Tempted (4 page)

Lila, I have to admit to a cardinal error in
the taking of your soul.

Her heart beat fast in preparation for her
coming fall from grace.

“
We have a situation with mortal
man,” Gehove began, “he has chosen the path of evil and the balance
of power has finally changed hands.”

She sat upright, straightening her spine in
reaction to this news. Her personal worries faded, as new concern
flooded her being. A much greater concern than the fate of her own
soul.

What is this? Mortal man is in danger, from
the devil?

There was a loud intake of shocked breath
around the table. Lila wasn't quite sure what balance of power this
was. But she daren't ask. She hoped all would become clear
soon.

“
We must withdraw our Watchers
from the earth immediately, a Hell swarm is imminent.”

“
No...”
the collective gasp sprung from
several mouths.

The Watchers were the seraphim guard. They
kept Hell at bay. They manned the gates and portals to the
underworld and monitored any intrusion by the demons onto the face
of the earth. Lila knew about this from Castilla, during her
initial tour and two short visits to the mortal world.

“
We have a plan to interrupt the
demonic occupation of the earth, and to delay the further
corruption of mankind,” Gehove paused and placed his hands flat on
the table, leaning backward in his chair, surveying them each in
turn, as he continued, “but to do that, we first need to take their
leader captive.”

“
You plan to hold the devil
captive?” Gabriel said, his eyes opening wide with disbelief and
horror.

“
No. Not Bael. I could not
contemplate that complexity. He is heavily guarded in the
underworld. No, the one we shall capture is his commander, Uvall.
Bael's plans will flounder for a while without his leadership. He
is the brains and strategy behind his word.”

“
But how do we capture Uvall?”
Michaelo queried. “He is the most cunning, and the wisest demon. He
will not be led astray from his task.”

“
Oh yes he will, for we have the
perfect distraction for him. We have Lila.” Gehove smiled
generously at Lila. She gulped audibly. Her stomach tightened with
anxiety. All the blood rushed from her head and then returned with
a vengeance. A wild range of emotions flooded her.

What on earth did he want her to do?

“
Me, my Lord?” she said, in a
tremulous voice.

“
Yes, you, my dear Lila. I will
speak to you later. You will wait for me at the Wall of Souls.
There we shall have full and private disclosure regarding your
role.”

“
Of course, I will do as my Lord
requests, to the best of my ability,” she said, fearing what that
would be. She looked at Castilla in panic and appeal. She needed
her mentor and sister seraph to be on her side more than anything
at that moment. She started to regret teasing her so badly. But
Castilla showed her true angelic colors and selflessly rose to her
defense.

“
Lila is very new to this world,
and so very young,” Castilla said, in a soft, imploring voice.
“Although I know nothing of your plans, my Lord, I fear she is no
match for Uvall. Perhaps Gehove would like to consider me instead?
I know of him. I know his ways. I offer my services gladly in her
stead.”

God laughed a belly laugh. Everyone stared
in amazement. Gehove never laughed. He smiled - only ever
smiled.

“
My dear Castilla, Lila has more
than enough talent to thwart his advance. But you, you are the one
who would be no match,” he chastised.

“
Oh, then I have misunderstood
you my Lord, my apologies,” Castilla said meekly in reply,
obviously confused, and mortified that Gehove thought so little of
her abilities.

Lila felt so badly for her, and for herself.
Her stomach sunk to new low depths.

The rest of the short conversation,
concerning the correction of mankind's moral path and the methods
of achieving that in a short space of time, flew over her head. The
promotion of the heavenly virtues, selfless behavior, love for God
and their human brothers and sisters, seemed small and
insignificant points of fact to Lila at that moment.

All she knew was that her heart
was pounding wildly with fear at the unknown task ahead of her, and
that overtook
all
her sensibilities.

The meeting ended with the promise of
another to be scheduled soon. They all departed and she left with
them.

“
I'm sure Gehove has great plans
for you,” Castilla said, as they walked outside
together.

“
Hmm, I don't know Castilla, I'm
so nervous about this, I can't think straight.” Lila looked at
hand. She was actually trembling - and not just her hand – she was
shaking all over.

“
It will be fine. Clear your
mind of negative thoughts. He trusts in you and that is all that
matters.”

Lila wasn't so sure his trust was best
placed.

“
Thank you, anyway, for what you
did in there. Your offer to stand in for me.”

“
Think nothing of it. I had a
moment of concern for you and your youth. But it seemed it was not
warranted. Our Lord knows best.” Castilla's face was calm and
collected once more. Her usual composure and beatific smile settled
upon it.

“
I hope you're right.” Lila
managed a smile at her as Castilla bade her farewell, with a kiss
on her forehead, rising in a draft of air before her and flying off
to her place in the physical realm. Castilla would sit at the end
of the rainbow, for many hours at a time, reading Gehove's
scriptures in the hopes of becoming a better seraph. Lila had never
read the scriptures. She hadn't managed to complete even one of the
ten. The thousands of pages of words daunted her. She found the
words she had read far too introspective and deep. Full of
cleverness and idolatry. And the tone was more than a little
domineering, to her mind. But she kept her thoughts to herself. The
holy scriptures were not to be debated. In any sense of the word.
They were the words, and the command, of God.

Lila walked across the Hailen great square,
which served as Gehove's garden. She tried to enjoy the stunning
array of flowers, trees and brightly colored birds within it, as
she made her way to the Wall of Souls, bordering its far side.

