considering their state, that they found any humor in this at all.

Arcana nodded to them, thanking them in turn.

“We brought more steeds,” Gnaeus announced, “we had to leave the rest of the horses outside the camp as the Inquisitors fortified the area, making it difficult for the other riderless horses to come in.”

“I need to heal your wounds,” Arcana said, “but with so many of you, I can't use instant healing. Instead...” Arcana spread her hands, and green light glowed outwards from her and to the soldiers, including Judas and Varak. “I will boost your body's regeneration,” Arcana finished.