Wings of Destruction (4 page)

"Wake Sarah." Anael’s voice was barely a whisper and Martin found himself understanding it more through the movement of his lips than any sound he made. He slowly crawled across the room, remaining in the shadows lest his silhouette give them away. He put his hand gently over Sarah’s mouth and roused her. She moved to cry out in startled surprise, but Martin shook his head and Sarah put her head down on the couch, closing her eyes.

A heavy knock on the door resonated through Martin’s entire body, his gut lurching as he realized the gang members had decided the house was occupied. Anael crawled over to where they crouched with as much grace as he could muster, keeping his wings close to his body at all times. He whispered in Martin’s ear, his mouth so close that Martin felt the words more than heard them.

"We have to leave."

Martin gestured to the other two to follow him with a beckoning hand motion. He took his gun and ammunition from the lockbox in the wall. They crept through the hallway and into the bedroom as they heard the gang members attempt to knock down the front door. Martin pointed to the window, which led out onto a rusted fire escape. He didn’t know how safe it would be, but staying in his home was no longer an option. They were on the run now. Even if the gang members hadn’t specifically come here to reclaim their angelic prisoner, they would occupy the house and use it for whatever evil deeds came to mind.

Anael went first, struggling to fit his wings through the tight opening. Sarah and Martin helped him, aware of the yielding wood of the front door as it caved in. Anael popped through the opening. He reached in and helped Sarah up next, then Martin. Martin drew the curtains from outside and slid the window down, hoping to disguise their exit.

The metal steps were loud and they took them slowly, hoping the guards standing outside wouldn’t hear the clanging of the rusted steps as they leaned weight on them. The steps led down into an overgrown yard filled with junk. Broken bottles and rusted machinery from another age littered the long grass. Tall weeds lay claim to the path, making their way through difficult and painful. Glass cut at their shoes and Anael winced as his bare feet took the worst of it.

"I’m sorry," Martin whispered. Anael shook his head in warning.

They made their way down the back alley. The homeless slept there, their brown-grey clothing making them blend in with the landscape. The gangs usually left them alone. They liked to break down the willing, not rescue the demoralized. These people had become part of the scenery, their bodies starving and minds so broken that they didn’t even think of finding shelter. Martin tried to put them from his mind as they walked away.

They emerged onto the main street much further down. Martin led the way to Spire Rock, guiding his group through the treacherous downtown area. The homeless folks stared at Anael’s wings, but they had seen too many horrors to care about a mystery such as him.

They ducked down in alleyways a few times as red, green, and blue uniforms scuttled by. The sound of gunfire was omnipresent in the distance as the gangs fought one another in broad daylight.

Martin relaxed a little as they ventured outside Ragnor. The gangs rarely bothered to leave the city, keeping their battle for food, resources, and territory where the people lived. Martin wondered why he had never thought of simply leaving Ragnor and living outside the war zone, but it was said that there were other dangers outside the city. Wild animals were retaking the land, and Martin knew he was no match for the unpredictable forces of nature, no more than he was able to stand up to the gangs. At least in Ragnor, there was food.

The road to Spire Rock was cracked and broken from almost a century of disrepair, trees growing over the road and weeds jutting up from the median. They walked along it as Martin had before, enjoying the long walk to their doom in almost near-silence. He wasn’t sure if he hated or relished the thought of his life coming to an end. The voice in his head told him that death was what he deserved.

"Are you okay?" Anael reached out and took Martin's hand, squeezing it gently. Martin managed a wan smile.

"I’ll live." Martin’s smiled as he realized his unfortunate choice of words. "Or not."

Anael stopped walking, jerking Martin to a stop. Sarah walked a little way before realizing they had stopped. She paused at a distance, giving them space to talk.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Anael took Martin’s other hand and looked into his eyes.

"We have no choice. This world is damned. You can’t go back to Gabriel and tell him it’s worth saving. You’re an angel and this world’s destruction is your mission. I’m okay with it, really. There are a lot of people here who deserve to be judged.” The idea of going back to the city and sitting there homeless, waiting for the end, was not a prospect Martin even seriously considered.

