War of Wings (10 page)

“By all means,” Lucifer said. “In fact, you and Arrayah should go discuss the things you have heard today. I’m sure she will be able to answer any questions. She is one of the smartest angels among us. I want nothing less than a decision solely from you, without my influence.”

Gabriel’s gaze had shifted to Arrayah at the mention of her name. As Lucifer spoke, Gabriel noticed a discreet wink the cherub sent to her. Gabriel saw the gesture reflected in the helmet of one of the dominions. It made Gabriel wonder how close Arrayah and Lucifer really were, and it sent an empty feeling through him.

“I appreciate all of this,” Gabriel managed to say.

“You are welcome, young archangel. Until next time.”

“Yes, until next time.”

Lucifer started to turn around and then snapped his fingers and pivoted back. “Wait. Just a moment, please. I spoke to Saraquel earlier, and he told me of an angel that is very troubled by what we are doing here. I don’t believe he understands what is happening. Should you decide to join us, it may be wise if you educate him, for I heard he listens to you and trusts you a great deal. I believe his name is Michael.”

The empty feeling expanded, filling him inside. “Yes, Michael is a dear friend.” He faced Saraquel. “Have you spoken of this with him?”

“I did, and he wasn’t very pleased with me.” Saraquel’s scratchy voice was grating. “He told me that the order of things is not to be questioned and that God is bringing him up as a leader of the archangels. He was bragging about it. I know I offended you earlier and for that I am sorry, but I believe Michael is only looking out for himself. I felt that I must warn you.”

It was true that Michael could be ridiculous at times with his ambition and strict rules, but he wouldn’t be bragging. He was just as likely to lie around all day eating spiritapples. Why was Saraquel lying? Regardless, Gabriel had to keep calm. The wink had him shaken up, and listening to Saraquel’s irritating voice wasn’t helping things. He turned back to Lucifer. “I will speak with Michael about all of this, and I will have an answer for you soon, Lucifer. Thank you for this opportunity.”

“Please do. I wouldn’t want an archangel trying to start a fight against me. I believe he is trying to do just that.”

“I will find out. Shall I meet you here when I have my answer?”

“Arrayah will know where to find me. I will see you then. You are a fine archangel, Gabriel. It was a pleasure.”

Lucifer turned to speak to the few remaining angels who were waiting for him, and Gabriel addressed Arrayah. “I need to go think. Maybe I should see you tomorrow.” He couldn’t help wondering if Michael could have been right about not trusting her. He didn’t like this feeling at all.

“You don’t have to explain.” Her voice was soft and understanding. “Would you like to meet tomorrow at the Provender so you can show me your favorite place in all of Heaven? All of this didn’t make you forget, did it?” She moved closer to him and smiled.

He thought of the wink and almost told her he had to cancel. But those alluring blue eyes were staring at him with an innocence that weakened him. His words came out in spite of himself. “Yes. I will meet you at the Provender, same time.”

“I can’t wait,” she said, almost too enthusiastically.

Gabriel fixed a smile on his face and took off toward the cosmos. He needed to find Michael immediately.

L
ucifer was on Terra, walking back and forth on a grassy rise that would serve as a makeshift platform. Later that day, he would be holding a meeting with the angels of the upper tiers. He was expecting seven seraphim, twenty-five cherubim, sixteen thrones, and one virtue in attendance—exactly forty-nine angels from the top four orders. It would be Lucifer’s first large gathering about the changes to come. He imagined them spread out on the field, watching and listening in rapt attention. He paced on the grass and practiced his speech, rehearsing the words in his head so they could come without thought. This had to go perfectly.

From the corner of his eye, Lucifer saw Arrayah’s shimmering gown as she floated down from the sky. She landed softly and sauntered directly toward him.

“It’s lovely to see you, Arrayah.”

“I need to speak with you.”

“Let us talk in depth after the meeting. I am busy now. Have you done what I asked?”

“Yes. I’m meeting him at the gate today. I believe he is falling for me.”

“Is there an angel who wouldn’t?”

Arrayah lowered her chin and her eyelids closed. “He trusts me.”

