Chapter XIII
Earth, The Last Shelter
The Black Feather Press was depicting the attack as the “worst holocaust
of all angelic history.”
They could not be anymore right.
The thermal shield had its ups and downs and the cold temperature forced everyone
to stay indoors. We were not prepared for cold. We were not prepared for such
misery. That is why, from ear to ear, the Undersky suddenly became more than a
rebel group. It was now a way to escape the madness of our government, the only
solution left for those who had found no joy in the Mexico inhalation. A radius
of 200km had been wiped out completely and the Popocatepetl, shook by the explosion,
had started erupting again. What a funny sight.
We were more than a hundred now, all cramped in three old warehouses, sharing
our personal place with loads of weapons, maps, bows and explosive. I had my own
little room I shared with Ismael, who did not seem too uncomfortable with our
situation.
I was scribbling on paper, trying to find what our next move would be: we had
grown in number, we had weapons, soldiers, relations all over the Realm. What
to do, what to do… I knew for sure that the Nemesis was getting ready to
fire again; it was Mivelris, my special undercover agent working at the core who
had confirmed that info. And since we were moving up along the East coast of America,
it was either Washington or New York that was going to get a taste of Danërael.
Malakiel entered the room, looking worried.
-It’s time to move, boss. The Altacia and Jilankev factions are already
here, getting ready to battle. It’s now or never.
He was right: the best thing to do was to slow down the Nemesis recharging system.
Since it operated with Heaven’s energy, we had more chance of weakening
it this way than by entering Paradise, where it was hidden.
A familiar face from Altacia was waiting for me outside: I immediately recognised
old friends and relatives, all dressed with warm clothes and holding long silver
bows.
-Glad to see you here, Losmeriel, I said, hugging my brother tight.
-Altacia has come to offer you its service—and its best fighters, he answered
proudly. Tattooed faces with diaphanous skintones and ring-covered wrists, necks
and heels, those Angels were what the Realm had best when it came to flyers.
I gathered everyone and proposed what I had come up with.
-The core. The core is weak but fairly guarded. That’s where we’ll
strike. But. Paradise is only a wing-stroke away: once the Principalities are
alerted, we will stand no chance. That’s why we need a diversion.
Mivelris got up and continued.
-Messing with the core can be very tricky: it’s not about blowing everything
up. One false move and the thermal and invisibility shield fail or worse, we lose
power and it’ll be a question of minutes before this entire city crashes
to the ground. We’ll need to get in quick, to be able to act slow and precisely.
By all means, we need to be quiet and unnoticed: if guards interfere… kaboom.
My soldiers were silent and conscious of their mission.
-Alright then. Mivelris, I think you’re the most qualified to handle this
since you know the core that well. Pick who shall go with you and I—we’ll
think of a diversion.
The crowd was about to get up when a loud voice was heard.
-Clever but mostly futile, Saelius.
For a second my heart leapt and I turned around: in the shadow was standing Zhankiel,
his arms crossed on his chest. And to say I was too busy talking to even notice
a Seraphim—in my own headquarters. Everyone stared at him, wondering if
he was on our side or not. To come here and to hold such says, it must have been
very serious.
-Danërael will dispatch his army before he can fire again, he stated. He
wants to spread panic amongst humans, he wants to destroy their defences before
they can counter attack. That is his alternative to the loss of the Virtues. He
will expose us.
My eyes widened: he was so sure of succeeding that he wanted to break our first
and ultimate rule!
-So that’s why we have to get on Earth before he does, continued he, with
that same grave expression. We will not give him the advantage of surprise.
-Why not pick a human to spread the news, suggested the Jilankev leader.
Zhankiel shook his head.
-Not enough time. And beside, who would believe him? Humans are made like that.
They still haven’t figured out what wiped Mexico, but they are making senseless
hypothesis to comfort themselves. Disabling the core may give us a little time.
But our presence will not remain a secret much longer.
-I’ll go with you, I said. Malakiel, take it from here.
I kissed Ismael on the cheek and put on my best wear. After all, I was about to
do a thing no Angel had ever done before.
