Tempted (3 page)

Uvall didn't have an inherent evil
nature.

He did not wish for the world to become
awash with chaos and heinous deeds. He had the sense to realize
that they needed mankind to maintain civility. Wars of mass
destruction, plague and pestilence would not achieve their longer
term desires. That would be a wipe out which would initially
overwhelm Hell and then starve it in the future. They needed
mankind to fall from grace to Hell at a controlled pace. To
continue their decline steadily. All he need do was enlighten the
world to the pleasures they were missing. To promote the importance
of money, the root of all evil; to encourage more vice, subtly
making it legal and freely and easily available. A commonplace
indulgence; and to establish a more selfish society in general. One
which cared for themselves, primarily, before others. That was his
doctrine. The one he needed to keep focused on, in order that his
kind survived. And he needed to tackle the power of the church. To
take away their funding, to promote other, more enlightened
religion, that of Baelzebub and the Bible of Darkness.

Uvall had no time for God or the church.
This had not always been the way. He had been devout at one time. A
great believer and follower of his faith. One of God's champions on
earth. But now he had longstanding issue with Gehove. And he wasn't
the only one. He had only to look around him in the hall to see the
numbers who had fallen from grace. Although some had simply sinned
in some way, many were cast down purely for the reason they had
disagreed with Gehove's doctrine.

For the ultimate power of good, the deity he
was, Gehove exhibited a distinct lack of humility.

An overbearing force of being.

He had resented Gehove's insistence that
everyone become at one with him and adopt his mentality. Where was
individuality in Heaven? Where was fun and physical closeness?
Where was pleasure and the ability to feel anything more than inner
peace? He questioned why they were denied pleasure of any nature.
He questioned everything and that brought about his downfall. In
the final stages of his frustration, he'd pointed out, to a shocked
seraph audience at Gehove's meeting table, that he may as well be
in the deprived and painful depths of Hell, for all he found to
amuse him in Heaven.

God had taken him at his word and sent him
there not that long afterward.

He'd accused him of causing dissent in the
ranks of the Seraph. Which was in fact, true. He'd become a rebel
in the ranks - a danger to God's future.

Uvall had suggested, in open conversation
with the seraph council, that it would be better if they formed
their own union and managed the affairs of Heaven between them. To
dispatch God to whence he came. Although no one knew where that
was.

This suggestion had been met with deeply
disturbed looks and terrified expressions. Free speech was not
allowed in Heaven. Along with everything else.

The fact Uvall had questioned him, to his
face and behind his back, insistently and consistently – had caused
a major rift between them. Uvall had no time for Gehove and his
world of 'higher consciousness'. It was nothing of the sort. It was
a lie. He was placating everything and everyone with a drug of
apathy, masquerading as all that was good, holy and devout.

In fact, Uvall could quite
clearly see, that Gehove didn't want anyone stepping out of line
and upsetting
his
way of running his realm. He didn't want any form of
personality in his household, but his own. He didn't want anyone
challenging his form of leadership, or suggesting things could be
better somehow.

All God wanted was benign subjugation.

Uvall much preferred to be imprisoned in
Hell.

At least the devil was honest in his
corruption.

For all its negatives, he could be himself
down here.

He could express his individuality, as did
all the nobles.

He wasn't expected to conform to
standard.

She felt a touch on her shoulder as she
daydreamed in the hazy mist.

“
Lila... word has come. Finish
your dew bath quickly, and join us for a special audience with
Gehove,” Castilla said, excitedly.

“
Really? What does he want? Was
there a speck of dust on the heavenly steps today?” Castilla opened
her mouth to speak, but Lila carried on, “no... don't tell me...
let me guess... someone took his name in vain? Maybe that was me,
God fucking dammit,” she said giggling.

Castilla gasped with shock in front of
her.

“
You're so irreverent,
honestly
.”

“
I know. I'm the black angel of
the family. So fucking what?”

She stood up and faced her sister seraph,
naked and smiling wickedly as she flexed her wings and fluttered
the heavy glistening dew from them.

Her black hair hung in wet strands across
her perfect white breasts. Her brown eyes shone with merriment in
her perfect face.

“
Only you could possibly say
that word in Heaven. And twice in less than one minute,” Castilla
spluttered.

“
It's just a word. A common
expletive. I'm sure you must have thought a 'fuck' or two now and
then. Get real.”

Castilla huffed at her noisily and crossed
her arms in front of her non existent bosom.

“
Just because your life was
somewhat rich in bad language before, doesn't mean you can get away
with it in Heaven. He expects higher things of you. You're young
and new and he allows a generous settling in period. But be warned,
it'll come to an end. He'll cast you down, to lie in Hell's dust.
Gehove does not tolerate sinful traits, so be careful
Lila.”

“
Oh ha ha... That is
so
funny. No he won't.
I'm his favorite naughty seraph. He obviously needs someone like
me. Who else fits in with the human race as well as I do, hmm?”
Although she said these words in jest, she was in turmoil over her
predicament. Unsure what God wanted her for, or why she was as she
was.

“
Yes, yes... you're completely
indispensable, of course. Now come on, you need to dry yourself and
dress. We can't be late,” Castilla chided, frostily.

“
I think I'll go like this. As
nature intended,” she said, teasing her further.

“
You will not! The Archangel
won't allow you inside like that. Modesty is demanded by Gehove and
Gabriel enforces that strictly.”

