In Rebellion (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book II) (21 page)
Read In Rebellion (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book II) Online
Authors: John J. Higgins
Chapter 30
It felt wonderful to be in his own bedroom, Luciferael thought as he woke up in his own palace once again. He could hold court in his palace or in the Throne Room this morning, but he decided he would rather save the Throne Room ceremony until after he had all the Seven Heavens settled and the Angels on the Earth finally defeated. That should be a special day, and would deserve a full and special ceremony. He looked out one of his palace windows overlooking his new Heavens and saw Beelzebael and the other Archangels on their way to his palace. He put on a tunic and walked down to his main meeting room where they were all assembling. It was nice to meet with them all in his palace once again, rather than on a cloud in the middle of a battlefield.
Looking around the room at the members of his Auxilium, he saw that they looked much better today after having had some rest. Beelzebael had been getting edgy as he tired, but in his defense, Beelzebael and his legions did bear the brunt of the fighting with the loyal Angels. Luciferael’s success in the Heavens was due in great part to Beelzebael’s rebel legions spearheading the attacks through the lower Heavens. Mammonael and Mephistophael were more in supportive roles, and Damiel had done a fine job helping secure the Throne Room in the Seventh Heaven and keeping it under guard while they finished off the battles for the Heavens. Suriel had been personally watching Jarahmael. Suriel had not trusted Jarahmael, but Jarahmael had proven his loyalty when he perished in a courageous attempt to the break through from defenses of the Fourth into the Third Heaven. Luciferael did wonder whether Suriel and Beelzebael
had
set up Jarahmael so he would be destroyed, as they could have viewed him as major competition to their own positions. In either event, Jarahmael was gone.
Then there was of course Sammuael, Luciferael’s defacto second in command. He had been such a great help in dealing with the prisoners, the Archangels Michael and Ariel. Sammuael had made it quite clear after his interrogation of Michael and Ariel that neither of them would ever embrace Luciferael as the new Almighty.
Looking around at his Auxilium, Luciferael noticed that all of his Archangels were present except for Sammuael.
“Where is Sammuael?” he asked.
The other Archangels looked around at one another while Beelzebael spoke up. “I sent a Cherubim this morning to the Fifth Heaven to try to locate him, but the Cherubim hasn't returned,
l
ord Luciferael. I assumed they would be on their way or already here by now.”
“It’s not like Sammuael to miss a meeting or to be late. All the fighting in the Fifth Heaven is long finished, isn’t it?” Luciferael asked.
“There is no more fighting in any of the Heavens!” answered Beelzebael.
“Well, let’s continue. Hopefully Sammuael will show up as the meeting goes on and we can fill him in,” Luciferael said, taking his seat at the head of the circle of chairs. And he began the meeting.
“We have conquered all the Seven Heavens. It is only the Earth that remains a stronghold for what remains of the loyal Angels. They should not be that difficult to conquer now as they don't have any real weapons. We should assemble the lead legions again under Beelzebael, with Mephistophael and Mammonael in support. Strike right through to the encampment near Aegyptus, blast our way through and then take the assembled attack legions and go from stronghold to stronghold along the Earth. I intend to lead the legions in the attacks. We should finish in a day or two at the most.”
Standing up and beginning to pace, Luciferael continued, “But I do want your guidance on another important matter. One of my main concerns is what to do with the loyal Angels that we capture or are conquered. We can require those who surrender to swear an oath of allegiance to me. But that leaves the others. What do we do with those who won’t swear allegiance? What should happen to them? There are a great number of those who are reluctant or adamant to not swear allegiance to me.”
Mephistophael stood up and said, “We can't let them back into the Heavens,
l
ord Luciferael. I am not sure we can even leave them on the Earth. They could do the same thing we have just done, start a revolt and try to replace you and us as the leaders in this Universe.”
Suriel chimed in. “But where could we put them where we don't have to keep watching them?”
“Cast them out to a different planet perhaps?” suggested Suriel.
“I agree that they will need to be removed,” said Luciferael. “Right now, I have the Archangel Michael and the Archangel Ariel under armed guard in the Fifth Heaven, in the Hall of the Virtues. But guarding these two takes up time of the Cherubim that could be better spent doing other things. Although the thought has crossed my mind that we turn these Cherubim guards lose on them, punish and torture them until they change their minds and join us.”
