The War in Heaven (48 page)

Nikola and Cordon stepped forth into the City of Sheol. It was a realm of yawning chasms and ridges radiating out from a vast central crater miles across. It took several minutes for them to navigate the chaotic terrain, to a point from which they could clearly view the entire scene. What they saw was perplexing. There was no longer a great vortex here, but it was not a peaceful place either. Black oil from the Sea of Fire had breached the walls of the crater forming a circular bay of fiery fury. Here and there, narrow shafts of constantly shifting blue electricity coursed from dozens of points of light hanging in the sky above the bay like so many tiny stars. From the middle of the bay, the black sea churned and smoked.

Cordon shook his head. “Not enough. It was a noble effort, my friend, but it was not enough. We patched the rift, but I fear the patch will not hold very long.”

Nikola looked around, trying to come up with a plan. They had almost succeeded. They had bought themselves some time at least. “You are the expert on this phenomenon. How long do you think our patch will hold?”

“I can’t be sure,” admitted Cordon. “Perhaps a few weeks, maybe months, I just don’t know.”

There was nothing more to be said. For the moment at least, Nikola was out of ideas.

They started to depart when it happened. It was like a wave in space that seemed to radiate from the very heart of the distortion. It practically knocked Nikola and Cordon off of their feet and caused the ground to shake violently. It all passed in a matter of seconds. Then there was silence.

Nikola rose to his feet to discover that the threads of blue electricity and the points of light were gone.

“What happened?” asked Cordon, gazing about in disbelief. “I was hoping that you could tell me,” replied Nikola.

“I can’t feel it,” said Cordon. “The rift is totally gone. Everything has returned to normal.”

For a few minutes, they stood there bringing up one possible explanation after another but nothing seemed to fit. In the end, Cordon called for the portal and they were off again—this time to Refuge.

They emerged just inside of the phantasmal wall before a dozen human and angelic guardians. Over the next few hours, they would recount their story again and again to a grateful people. Their mission had been a success—or had it? Perhaps they would never fully understand what had happened.

Cordon stepped from Abaddon’s audience chamber into a crowded hallway to be greeted by the cheers and applause of hundreds of humans and dark angels. Cordon was overwhelmed. Never in his long life had he ever imagined being greeted so warmly by so many humans. While shaking hands and listening to the outpouring of grateful hearts, he pondered the future.

From the midst of the crowd, Julie stepped forward to thank the fallen angel. “I guess you’ll be leaving us now?”

“For now,” said Cordon. “However, I hope to return from time to time. It is my sincerest wish that the future might offer peace and cooperation between our peoples. I hope to see you again, Julie. You are a most interesting human…I enjoy your company.”

Julie hesitated, then kissed Cordon on the cheek. Cordon seemed surprised. A growing smile graced his countenance.

“Until we meet again, my friend,” she said, stepping back into the crowd.

“Until we meet again,” echoed Cordon.

As Cordon prepared to depart, arrangements for another meeting on neutral territory were made. A delegation from both sides would meet. It was an almost inconceivable concept—a peace treaty between the people of Refuge and the demons of Hell. Only time would tell if this fantasy could be turned into reality, but the groundwork had been laid.

Cordon and Rolf stood before the great portal in Hell. The low sun glistened off of its surface.

“The great gate no longer functions,” explained a demon warrior. “We have tried to send needed reinforcements to the master but have been unsuccessful. I fear that recent events have damaged it, perhaps irreparably.”

“A pity,” said Cordon, looking at the gate, then back at the demon. “You’ve done your best. You are needed at the fire pits of Kroll. Word is that there is a human uprising underway. These are a particularly dangerous lot. Take your minions and see that the humans are returned to their torment. I have some experience with this technology; I shall see what can be done here.”

The demon bowed before his master and departed, along with his 53 compatriots. Cordon waited until they were well out of sight. Then he proceeded to the ring.

“Is this gate truly a thing of the past?” asked Rolf. “Will it function no more?”

Cordon placed his hand upon the ancient stone on the left side of the ring. “I suspect that it is but a temporary problem, a static buildup in its depths. It should function normally in a few days.”

“Then we should act quickly,” suggested Rolf.

Cordon only nodded as he removed the small explosive device borrowed from his friends at Refuge. He touched a hidden pressure plate, causing a panel to slide to one side. Within, he beheld a series of crystals and crystal strands. He reached in, placing the small explosive device inside. Then the panel closed once more, even as Rolf did the same on the right.

