Authors: Darcy Town
A man in white and iron, silent until this time, finally spoke up, “It is true, the final war is upon us, and Satan is with us.”
The pastor nodded.
“Thank you—”
The man stood up.
“The Solomon Soldiers have been preparing for this for millennia.”
“The Solomon who?
What are they?”
The man ignored the question.
“There are two sides to this battle.
Our side, the side of the angels, fights to rid this planet of demons and make it a paradise for humanity.
The other side is that of the Fallen.
The Fallen and their children, the Lilliam, are here to destroy this planet and overthrow the angelic order!
They have infiltrated every level of society.
The Luc Industries Corporation has its hands in every pie.
It is under Satan’s control!”
The other men gaped at him.
He ignored them and continued.
“My brethren have been hunting down the Lilliam since humanity began its life on this planet.
Now it is time for the final purge!”
“The
Fallen
?”
The politician frowned.
“Lucien Morcavi is Satan?
His company has given us very nice donations in the past.”
“In Phoenix and in Portland you witnessed what they could do!
In Arizona, the creature that fought with the angel, she is the demon Belial!
She destroyed that city with her madness!
Nothing remains there but ashes.
That same scenario will occur in all the cities of man if they are left unchecked!
You heard what she said, the Fallen stalk the Earth!
Their devil spawn have lived among us, poisoning us with their magic and lies!
Even now, they attack us!
Revelations is upon us, but that was not the Rapture!
Satan has begun his purge of humanity.
We are soldiers of God and must fight against him!”
The room shook.
The men went silent.
Cracks appeared in the studio.
Someone off camera shouted about an earthquake.
Plants burst through the walls and filled the room with foliage.
Everyone ducked or ran for cover as the screen cut to darkness.
***
In the Sanctuary, Paimon and Furcas were embroiled in ecstasy.
The walls around them changed, shifted.
Colors moved, lights flickered.
Gems grew out of the stone and burst into dust.
The dust coated the two on the floor in glittering powder.
Furcas and Paimon did not notice, their thoughts and actions solely locked on each other.
Liquid metal dripped from the ceiling.
The floor rolled.
Ice burst in the air and new creatures took form, ghostly things that sailed through walls and swam through the air like jellyfish.
The room hummed with life and possibilities made manifest.
***
Jacob ran down the Grand Promenade in leaps and bounds.
He panted, out of breath, unable to fly anymore from exhaustion.
Around him, the City broke out in madness.
Those that were not locked in lovemaking were reveling.
Children, the only ones unaffected, ran by in droves, partying while their parents and family were occupied.
Jacob heard laughter and turned.
He gulped and held up his hands.
“Okay, you win.”
The sylph girls giggled in the air above him, openly ogling him.
In their midst they’d captured the only other male sylph he knew of.
The man shrugged and smiled at Jacob.
“You tried.”
Jacob dropped his hands and smiled slightly.
“So, what now?”
The girls dove for him, caught him, and carried him into the air as the City was enveloped in another wave of euphoria.
***
Tokala and Celeste stood in the sparring room staring at each other.
Tokala switched from a fox to a man.
He shuddered in pleasure and looked to her.
“You’ll need to run.”
Celeste folded her arms.
“I think
you
should run.”
The prince stood up tall.
“I will not run.
I want this, Celeste.
If you do not, I suggest—”
Celeste laughed.
“I let you snuggle with me and
no one
snuggles with me.
So yes, come.
I want it.”
Tokala laughed like a bark and jumped at her.
The two crashed into a stand of swords and tugged at clothing.
***
Helion and Whitney flew together high above the palace.
The pair avoided the other flying couples who gave themselves over to passion.
Whitney held her sides.
Helion reached for her.
She pulled away.
Helion frowned.
“What is wrong?
You are hurting.”
“I can’t hurt, I’m undead!
I checked.
I don’t have a heartbeat!
I don’t even need to breathe!”
Helion flipped to his back and flew underneath her.
He looked into her eyes.
“So?
Many of the Lilliam are undead, especially now.”
Whitney made a face.
“Doesn’t that gross you out?”
“Why would I be grossed out by that?
You are lovely.”
He smiled.
“Now we can fly together, though I will continue to carry you, if you would like.”
Whitney laughed.
“Only if we can dive bomb everyone with pinecones again.”
Helion shrugged.
“Well, I do not know about pinecones here, but we could probably find something to drop on their heads.
May I kiss you?”
