Between Heaven And Hell Part 26

"I hear it will be quite cold in a few weeks," a second soldier said.

"And I'll wager we'll still be here then, even when h.e.l.l itself freezes over and their lake of fire turns to ice."

A spoon clicked against a plate and the second soldier gagged. "How can they call this slop food?"

The others laughed, but the first soldier continued, ignoring his friend's concern with the food. "A fool's errand, that's what this is. We've been searching for the orb for more than an entire year and what have we found?" He paused. "Nothing, that's what. Not a campsite, not a wisp of smoke, not a footprint, not even a pile of dung. Nothing. Not the slightest hint of her. It's as if she never existed. How can one orb, and a female orb at that, cause all of this trouble?" He spat on the ground. "I know what I'd do with her if I were to find her."

Adryel wrinkled her nose. Filthy angel. Let him try.

"But you won't," the second soldier said as he and the others laughed.

"I know." The first one sighed. "But I'd want to."

"I interrogated some of those demon-angels in h.e.l.l," a third voice chimed in. "All gave the same story. Haven't seen her in over a year. Humans say the same thing. . .She's long dead and gone, if you ask me."

"Not that Dariel will ever believe it," another soldier exclaimed. "He's obsessed with finding her. We'll have to produce her body if we're to stop him."

"What if she drowned or something? What if she was eaten by one of the creatures? There may be no body."

"Wouldn't someone know if an angel had died? The soul would have to be somewhere, wouldn't it?"

"She followed Lord Lucifer," the first soldier replied. "Her soul may already be dead." He paused. "We may be here forever."

Adryel and Ami looked at each other.

Were their souls dead?

Adryel s.h.i.+vered.

"Have you any idea where to find the portal?" Ami whispered as the soldiers finished their meal and wandered away.

"I do have an idea, but I'll need to get past the soldiers. Tonight, if they are still here, if you'll distract them, you can come with me, see the location for yourself. When you take the news to Lord Lucifer, you'll be his hero."

Ami simply nodded. She said nothing else about sending Beliel to retrieve Adryel.

After nightfall, they left the tent and strolled through the camp as if they belonged. Most of the soldiers were preparing their evening meals and did not even glance at them.

They have no reason to question me, Adryel insisted to herself. Most of them were powers and looked just like her. Of course, she was a female. . .

Adryel hunched her shoulders and folded her arms across her chest.

One of the soldiers stood as they pa.s.sed and called for them to stop. Ami wheeled about and talked with him, rubbing his arm, and smiling, while Adryel walked on. Ami caught up with her a minute later.

"They're so easy." She laughed. "Smile, bat your eyes. . ."

Adryel stared at one of the soldiers as they pa.s.sed, an officer, judging by the blue trim on the robe, a power, judging by the red hair.

Adryel's mouth opened in surprise. The soldier was female. When had Lord Michael allowed females to join the army?

She glanced around. Not that there was a problem with female soldiers. She could take down most of these males. The officer's eyes seemed to follow them as they ambled through the encampment. Then, as they pa.s.sed the last fire and were about to step into the shadows, she dashed after them.

"Stop. Hold there. No one leaves the camp." She drew her sword. "Over here." Other soldiers looked up to see what was happening. She motioned for Adryel and Ami to move closer to the fire. Adryel ducked her head as its light fell across her face.

"I've not seen you here before," the officer said. "In whose company do you serve?"

Adryel looked around wildly. Her eyes focused on an old cla.s.smate of hers who was sitting on the other side of the camp. He had been a soldier for some time, surely he had a higher rank than others.

"Marciel. I'm in Marciel's. . .unit."

Ami nodded. "Marciel's unit."

The officer shook her head. "No. I recognize you." Her voice dropped, and she jerked her head to the side, motioning for Adryel and Ami to move away from the soldiers. As they stepped toward the trees, the soldiers turned away, seeming to lose interest.

"Stop here." The female officer stood between them and the soldiers, her sword pointing at Adryel. "Yes. I recognize you." She moved the sword closer, placing the tip against Adryel's neck, Ami seemingly forgotten. "You're Adryel. We've scoured the earth, hunting you for over a year." She stared into Adryel's eyes. "You don't know me, do you? My name is Angi. Before the rebellion, you were one of my professors, one of my favorites."