*****
Zhankiel was in black, I was in white. We made a strange duo but it did not matter.
-My English is rather rusty, I confessed as we passed beside the gigantic obelisk
standing behind the White House.
-As long as we are understood... I cannot believe I’m doing this.
-Neither am I…we’ll request a public airing, if that’s okay
with you. I’ve never talked to a camera before.
-No Angel did, Saelius. Care to do the honour?
I opened the big window leading to the Oval office, which was empty at the moment.
Zhankiel took a look around and I sat down in the president’s chair.
-Saelius Lalsaria, president of the United States of America! Oh yeah, bomb them
too while you’re at it. Secretary, a cigar please!
Zhankiel told me to keep it down.
-Saelius, you’re the Guardian Angel, you play in his mind and make him come
here.
-Geez, alright already. He’s arriving in a few seconds.
The big doors opened and a man came in. We were now as visible as we could get,
standing just in front of the big desk.
-Good morning, mister president, said Zhankiel on a neutral tone.
The sight of a seven feet tall…being with wings so wide it blocked the sunlight
from the window must have been quite spectacular because the supposedly more powerful
man in the world froze on the spot.
-Malkeb, I added with a smile, trying my best not to freak him out.
Vainly. My Seraphim shook his head when he let go of a shout.
-Calm down, he said. We come in peace.
-Way to go Zhankiel. In U.S. movies, this always means war.
Three armed guards entered and let go of a “oh my God” before starting
shooting at us. With a little move of the fingers, Zhankiel reduced the bullets
to nothing and he opened his gigantic wings, as large as the room.
-You dare defy the almighty Angels of God? he shouted with a voice that made the
walls shake.
I watched the scene with amusement as the guards ran away.
-You’re not going anywhere, I commanded to the president, forcing him to
stay on the spot. My powers as a Guardian Angels managed to calm him down and
he articulated painfully:
-W…what are you…
Trying not to laugh, I walked to him and put my hand on his shoulders: he sat
down at his desk, not losing sight of Zhankiel, now looking perfectly calmed.
-You are a good Christian, mister Davidson, I said in an English tinted of a strong
accent, you then know what we are. Beings from high above, wings…
-Angels…
-Bingo!
We let him take full conscience of our presence: he was a smart man, a great president
but we could not expect him to remain perfectly lucid in our presence. I was aware
of the effect we had on him.
-My name is Saelius Lalsaria and this is Zhankiel Ferle. We come to tell you about
a very serious issue, a war more to say. Oh, sorry, I’m dropping feathers
on your carpet.
-This war that is being held in our Realm, concerns you humans closely. See if
our party loses, you will all be killed. All. Just like what happened in Mexico.
-This is a joke, right? Special effects, costumes?
Zhankiel leaned his hands on the desk and stared into the man’s eyes.
-Do –I—look like a joke, mister president?
He shook his head and stared at us blankly. Zhankiel took his time and summarised
as much as he could of our world, our way of life, why we had been hiding our
existence for so long.
-…We have been watching closely over you humans, he said. Following your
evolution, not without a hint of despair, I might say. In the end, you are the
cause of this war, this questioning about the reason whether or not you should
exist.
-Zhankiel, please, I said.
There was an odd silence stretch. The president sighed, rubbed his eyes and got
up.
-Follow me.
He opened the doors, where about twenty bodyguards were waiting, their guns pointed
at us.
-Hold it, was all he said.
Anyway, they were too bewildered by our presence to do anything else than stare.
Zhankiel was barely fitting in the doors and had to hold his wings with his hands
in order not to break anything. I had no choice but to walk behind, since he was
taking all of the corridor’s space.
The room he led us in was one of the many living rooms. A woman let go of a shriek
and threw herself in Davidson’s arms. She had been worried, I could tell.
