In Rebellion (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book II) (15 page)
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Authors: John J. Higgins
Raziel watched as the rebel Angels bound Michael and kept him under Cherubim guard. There was nothing more that Raziel could do here, so it was time to take a chance and fly upwards. He flew quietly away from the Hall of the Virtues, staying out of sight and headed towards the upper Heavens, praying that he would find Jarahmael.
Chapter 19
Jarahmael headed directly to the Throne Room. He had been able to dispatch the lead group of Luciferael's Cherubim, but he wouldn't be that lucky with more of them coming. He needed to get to those Books of the Almighty's in the Throne Room and secure them. He knew if Luciferael was able to gain control over those Books there would be no stopping him. Even if Faumiel had succeeded in getting the weapons he sent down to Michael and the others, the weapons would be meaningless against the power contained in those Books. He needed to move quickly before more of the rebel Angels arrived.
Jarahmael had flown up to the Seventh Heaven as soon as he had been able to get free of Beelzebael and Suriel by feigning his own capture or destruction. He had been concerned about the Books as soon as he found out Luciferael was assembling an army in the Fifth Heaven. Jarahmael knew that these Books controlled a large portion of the Creation and were the tools that allowed the Angels to create and control all the life forms and things of substance in the Universe. He also wanted to make sure that Lillith remained safe in his palace here in the Seventh Heaven, for Luciferael and his rebel Angels intended to destroy all the Humans and Simians.
As Jarahmael moved into the Throne Room and thought about it, those Books would allow any Angel to become almost as powerful if not equal to the Almighty. Luciferael had used the Book of Creation and was well aware of its existence and power. Jarahmael was not sure of the powers of the Book of Life, but surmised that it was as powerful as the Book of Creation as they were secured in the Throne itself, together.
The Book of Life hidden even further from view at the Almighty’s instruction.
Jarahmael thought about the predicament he placed himself in.
Should have brought some of Zachiel’s loyal Cherubim along with me instead of coming alone. Now I am here in the Throne Room all by myself, trying to protect these Books. I will never be able to hold the rebel Angels back alone,
he thought to himself. He had made sure the doors to the Throne Room were closed, but it would be easy enough for the rebels to get through them. And when they came through, he would find himself trapped with no unexposed way out.
Jarahmael approached the Throne itself, the ornate altar composed of silver and gold images of Angels engraved around the cylinder. He knew the Book of Creation and the Book of Life should be lying within. Moving quickly, Jarahmael lifted the top cover off the pedestal and reached in to find the
the Book of Creation, and reaching down further and sliding the door to the hidden compartment was the Book of Life as well.
Jarahmael was relieved; Luciferael could have sent someone to secure the Books for him earlier. It would have been easy, as all of the Archangels both in and out of his Auxilium had mansions up here in the Seventh Heaven. Since Luciferael seemed to have had this rebellion planned, they could have easily grabbed the Books before they began their attacks.
Reaching down into the open compartment within the Throne, Jarahmael pulled up one Book at a time, the Book of Creation and then the Book of Life. He could not help himself and had to take a moment to look at the two volumes. The Book of Creation had instructions, spells and commands to create anything in the Universe, while the Book of Life
, at least according to what the Almighty had told him in his private audience with Him,
dealt with the various life forms that were on the Earth, with a huge portion committed to dealing with the lives of the Humans.
He could not help but wonder if Luciferael had any idea that there was a Book here that dealt with the Humans. He had not heard it ever mentioned by the Almighty or Luciferael in any of the morning ceremonies or in any conversations among the Angels. The Book still did not make much sense to him. But at least now, he finally had both of them in his hands.
Damiel slipped quietly into the entrance to the Seventh Heaven, brushing aside the gigantic gate. He expected a great deal of resistance from loyal Archangels defending the place as he entered, but found no one around. Nor was there any sign of the Cherubim guards that Luciferael had sent up earlier. Damiel moved in further and saw the Throne Room ahead and paused. Better wait until the rest of his squadron of Angels arrived behind him. With just one Potentate Angel behind him he could take on a large group of lesser Angels, but it was important to get the Throne Room secure quietly, if possible. He had been given a special assignment by Luciferael, and that was to secure the Book of Creation in the Throne Room.
A few moments later, the rest of his squadron of rebel Angels had arrived. The squadron was composed of a group of Dominion Angels and a small detachment of additional Potentates. The Potentates could provide energy and store energy from other Angels if required. They were pulsating behind him in bright full colors, indicating that they had large reserves of energy within them. Damiel indicated to them to all move forward and they approached the mammoth Throne Room door cautiously and quietly. They needed to clear the way for Luciferael to occupy and control the Throne Room without delay.
Damiel was wary of any traps and making sure there were none present or any loyal Angel defenders lurking about. Not finding any, Damiel decided to wait for the arrival of
Luciferael himself before entering the Throne Room.
Jarahmael was suddenly awash in light and looking up, he could see the hint of a golden glow in the skylight opening in the ceiling of the Throne Room directly above the pedestal.