Adryel resisted dropping her eyes, instead maintaining eye contact. "I remember you, Angi. I always remember the good students."

"You. . .changed, Adryel. . .When you tossed that brick across the wall at the soldiers, when Ramael was injured, when everyone believed he was dead, that your brick had been the one that had struck him. . .You wept, but the others danced and sang and called you a hero."

A look of disappointment came over Angi's face and she shook her head. "You were not the same after that. . .It was almost as if Lord Lucifer had cast a spell over you."

Her expression turned cold, hostile. "I liked you, Adryel. Very much. But I cannot excuse the evil you have done since that day."

Adryel bit her lower lip and wiped her eyes.

In spite of her stance, Angi seemed torn. "If I arrest you, Dariel will cage you like a wild animal and haul you in triumph through the streets of the city, all of the way to Palace Square." She paused, staring at Adryel. "I wouldn't want that. Lord Michael does not want that. He a.s.signed me to the search party because I would be one of the few who remembers you as anything other than a treacherous rebel who has thwarted Adonai at every turn. He thought I might have some sympathy for you."

Again, Angi hesitated, her eyes moving from Adryel to the soldiers behind them, then back.

Perhaps she did have some sympathy. . .Adryel could only hope.

"My orders are to report to Lord Michael any sign of you-a footprint, a rumor among the humans, a sighting, anything-so that he might intervene. But what I have is actually you, not just a sighting of you. So, I must detain you, report you to. . .to my commander." She glanced over her shoulder.

As Angi was speaking to Adryel, Ami had been moving away from the two of them, a half-step at a time, and when Angi turned her head, Ami bolted, pus.h.i.+ng past her, tripping, and almost falling into one of the fires as she fled. Another soldier gave chase but the others laughed, making no effort to a.s.sist.

As Angi's attention followed Ami, Adryel sidled past her, then dashed the other way, toward the hill.

Angi grabbed for her sleeve, but her hand became entangled in the bag that held Adryel's food and water. Adryel released the bag and melted into the shadows.

"It's her," Angi screamed. "Adryel. She's in the camp."

When Angi turned back to the soldiers, calling for help, Adryel scurried around the hill, found the crevice, slipped inside, and began to frantically search for the portal. At the sound of Adryel's name, it seemed as if dozens of soldiers instantly converged on the hill. She saw the flicker of their torches, she felt the earth vibrate as their feet pounded across the ground, she heard them shout in excitement as they pursued their prey. One soldier pushed his head into the crevice and she flattened herself against the wall, holding her breath. "Not here." His shout echoed through the cavern, and he turned away.

Had that soldier been carrying a torch she would surely have been captured. Still, she was not safe. When they did not find her outside, other soldiers would soon check the cavern. She had no light with which to see, so she frantically felt for the portal, sliding her hands across the smooth walls, pus.h.i.+ng against them, throwing her body into any opening she could locate.

"Please, please, please. Let me find it. It has to be here. Please."

Her hand slipped through an opening and she felt the familiar jolt of pa.s.sing from one dimension to another. As she began to move through the portal, she froze as she heard Angi speaking to a soldier. Her voice seemed to come from a great way off, although Adryel thought she must be no more than a meter away, just outside. She stood listening, motionless for fear of losing contact between the two realms. She needed to hear what Angi was saying about her.

"Go to Lord Michael. Tell him I cornered Adryel and a female angel in our camp this evening. Tell him I was momentarily distracted when the angel ran. . .and that Adryel escaped. a.s.sure him we are searching for her, but that so far she has eluded us. Tell him. . ." Angi sighed loudly. "Tell him there's a chance she may find the portal and enter the city."

The soldier spoke, but Adryel could not make out his words. He must have been standing farther away from the portal.

There was a short pause, then Angi continued in a commanding voice. "This is urgent. Go immediately and give this message directly to Lord Michael."