When he was beside Anael, Martin felt different somehow. There was a warmth in his heart that he’d never experienced before, a feeling of admiration and respect for another being. The grim feelings of self-loathing silenced themselves temporarily when Anael told him he deserved to go to Heaven. He wished he could see in himself what Anael saw in him.

*~*~*

They reached Spire Rock and started to climb the grassy hill. Here, far away from decrepit Ragnor, it was easy to believe the world was worth saving. The air was fresh, filled with bird song and free from the sounds of human howling and gunfire. Flowers dotted the area, free to grow wherever they chose. The long grass brushed against Martin’s legs as they made the long ascent.

As they reached the top, Martin felt vertigo overcome him. He couldn’t bring himself to walk to the edge and simply sat in the long grass, crushing it beneath his weight. His hands shook and he tried to still them. He had come to Spire Rock to die, same as before, yet in a different manner.

"I will call to Gabriel," Anael said. "Be ready." He spread his arms wide and his eyes started to glow, turning gold. A shaft of light descended from the Heavens. Martin rolled out of the way as the light hit him. He moved just in time to avoid Gabriel’s descent.

The archangel was truly the most magnificent being that Martin had ever laid eyes upon. He stood in the light, a halo around his head and long, blond hair that fell to his feet. He wore a simple white robe and smiled as he caught sight of Anael. Martin quickly got to his feet, brushing grass off his ragged clothing. Sarah stood behind him, her usual smirk fading as she witnessed Gabriel’s presence.

"Anael." Gabriel’s voice was like song. Anael dropped to his knees and gestured for the others to do the same. Martin knelt, and Sarah finally sighed and gave in as well.

"My Lord. I hope you are well,” Anael said.

"Do you have your report, Anael?"

"Yes, my lord. I have consulted with the humans here on the ground. We have decided that this world cannot be saved."

"As I thought, the humans were too greedy to sustain the loss of money and wealth. They have condemned their entire race." Gabriel pulled an object out of thin air and handed it to Anael, who took it in his hands as a gift. It was black, as if made out of onyx, yet it seemed darker than that, reflecting no light even though it was a polished stone.

"You will take this stone to the remains of the Tower of Elysius, which lies ten miles northeast of here. Place it in the altar at the top of the tower. This will initiate the Black Rain."

"Yes, Gabriel."

"Anael, I must ask: why do you have humans with you?"

“Martin and Sarah have aided me in my mission. I would ask that once this is over, you forgive their sins and allow them a place in Paradise."

"How can one fallen angel petition for these lowly ground-dwellers?” Gabriel gave Anael a look of pure derision.

"Fallen?" Anael was aghast. "How can that be? I have committed no sins while upon this world."

"That is incorrect. You have willingly allowed humans to fornicate with you."

"That’s a lie!" Martin was on his feet, ignoring Anael’s attempts to pull him back down. "He was raped! How can you deny him access to Paradise for being a victim?"

"Martin!" Anael stood and pulled Martin back from the Archangel. "Martin, what he says is true."

"What? But you—"

"Experience no sexual pleasure? Indeed, that is true. I did not do it for the pleasure. While I was in captivity, I offered myself to the gang members in place of the children. I could not let them scar innocent souls."

"You offered your sacred body to humans nonetheless," Gabriel said. "You have Fallen, Anael. Carry out this task and accept your fate, and perhaps I will accept your repentance. Otherwise, you shall descend to Hell with those you gave pleasure to."

He disappeared before any of them could ask further questions. The pillar of light started to rise back into the clouds. Anael watched it go, looking up into the sky with sad eyes. Martin stood with his fists clenched, holding back a rage that could split the sky.

"What are we going to do now?" Sarah asked.

"We’re going to do as Gabriel says." Anael lowered his head. "My fate is not important in the grand scheme of things. I am but one soul in a sea of billions."

"That’s not true!" Martin grabbed Anael by the shoulders. "We’re not going to the tower. How can I do this, knowing your immortal soul is at stake?"

"Following Gabriel’s orders is the only way I might be saved,” Anael said.

"Fuck being saved! Who is Gabriel to tell you you’re damned in the first place! You saved those kids..." Martin fell to his knees, the fight ebbing out of him. Anael knelt down and gently lifted Martin’s face with his hand.