Beelzebael spoke, “Do we have any idea about how many Angels will not renounce the Almighty and pledge their allegiance to you, my
l
ord Luciferael? It’s pretty clear that the Almighty has abandoned them. Without that hope they may not be that difficult to persuade.”
Mammonael
answered, “Roughly two thirds of the Heavens have been loyal to the Almighty or silent as to their loyalties. That’s a large number. I would guess that the majority of them will not change their allegiance, so we should be considering a solution of dealing with between one half and two thirds of the entire assembly of Angels.”
Suriel spoke up. “With all due respect my lords, I think we should consider placing them deep in the caverns of the Earth and seal them up down there. They will survive by using the heat energy that comes off the core of the planet. This way they can be close to the place they wanted to protect, and the creatures who the Almighty wanted to place above us. We shall place the Humans and the Simians above them. Well, at least their graves.” Suriel smiled sarcastically. “Won’t that be ironic, my
l
ords!”
The rest of the Auxilium chuckled and Suriel continued.
“Then a few well-placed Cherubim guards at the entrances to these underground caverns and those loyal Angels can remain confined indefinitely. It may not be a bad idea to use the loyal Angels as an example of what terrible things happen when one does not follow the new Almighty Luciferael. We could assign Angels from the various Orders of rebel Angels to punish and torture these loyals.”
“That sounds like a good possibility. I like it!” Luciferael said. “We will just need to find a specific place on the Earth. You can be in charge of that, Suriel.”
“Happily, my
l
ord Luciferael!” Suriel answered gleefully.
The meeting was interrupted when Luciferael’s personal Cherubim guards landed and came into the palace assembly room. Luciferael looked over at them and said, “Welcome in, my Cherubim. How did you do last night going through the palaces of Michael and his other Archangels?”
“We could find none of the other Archangels,
l
ord Luciferael. The only palace that had anything of interest was the Archangel Jarahmael's, for his collection of fourteen mirrors my
l
ord. They have been arranged in a circle, it’s quite something to behold,” answered the first Cherubim.
“Jarahmael was skilled in making those mirrors,” Luciferael said as he pointed to one of the mirrors across the room. “He made that for me. He told me it was his first one. It is quite exquisite.”
“These are even more exquisite,” responded the Cherubim. “What would you like for us to do with them?”
“I am not sure if I want them for my palace here, or in the Throne Room. Take me to them and I will look, and then decide.” Luciferael again looked around the room. “I see that
l
ord Sammuael has yet to return. Has there been any additional word about his whereabouts?”
Everyone shook their head no.
“No, my
l
ord Luciferael,” answered Suriel. “We have not seen him or heard from him since he was going to the Fifth Heaven.”
“Then
l
ord Suriel, go to the Fifth Heaven and find out where he is. Check on the prisoners while you are there. Make sure everything is under control, if it isn't, make it so. Be quick about it though, we still have the whole planet Earth to conquer.”
“Yes, my
l
ord Luciferael,” responded Suriel. A moment later he was flying out of Luciferael's palace, taking wing towards the Fifth Heaven.
“Cherubim, you come with me,” said Luciferael. Then looking at his remaining Archangels seated around him, he addressed them. “Come join me. This should be interesting. We can all gaze upon those wonderful mirrors of Jarahmael's.” The Angels arranged themselves in a formation and followed Luciferael as he took off into the skies of the Seventh Heaven, headed towards Jarahmael's palace.
Chapter 31
M
I
SSING IN ACTION
Suriel headed down through the Seventh Heaven on his mission to check on the two captured Archangels. The Heavens felt different to him this morning. They were now all under Luciferael's control. The Archangels who were faithful to Luciferael would now be in charge of the Heavens and would no longer have to share the glory with Michael and his Archangels. It was a glorious day for them.
Suriel enjoyed flying through the Sixth Heaven too, seeing the home of the Cherubim. They had proven themselves to be quite the warriors
. If I get my pick, I will ask to rule over the Sixth Heaven,
Suriel thought.
Whoever has the Cherubim under their control will have a stronger presence in the Universe.
