Rise of the Fallen (3 page)

Guilt, shame, and emotional trauma were powerful weapons in Apollyon’s hands. The destroyer always robbed. He stole joy, peace, relationships, and ultimately, life. The Enemy’s destruction left traumatized and despairing souls in its wake, souls who yearned for love, healing, and forgiveness, exactly what the counseling center was hoping to offer. The battle was fierce and relentless, a battle at the heart of the spiritual war for families.

Validus should have anticipated this kind of response from the Fallen, but this was not the time for self-retribution; this was the time for action. One thing was sure: Captain Dartana was right—they couldn’t both keep the ground
and
try to save Commander Gregan and his men.

“Captain, move one unit to this line, one here, and the remaining three centuries here.” Validus pointed to a pawnshop and two other buildings surrounding the proposed site of the counseling center. “When they are in position, meet me one block south of the restaurant with two of your best detachments. Tell the unit commanders that as soon as they are in position, they will attack from the north to regain the ground for the counseling center.”

“But, sir, they won’t stand a chance against an entire legion.”

“All we need is a two-minute distraction. As soon as we’ve recovered Gregan, tell them to pull back.”

Dartana nodded. “A decoy?”

“Yes.”

“What of the counseling center?”

Validus couldn’t hide his disappointment, but it was as much his fault as any other’s. He looked at Dartana with fierce eyes. “Go, Captain.”

As Dartana passed the orders and prepared the men, Validus, Arn, and Brit circled away and into position behind a house just one block south of the restaurant where Gregan and his men were trapped. Validus could hear the fierce battle cries of desperate warriors and found it difficult to wait for Dartana. He wanted to rush into the battle before another warrior had fallen.

“Keep a lookout south and east,” he told Arn and Brit. “I need to get a better view of the fight.”

Both warriors took up positions on the corners of the house as he jumped to the roof and peered over its peak to get a tactical view of what they would soon be facing. He estimated over three hundred Fallen were attacking Gregan. The angels were surrounded and fighting for their lives with no access to retreat.

“Come on, Dartana, hurry!” he whispered.

Two long minutes later, Dartana arrived with thirty capable warriors. Validus jumped down to talk to them. The solid faces of the warriors assured him that Dartana had chosen well.

“Get ready, men; this won’t be easy. We’ll have two minutes to extract Commander Gregan and his men. I want suppressing fire until we get within thirty yards, then swords until we can break open a line for our warriors to escape. Keep a tight cover.”

Ten seconds passed, and then the sound of an all-out war erupted in gunfire and clashing swords at the counseling center just to the north of them, as twenty-three hundred warriors charged Bavot’s legion of nearly five thousand Fallen.

Dartana looked to Validus, but he held up his hand, holding them in position. Validus watched as a third of the Fallen attacking Gregan left to reinforce the battle to the north.

“Now!”
Validus ordered.

Thirty-four powerful vessels of Elohim sprinted across four lanes of traffic, using cars and buses as temporary cover in their assault. At first the Fallen didn’t realize what was happening because the sound of the larger battle to the
north swallowed the sound of their attack. That changed when over forty Fallen warriors collapsed under gunfire and dissolved into a green vapor that fell into the heart of the earth. By the time the Fallen could react, Validus and his men were on them with swords flashing in the humid heat of a Texan spring day.

Dartana and his men fought like the warriors of old they were, sending a hundred Fallen to the Abyss in short order. Validus heard the commanding Fallen warrior call for reinforcements from the north. Time was short.

Validus could see Gregan and nine of his warriors fighting for their lives through the large glass windows of the restaurant. An opening appeared in the line of the Fallen’s defenses, and Validus took it, cutting through two enemy warriors to complete the breach. Arn and Brit stayed close, refusing to leave their commander open on either side. Validus, Arn, Brit, and Dartana materialized through the window as the other warriors protected their retreat line.

“Gregan, this way!” Validus shouted.