Luciferael must be arriving,
he thought to himself. Only Luciferael had that tone of color and power to fill the sky like that. If Jarahmael was discovered standing there with the Books, he was sure Luciferael would capture him, if not worse. As far as the rebel Angels were concerned, Jarahmael was either captured or destroyed. He was sure they would
take it upon themselves
to end him once and for all, once they found out what he had been up to while supposedly dead or captured. Pushing that out of his mind, he focused again on what he was doing. He certainly did not want to leave any evidence that he had taken the Books. Luciferael and his minions would most assuredly hunt him down to get them.
Acting quickly, Jarahmael then tore out the centers of each of the Books leaving only the covers. Reaching down, he fashioned new page sections out of the cloud-like floor material underneath the pedestal in his hands and then attached the Book covers.
The golden light in the Throne Room grew brighter and he rushed, fumbling with the secret compartment that covered the Book of Life and it didn’t quite close properly. Running out of time, he slid the Book of Creation over the crack that was left, and quickly placed the top back onto the Throne.
Hopefully, Luciferael would not
move the Book of Creation and see that there was an additional Book hidden underneath. Above all Jarahmael hoped that Luciferael would not bother
to verify the content of the Books.
At least until Jarahmael could get the Books out of the Heavens. He had to count on
Luciferael's pride to prevent him from even thinking that someone could have gotten to the Books before him, especially since he was conquering the Heavens so effectively. Jarahmael then carried the real, coverless Books and flew to the doors of the Throne Room. Jarahmael gently pushed the doors open slightly just as Luciferael's golden glow grew
even
brighter, preceding his descent into the Throne Room from the skylight opening above the Throne itself.
If Jarahmael timed it perfectly, the incoming rebel Angels would think that Luciferael's arrival forced the doors open and Luciferael would think that Damiel's lead squadron had opened the doors. While he waited, Jarahmael tucked both sets of pages between his back and wings, now hidden neatly so the Books would not be detected. As Jarahmael had planned, Damiel and his squadron took advantage of seeing the door somewhat open and pushed the doors further in as they burst through
. At the same time Luciferael had cleared the skylight and was landing with his eyes
intensely focused
downwards at the Throne.
Once through the door, Damiel and his squadron were only focused on watching Luciferael’s descent
as they moved into the center of the room
. They stopped just short of the Throne and began to bow down out of reflex just as Luciferael landed on
it.
With their all their attention now focused on the Throne, and their backs to the main door, Jarahmael took the opportunity to slip out
through the doorway
behind them and flew off quietly and unnoticed.
While Damiel and the other rebel Angels stood watching, Luciferael landed next to the Throne. He grabbed the top of the Throne and moved it aside and looked within. He saw the
Book of Creation sitting within it, never noticing the hidden compartment below, and
then covered
the Throne back up.
Turning around, he beckoned Damiel's squadron to come closer and surround the Throne itself.
“You have done well,” Luciferael said while he reached out and touched Damiel's shoulder. “Guard the Throne day and night. Keep guards in a circle surrounding the Throne. No one is to look at or touch th
at Book.
” Then pointing towards the doors into the Throne Room, he said, “Place the rest of your Angels in position and keep those doors blocked. Await my further instructions. I need to go join Beelzebael's legions, as they are getting ready to break through into the Second and First Heavens. We have overrun all the other Heavens. Once victory is assured, I will return to take the Throne as the new Almighty!”
“Yes
,
my
l
ord!” responded Damiel, smiling. “The Universe will be one again with the Angels at the lead, the First Born of Heaven!”
Luciferael smiled back. “Yes, all of the Universe will be ours again.” He then stretched out his wings and flew back up through the skylight above the Throne. Luciferael's eyes
irradiated in violet, the color intensified by victory as
he stroked his wings powerfully, cutting through the skies of the Seventh Heaven, and then
turning towards the gateway aimed
himself headfirst towards the Heavens below.
Chapter 20
Jarahmael headed from the Throne Room back towards his palace. He was thinking about how Lillith would feel in his arms once again. The past couple of days had been very stressful for him, but he was sure that it would have been more difficult for her as she had no idea of what was going on in the Heavens. He had been afraid that Luciferael and his army planned to destroy Humans, and had left her in his palace with a means of hiding herself just in case the rebel Angels came looking for her. Jarahmael never expected that Luciferael’s actions were an outright revolt and his intention was to replace the Almighty and take over all of the Heavens.
On his way to his palace, Jarahmael was trying to solve the problem of getting Lillith out of the mansion and transporting her down to earth, without her being seen, captured, or destroyed. The problem was worse now that there were thousands upon thousands of rebel Angels who were between them and safety for her. He had been fortunate moving around the Heavens on his own but he was not sure he could succeed in getting her safely to the loyal Angel army on the Earth.
All the while, he missed looking into her eyes, feeling the tension between them when they were close together, the smell and touch of her hair and her skin. Whenever he thought of her, a primordial feeling overcame him. Not the way an Angel should feel, he would say to himself and then clear his mind and compose himself once again.
For the moment, he was going to make sure she was safe, and then take her with him if he could think of a plan.
