Falling Into Darkness Page 5

“But he doesn’t,” Gabriel said. “He’s been neglecting his own tasks and his lack of attention has been noted.”

  “What?” This was the first Michael had heard about this. As far as he was aware, Lucifer was amongst the favored ones and with good reason.

  “There are those who say his pride will be his downfall,” Raphael said. “He sets himself too high and there are too many who do not see the wrong in this.”

  Michael watched Raphael and Gabriel exchange a look. “What?”

  “There’s talk about you,” Gabriel admitted.

  “Me?” The food in front of him no longer held any appeal, and what he had already eaten sat heavily in his churning stomach.

  “Most of the angels who embrace Lucifer’s way of thinking are lesser beings. You’re an archangel.”

  “So? I haven’t heard any rumors about Lucifer or these other angels.”

  “Because you’ve been so wrapped up in your relationship with him,” Gabriel replied. “He’s gathering followers.”

  “Followers?” Michael echoed. How had he failed to notice this? From what he had seen, Lucifer hadn’t changed from the lone angel he had first watched from the side of the pool.

  “They aren’t open about it,” Raphael explained. “To be so would be too dangerous.”

  “Lucifer craves worshipers of his own,” Gabriel said.

  “No, he doesn’t,” Michael argued. “He barely even talks to anyone besides me.”

  Raphael shook his head. “They don’t need to talk to him to worship him. They simply have to believe in him and his way of thinking.”

  “His way of thinking isn’t any different from the rest of us,” Michael pointed out.

  “Isn’t it?” Gabriel asked. “Has any other angel asked you to neglect your duties for them?”

  “That’s different,” Michael argued.

  “No, it’s not,” Raphael said. “If you were to choose to devote yourself to Lucifer instead of Him…”

  “I would never!”

  Raphael raised his hand to halt Michael’s protests. “You’re walking a fine line and we’re worried about you.”

  “There’s no need to be.”

  Gabriel took hold of Michael’s hand in a firm grip. “There are those here who feel perhaps Lucifer shouldn’t have a place in this realm.”

  “But he’s one of the favored ones,” Michael reminded them. “No one would dare cast him out.”

  “He would,” Gabriel said. “Be careful, Michael, lest you lose your place here too.”

  * * * *

  Michael worried about Gabriel’s and Raphael’s words for many of the following days. He casually listened for any of the rumors they had talked about, and was concerned to find that angels were talking. He wondered if Lucifer knew what others said about him. Michael could see only one way to find out, and he raised the subject a couple of weeks after his discussion with his friends.

  “Lucifer, can I ask you something?”

  Michael supposed they weren’t in the best place for a serious conversation, but since they spent so much of their time in bed, it was here or at the pool, where there was the additional risk of someone overhearing them.

  Lucifer smiled and nodded. “Ask away. What do you wish to know?”

  Michael had thought this through a great deal and had chosen his words carefully. “Have you heard the rumors some of the other angels are saying about you?”

  “Are they talking about my sexual prowess? If so, you should consider it your duty to dispel any slanderous lies.”

  “I’m serious,” Michael said, ignoring the teasing.

  Lucifer sighed. “There are always rumors about the favored ones. What are they saying about me this century?”

  “That you have worshipers, and are setting yourself up as the most high, even above Him.”

  Lucifer laughed loudly and shook his head. “I can’t control what other angels think.”

  “I know, but are you encouraging angels to look to you in the same way we look to Him?”

  Lucifer eased out of Michael’s arms and turned his back as he sat on the edge of the bed. “They don’t need any encouragement.”

  “Lucifer, don’t you see how dangerous this is?” Michael shivered as a sudden chill ran down his spine.

  “Dangerous?” Lucifer peered at him over his shoulder. “Is thinking for yourself any more dangerous than blindly following the flock?”

  “Is that what you think of me?” Michael asked. “Do you see me as some kind of mindless sheep?”

  “No, of course not. I know you’d stand by me, no matter what, and your feelings for me set you apart from the rest of the pack.”

  “I won’t worship you,” Michael said.

  “I’ve never asked you to,” Lucifer replied. “Except with your body.”

  Michael smiled and inched closer to Lucifer’s side. He gave him a quick kiss, but he had no intention of letting the subject drop. “And the others?”

  “They do not share my bed, only my way of thinking.”

  Michael took Lucifer’s face in his hands. “Think about what you’re risking, please. Discourage those who would turn away from Him. Show them where your loyalty lies.”

  “You have my loyalty,” Lucifer replied.

  “That’s not what I meant. I’m content to come second to Him. It’s the way it should be.”

  “What if I want more?” Lucifer asked. “I want to be first in your heart, Michael. Can you give me that?”

  Michael sighed and couldn’t meet Lucifer’s eyes. “You are first amongst all the angels, but I cannot place you before Him. Please don’t ask me to.”

  Lucifer turned his back again and Michael feared he had given him the wrong answer, but he could not lie to Lucifer, any more than he could lie to himself.

  * * * *

  Michael woke to the sound of bells chiming in the early hours of the morning. They had never rung at such a time and, for a few moments, he wondered if he had imagined them. When they sounded again he crawled from his bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He had no idea what had happened, but he knew if he flew to the main concourse he would probably find out.