“I chose to partner with you for a reason. The power of beauty cannot be questioned.”

“You would know even better than I. Is there anything more powerful?”

“I believe there are seven more powerful.”

“Our virtues?”

“All in due time. You have many gifts, Arrayah. Use them. Don’t come back without him.” Lucifer began to pace again and waved a hand in her direction. “You are dismissed.”

Arrayah turned to leave, and Lucifer once more pictured the crowd before him—their anger, their disbelief, their skepticism, but also their hope. Their hunger for something more. He had already spoken one-on-one to most of the angels who would likely attend, and now he was gaining momentum as the word spread. There would be some who thought he was wrong, some who just wanted to hear what was going on to stay in the loop, some who had a slight interest but needed to hear more, and some who were completely on board with full support.

By the time the day had passed and the meeting time had arrived, he was fully prepared. His armor gleamed. He stood tall and straight. He was what every angel aspired to be.

At the appointed hour, the crowd of angels all stood near each other, engaged in debates and endless chatter. Lucifer waited to begin while angels descended from the sky. He continued to wait until the suspense was at its peak. “Welcome, everyone!” He smiled and spread his arms wide as if humbled by the attendance. “I’m happy to see so many familiar faces. I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming. It is an absolute honor to see you here.”

He put a hand to his chin and appeared thoughtful, then raised his head and took a deep breath. “I know many of you have heard things that may have come as a shock to you. They may have frightened you, they may have interested you, but I hope they have inspired you.”

Some angels looked around in confusion. Others seemed appalled. But many were nodding along.

“I am no different from any of you and I don’t claim to be. There is only One who does claim to be better than you. I hope what you have heard has inspired you to demand the truth—whether it is good or not. I didn’t invite you here to tell you how to think. I invited you here to answer questions and openly discuss something that affects each and every one of us. Something we have never questioned. Ever. It comes down to this: is God who He says He is?’”

Lucifer pointed to Heaven and began to pace. The audience was mesmerized. “I, for one, don’t know if I still believe Him. All I know are the facts. Facts of existence that He tells us He invented. Why is it that the more we find out and the wiser we become about this universe and the way things work, the more discredited His words become? Everything must have a beginning, yet apparently the laws of the universe don’t apply to Him. Do any of you know why that could be?”

Lucifer dropped his hand, stopped pacing, and fell silent while he scanned the crowd with challenging eyes. After a few moments of pure silence, a seraph named Abbeus spoke up. “Since He is our creator, we must have faith in Him. He created the laws of the universe, so they are as He would have them be, and they don’t really apply to Him.”

Lucifer scanned the faces in the crowd. “That is a good point. I know many who feel that way. How many of you have felt the same way?” He raised his own hand. “I know I have. Anybody else?” Hands started rising in the air. “It’s the normal way to think because that is what He has always told us. But what we have all found is that faith can be based on ignorance.”

Lucifer looked straight at Abbeus. “What if I told you that I was here before God? Would you believe me?”

“Of course not,” Abbeus huffed.

“What if I said that tree over there has always been there, but it never grew from a seed?”

“Well, I guess it could be possible. But I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Neither have any of us. But God wants us to believe that He has always been here without ever beginning. He wants us to believe in impossibilities of the universe that we have never seen. We must not be ignorant enough to ignore the truths that stare us in the face. We must at least question His story.”

“But God made everything around us! His words have confirmed it, and it is evident in the beauty and miracle of all of creation. It is wrong to not believe it!” The words Abbeus yelled from the front of the crowd were voicing the concerns of the entire audience.

The next moments, Lucifer knew, would be critical. “I’m not telling you what to believe. I’m telling you to think for yourselves as strong, intelligent angels. God is the one telling you what to believe. What is your name, my good angel?”

“Abbeus.”

“You are a seraph, correct? So you are near God all the time?”

“Yes, I am.”

“And all day you worship God and you do nothing for yourself. That’s right, isn’t it?”

“Well, praising God gives me fulfillment. He is the reason for my existence.”

“That makes sense. He must do things for you with all that praise you give Him. What does He do for you exactly?”