The task done, Cordon and Rolf retreated several hundreds of yards away. For a moment, Cordon gazed upon the magnificent ring.

“In a way, it is regrettable that we must destroy it,” said Cordon. “It is part of our history. But I can ill afford Satan retreating back here. He took his most loyal followers with him. Those left behind might well be convinced to follow a new course…the one I establish for them. Nonetheless, there might be consequences associated with what we do here today. Are you still sure that you wish to be part of this?”

Rolf smiled. “I’ll take my chances.”

Cordon removed the detonator from his cloak. He armed the bombs then pressed the plunger.

A barely perceptible detonation emanated from the ring. For a moment, a reddish glow engulfed the entire device. Then it was hidden in smoke and dust. When the dust cleared, the ring looked much as it had before, but it was now only an ornament in the desert, a monument; it would never function again.

Cordon and Rolf walked away. They had just burned Satan’s bridge behind him. He and his minions would never walk this parched land again, nor would they draw support from it. Now Cordon was in control. Was he now the master of Hell? He doubted it. The old Hell was gone, as surely as
its tyrannical ruler. Now, with only limited resources, Cordon would have to forge some sort of coalition government. He could not rule Hell alone. He would need Abaddon’s help. He was not optimistic about the future. There was still much distrust between the demons and dark angels, but surely pursuing this route was the lesser of two evils.

With the restoration of telesphere communication between Refuge and Heaven, and the opening of the gate between Heaven and Earth once more, the stage was set for an angelic counterattack. During the following week, 15 million more angels made the trip between Earth and Heaven, and the number of armed human fighters soared to nearly 100,000. They could not allow Satan to consolidate his position. They had to attack as soon as possible, and that attack would come at Zion. They would throw everything they had into a single battle.

Intelligence indicated that there might be countless millions of angels imprisoned in the Hall of Angels at the heart of the city. Releasing them would be the first step in a long-term strategy of the liberation of Heaven. Nonetheless, it promised to be a long campaign, perhaps taking years.

Word arriving from Refuge indicated that Satan’s bridge had been burned behind him. He could not retreat to Hell. Therefore, he would no doubt fight to the death, employing whatever means necessary to secure victory. And they couldn’t forget that he still held a four to three numerical advantage, and had probably fortified his position. Their work was cut out for them.

The atmosphere at the final meeting of the war council in Elesia was cautiously optimistic. Come tomorrow, they would mobilize one of the largest angelic armies ever assembled. At 137 million strong, its numbers
almost defied comprehension. They would be facing a force of 170 million battle-hardened demons.

The plan was simple, at least on paper. They would make use of their one advantage—superior mobility. They would begin their attack on the demon-held city of Sarel, on the fourth level of Heaven. Six million angels would be committed to this fight; yet, it was only a rouse, an attempt to draw Satan’s forces away from Zion as angelic forces gated unseen into the cover of the dense forests just four miles north of the great city. Six hours later, those forces, virtually all of Michael’s and Gabriel’s angels, would attack as the original 6 million were withdrawn to reinforce their numbers. Their primary mission would be to release captive angels from Satan’s compound at the heart of the city. They only hoped that the devil would fall for it.

As morning dawned, 6 million battle-ready angels led by 10,000 human volunteers gated out of the fields north of Elesia bound for Sarel, even as a far larger force prepared to gate into the dense forests north of Zion. It would take many hours to transfer so huge a force. They could only hope that no wandering demons discovered them.

The demonic messenger practically tripped over his own wings as he burst into a meeting of Satan’s advisory council. His clumsy and totally inappropriate entrance drew the attention of all.

“My lord, millions of angels are attacking the city of Sarel. They came out of the west, supported by their human allies. Lieutenant Kazat, the city commander, reports that the garrison is in danger of being overrun. He is holding out for now…barely, but his forces are being pushed back. He requests reinforcements.”

Satan was uncharacteristically calm as he replied. “We all expected this. It was the where and when that was in question. How many legions do we have guarding that city?”

“One,” said the messenger, “but they are greatly outnumbered.”

Satan turned to General Krell. “General, I need you to dispatch two legions to Sarel. I assume that you have that many troops ready to be deployed.”

“And more,” confirmed the general. “You want only two, my lord?”