  Outside the sky was dark with clouds, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Lightning struck over the mountains and rain poured down on him, soaking his wings until they were sodden, making the task of flying difficult. Thunder crashed overhead as the storm worsened. Michael had never seen such a sight and it frightened him more than he wanted to admit. The realm of angels never had anything other than clear skies with occasional fluffy white clouds. What could have happened? He flew swiftly to his destination.

  On the concourse, Michael found lots of sleepy angels milling around, but no one with any answers to his questions. He scanned the crowd for the rest of the archangels. He still hadn’t seen any of them when he heard Gabriel calling his name.

  “Michael? Michael?” He sounded panicked, something Michael had never heard before.

  “Over here,” he called back, using his wings to rise above the crowd a little and make himself visible to his oldest friend.

  “This way,” shouted Gabriel, in a slightly less concerned tone. He pointed to an archway Michael couldn’t recall seeing when he’d last been here. A new building had been created on the concourse, something that hadn’t happened in more than a millennium.

  Michael flew to Gabriel’s side and landed beside him. “What’s happening?”

  Gabriel pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly enough to leave bruises.

  “Michael, thank goodness,” Raphael said as he too wrapped his arms around Michael.

  “Um, thank you both, but what in the realm is happening? Why are the bells ringing, why is it stormy, and what’s this new archway?”

  “Come inside,” Gabriel said. “This is a new chamber, specifically for archangels.”

  “It is?” Michael followed his friends curiously. There had never been any kind of separation of archangels from lesser angels—there had never been any
need. Why now did He—for only He could create such a place in this realm—believe such a chamber was required?

  Inside the building the floor sloped down to the center of the chamber. Fifteen chairs set in a circle faced inward, one for each of the archangels present. Behind the chairs, curved benches had been set against the walls. At the moment they were empty. Michael searched the faces for Lucifer, but he wasn’t there. As one of the highest-ranking angels, even above the regular archangels, Michael supposed he hadn’t been summoned with the rest.

  “Take a seat, everyone,” Gabriel said. “We have much to discuss and precious little time.”

  Michael looked at the other archangels, most of whom seemed to be as in the dark about why they were there as Michael.

  “For those of you who don’t know what has happened this night, let me explain,” Gabriel said. “The unprecedented has happened. One of the most powerful angels in this realm has fallen from grace.”

  Michael frowned as he tried to figure out who was missing from their number. Only the favored ones, such as Lucifer, weren’t present. When he glanced over at Raphael he would not meet his gaze and for the first time Michael began to worry. Could Gabriel be talking about Lucifer?

  “Not only has this angel fallen,” Gabriel continued, “but many of the lesser angels have followed him—a third of their number, in fact.”

  A third? Michael could hardly believe his ears. How could so many of their kind have turned away from what they had here?

  “Which angel has fallen?” Metatron asked. No one needed to ask which angel he referred to. The lesser angels were a great loss, but the powerful angel they followed was the crux of the problem.

  Michael held his breath as he waited for Gabriel to answer the question.

  “Lucifer,” Gabriel said, meeting Michael’s eyes for the first time.

  Suddenly every gaze in the room was on him, and Michael shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  “Thankfully, as you can see, Michael has not followed Lucifer down the destructive path he has chosen to take.” Gabriel smiled at him and Michael understood why he and Raphael had greeted him so strangely when he had arrived on the concourse. They had obviously feared he might have fallen too.

  “What happens now?” Metatron asked. “To Lucifer and the others, I mean?”

  Gabriel turned his attention back to Metatron and the room in general. “The realm of angels is now barred to Lucifer and those who have followed him.”

  “Where are they?” Azrael asked. “If they aren’t here, where have they gone? The Garden?”

  “They aren’t in the Garden,” Gabriel confirmed. “At least not right now.”

  “But?”

  “We believe Lucifer has been there and he has corrupted man.”

  The room erupted with voices raised in horror.

  “What?”

  “How could this happen?”

  “When?”

  “Can it be reversed?”

  Michael stayed silent. No angel set foot in the Garden without express purpose, and interfering with the choices of man was strictly forbidden. What had Lucifer done?

  “Man has eaten the forbidden fruit,” Gabriel said. “This action cannot be undone and the decision has been made to send them from the Garden. The Creation is vast and we trust they will soon find shelter and thrive in their new environment. The bigger problem is Lucifer and his followers.”

  “Where’s Lucifer?” Raphael asked. “Has he been traced yet?”

  “He has,” Gabriel confirmed. “Lucifer has created a new realm and he and his followers are hiding within it.”

  “A new realm? Where did he acquire that sort of power?”

  Michael wondered the same thing. He knew Lucifer to be one of the most powerful archangels alive, and he had temporarily created the lake on the other side of the mountains, but a whole new realm was completely unprecedented. No angel should possess the power of creation and certainly not enough to bring into existence an entire realm.

  “He has observed the Creator for countless centuries and it would appear he has learned many things during this time. Lucifer’s new realm is vast and growing by the hour.”