Adryel held her breath, antic.i.p.ating Angi, or someone else, to enter the portal. But no one did. At least not yet. Still, there was no sense waiting to find out if, or when, they would. Time was not on her side, so Adryel took a firm step, completing her pa.s.sage to the other side.

She found herself at the bottom of a long stairway in an enormous room filled with all sorts of items-furniture and tools, eating utensils, weapons, and baskets of scrolls. She even spotted a pile of worn-out robes stuffed under the steps.

Adryel had been told of the bas.e.m.e.nt that stretched beneath the palace. It had been used for storage since near the beginning of time, and it was said that if you looked long enough, there was nothing you could not find there. She supposed that's where she was.

She paused to collect her thoughts. She had believed Ami, and had expected to find herself outside of the city, on the plain. Her strategy had been to find cover, then to sneak aboard a caravan. Once past the gate, she'd planned go to her house in search of Ramael.

That would have been a challenge, but now. . .escaping the palace would be much trickier, more difficult than sneaking through the north gate. She could hardly stroll out through the Great Gates and head for home. In the halls of the palace she would encounter those who had once known her. Crossing the square she might be spotted by soldiers who had been warned to be alert for her. Even on the streets of the city, if she made it that far, she would be recognized.

Her encounter with Angi was an additional complication. Angi had ordered a soldier to warn Michael that she might be in the city. The city guard would be on high alert, with soldiers patrolling the streets, perhaps even the halls of the palace.

Anyone who identified her would seize her, bind her arms, and cart her to Lord Michael. And he would issue judgment without hesitation.

She needed a place to think, to plan. The bas.e.m.e.nt was too open. She could see three other sets of steps. They were not enclosed, and she could be seen by anyone who ventured down any of them. Her eyes traced the stairs nearest her. They appeared to be longer than the Grand Stairway, and she did not know where they led. Perhaps into the tower. High above, she spied a landing, and she began to climb.

She hadn't counted the steps, but felt as if she must be several stories high when she finally reached the top. She paused to catch her breath. A door opened out from the landing. Not knowing what, or who, she would find on the other side, she hesitated, then cracked it open, just enough to see.

As she leaned forward to peer through the crack, she heard a voice far below, and she jumped, almost losing her footing. She'd seen no one in the bas.e.m.e.nt. Angi's messenger must have arrived.

She heard footfalls, someone climbing the stairs in another corner. Knowing that she would soon be visible, she took a deep breath, shoved the door open, and stepped through, ready to attack anyone she encountered-ready to attack, and then run as fast as she could.

On the other side of the door was a hallway that seemed to run deep into the palace, but, thankfully, the hallway was empty. Adryel relaxed her body, no longer prepared to fight.

But she could not relax her mind. She needed to remain alert, so she waited several moments, listening, but heard nothing. She crept down the hall, pausing to place her ear against each door she pa.s.sed, but every room was silent. It was as if everyone had fallen asleep.

Surely this was not the route to Adonai's throne room. She chose not to think what he might do if she were to stumble upon him.

Adryel continued to walk, but something didn't feel right. She glanced about but saw nothing unusual, so she continued, once again tense, repeatedly looking over her shoulder expecting to find a guard about to pounce.

She reached another stairway and realized where she was. When she had lived in the city, she had used those steps to reach the council chamber after entering the palace from the Grand Stairway. The chamber, overlooking Palace Square would be ahead on her left.

She took a deep breath then stole down the hall, stopping several times to look and to listen. The door to the council room stood ajar. She waited outside for several moments. Hearing nothing, she gently pushed open the door, peering inside, poised to sprint for the stairs, but she found no one in the room.

Instead of the large circular table at which she had once taken notes during the archangels' meetings, she found small desks cl.u.s.tered under large drawings that hung along the walls. She gazed up at one of the drawings. It was more of a diagram than a drawing, really. She studied it carefully. This one was labeled "West" at the top, and there were sections marked off indicating various zones-Human Settlement, Hills, Far Mountains, Old Garden, and Lucifer's Cavern.

Her mouth dropped open. It was a map.