As he approached his palace, another Archangel came swooping down into his path from above. At first he thought that it was one of Luciferael's rebel Angels and he drew both swords in mid-flight, prepared to defend himself. He soon recognized that it was Raziel, whom he had left on the Earth days before. Jarahmael asked, “How did you get up here,
lord
Raziel? How did you find me?”
“I am so glad I found you,
lord
Jarahmael! I knew you had to be heading to the Seventh Heaven,” Raziel responded. “Then when I saw all the ceremony going on in the Throne Room, I figured you had to have been around. Watching from a distance, I saw Luciferael descend into the Throne Room while Damiel and others went in through the main floor level door. I was correct about where you would be,” he said, smiling. “I saw you slip your way out of there and then fly in this direction. I would have waited to meet you at your palace, but our problem can’t wait.”
Looking tired because everything in the past couple of days had been something urgent or out of the ordinary, Jarahmael asked, “Our problem? What has come up? I am trying to get to Lillith in my palace and get her safely out of here.”
“I understand, my
l
ord Jarahmael, but something terrible just occurred and you are the only one I know who can help.”
“All right, what is it?” said Jarahmael, re-sheathing his two swords.
“Luciferael's legions have captured
lord
Michael.”
“That can't be!” responded Jarahmael. “I left him on Earth along with
lord
Cerebriel. How could he be captured when none of the fighting has gotten down to the First
Heaven or the Earth? Or are you telling me that it has gotten down that far and we have lost?”
“No, no. Luciferael’s army has gotten through most of the lower Heavens but has been stopped at the First Heaven. But earlier this morning, before Luciferael succeeded in breaking through the defenses of the Fourth Heaven,
lord
Michael, Volac of the Dominions and I came up to check on the defenses in the Fourth Heaven before they fell. But while we were coming up, Luciferael’s rebel Angels broke through and swarmed into the Third Heaven; that's where Michael was betrayed. Volac betrayed him. Volac had come down to Earth looking for him, asking him to help hold onto the Fourth Heaven for the Dominions. No one suspected that Volac could be an agent of Luciferael's.”
“Where is
lord
Michael now?” asked Jarahmael.
“He is being held in the Hall of the Virtues, at the other end from where Ariel is being held. I was going to try to free him, but there were squads of armed Cherubim there and I would not be able to overcome them alone,” replied Raziel.
“Has there been any progress on Earth in assembling the loyal Angels?”
“Yes, we have been getting organized. And arming the ranks with the tools that we had used to work on the pyramids. Michael was getting ready to move a force up to the First Heaven later today.”
“Have you seen
lord
Cerebriel?”
“No, he has been traveling from one pyramid to another organizing the groups of Angels who had been working on each of the pyramid sites.
Lord
Michael thought it would be another day or two until they would be ready to counterattack. Without
lord
Michael, I am afraid we will not be able to overcome the rebel Angel armies,” said Raziel, deeply concerned.
“Did Faumiel of the Cherubim ever make it to the Earth with the weapons I had them load and transport?”
“No, we have received no weapons and I have not seen any trace of Faumiel either. We need them desperately!” Raziel answered.
“I hope Faumiel is just delayed trying to sneak through the rebel Angel guards and that he has not been caught or lost the weapons!” Jarahmael said. “I had the Cherubim load what was left of the weapons in the Sixth Heaven. There are no more.”
“What are we going to do about
lord
Michael?” Raziel asked again.
Jarahmael was torn about what to do next. He wanted to go to Lillith and be with her, just to feel her again. He needed to get her to safety, now that the Seventh Heaven, too, was under the control of Luciferael and his rebel Angels.
But if he didn't get Michael released and soon so he could return to the Earth and head the loyal Angel army, all may be lost. Michael had always been next in command after Luciferael. All the loyal Orders of Angels would look to him for leadership. If Michael was captured or incapacitated it would be proof that Luciferael was unbeatable and that it was inevitable that Luciferael would dominate the Heavens and the Earth.
“Did you come up here alone,
lord
Raziel?”
“Yes, Jarahmael, I am alone. I had come up to the upper Heavens with
lord
Michael and that treacherous Dominion, Volac. After
lord
Michael's capture I thought that finding you would be the best thing I could do. I would never be able to get more loyal Angels up through the lower Heavens unnoticed at this point. It’s you and me from what I can tell.”
“All right,” Jarahmael said, resigned to the fact that he would not be able to get to Lillith before he had to try to save Michael and Ariel. He adjusted his swords and felt for the Crystal Prism within his tunic. He also wanted to put the Book of Creation and the Book of Life somewhere safer than on his own person, but with Luciferael and his minions in control of the Seventh Heaven, his mansion wouldn't be a safe place either. He was careful not to let Raziel see him adjust the Books stored under the tunic folds that hung on his back under the spear sling.
Better that no one knows I have the Books,
he thought. Anyone captured could be forced to give up what they knew. Luciferael, after all, was involved with creating each of the Archangels and had a special power over them.
“Let’s go find them,” Jarahmael said, turning his direction away from his own mansion and began heading back down through the Sixth Heaven.