Between Heaven And Hell Part 15

Lucifer's head jerked up at the sound of battle. His fire alone continued to burn in the camp, all others having been extinguished. Still, he could see nothing beyond it.

What was happening?

He leaned around the fire, determined to find out.

The walls now stood in silhouette against the flames that were consuming the Inst.i.tute and, it seemed, a good portion of the city. He spotted a figure standing above the north gate, Michael, surely. As he looked, Michael stretched his arms out to his sides.

"So, now you want light," Lucifer snarled. "We'll see."

He raised his arms above his head, with his palms facing outward. He turned them and then clapped four times.

Thin black mist began to rise from the ground beneath his feet. It spread up and out as if two hundred angels stood behind him waving the large fans, two meters across, that the cherubim carried in procession before Adonai.

The mist became smoke. The smoke rolled and rose, flowing across the camp, blotting out the sky as it grew thicker and blacker. Lucifer lowered his arms, pointing toward the city, and the cloud began to move, slowly at first, then faster and faster, until it was if the fastest steed in the city was galloping across the plain, dragging the cloud behind him.

The wave of light pouring from the city accelerated, hurtling toward the cloud. The plain beneath the light was lit as at noonday, and Lucifer could see the army of heaven arrayed before the city walls.

Lucifer's troops were das.h.i.+ng forward, swords and spears raised, battle cries echoing off the wall. Michael's army waited, s.h.i.+elds up, weapons drawn. The gates were not open and Maliel's company was nowhere to be seen.

As the armies met on the plain, the light and the cloud collided in an explosion that rocked the ground on which Lucifer was standing. The white light splintered into a myriad of colors, and sparks rained down on the armies below.

For a moment, the light held the cloud at bay, and the cloud barred the light from further advance. Then, slowly, very slowly, the cloud began to yield.

As the light rushed above Lucifer's army, he heard shouting from his left and, turning, found Dariel's soldiers advancing on his flank from the northeast, pus.h.i.+ng his soldiers before them. Shouts came from his right and his head whipped around to see Keruel's legion das.h.i.+ng across the plain from the northwest. Caught between the two, his army could only move south, toward the city, and Gadriel's legion was planted firmly in front of the walls. Lucifer's army had no out.

"Ami, Mia," he called. "We're leaving."

As the three legions moved to crush his troops, rather than stand his ground, Lucifer made ready to flee.

Relegated to the Pit.

Michael stood at the city gate, watching as Keruel approached, leading Lucifer. His arms were bound behind his back and his feet were hobbled. Keruel grasped one arm and his lieutenant held the other. Nevertheless, Lucifer walked proudly, his head held high, his chest out.

"I'm not a child who needs to be led around," he snapped as they neared the gate and he shook off his captors' hands. He looked down on Keruel, contempt written on his face. Behind him, other soldiers were dragging Ami and Mia, who screamed, kicked, and cursed at their captors.

Gadriel walked out to meet them. "What part of your orders did you fail to understand?" He barked, his eyes flas.h.i.+ng. "What could possibly be misconstrued in 'Kill them. Kill them all,' I wonder."

"They were trying to escape. When we cornered them, Lord Lucifer laid down his sword and all of them raised their empty hands above their heads. Had any one taken a single swing, they'd all be dead, but. . ." Keruel lifted his hands in helplessness.

"There are others," another soldier said, gesturing around the field. "They gave up. They simply quit fighting. Killing them seemed to be-"

"Obeying your orders?" Gadriel was clearly fighting to control himself. "I'm certain every power did as he had been told to do," he growled. "These difficulties only arise when angels are included in the ranks."

Shaking his head, Gadriel looked across the plain. Michael followed his line of sight. The battle had lasted barely an hour. It was long over and the day was beginning. Soldiers, angels-likely to Gadriel's further dismay-were dragging other prisoners toward the city.

