Daystar (26 page)

“Uriel will—”

IT IS NOT URIEL’S DECISION.
 
BELIAL IS RUINED AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN DESTROYED SOME TIME AGO.

The fire stabbed at Lucifer once more, then let him go.
 
Raphael padded over and placed his hands on Lucifer, drawing out the scorching heat and healing his wounds.
 
His eyes fell half-lidded.
 
He looked between the fire, Ladriam, and Lucifer.

The fire descended upon Ladriam and lifted her up.
 
Her head rolled to the side.
 
The heat permeated her skin and settled at her back.
 
A third set of wings formed from the light.
 
They shined bright white, scorching.
 
They opened and as they did, Ladriam received her third set of halos.

Angel and Archangel watched as Primangel formed again, restored to full power.
 
Lucifer was torn between joy and agony.
 
His beloved was restored; his desire and dream for so long fulfilled, but he knew what this meant for her.
 
What He would do with her now.

Lucifer struggled.
 
Raphael wrapped a wing around him and kept him back, his eyes a warning to Lucifer.
 
“Do not contemplate interfering and you will not be prevented from interfering.
 
Do you understand?”

Lucifer ignored him, his eyes only on her.

Ladriam opened her eyes and gazed at her new halos.
 
She looked at her third set of wings.
 
“Oh!”
 
She flew up into the air.
 
“Oh!”
 
She smiled and gazed at the angels and Archangels of Heaven.
 
“I am now different.”

YOU ARE PRIMANGEL AGAIN.
 
The fire watched her move.
 

Desire irradiated from the throne.
 
Lucifer wanted to cry, scream, anything to stop this.

The fire reached out to Lucifer.
 
NOW YOU KNOW HOW I FELT WHEN I SAW YOU TWO TOGETHER.
 
YOU WILL FEEL MY PAIN SHORTLY.

The fire reached out and grabbed her wrist, drawing her back in to the throne.
 
Ladriam touched the fire at her wrist.
 
“Thank you!”

YOU ARE WELCOME, LADRIAM.

Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Selaphiel watched.
 
Michael was clearly envious, Gabriel curious, and Selaphiel on edge.
 
Raphael stayed by Lucifer’s side, keeping him from fighting.

Ladriam dropped to one knee and bowed her head with tears of happiness in her eyes.
 
“You are wondrous!
 
A marvel!
 
Ever surprising.
 
I did nothing to warrant this, your generosity is boundless.”

The fire swept around her, languorous.
 
Her eyelids drooped.
 
He pulled her closer.
 
JOIN WITH ME.

***

In Eden, Paimon’s spiraling house emanated music and curses.
 
Jegudiel fought with his controller.
 
“I do not understand!”

Paimon grinned.
 
“You keep falling off the side of the track.
 
Bowser was a bad choice.”
 
His hands moved without thinking.
 
He had not yet once fallen off a track or hit anything on the course.

Jegudiel watched Paimon play.
 
“How can you do this blind?”

“I memorized the track.”

“Really?”
 
Jegudiel punched him in the face.
 

Paimon reset his jaw.
 
“Thank you?”

Jegudiel shook out his hand.
 
“Just checking.”

He snickered.
 
“To see if I am really blind?”

“Yes.”
 
Jegudiel nodded.

Paimon grinned.
 
“You’re becoming more and more like us each second.”

Jegudiel’s car was put back on track.
 
He pressed at buttons.
 
“
Go
, lizard man!
 
Move faster!
 
They are passing you!”

“He cannot hear you.”

Jegudiel’s face went red.
 
“You talk to yours.”

“Toad is the man.”

Jegudiel watched Paimon beat him again.
 
“Another, I am still learning.”

Paimon shrugged.
 
“Sure.
 
Rainbow Bridge is next.”

“The pretty one?”
 
Jegudiel smiled as the new course came up on screen.
 
“Colors!”

Paimon hit the gas and took off.
 
Jegudiel immediately sent Bowser over the edge.
 
He hissed.
 
“What is this?!”

“Rainbow Bridge.”

“It is hard!
 
Why is it pretty and bad?”

Paimon snickered.
 
“Camouflage.
 
So, have you thought about whether you want to have a girl name or a boy name?”

***

Uriel called out and hundreds of his angels joined the fight.
 
They moved under his command, dive-bombing Berith, Titan, and Whitney.
 
Uriel flew above the fray, searching for an opportunity to strike.

Berith sliced at any that came near, cutting them in two with Dahlia’s hell-forged blade.
 
He spared Apple a glance.
 
She remained in full control of Samuel and sent the Archangel chasing after Uriel.
 
Apple laughed as Uriel dodged whip strikes and meteors.

Whitney whooped and tore a chunk away from the moon.
 
She shared a part of it with Titan and slammed her piece into Uriel.
 
“Whoosh!
 
Bam!
 
Moonstruck!”
 
An angel dove at her with a sword.
 
Whitney smashed fist of granite into its face.
 
“Sucks to be you!”

Berith managed to smile as he flew back to back with her.
 
“I never would have imagined you to be so violent.”

Whitney grinned.
 