Probably everyone by now was aware of our presence in the White House. I was wondering
when they would dispatch the army, not that I was afraid, but I thought that all
this commotion was unnecessary. While Zhankiel was casually looking around at
the furniture, I leaned against the wall and could hear all of the two humans
were saying, despite them almost whispering to each other. The president’s
wife was constantly glancing at me and I kept smiling. Of the two, I was the less
intimidating, that’s for sure. Zhankiel, with his seven feet two inches
and his dark attire reminded more of a demon than an Angel. I, on the other hand,
had it easy with interpersonal relationships.
A phone rang in the room. After eyeing me carefully, the president answered and
told to whoever was speaking that he was safe and he wanted to be left alone.
Anyway, the surveillance cameras would get everything on tape, if they were not
too sensible to interference, as we produced much.
I looked outside and could not help but wonder how Mivelris was doing. I was worried
sick but I trusted my friend: if anyone could blow something as big as the city’s
core, it could only be him.
Zhankiel spoke longly with the president and I listened, helping him along when
he was searching for the right word. It was very odd and the scene was of the
most unusual: a human and an Angel discussing about the impeding doom of mankind,
in expensive couches. I was having sparks again and tried hiding it the best I
could but I just could not stop those little bolts from coming out of my fingers.
The look on the president’s wife was priceless.
After almost an hour, we demanded a nation wide airing, on all of the possible
channels. It wasn’t easy to organise such a massive broadcast so we let
the humans do their little business. Zhankiel wanted to assist the operation so
I told him I was going out.
Exposed.
It felt great actually. I sat down in a church’s stairs and let my mind
drift away, while passers by just ogled at me, their eyes wide open. Some kid
asked me where I had bought my costume and an old woman smiled at me widely, before
entering the church for a prayer. I followed her and she told me, before lighting
a candle, that she had been waiting fifty four years to see the creature that
had saved her from that fire, when she was little. The priest could not believe
his eyes as I did a little magical trick with my fingers. The old lady kept saying
how much she remembered the softness of the feathers. I plucked one out of my
wings and gave it to her, saying it brought good luck.
That was the kind of relation I wanted Angels to have with humans. Treating them
as equals and aiding them with all sorts of little things. I took off in front
of the church, not minding shouts and headed back to the White House.
I could still feel the tension in the hallways and it made me feel a little uncomfortable.
Zhankiel was seated in a couch, looking pensive. He was probably thinking about
his speech. Many cameras were set up in the room, and the technicians were kind
of terrified at our sight. The president was on the phone and an army of classy-looking
employees came and go, eyeing us carefully. I cannot say I wasn’t waiting
for this kind of reaction, but it saddened me a little. I went over to a cameraman,
asking him how was that thing working. I honestly didn’t know and I was
very grateful that he showed me, while I was bent over the imposing machine.
-Technology is so fascinating, I said, trying to hide my accent. Our is very different,
we have a whole other power supply.
I left him at his business and went to sit beside my friend, still lost in ponder.
-You’re up in five minutes, said the president. Are you sure about this?
Zhankiel nodded slowly and got up, surprising everyone by his incredible height.
I removed the dust from off of my jacket, re-tied my hair and stood at the designated
spot. The president spoke first, saying it was a very special day, that he was
to be taken seriously by all means. He spoke of Mexico, of a new threat that had
never been faced before. The word “Angel” finally came out, along
“unknown beings” and all sort of other adjectives. I had sparks but
managed to keep my cool. Zhankiel was stoic and kept staring at the camera. It
was our turn to talk.
Zhankiel presented himself and I did the same. It felt very awkward but we went
on anyway; my friend spoke a bit of our way of life, of the task we had been accomplishing
for humankind. I can’t say I remember too much of this moment because I
was lost in another stance. It was as if I was not there. Ismael was waiting for
me and I was completely clueless as how was going the operation at the core. The
human world did not matter much at the moment, although it was the main issue.
It took Zhankiel about fifteen minutes and it was over: once again, I was impressed
by his calmness and the quality of his speech. It was almost credible…
It was up to the humans to decide if they would trust us or not.
The technician complained a bit about the interference we had caused to the broadcast
as well as the small amount of damage made to the films. But what was done was
done.