He thought further about his own position in the Auxilium
. I am getting tired of taking orders from Beelzebael. I did help him get rid of that nuisance Jarahmael; I am sure if he had remained, Jarahmael would have wormed his way further into Luciferael's good graces and taken a role that one of us rebel Angels should have had. I am relieved that he is gone!
Suriel continued to be troubled about the rest of the loyal Angels. Any one of them who refused to pledge their allegiance to Luciferael as their new Almighty needed to be confined and punished. The danger of them revolting against the new arrangements in the Heavens was far too great and by numbers alone they outnumbered Luciferael and his legions. If he could be put in charge of the Sixth Heaven and the Cherubim, Suriel would
make them guards over the conquered A
ngels
and then have the guards punish them endlessly.
It was a great argument to give him control over the Cherubim and he hoped his idea would outweigh any reason that Luciferael would have to give Sammuael or Beelzebael control over the contemplated prison or the Sixth Heaven. With the accomplishments earned by his use of the Cherubim, he could
solidify
his
favor with Luciferael
.
Suriel resolved to suggest his plan to Luciferael once he go
t back.
Satisfied that he had a plan to advance himself with Luciferael upon his return, Suriel did a long sweeping glide out of the Sixth Heaven and into the Fifth Heaven. Sammuael must be delighted, because no longer would there be these long debates with the Virtues about what to do. All decisions like that would come directly from Luciferael. No need to keep weighing consequences or effects upon the Universe with Luciferael as the Almighty. Things would go so much more smoothly.
Suriel was looking forward to seeing Michael and Ariel as captives. Both were now prisoners of the rebel Angels, and wouldn't be holier than the rest of the Archangels. Clearly abandoned by the Almighty, they were now under the control of the rebel Angels. Suriel reversed his long sweeping bank and changed direction to land at the entrance of the Hall of the Virtues.
On his final approach he saw a lot of activity around the Hall, fellow rebel Cherubim and Virtues Angels
rushing
around searching for something. As he landed he was greeted by Porax, the Cherubim guard Beelzebael had sent to locate Sammuael earlier that morning.
“Greetings
l
ord Suriel, I am glad you are here!” Porax said, looking worried.
“What is wrong Porax?” Suriel said, still happy in his own thoughts. “Where is
lord
Sammuael? Where have you been? You were supposed to send him up to our meeting earlier!”
“That is the problem,
l
ord Suriel. We have been unable to find Sammuael and we have been searching everywhere!”
“He must be around somewhere. Archangels just don't disappear,” Suriel responded.
Porax looked down at the ground, afraid of Suriel's reaction to the next piece of news. “It's not just Sammuael who has disappeared, but also the Cherubim guards who were guarding Michael and Ariel.”
Suriel was beginning to get impatient. “All right. Bring Michael and Ariel to me then. They can tell us where Sammuael and the guards went.”
“Can't do that either, my
l
ord Suriel. They too have disappeared,” Porax replied, nervously waiting for Suriel's reaction.
“Disappeared too? Michael and Ariel? After we have captured them? And you have looked everywhere here?” Suriel said, getting enraged.
“Yes, there is not a trace left except for the bindings that had held Ariel,” Porax said as he held the cut bindings in front of him.
Frustrated, Suriel began issuing commands. “Porax, assemble your Cherubim. We leave to search the lower Heavens immediately. If they have gotten free somehow they will head towards the Earth.”
Suriel grabbed one of the Cherubim guards standing near him. “You, Cherubim, fly to the Seventh Heaven and find
lord
Luciferael. He should be in his palace or in the Archangel Jarahmael's palace. Tell
lord
Luciferael that
lord
Sammuael and some of the Cherubim guards are missing. Also tell him that the Archangel prisoners Michael and Ariel have escaped. Let him know I have taken a detail of Cherubim
traveling
with me to see if we can prevent them from getting to the Earth and rejoining their comrades.”
Suriel checked his sword by pulling it in and out of its sheath. He motioned for Porax and the others to follow him as he took a few steps and became airborne. After they were in flight he motioned for Porax to fly beside him.
Once Porax was beside him, Suriel said, “Let's go directly to the entrance between the Earth's skies and the First Heaven. We can work our way back up from there looking for Michael and Ariel. Let's hope that they do not have much of a lead on us.