“Validus!” Commander Gregan exclaimed. He reached down and wrapped the arm of one of his wounded warriors around his neck. “Follow them!” Gregan ordered to his warriors.

Validus rushed to Gregan’s side and helped him carry the injured warrior through the glass and away from the fray as Arn, Brit, and Dartana covered their backs. Once outside, Dartana’s men protected their retreat across the street until every warrior was out of the restaurant.

“Tell the northern units to retreat,” Validus ordered.

Dartana sent his fastest warrior north with the message.

“But what of the territory for the counseling center?” Gregan asked. “We’ve come too far to lose it now.”

Validus shook his head. “I can’t get reinforcements to you in time, Commander. We will fight another day.”

Gregan wiped his bloodied brow, defeat evident on his face.

Once all the angel forces were recovered, the warriors tended to their wounded. Gregan shook his head as he studied the casualty reports. Grief etched lines in his face.

“I lost too many and gained nothing. I should have been more prepared.”

The loss of one warrior was grievous. Here on the battlefield of San Antonio, Gregan had lost fifty-two. It was a heavy burden to bear.

“No one saw this coming,” Validus offered. “I knew that Bavot was looking for some way to protect his influence in the region and recover what he’d lost in Texas; I just didn’t think he could put this scale of a campaign together so quickly.”

Gregan looked at Validus. “I also put you at risk, sir. You shouldn’t have come in for me.”

Validus glared at Gregan. “And
you
shouldn’t have let yourself get trapped like that. I put you in command here for a reason, Gregan. Don’t let it happen again.”

Gregan clearly felt the sting of the rebuke. “Yes sir.”

“Commander Gregan,” a voice called from Validus’s left. Gregan’s executive officer approached. “A courier is here for Primus Commander Validus. He says it’s urgent.”

Validus raised an eyebrow. He put a hand on Gregan’s shoulder. “We will not forget what the day has cost us, but we will learn and adapt … both of us.”

Gregan nodded.

“Stand firm, Commander Gregan.”

Validus motioned for Arn and Brit to follow him. They were anxious to be on their way and have their commander safely back at headquarters in Colorado Springs. As he and his warriors turned northwest to begin their trek home, he wondered what emergency awaited him back at headquarters.

Arn and Brit looked to their commander to see if they would fly or run, but for Validus it was always an easy choice. The dash home would be slightly longer than flying, but it would give him a few minutes to think.

He replayed the events of the recent battle and thought of Gregan. He was a good warrior and a decent commander. In another time he might have called him a friend, but commanders had little time or room in their lives for friends. The thought reminded him of a time when that was not so—a time long ago.

2
 

4010 BC

Validus stood on the skywalk overlooking the splendor of Zion, the city of gold in heaven. It was the abode of Elohim and millions of His holy angels. Majestic and beautiful in every way, lush gardens weaved throughout the city, softening the shimmering jeweled halls and glistening towers that rose up to the sky. Marbled walkways and gold-trimmed stairways, balconies, and verandas joined thousands of magnificent buildings. Courtyards, fountains, rivers of crystal waters, and bridges adorned the city throughout its span. And in the center of the great city was the Holy Mount, the palace of Elohim.
From the mount flowed the river of heaven, which is the River of Life. Its pure blue waters meandered throughout the glorious city, eventually spilling into the Crystal Sea
. Although he had nothing to compare to, Validus could imagine nothing more beautiful. It was a glimpse into the creative mind of Elohim, and it was breathtaking.

Validus was still glowing from his time with Elohim, clinging to each moment he had been with the Holy One. There were so many aspects of Elohim that Validus could not fathom—the unsearchable depth of His wisdom, power, holiness, creativity, and most of all, His love.
One God, yet choosing to reveal Himself in three ways—Elohim HaAv, God the Father; Ben Elohim, the Son of God; and Ruach Elohim, the Spirit of God
. The name Elohim allowed for plurality within the Godhead, and it was this name that was easiest for most angels to use.