Mister Davidson sighed and let himself fall in a nearby chair. While Zhankiel
was pacing a bit further, I went to sit down with the president. He stared at
me with some very justified doubt.
-Ask away, was all I said.
-Why did you kept hidden for so long?
-We would not be useful if seen, I said. Humans crave power, it is in your lowest
instincts. We possess power and technology beyond anything you could imagine.
We Angels let you evolved in peace, without interfering; it was with great disbelief—and
sorrow—that we witnessed the creation of guns, missiles and of course, your
famed atomic bomb. Even we, with the power you call “magic” cannot
create such destruction. We are not meant for destruction.
-But Mexico…
-That is what will happen if you do not help us, mister president. An Angel with
a greed as wide as your people’s has taken over our “government”
by force. As it never happened before, our entire Realm fell under his wrath and
is now wanting to reclaim the land, a world we never could rule over. As I said,
we were not prepared to face a civil war. We are not soldiers, death and conquer
do not appeal us. That is why we fell so easily.
-But…what are you…? Aliens, mutants?
I smiled feebly at such a futile question.
-Your science cannot acknowledge our existence; let’s just say we are watchers.
We have been here far before you were. In fact, no Angel knows exactly where we
come from. We were here, that’s all.
-And how close to religion are you?
I pondered a bit:
-We are a little bit like you Christians imagined us. It was an Angel who gave
birth to each and every religion there is. To keep your mind set on something
very precise… once again, we were deceived. But we do have the entire orders,
you know, Seraphim to Dominions, stuff like that. But your imagination changed
our appearance so often!
Zhankiel called out for me; it was time to go back home.
-One last thing, mister president. I urge you to consider what we came here for.
Otherwise, all you love and cherish will soon vanish under the arrows and attacks
of thousands of winged murderers. If the sky is blackened by those vile wings,
seek cover. And show no mercy; we are perhaps powerful but we are not immortal.
Do you hear me? Destroy them with the same passion as they would destroy you.
-Come on Saelius, we have to go back to Heaven. I fear the attack on the Core
was a foolish enterprise…
A chill shook my spine. He was perhaps right…
I got up and saluted everyone. The sun shone brightly in the sky as we took off,
pointed by dozens of people who had just witnessed the most bizarre and crucial
presidential speech ever.
*****
Zhankiel was right.
As soon as Heaven was in sight, so were explosions and sight of destroyed buildings.
And entire house flew down our way and sped past us, before crashing on the
surface, a thousand meters lower.
-Zhankiel, this is wrong, it’s very wrong. The core, look!
I could see it perfectly: there was smoke coming from the engines but it s activity
seemed normal. We hurried up, which was not an easy task. The closer we got,
the most horrible the vision was: I spotted several squads of Dominions dressed
in navy blue, literally slaughtering what seemed to be only normal citizens.
Most of them were armed with anything they could find, flagpoles, bottles, a
few bows, but they were no match for Danërael’s army.
We finally entered the city and headed toward the headquarters. Everyone was
getting their sword and bows, in total chaos.
I caught Jeruvehel by the sleeve as he was about to jump outside.
-They got caught, he yelled. They didn’t make it! And now, everyone is
fighting Danërael’s goons, citizens, members of the Undersky…
it’s a real battle boss, we’ll kick some Dominion ass!
This was madness.
Total madness.
I rushed into my room, where I found Ismael seated in a corner, terrified.
-Don’t worry, missevah! It’s just a little noise, just stay here
and don’t move. We’ll get rid of those baddies, alright?
He smiled feebly and I grabbed my black bow along with a short silver sword.
I was going to make them pay for all they had done. If I was not going to make
it through this battle, so were they.
Zhankiel filled a quiver, tied his hair, removed his gloves and smiled at me.
-This is going to be entertaining, he said deviously.
We jumped outside and headed towards the battle, in a now devastated part of
the slums, near the intense energy radius around the core. On one side of the
“field” stood masses and masses of navy blue Angels with bows and
sword, ceaselessly firing beams of magic. On our side were my crews, my friends,
my family, shouting and ducking arrows.