"Put them there." Gadriel pointed to a spot in the middle of the north road, about twenty feet beyond the wall. "On the ground. Guard them."

It was Michael's turn now to shake his head as he watched Lucifer refuse to sit. But he smiled when the soldier kicked Lucifer's legs from beneath him, forcing him to the ground near Ami and Mia, and then bound him so he could not get up.

As Gadriel turned toward the city, Michael strode away from the gate.

"Prisoners?"

Gadriel shrugged. "I'm told they surrendered. The angels decided it made no sense to kill unarmed rebels. . .Disgusting."

Gadriel made the word angels sound like an insult. Michael smiled. "You are right. They should have obeyed their orders. However. . .our orders have changed."

Adryel sprang to her feet as she awoke, only to be yanked backward by the chain locked around her right ankle. She crashed against a stone wall.

"Ow," she screamed.

She sat for a moment, rubbing her arm where she had struck the wall. A spot on the back of her head ached, and she winced when she touched it. Where was she? What had happened?

Gradually, she started to remember turning the corner, das.h.i.+ng toward the gate, her knife drawn. She had seen five guards-more than she had expected-but there were ten in her group. As she had cut one guard's throat, several others had dropped from the wall, she'd heard a voice behind her, then all had gone black.

Now, light filtered into the room under the heavy wooden door, and she decided it was morning, or later. There was no sound, so if there had been a battle, it was over. She was chained to a wall, so. . .

She gently rubbed her head again. It must be a nasty bruise.

As she considered what might have happened, the door burst open, slamming against the wall behind it. Dariel stood in the opening, blood dripping from his sword.

"Our orders are to kill you."

Adryel clambered to her feet, looked into his eyes, and tipped her head back, exposing her neck. Dariel hesitated. He seemed to be expecting a struggle or a plea for mercy. He stepped forward, drawing back his arm.

"Dariel, halt." Michael appeared in the doorway. "Don't kill her. Our-"

"I've just finished off eight of her little band. She and Beliel were held in different cells from the others and-"

She spun toward Michael, her fists clenched, ready to strike if the need arose. "Don't give me special treatment because-"

"Our orders have changed." Michael ignored her, his eyes not even wandering to her face. "Unchain her and bring her. There are other prisoners."

"What do you mean, our orders have changed? Are we to allow vermin to inhabit the city?"

"Adonai will be merciful." Michael turned on his heel and stalked away.

"Adonai will be merciful," Dariel mocked in a singsong voice as he loosed the chain and bound her with a rope. "Let's fetch your friend."

Scowling, he jerked the rope, pulling her off balance. She struggled to rise, but Dariel continued to walk, dragging her behind him, ignoring her attempts to stand.

"Get up, swine," he shouted as he threw open the door to the room where Beliel was held. "Adonai will be merciful. Bah."

Michael rejoined Gadriel as he stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the rebels through narrowed eyes. One hundred fifty of them huddled in the dust before them, less than a fifth of Lucifer's army. It had been a ma.s.sacre.

Gadriel shook his head.

Michael did the same as he watched Dariel tow Adryel and Beliel through the gate and hurl them toward their comrades. Adryel tripped, plunging headfirst. With her hands tied behind her, she was unable to break her fall, and she sprawled across the ground. As she looked up, her face dusty and bruised, Gadriel wheeled about to confront Dariel.

"We shouldn't have any prisoners, but you'll not treat them like this," he snapped.

"Save your tears for our dead. She's a rebel." He turned to Michael "Allow me to finish her off, Lord Michael."

"I should," Michael agreed, "but no."

"She is evil. Whatever happens to her is well deserved." Dariel stepped toward her, drawing his hand back, but Gadriel caught his arm.

"Move away, Dariel." Gadriel's lower lip curled, and he glared at Dariel. "Only a coward beats a helpless prisoner."

The two locked eyes. Finally, Dariel dropped his head and turned away.