“
I can get away with anything,
if I give old Gabe a taste of my talents.” Lila pursed her lips and
made an erotic kissing sound at her, and licked her lips
suggestively.

The ancient angel gasped in shock. Her huge
eyes rolling back in her head,

“
That's enough... I'm
going
...”
she hissed through her clenched pearly white teeth, “I've heard
enough filth from you, Lila.” Castilla covered her ears in
horror.

She left vertically and very abruptly in a
fluffy swirl of gray wings and a flap of her silken gray gown.

Lila wasn't really the gutter-mouth she made
out. But Castilla was an old stick-in-the-mud and so easy to tease
and torment. Being two thousand years old, she probably couldn't
help it, but Lila was a mere twenty four human years and bored
witless most of the time. She had to have some young fun with
someone.

Lila picked up her things and slipped into
the adjacent sunlit fields to dry, leaning against a slender peach
tree.

Everything was perfect in her field of
vision. Perfectly, perfectly, dull.

“
Boring as bloody hell,” she
said out loud to herself.

She laughed at her choice of words. She was
pretty sure Hell wasn't boring at all.

Lila craved some real excitement. It had
been a few months since she was last permitted to visit the
surface. Her last mission with the Order of the Celestial
Seraphim.

Her long hair shone in the sun and the glint
of light caught her eye. She picked up a strand and looked at it
closely. A multitude of colors were shimmering inside the ebony.
She loved her angel hair. It was like the finest, sleekest
silk.

How she wished someone would feel and
appreciate it. A male angel someone, who could taste all she had to
offer. There were a few seraph who had caught her eye. But she
never caught theirs. Sexual attraction was an unknown concept. What
seraphim did to get their kicks she had no idea. Sex was not
possible, as they had zero desire for it. It wasn't even discussed.
The subject was banned along with everything else she had enjoyed.
Drinking, smoking, loud music and raunchy dancing.

Gehove alone knew why he had taken her to
his side, as she didn't have an angelic bone in her body. Lila was
truly amazed when she first realized she'd been summoned to Heaven
following her sudden death eight months ago. She hadn't expected to
be saved, let alone made seraphim. She'd rather expected to be sent
down there. With the other lot.

Lila felt desire, and so strongly. She had
needs. Human needs. Angels could take a few months adjusting to
their higher life form and their atypical character, but her
adjustment was non existent. She still felt so very human. She
wondered if the higher power had a deliberate hand in that. As time
went on, she was beginning to suspect Gehove had forgotten to
change her or he had ulterior motives, because she was so obviously
out of place here. She felt like a demon in angel’s clothing at
times, tearing around in a snarling, impassioned rage of boredom,
dying to escape or to scream unholy obscenities from the Crest of
Souls.

Pain and damnation aside, it would probably
have been best if she'd slipped down the red path to Hell. To swim
in the fiery sea.

How she'd love to see what went
on down there. Have a little day trip to the hot side.

She stepped into her backless black gown,
pulling it up her slender body and fastening it behind the neck,
and put her toes inside her deep-red, silky, angel slippers. She
tied them with an extravagant bow at the ankle, even though she
knew the ribbons should be wrapped securely around the foot, and
modestly secured at the instep. She was becoming a rebel in every
sense.

Her hair was almost dry in the warm breeze
that swept through the fields surrounding her. She gave it a wild
shake and a flick of her head, up and down, whipping it around to
loosen the clumped stands. Then she spread her black wings wide,
crouched down, and sprung forwards and upwards; her wings beating
fast as she flew to the highest level in the upper realm.

To Hailen, the white, glassy domed compound
which lay on the Crest of Souls.

Lord Gehova's palace.

It was a small gathering. Five seraph, Lila
and Gehove. She took in the small table and the one unoccupied
chair. She was obviously the last to arrive and Castilla gave her a
look of real reprove as she sauntered in without any immediate
apology for keeping God waiting.

She hadn't expected this type of meeting.
All the prior ones had been a mass of angels, standing room only.
This was strange. Unusual. She wondered why she was being included
in such a meeting - alongside his most trusted seraph?

She pulled out the chair and sat down.

“
Good day,” she said pleasantly.
Beaming at the gathered in a warm greeting.

“
Good day, Lila,” Gehove
replied. “And thank you for your presence.”

His dark look was clear. It said, don't keep
me waiting again.

She lay her hands on her lap, and gazed
downward at them in a gesture of humility and apology.

Gehove began to speak, welcoming them
officially, beginning the meeting's address. His voice was deep and
powerful, at odds with his childlike form. She raised her eyes and
looked at him. She'd been shocked when she'd first met him. He was
a child. No more than twelve years old. The most fair haired of
innocents. Why he chose to take this form was beyond her, and she
wasn't in a position to ask.

No one addressed God. No one questioned
God.

That was made quite clear to her. He
required acquiescence. She wondered why he was so unapproachable a
being. He was God. All things good. The all powerful omnipotent
being.

Surely he could spend a moment
or two talking with his seraphim?

They were his hand servants after all. His
holy messengers.

She'd like to ask him some personal
questions. One of which was; why, apart from her physical aspects,
her hair and wings, she hadn't changed into an angel? Why was she
even here, in Heaven? He obviously wanted or needed her for some
reason. The thought suddenly crossed her mind that it could have
been a dreadful mistake. She began to fret that that was what she
was about to hear, at this meeting. She could hear the words of God
in her head.