-Boss, yelled Malakiel, it was about time you came back! We won’t hold
long against them if we keep hidden here. We have to move.
My heart was pacing in my chest.
I could not let them down.
What to do?
I risked a look over the wall protecting us and frowned. They were so numerous!
Suddenly, I felt a gust of heat in my neck. I knew this feeling!
I looked up and what I saw was simply mesmerising: there was a ball of fire
coming our way, crashing through houses like they were nothing but mere nuisance.
A few Dominions looked up, frightened at such power and they all bowed down
when the ball of fire came crashing through their lines of defence with a deafening
sound. The entire field was lit with a bright orange flash and Yui rose up from
the burning carnage, her entire body smoking. She gave me a wink and her fists
burst into flames as she savagely attacked a nearby squad.
-NOW! I shouted.
In a ear-numbing rumble, hundred of wings spread wide-open and my soldiers threw
themselves in the heat of the battle, shooting arrows and beams of magic. We
were not all trained but we sure had the spirit. It was with an indescribable
joy that I plunged my sword into he enemy’s belly and threw an arrow in
the forehead of another one. I could hear death passing inches of my body but
I did not care. I was going to fight until the end, for the ones that had died
of Danërael’s hands and for those who were still out there, wishing
they were here to battle. Zhankiel was shooting arrows at a frightening speed,
not even looking at what he was aiming for; he and Yui were taking care of more
Dominions than anyone else. It was blissful witnessing such raw power.
But I soon saw my comrades falling under the continuous assaults; we were not
invincible, as much as I wanted us to be. Some of my soldiers got hit and they
kept falling like flies, as Danërael’s Angels called for reinforcements.
They were too numerous and even with Yui and Zhankiel on our side, there was
nothing we could do to hold them off. We either got massacred or fled. But if
we indeed retreated, where would we go off to? They would probably follow us
all the way to our lair and destroy it, with all that was in it.
-Boss, this is not good, yelled Cerjevi, taking cover behind the wall from which
I had been pondering.
There were so many shouts, so many explosions! Soon, the area became lit by
dozens and dozens of blue flashes: Angels disappeared when they died. From magic
we were born, to magic we went back.
I could not bear the sight of this light.
Yui was starting to weaken and Zhankiel had to slowly back away: his quiver
was empty and all he could do was defend himself with his long sword.
But I could not call for a retreat! Ismael was still there!
Suddenly, I heard a shout and looked up: there was someone flying way above
the field, visibly trying to go unnoticed.
Mivelris.
-No, I said out loud, what in Heaven’s name is he doing?
-He’s going for the core, whispered Cerjevi, frightened.
The fool! He would never make it so easily!
As if he had understood, Zhankiel made the mistake of looking up and so did
a couple of Dominions. My eyes opened wide. He would not make it.
The first three arrows missed but the last one hit him straight in the stomach.
I stopped breathing.
Zhankiel cleared his assailants with a very powerful magical attack that left
most of them injured or scared and opened his gigantic black wings, just as
my best friend had started a descent towards the ground. They both disappeared
behind some buildings, a bit lower.
I was about to go out there but an arrow passed a few inches from my face. Cerjevi
grabbed me by the sleeve, even though I was struggling and yelling like crazy.
-Saelius, stay here, she shouted, they’ll get you as well! Leave them,
they’ll be fine!
Panicked, I did not notice that the sky had blackened.
-What the…uttered she.
Masses of black clouds appeared from nowhere and the wind nearly made me fall
off the roof I was standing on. Still, the battle was raging but with fear and
confusion, as thunderbolts started shooting from everywhere. Panic was now reigning
on the field. My body started tingling and I immediately knew why. I got out
of my hiding place and put my hands around my mouth, before shouting on top
of my lungs:
-UNDERSKY! TAKE COVER NOW!
It was immediate.