“He gives me life, light, and glory. I get the honor of serving Him. I get to be near Him.”

“I’m asking what He does for you personally.”

“This is absurd. God does not need to do anything personally for me.”

“Why not? You have devoted your life to Him.”

“Well, He really doesn’t do anything for me only. I do speak to Him though.”

“I see. How often do you and God have face-to-face conversations?”

Abbeus didn’t respond immediately. He finally answered, “Not often. God is in the heart and soul of every faithful soldier at all times. God surrounds us and is a part of us.”

Lucifer nodded compassionately, his words silken. “Well, He is quite busy, so that makes sense. Just estimate it for us since you are closer to Him most of the time than we all are.”

“I really don’t know. He speaks to me in my head quite often.”

Some of the lower-ranking angels looked at Abbeus with wonder, but Lucifer laughed lightheartedly. “I don’t mean in your head. Of course, you know how often you speak in person.”

Abbeus looked around at the angels near him. Finally in a quiet voice, he said, “Never.”

Lucifer gasped theatrically in unison with the crowd. Abbeus awkwardly looked away. Lucifer shook his head in mock disbelief. After a moment, he solemnly observed, “I’m sure He has His reasons.” He met the seraph’s eyes with his. “Right?”

Abbeus lowered his head. Immediately, a voice rang out from the crowd. “He doesn’t even speak directly with the seraphim?”

Angels broke off into their own conversations amongst each other, and Lucifer lost control of the crowd. This was exactly what he wanted. Abbeus slowly made his way up toward Lucifer. When he got close enough, he whispered with his perfect white teeth exposed. “How was that?”

“Perfect, Abbeus. You will have your reward in my ranks.”

A familiar voice called out. “Lucifer! I have someone I would like you to meet.” Lucifer turned from Abbeus toward the two he most hoped to see. It was Arrayah and a rather large archangel—Gabriel. As always, she had perfect timing.

What followed went exactly as Lucifer had predicted—Gabriel unwittingly played his part as beautifully as Abbeus had. Their conversation led into the real speech he had prepared. When he was finished, the sky was full of angels flying toward Heaven, rushing to spread the word and recruit new converts. Gabriel seemed reluctant to join, and he asked for an additional day to consider the offer, but he would come around. Lucifer had faith in Arrayah’s powers of persuasion. Once he had Gabriel, Michael would soon follow—or be crushed and cast aside.

Lucifer turned to speak to the other angels who were waiting for him, but he couldn’t help but notice the way Arrayah looked at Gabriel. It was the way Thyaterra had always looked at him. The look that made him feel invincible. He used to get this feeling from God.

Gabriel left, flying back toward Heaven, and Lucifer excused himself from the remaining angels. He headed toward Arrayah and took her by the arm to guide her off to one side. “You have done very well. With his fighting prowess, Gabriel will be a great asset to our cause. I’m sure his reputation is accurate.”

“I think he saw you wink at me.”

“No, he didn’t. What makes you think that?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like I’ve known him forever.”

He folded his arms. He towered over her. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

Was she getting soft on him? At his unflinching appraisal, she sucked in a breath and lifted her chin. The look of anxiety was gone.

“It is fine,” he said at length. “He is perfect for our little problem with Michael.”

“Gabriel has become fond of me very quickly. But he’s not as ignorant and easily manipulated as I had originally thought. Now I’m not sure he is the best way to go about getting to Michael.” She hesitated. “I don’t want to hurt him unnecessarily, Lucifer.”

Lucifer’s arms tightened, his fingers digging into his biceps. “I will decide if something is no longer the best way. And please don’t tell me he matters to you. Are you not still with me?”

She looked conflicted. Was she going to be a problem?

“Of course, I am,” she said. She pried away one of his hands, held it in her own, and smiled.

She was cunning, and it infuriated Lucifer that she thought she could manipulate him. But he needed her skills turned on Gabriel. He would let it pass. “Good. You know how important you are to me.” He went in closer to her and touched the soft skin below her chin. Her skin flushed. “I need you, Arrayah. We are so close to our revolution.”