She glanced at three of the other diagrams, each a.s.sociated with one of the other cardinal directions. Each contained a section labeled as Human Settlement, but the location seemed to be different in each diagram, one at the bottom, one on the top, and on the right and left sides of the other two. She recognized none of the other sections.

On one of the maps, she found an area called The Iced Sea. Still another was divided into two parts by a wide line labeled as The Great River. Neither of these was familiar.

A sheet of paper lying alone on the middle of a long table in the center of the room caught her eye. She walked over and picked it up. It was t.i.tled The Tenth Expedition in Search of Adryel, and had an extensive list of locations underneath. She recognized a few of the names, and when she compared the list to the maps, she found the others.

She was in a command center. The one where they organized their search for her. It was a ma.s.sive search. Angi had told her the truth.

At the bottom, a note had been scrawled in red ink, and it was dated-it had been written that very day. The handwriting was barely legible, but she attempted to read it aloud to herself.

"Michael, Ramael, Keruel, Gadriel. . ." She squinted, trying to decipher the rest of words. "We'll talk. . .tomorrow at midmorning. . .Dariel."

Her breath caught in her chest.

If the commanders of the army of heaven were convening to discuss her, if they had set up an entire room dedicated coordinating the search. . .then she was not solely Dariel's obsession.

How can one orb. . .cause all of this trouble?

How, indeed?

Her hands began to tremble as she set the paper on the table, trying to recall its exact placement. Her heart began to pound as she scanned the room around her, afraid she was no longer alone.

What had she been thinking? She'd have no chance to speak to Ramael. No chance to redeem herself. As soon as she was seen, she'd be locked in chains and taken to the lake of fire.

Adryel released her held breath, and then took another and held it for several seconds before letting it out slowly and deliberately.

"Of course that's what will happen," she mumbled. "It's what I feared. But maybe, just for a minute. . ."

Glancing toward the portico that reached out over the Great Gates, she discovered it was night. She shook her head, laughing at herself. That's why no one was around. It was dark on Earth and in the city at the same time.

She paused, staring through the door that led to the portico. If it were morning, she would encounter any number of angels in the halls, but unless she were recognized, she would not be detained. At night, she likely could roam at will, but if she were to meet someone they would question her presence in the palace, recognized or not.

What possible reason could she give for being in the palace after dark?

Adryel stepped onto the portico, and pressed herself closely against the wall so she would not be noticed from the square below. It was still beautiful, even at night. She bit her lip as she struggled to hold back tears, recalling those occasions when she had stood in this same spot as the archangels had paraded across the square, flags flying, trumpets blaring, the crowd cheering.

In her mind, she pictured Ramael. How handsome he had been, walking behind Michael, his head held high, the read sash draped across his chest.

She remembered setting up her easel in the garden and painting the flowers and the birds and the children cavorting in the gra.s.s. She thought of her cla.s.ses and imagined she was, once more, lecturing at the Inst.i.tute, explaining to her students the intricacies of logical argument. She recalled long dinners with Ramael where they talked, and laughed, and shared their days. She recalled even longer nights, spent lying with him in the dark.

Life had been so simple back then, at least in her thoughts.

She spied a few guards patrolling the square, marching from one end of the palace to the other, then turning and marching back. They made the same tour, time after time.

If she could slip through the door at the far end, keep to the shadows, and wait until they turned, she should be able to cross the square behind their backs and to disappear.

It should work.

She knew the way to the far door, down the steps, though the front gallery, turn right. It would take five minutes, no more. As she moved toward the opening, stepping back into the council chamber, a door opened at the far end of the palace. Commands rang out and a squad of soldiers, fifteen or twenty of them, jogged into the square. She stopped and watched as they spread out, setting up barricades at each intersection so that one would have to pa.s.s a checkpoint in order to leave the palace.

Three of the new soldiers joined the patrol, walking to the north when the others went south. She'd be captured if she even stepped through the door.

She clenched her jaw and clapped her hands across her mouth, stifling a scream of desperation. The soldier must have delivered Angi's message already. She saw no way out now, no way to go home to Ramael. Adryel dropped her head as tears stung her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.