“It’s easy to seem non-violent when you have no means.”

Andy flipped by them, parrying the blades of six angels.
 
“How long are we doing this for?”

Nix danced by, throwing black spears over their heads.
 
“Until Mom gets back?”

Uriel laughed.
 
“She is not coming back, you fools!
 
She no longer even knows you exist!”

Whitney frowned.
 
“He keeps saying that.”

Andy drove his black blade into an angel’s chest, dissolving it.
 
“We should ignore him.
 
He is trying to trip us up.
 
It is what he has always done.”

Berith nodded.
 
“Agreed, the only thing Uriel spews forth is poison.”

“You wish this were the case!”
 
Uriel snarled and lightning raced at them.
 

Berith grabbed the energy from his brother and consumed it.
 
He threw a bolt of his own back at Uriel.
 

Uriel ducked.
 
“Ladriam gave up her memories to release Lucifer from the prison!
 
She is docile now, a pretty little thing to wait at His feet.”

The group ignored him, killing more of his angels.
 

Samuel’s face was a mask of hatred; he kept his eyes locked on Apple.
 
“Release me, you whore!”

Apple smirked.
 
“No way!”

Berith flew beside her.
 
“Can you control more?”

Apple shook her head.
 
“Doing this is hard enough.”
 
She dropped her voice, “He is new.
 
I doubt I could do this with Uriel.”

“Uriel!”
 
Belial shot up through the shield in a flurry of wings.
 

Helion chased her.
 
“No, Belial!”

Belial smashed into Uriel and ripped at his chest.
 
“Give it back to me!
 
Give it back!”
 

Uriel threw his arms around her.
 
“You came to me—”

She shoved her fist into his mouth and down his throat.
 
“Give it back!”

Andy raced for her.
 
“Belial, get back!”

Belial was maddened; her pain drove her insane.
 
She scraped at Uriel’s face with her free hand.
 
Her heart beat beneath his ribcage.
 
She pushed her fingers through his windpipe.
 
“It is mine!”

Uriel bit into her arm.
 
Belial pulled it back and swiped at his face.
 
He laughed.
 
She screeched, “Mine!”

Helion tore Belial away from Uriel.
 
Andy and Nix jumped in between them before Uriel could give chase.
 
Uriel grinned at Andy.
 
“See!
 
I told you she would come to me.”

Belial screamed from where Helion held her.
 
“It is
mine!
”

Andy stabbed at Uriel.
 
“She is not coming to be your bride.
 
She seeks to kill you!”

Uriel grinned.
 
“She cannot.
 
She kills me and she dies.
 
You kill me and she dies.”
 
He smiled.
 
“See?”

Belial scratched at Helion.
 
“I do not care if I die.
 
Kill him!
 
Kill him now!
”

Andy parried Uriel’s blows.
 
“You lie.”

Uriel frowned.
 
“I do not.
 
Want to see?”
 
He jabbed his blade into his heart.

Belial wailed in agony.
 
Titan and Nix rushed to Helion to help him hold his sister.
 
They pulled her back to the shield and plunged towards the planet with her.
 
Helion called back, “Andy, stop him!”

Andy grabbed Uriel’s hand and ripped the sword out of his chest.
 
He put his hands to Uriel’s throat.
 
“Do you want to kill her?”

Uriel spit blood at him.
 
“If I cannot have her then yes, I do.”

“But you will die!”

Uriel shrugged.
 
“So be it.”
 
He fingered a small blade and jabbed it at Andy.
 
Samuel lashed Uriel’s arm and yanked backwards, pulling Uriel’s hand away from Andy’s stomach.
 
Apple strained to keep control over the Archangel.

Andy kicked Uriel in the face and jumped back.
 
“I
will
find a way to kill you!”

***

JOIN ME, LADRIAM.

Ladriam gazed up into the fire.
 
“You wish this?”

IT IS MY ONLY WISH.

Ladriam smiled shyly.
 
“I can but provide to you.”

THEN COME TO ME.

Ladriam’s features lit up with a smile.

Lucifer died inside.

His body ached, his soul pierced and leaking.
 
He seethed.
 
She was a child, unaware.
 
Her face was full of joy, happiness, and youthful curiosity; she did not know what she agreed to.
 
She did not know what He had done to her in the past.
 
She went willingly to her torturer.

Lucifer closed his eyes.
 
He fought with the collar and tried to burn it away.
 
The metal clamped down and left him lethargic.
 
He cried in frustration.
 
She stood only a handful of steps away from him and he could do nothing but stare.

Ladriam took a step forward.
 
The fire reached out in the shape of a hand and took hers, interlacing their fingers.
 
Ladriam jumped as a jolt raced through her body.
 
Another hand reached out and wrapped around her waist.
 
Ladriam swooned.
 
Her head rolled back as both arms encircled her.
 
Fire raced up through her wings and hair, rendering her dazed.

MINE.
 
He pulled her into the flame.
 
The fire engulfed her and she joined with Him.

Lucifer wailed, his scream mapped on his skin as cuts and bruises.
 
He gnashed his teeth as her limbs disappeared in the fire.
 
She was pulled to the ground before the throne.