  “I want to talk to him,” Michael said and everyone in the room stared at him once again.

  “I would advise against that,” Gabriel replied. “Lucifer is no longer the angel you knew. He is much changed.”

  “I need to see him,” Michael insisted.

  “Perhaps the pool of visions?” Raphael suggested. “I think we all need to see what Lucifer has become, Michael most of all.”

  Gabriel nodded and they filed out of the room, making their way to the chamber situated a little farther across the concourse. Outside they found many angels still congregating, waiting for answers. The archangels didn’t stop to explain as they hurried past.

  The pool of visions was guarded, as always, by an angel, who watched over the Garden for the Creator.

  “Any change?” Gabriel asked as they approached.

  The angel shook his head. “No sign of man at all.”

  Gabriel nodded. “You may leave now. Your vigil is over.”

  The angel left without question and the archangels crowded round the pool.

  Michael took the central position and touched the water with his finger. He concentrated on Lucifer, whispering his name out loud, and a moment later the pool shimmered to reveal someone Michael didn’t recognize.

  Around him several angels gasped.

  Lucifer sat on an uncomfortable-looking throne in a large room that seemed to be some sort of cave. Not a single gem adorned the walls, and there were no other furnishings at all.

  Michael forced himself to study Lucifer. He couldn’t stop himself from cringing at the sight of the golden horns protruding from his head. The strawberry-blond hair Michael had been running his fingers through just the day before fell in soft waves over his shoulders. His robes were black and, although his wings weren’t visible, Michael had a feeling they too had changed from the soft, white feathers he loved stroking when Lucifer had slept on his stomach.

  “Michael?” Gabriel asked. “Are you well?”

  Michael nodded. “I have to speak to him. I need to understand what has happened.”

  “You can’t go to him,” Gabriel said. “Lucifer’s new realm is blocked to angels. We’ve already tried to go there.”

  “He’ll open it to me,” Michael replied.

  Gabriel sighed. “Lucifer has named his new realm the Underworld and no angel may set foot inside without pledging allegiance to him and him alone. Those who have done so are as altered as he is.” Gabriel touched the water and the image changed, showing strange creatures, the like of which Michael had never seen before.

  “What are they?” he asked.

  “Former angels, who have chosen to worship Lucifer,” Gabriel explained. “This is what they have become. Is that what you want?”

  Michael shrank back from the pool. “No, of course not.”

  “Good,” Gabriel said.

  “But I still need to talk to him,” Michael insisted.

  “If you can find a way, without becoming what you see here, I won’t stop you.”

  Michael felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to Raphael.

  “I’m sorry, Michael, truly. I know what he meant to you.”

  The rest of the archangels stepped back and, at Gabriel’s request, they returned to their new chamber. After a few minutes, Michael followed them and they all took their seats once more.

  “The fallen angels must be stopped,” Gabriel said. “They need to turn back to the light and renounce Lucifer or…”

  “Or what?” Metatron asked.

  “Or they need to be destroyed,” Gabriel finished.

  “Destroyed?”

  “They cannot be allowed to live,” Gabriel said. “They are too powerful and are already creating havoc in the Creation.”

  Michael didn’t need to ask how much trouble they could have caused in
such a short amount of time. Everyone knew time moved differently in the realm of angels and a day there might be a century on Earth, or sometimes a day on Earth might be an eternity for the angels.

  “Angels aren’t killers,” Metatron said. “We are peaceful.”

  Gabriel stood and his wings spread out behind him, pure and white. His robes changed from soft fabric to metallic plates and a matching helm appeared on his head. When he stretched out his arm he held a blade aloft. “From this day, we have a new purpose, the destruction of the demons, by whatever means necessary.”

  One by one the archangels stood, their garments changing from robes to armor, and they took their places at Gabriel’s side.

  Michael rose last and, when he did, his own clothes transformed to match the others. The sword in his hand felt strange and heavy. He didn’t like it, and from the expressions on the faces of his fellow archangels he suspected he wasn’t the only one.

  “The war against the demons has begun,” Gabriel announced.

  The cheer from the rest of the archangels was hesitant and Michael couldn’t bring himself to join in at all. What could have happened to Lucifer to bring them to this? He had to know.

  * * * *

  As soon as he left the archangels, Michael flew to Lucifer’s home, hoping against everything he had seen that there had been some kind of mistake. The creatures in the pool of visions couldn’t be real, and while the man sitting on the throne bore a striking resemblance to Lucifer, maybe it wasn’t him at all.

  Michael found Lucifer’s home deserted. Every room was empty. Even the furniture had gone.

  “Lucifer?” he called, though he didn’t expect an answer.

  It therefore came as something of a surprise when Lucifer, in his new demonic form, appeared before him.

  “Michael, I knew you’d come,” Lucifer said. “I trusted you would make the right choice.”

  “Tell me this is a mistake,” Michael begged. “They say you’re barred from this realm, and that you’ve turned away from Him.”

  “Barred?” Lucifer chuckled. “There are no barriers that can keep me from you.”

  “And have you forsaken the light?”

  “This is the new world order,” Lucifer replied. “And you have a place in it, ruling at my side.”