Whitney blushed gray.
The air grew warm.
“Come here, I can’t be self pitying anymore.
I’m going to burst.”
Helion swept her up.
He looked at her tentatively.
Whitney smiled and kissed him.
He carried her to an empty aerie.
***
Andy drove his palms into his eyes.
A whine escaped through his lips.
He could smell Belial.
He could hear her breathing, so soft and close.
She was helpless, gripped by the bliss that surged through the walls and air.
He listened to her moan and thoughts of reaching out and touching her raced through his head.
He punched himself in the face and knocked himself into a daze.
Belial curled into a ball, watching his every move.
Sweat poured down into her eyes as the air temperature scorched her body.
Her lungs burned.
Her muscles ached as she strained against what they wanted to do.
Andy screamed and turned away from her.
He shook as pleasure, energy unreleased, turned to discomfort, then agony.
She reached out with a shaking hand.
“Andy?”
“Do
not
touch me, Belial!
I can’t take it.”
Belial snatched her hand back.
Warmth and ecstasy surged through her.
She shook with it; she needed some kind of release.
She felt his pain as if it were hers.
Tears poured out of her eyes.
She sobbed.
Andy pushed himself up on his elbows.
He looked at her and struggled not to jump on her.
“Why are you crying?”
“I hurt you.
I hurt
everyone
!
It is all I can do!”
Andy closed his eyes.
His arms gave out and he fell back to the pillows.
“No, it’s not your fault.”
He bit into a pillow and chewed.
She drew closer.
He turned to her with his eyes squeezed shut.
“Get away.”
Cool lips touched his cheek, burning his skin as they soothed.
He pulled his arms to his chest.
“Get away from me, Belial!”
She kissed his other cheek.
Desire tore through him.
He panted and held his arms.
Andy’s eyes snapped open.
“You are
torturing
me.
Get
back
!”
Belial looked at him, eyes half-lidded.
“No.”
She leaned forward to kiss him.
Andy searched her gaze.
“No.
No, you are not yourself.
Stop.”
He grabbed her wrists and held her back.
Belial kissed his hand.
Andy head butted her and pressed her back with his shoulder.
“You will not like yourself once you are regained.
Stop this!”
She writhed beneath him, in full possession of the energy around them.
“It does not matter.
Now
matters.”
“No!”
He sucked in burning air.
“I will
not
do this.”
“Just kiss me.”
“No, Belial!”
He turned his face from hers.
Having to be this close, touching her now was maddening, but he gagged at the thought of what Uriel had done to her.
He was nothing like Uriel.
He could and would control himself.
He held on to that thought.
His will was unbreakable; he rode waves of euphoria with his mind intact.
He shut out the sensations of the flesh and concentrated.
Belial fought against him.
Andy turned her away and wrapped his arms around her.
He locked her hands to her chest.
He held her in place like a vise.
“Just breathe, Belial.”
Belial struggled, senseless, but she calmed as she felt his breath on her neck and his heartbeat against her skin.
Her eyes opened.
She remembered where she was.
She turned her head to look at him.
“You are not going to…”
“Of course not.”
Belial closed her eyes.
“Why?”
“I am not like him.
I will never do that to you.”
Andy relaxed his grip.
“Are you all right now?”
Belial nodded.
She turned in his arms and laid her cheek on his chest.
“You are far too good for me.”
He wrapped her up.
“That is stupid, there is nothing about me that makes me any better than you.”
“I remember what I once was, innocence.
Mine was stolen, but you still have your heart.”
Andy kissed her forehead.
The two became absorbed in the sensation.
He pulled back and struggled to speak, “You have not lost your innocence.
It just went on a vacation.”
She sighed.
“Andrealphus, you’re so dumb.”
She pressed into him and closed her eyes.
The two lay still.
In the grips of desire, when all others gave over, they felt content.
Belial smiled.
“This is what it is supposed to be.
What it should have been between us, if…”
He held her tighter and let her speak.
She kissed his chest through his shirt.
“I did not think I could tell you before, because of what I am, but I love you, Andrealphus.
I always have.”
A weight lifted from her chest.
She meant the words.
She smiled.
“I love you so very much.”
Andy felt like his heart would burst.
The madness of the flesh gave way to a body high and an overwhelming sense of peace.
He kissed her cheek.
“Then everything will be fine.
We will get through this together and you will be okay.”
He squeezed her tighter.
“I can wait for an eternity more.
I want you to be whole.”