In heaven, Validus was surrounded by the grandeur of the King, and yet as the moments of the day wore on, he could not deny one emotion that tugged at his joy—Validus was lonely. Not for Elohim, but for the additional companionship that many other angels seemed to find in each other.

There was order in the perfection of heaven. Not the rigid, monotonous order of rows and columns, but the beautiful and intricate order of form and function. Validus saw it in the veins of a leaf, the flow of the river, the structure of a great hall, and the hierarchy of the angels, Elohim’s beings of holy service.

Within that order, Validus was the tip of the leaf, the final turn of the river, and the last stone of the hall, for of all the millions of angels Elohim had created, he was the last. He fought the notion of self-pity, but it was there. There was no other angel lower—he was the last and the least, and he felt alone.

Validus suppressed his thoughts and fell from the skywalk, allowing his speed to build perhaps faster than he should have before spreading his wings and catching the pillow of air that lifted him up from his fall. He skirted past two of the tallest towers and found himself drawn once more to the shores of the Crystal Sea.

He set down in his favorite place, a secluded cove with arching trees, white sand, and brilliant flowers that spilled their fragrance into the still air. He walked along the shore and loved the feeling of the sand pushing back against his feet. He sat on a massive stone that jutted out over the water and seemed out of place in the order of the cove. Validus liked this stone.

His mind turned to his duties for the upcoming cycle but then slowly slipped away to the question that lingered in his mind.
What is my purpose?
he wondered.

“Your name is Validus, isn’t it?”

Validus turned, then jumped to his feet. A mighty angel from the One Hundred, the first and most powerful of all angels Elohim had created, had approached him. Theirs was the duty of leadership and administration. Had Validus missed a duty cycle?

“Yes sir. How can I serve you?”

The angel folded his wings and smiled. He shook his head. “That’s not why I’m here.” He took a couple of steps to cover the ground between them and offered his arm. “My name is Niturni.”

Validus hesitated. He knew the angel’s name. Everyone knew the names of the One Hundred. The first was Lucifer, then Michael, then Gabriel, then Uriel, then Raphael, then Jorill … Validus knew them all. All mighty, all revered.

He slowly took the angel’s arm in greeting.

Niturni’s smile didn’t fade. His piercing blue eyes were warm and friendly. Dark wavy hair transitioned to a meticulously trimmed, close-cropped beard. His grip was solid, strong. He seemed so much
more
than Validus felt.

Niturni’s grip softened, then loosened. He gazed across the cove to the other side. “I’ve seen you here often. This must be a favorite place for you.”

Validus followed his gaze. “Yes sir. It is a place that comforts me.”

“Don’t call me
sir
. I’m a friend.”

“Yes si—” Validus felt silly, but Niturni didn’t seem to notice. “Yes.”

“It’s beautiful here.” Niturni looked back at Validus. “I and two others are going to hear the singers’ concert in the Great Hall. Why don’t you join us?”

Why would one of the One Hundred offer such a thing to the last? Validus guarded himself against reading too much into the invitation. “I would enjoy that. Thank you. Shall I meet you there?”

Niturni smiled again. “How about you join us now?”

His wings spread wide, and once again Validus felt small yet encouraged. Could he find friendship with an angel of the One Hundred? He quelled his hopes.

He returned Niturni’s smile. “Sure.”

They flew to the Court of the Herald, then walked onto a terrace that overlooked the river of heaven. Other angels passed by, and Validus wondered at their thoughts. Niturni led him to two angels leaning against the golden rail of the terrace.

“Cadriel, Persimus, this is Validus. He is joining us for the concert.”

Persimus smiled and Cadriel nodded. Cadriel seemed to be the serious one of the three, but of all the angels Validus had seen, his beauty was nearly unmatched. Dark golden shoulder-length hair framed a perfect face of symmetry. Hazel-green eyes seemed to pierce through Validus. Although he was not of the One Hundred, it seemed as though he should have been. The other angel, Persimus, had pale-blue eyes that were tender, a narrow face, sand-colored hair, and a clean chin. His gaze was warm and friendly.