Lord
Luciferael will be furious if they were able to escape. I would keep an eye out for a larger group, as I am sure
lord
Sammuael would not go willingly or quietly. He really dislikes Michael. They must have disarmed the Cherubim guards and taken them prisoner. With a group that large, they should be easy to spot and we will surely find them.”
Suriel and his group then flew directly and descended down through the Heavens, one entrance to the next.
Suriel questioned Porax further as they flew. “I don't know how two Archangels, one who was bound and the other under guard, could have overpowered a group of armed Cherubim Angels and one of the most powerful and cunning Archangels,
lord
Sammuael.”
Porax responded, “We were thinking that as well, my
l
ord, when we were looking for them. We initially thought that perhaps
lord
Sammuael had moved them to another location within the Hall of the Virtues or somewhere else within the Fifth Heaven. We were searching mansions there, thinking that maybe the guards had moved the prisoners on their own for some other reason. But the Fifth Heaven has been the most secure of all the Heavens for the rebel Angels; it was where Luciferael started the war. As you know, we overcame their resistance, and none of the loyal Angels’ legions were able to counterattack. They have been retreating, losing one Heaven after another for the entire war. We had hoped that
lord
Sammuael had decided to move the prisoners up to the Seventh Heaven and didn't tell us.”
“We waited for
lord
Sammuael to arrive this morning or for some news from you. When neither
lord
Sammuael nor you arrived back in the Seventh Heaven, Luciferael sent me to the Fifth Heaven to find him,” responded Suriel. “The only logical alternative is that
lord
Sammuael was no longer in charge of the captives and that they took over and made
lord
Sammuael prisoner. Did anyone see any of them leave the Hall of
the
Virtues?”
“We checked with the Cherubim who were in the area. They saw a few Angels go in and leave during the day but it was never more than three or four Angels. They would have noticed a group of twelve or more.”
“That's what I thought,” Suriel said. “It would not be an easy group of captives to control — two
loyal
Archangels
without weapons somehow controlling one of the most powerful rebel Archangels and a dozen experienced rebel Cherubim guards who were armed.
One of our rebel Cherubim would have gotten away or raised an alarm. Ariel and Michael have to travel through four lower Heavens to get free and onto the Earth. Someone should have seen them as they traveled. Even if there was a traitor amongst them, they would be far outnumbered.”
Porax repeated, “And we all know that a group of twelve to fourteen Angels do not just simply disappear without a trace, leaving only the bindings that held Ariel as evidence.”
The comment that only the bindings were left jogged Suriel's memory. ''But there was just such an instance,” Suriel said, deeply in thought. “We lost the Archangel Jarahmael exactly that way in the midst of trying to break through the loyal Dominion Angel’s defenses. He, too, disappeared without a trace, leaving only a spear. There is something going on here that none of us know about. Perhaps there is another force or group of Angels at work trying to thwart
lord
Luciferael's takeover of the Heavens. If we can't find them, we will have to tell
l
ord Luciferael at once and begin searching all the Heavens more closely.”
Suriel and Porax flew through each of the Heavens and did not see any indication that the captive group had passed through before them. Once they got to the gateway of the First Heaven they sent out members of the Cherubim guard to ask all of the units of rebel Angels if they had seen a suspicious group of Angels pass through. Suriel’s Cherubim took their time and looked for themselves as well.
Porax observed a group of Guardian Angels emerge from the Garden of Eden and flew over to them. He asked if they found anything suspicious in the Garden of Eden and they responded that they had not. The Guardian Angels had just searched the Garden and only some animals remained. They had not found or seen any indication of any Humans or Angels having been there since the rebellion began. Porax looked past the Guardian Angels’ shoulders at the Garden and saw that to search it again would take a great deal of time and effort. He did not want to anger Suriel by slowing down the search process by searching the same area twice, so he accepted their conclusion and moved on.
Suriel and Porax concluded that Michael and Ariel had not escaped to the Earth and had to be hidden somewhere in the Heavens. After searching the First Heaven and not finding any indication that they had made it there, they searched each of the upper Heavens, still looking to find the two loyal Archangels, Sammuael and the twelve Cherubim guards, all to no avail. They had vanished altogether and Suriel had a feeling that this did not bode well for the rebel Angels.