She stood, resting her arms on the wall and
admiring the view which stretched out into the distance. The
panorama spread before her, delighted her eye. It appeared to be an
ocean of gently rippling waves. The brightest blue you could
imagine, with sparkling, white, frothy peaks. Although it was
indeed an ocean, it was not full of water, but instead, an ocean of
souls, contained within an ethos of calm. The souls swam,
blissfully, at peace with the world, themselves, and all who swam
around them. The white peaks were the tangible evidence of their
contentment as it gathered in a foam of delighted bubbles,
lathering up on the top. Every so often the foam released itself
from the surface and floated up and away in the air, in small
handfuls, carrying the beauty of love and tranquility with it. The
foam came to rest on the physical realm of the seraphim and was
absorbed into the material fabric of Heaven. It fed the roots of
the plants and trees - it fed the rivers that flowed through its
meadows - it fed the whole of the visible Heaven.

Without the saved, Heaven would wither and
die. Its walls would crumble and its fields would turn to dust. She
knew all this, not from the scriptures, where it was apparently
explained fully in scripture three, but from her lengthy
conversations with Castilla. She had led her around the first week,
mentoring her, explaining the celestial realm and how the physical
coexisted alongside the ocean of souls.

The blue swell of souls hypnotized her,
pacifying and soothing her own, and she did not notice his arrival
at her side until he spoke.

“
Magnificent, isn't it?” he
gestured with a small sweep of his hand, to the blue beauty beyond
the wall.

“
Beautiful,” she replied,
turning her head to Gehove shyly. She'd never been this close to
God before.

“
Very beautiful indeed. There is
nothing more beautiful than a saved soul. Except perhaps an ocean
of saved souls.”

“
Yes, my Lord,” she replied, her
eyes averted from his. She gazed outward, beyond the beyond, to the
never-ending blue of the ocean's horizon, where it merged, somehow
seamlessly, with the lighter blue of the sky above it.

“
We must do everything in our
power to continue its beauty, to nurture it and ensure it grows. It
is all important for Heaven's continuity. The most precious thing
in existence. Lila, look at me,” he commanded.

She turned and gazed into the eyes of God
with a fast beating heart.

They were the softest, palest gray.

“
You must be wondering why I
have left you unchanged for so many months? Why you have not become
seraphim?

“
Yes I have, my
Lord.”

“
It was for good reason. I
needed to keep your human traits for this prospective task. You
will need to prepare yourself a little for this. Uvall is a seducer
of women. It is your assignment to be the one he chooses to
seduce.”

She laughed out loud. She must be hearing
things. Surely God could not be ordering her to lure a demon into
bed?

“
It is no laughing matter,” his
eyes darkened.

“
My Lord, please, I cannot
possibly guarantee I could do that. Nor do I want to be in that
position.”

“
What you want is of no
importance. You have no choice. It's your destiny, your path to
greatness and your means to joining with the seraphim. You were not
chosen randomly for this task, Lila. I know everything about you.
You were watched, for years, and very closely monitored. You and I
both know, you will not find it difficult to seduce
someone.”

She looked down, highly embarrassed, her
face flaming.

I was closely monitored? My world of rock
lifestyle - of casual sex, drunkeness and recreational
substances...?

More than mortified, she wished the ground
would open up and swallow her whole, as she remembered some of her
more recent activities. She cringed in the presence of God. “But
you have inherent good in you, the capability of deep love and
compassion,” he continued, “I saw you nurse your sick father, and
that touched me Lila. I chose to take you to my side so that I
could grant you grace, to strike off your sinful misdemeanors, and
to allow you to live an eternal life, in peaceful harmony, with us,
your celestial family. You've been kept in a state of preserve, to
assist me, should this escalating situation with mankind become an
urgent reality, which sadly, it now has.” Her embarrassment faded
quickly with the kindness in his eyes, his tone and intimate,
coaxing address.

Her face couldn't help but form a frown, as
she felt such concern over the dilemma of mankind. And Gehove
responded, holding her hand in his. “I can see what you are
thinking. Do not fear Hell's advance. You are helping to stall it.
And you'll have help in the task ahead. A little more beauty to add
to your current perfection. And a touch of heavenly protection in
your hands. I will bless you with those gifts shortly.”

“
But Gehove, my Lord. I
am
fearful of it, and
this assignment. Hell on earth is a terrible fate for mankind to
suffer. Demons are cunning, powerful and evil beings. And seducing
a demon is not like seducing a man, is it?”

“
I will give you all the
strength you need, to do it.”

“
But I do not wish to be
harmed
, not by a demon.”

“
You may have to endure some
discomfort of the flesh, if his sexual advances are of a heavy
nature, but that will soon pass. Think of the divine glory that
will ensue. All you need to do is secure him at a moment of passion
with two words. You must make him say them. Use every feminine wile
and attribute to ensure they are spoken.”

“
What must I make him say? And
what if he knows he shouldn't or doesn't want to?”

“
He won't know, nor will he
suspect, and all he must say is, My God.”

She laughed. “My God? That is a very common
exclamation.”

“
It may well be, but he needs to
say it with an Angel in his presence and you need to extract his
person soon afterward.”

“
What extraction is that? And
how will it make him captive?”

“
You will reply, My Gehove,
immediately after he speaks. It will render him immobile for a few
hours. He will be at your mercy. All you need do, is to call out to
me in this way, take his body and fly to the stairway to Heaven.
Two seraph guard will await you there. He will be delivered
instantly to my charge.”

“
So I seduce him, he says My
God, and I say My Gehove, and I take him to the stairs?”

“
It is that simple.”

“
How will you keep him in
Heaven? And for how long?”

“
He will be leashed on my altar,
for all to see his demise. He will be shackled, chained and cuffed,
at his neck, his wrists and his ankles. He will be denied water and
without this liquid he will soon wither and dry - turning to wood
before our eyes. And then we will burn the remainders of his
desiccated body in a pyre. He will die a very painful death. That
cannot be helped.”