I felt a strong breeze passing over my head and I only needed to look up to
spot a pair of overly colourful wings, surrounded by a bright white aura heading
towards the other side of the field. Shouts of fright were heard as the Angel-Spirit
stopped in mid-air and spread his wings wide, emanating an amazing power that
scared even me; I did not hear anything as he turned his head and smiled at
me wickedly, his uneven eyes shining. In a flash, the other side disappeared
behind a wall of pure light and the surrounding buildings simply disintegrated.
The sound came back to my ears and the light went away; I could finally open
my eyes and saw nothing but smoke mixed with blue vapour.
He had killed them all.
I got out hesitantly and flew over to Nervanael, his fists smoking.
My comrades also peeked from behind whatever they were hiding and started cheering,
after a long moment of hesitation. The shouts and cheers got louder when I raised
my bloodstained sword in the now yellow-tinted sky.
-Comrades of the Undersky, I shouted, we have won the Hazarah battle! WE HAVE
WON THE BATTLE!
Even the injured cheered, calling out Nervanael’s name and claiming our
freedom and courage.
-Meet out at the HQ in an half and hour.
Everyone left in different directions, careful not to be followed. We were twice
as less numerous as we were before but we had shown Danërael what the Undersky
could do.
-I have paid my debt, said Nervanael, glancing at the devastated ruins still
smoking.
-You never were in debt, I replied. I have done to you what should have been
done six-hundred years ago. Your freedom was not a favour, it was a gift. Now
I feel like I am in your debt. If it had not been for you, we would all have
been massacred.
The Angel-Spirit shrugged and said:
-Let us go back to where you hide. Most of your companions are in great need
of healing.
He was right. Now was not the time to stay in the middle of a devastated battlefield.
Danërael would soon find out what happened and his revenge would be merciless.
-Heaven changed so much, he said, flying by my side. Being here brings back
so many painful memories. This city has cursed me…
I did not say anything and entered our hideout: Nervanael’s presence was
highly intimidating, even though he was a rather small and skinny lad. With
his luxurious black suit, he looked like a superior being amongst Angels.
Whines and cries were heard throughout the warehouses and the wounded lied everywhere,
carefuly healed by the few survivors. It was a painful sight: we had won but
lost at the same time. There were no winners in war, only victims, no matter
which side.
-I understand you lead this movement, said Nervanael.
I nooded and sighed:
-Or what’s left of it.
-In an issue as serious as this one, no lives are wasted uselessly. Nobody,
Angel nor human, has the right to destroy this planet or what lives on it. It
is not up to us to decide who and who has not the right to live.
He pointed some agonizing soldier.
-It is only a mere screw in this complex machine that is time.
I shrugged, trying to ignore some of my wounds. I was tired, so very tired,
feeling all this was only a dream, an illusion. Never have I felt so far from
reality.
-Boss!
I turned around, relieved to see that Jeruvehel seemed intact.
-Boss, it’s Mivelris…it’s bad, really bad.
My heart skipped a beat and I followed him all the way to a little room: Yui
and Zhankiel were waiting inside, their face blank. As much as I wanted to tell
Yui how glad I was she had finally chosen the right side, I could only stare
at my friend, his face screwed in pain and his shirt soaked with blood.
-He got hit near the heart, said Zhankiel. I tried my best but the wound just
would not close.
I knelt down, not finding the strenght to hold my own weight. I held his hand
in mine, trying to keep him with me as long as I could.
Mivelris.
His chair, his passion for fish, his accent, his bad grades…
-…I’m sorry mate, he whispered, his voice strangled with blood.
I…failed…I tried, for once, I had a chance to…to…do
something grand…
-Don’t say that Miv…you were a grand friend.
He smiled feebly as some blood started rolling down his mouth.
-Djimmeh…I hope you accomplish something grand, Sal…I…know
you can.
Yui bent down quickly and grabbed my friend’s purple wing, before plucking
one his longest feather.
-Only a screw, whispered Nervanael.
I held his hand tighter and his body became very hot and bright: in a blue flash,
he had disappeared, leaving a cloud of shining smoke.
At this very moment, my mind stopped working. I put my face on the now empty
matress and clenched my still warm fist.
I, for my part, had lost everything in the Hazarah battle.
© 2006 Cab