"At least you understand the sacrifice I made."

Martin shook his head. "I can’t believe you might lose Paradise because of this. I should never have let you venture into the city alone."

"Then both our fates would have been the same." Anael managed a wan smile. "All is not yet lost, Martin. You and Sarah will surely find your path to Heaven."

Martin stood up, the fire back in his eyes. "How do we know if any of us will be saved? Gabriel could condemn us all. Just because your interpretation of God’s will is one of kindness and forgiveness, it doesn’t mean that Gabriel’s is. He’s the one doing the judging here." He turned to Sarah. "Sarah, aren’t you scared? If a holy, self-sacrificing being like Anael can’t make it to Heaven, what chance do we have?"

"Martin, you’re forgetting something,” Sarah said, her hands perched on her hips. “Ragnor is finished. If Anael doesn’t complete his mission, Gabriel will find another way to end the world. Then we’ll all go to Hell.”

"Anael could be facing eternal torment. Doesn’t that bother you?” Martin asked.

"He already said he’s willing to make that sacrifice. I’m going to the temple with him. If you can’t face the trip, I won’t blame you." Sarah stalked off, crushing flowers beneath her heel.

Anael touched Martin’s cheek with a gentle caress. "I have to go, Martin. There is no other path for me. I have to take the opportunity to change this world, no matter the cost to myself. I can’t let the people of Ragnor go on suffering. You included.”

"We don’t have a choice, do we?”

"You have a choice. You can return to the city and stay hidden until my task is complete. I believe even hard-headed Gabriel cannot turn aside a soul as pure as yours."

"I’ve allowed men to fornicate with me as well. I’m no pure soul. I’ve given my body away whether I wanted it or not, selling myself to myriad mates for food and shelter."

"The rules are different for angels. We are not supposed to consort with humans. Since Gabriel considers my acts a willful choice, I have Fallen. You, however, have never had a sinful thought. You endured what you had to in order to survive. I believe you will be saved."

"I don’t want to go to Paradise if you’re not there." Martin seized Anael’s hand in his strong grip. "I don’t want to spend my eternal life alone." A gust of wind blew Anael’s hair into his face. Martin reached up and stroked it, playing with the soft strands as they fell between his fingers like silken thread. He was so close to Anael that he could feel the angel’s warm breath caressing his cheek. Their lips were so close that Martin knew he could kiss Anael with just a simple motion. He contemplated it for a second, his hands trembling, before he made his choice and seized the angel’s lips in a soft caress.

There was nothing sexual about the kiss, which differentiated it from every other kiss Martin had ever experienced. The men who had been his mates had claimed his lips in violent need, forcing their tongues into his mouth as they backed him up against walls and laid him down on beds. This was more of a whisper of a kiss, a gentle meeting of two bodies and souls attuned in harmony. Anael’s hands found his shoulders, but they did not pull him closer, nor push him away. Martin pulled back, his face reddening.

"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. You’re already in enough trouble for consorting with humans." Martin turned away, expecting Anael to be angry at his imposition, but Anael drew him back into his soft embrace and folded his wings around Martin.

"Do not be sorry. Love is not something that requires an apology."

Martin rested his head on Anael’s chest. He felt so safe there, so shielded from the rest of the world and his own dark thoughts. Anael accepted him for who he was, the first being in his whole life who hadn’t treated him like a freak for his asexuality and his depression. He felt tears burning at the corners of his eyes, but he held them back.

"We should get going." Martin pulled away from Anael’s embrace, suddenly conscious of his actions. He had become carried away on a feeling he hadn’t yet named, a warm kindness that threatened to damn Anael and leave Martin in an eternity of loneliness. He started out down the hill, following the trail of crushed grass and broken petals that Sarah had left in her wake.

Anael clutched the shard of onyx in his hand and looked up at the sky with mournful eyes before following.

The day drew to a close as they reached the edge of the forest. The group’s mood seemed to grow darker as the sun’s light faded, former certainty disintegrating and showing the cracks in the trio’s shaky alliance. Martin disappeared into his own thoughts for the rest of the day, mulling over his past, present, and future. He slumped and stumbled along as the weight of dark memories wore on him.