Michael waited until the two of them moved apart, then he turned to the captives. "I gave orders to kill you all." He stepped forward, towering over the prisoners, spreading his wings to each side, making him easily larger than any three angels or powers combined.

"Some of my soldiers," he glanced at Dariel, "wish I still would do just that." He paused, glancing around at the defeated rebels, some of whom looked away, while others met his eyes defiantly.

"But you are not dead. . .Adonai has spared your lives."

"He is a fool." Lucifer began to chuckle. "He really is. A softhearted fool. Demonstrably incompetent as a ruler."

Michael waited patiently until Lucifer's laughter subsided and was replaced by a smirk, then he spoke to the rebels, reminding them of their options.

"If you will renounce Lucifer and his cause and pledge your allegiance once again to Adonai, you will be released and you may come home."

The prisoners began to talk among themselves, but their chatter was silenced when Lucifer struggled to his feet and turned to the remnants of his army.

"You'll take him at his word? Anyone who does that is as big a fool as Adonai."

"The offer applies to you, Lucifer. Renounce your opposition to the creation of the humans. Return your allegiance to Adonai. You too may come home."

Lucifer laughed again. "And if I don't? If they don't?" He gestured at his soldiers. "What do you plan-"

"I renounce him." One angel struggled to his feet.

"I do too," a second angel called out.

A flurry of voices came from behind Lucifer.

"As do I."

"Me. . .me, too."

One third of the hundred fifty accepted Lord Michael's offer. Lucifer sneered at them as they were unbound and escorted into the city.

"What about the rest of us?" Beliel growled.

Michael waited for several moments, before turning to Gadriel.

"Transport them to the pit. Throw them in."

For the entire day they sat in the dirt, blocking the road. Their wait was interrupted only by meals until, as darkness descended, the soldiers built fires and distributed blankets. As they handed out small platters of bread and cheese, Adryel found a large piece of ice on her plate. She caught the soldier's robe.

"The ice. What is it for?"

"Your face," he said.

"Who told you to give me ice?"

The soldier moved on without replying, and Adryel searched the group, finally spotting Gadriel standing on the wall. It must have come from him. He used to be Ramael's friend, her friend too. She started to cry softly as she pressed the ice against her swollen face.

No one except for Lucifer spoke at length, and he mainly commented on the stupidity of Adonai, and he held out their treatment as poof of his incompetence.

"An enemy should be executed," he once shouted at Dariel, "not coddled, not fed and watered. I would have hacked your heads off if. . .if the battle had gone differently."

Dariel had not replied. Some of the prisoners began to whisper that Lucifer should be silent rather than trying to provoke their captors.

As Adryel lay down to sleep, her arm under her head as a pillow, she thought of Ramael. She wished she could be at home with him now, in their bed. How long had it been since she left home? How long since the morning of the debate? Nothing had been the same since.

Renounce Lucifer and his cause and pledge your allegiance once again to Adonai. . .

If she wanted to go home, she supposed she would need to say she regretted joining the rebellion. In truth, she did regret the bloodshed. The stones should not have been tossed in Palace Square, or from the wall. They should not have barricaded themselves in the Inst.i.tute. Certainly, they should not have attacked the city. For all of these, she could certainly express sorrow.

Her problem was that she believed Lord Lucifer was right-the creation was wrong.

Truthfully, the human Adonai had shown her did not appear dangerous, and when she had told Lord Lucifer about it, he had snorted.

"He was not yet alive, was he?" he'd asked. "Even the most ferocious beast seems safe when it is asleep or dead."

He had been correct.

Perhaps an armed rebellion was not the best way to solve the problem, but she had seen-she still saw-no alternative. What they had tried to accomplish was right even if their method had been flawed. She could not renounce it.

In any case, Ramael was not awaiting her at home. Michael had let him die. Adonai had betrayed her. She could not pledge her allegiance to him.

She heaved a deep sigh and stared blankly toward the plain. Nothing mattered any longer.