Read In Exile (Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven, Book III) Online
Authors: John J Higgins
“I am sorry that I had to leave you, Lillith. I thought you were safe up in my palace, and would not be discovered. How did they find you?”
“Your invisible hallway worked very well, Jarahmael. There were other Angels that had landed in our palace, looking for something and they were unable to detect me. It worked even when Luciferael and his other Angels flew in, although they were more interested in your mirrors. None of them could see me nor did they know I was there. You should be proud of what you made to conceal me,” Lillith said, smiling at him.
“Then how did they discover you, Lillith?” Jarahmael asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“They didn’t, Jarahmael. It was only when they were talking about how you had been destroyed in one of the battles during their rebellion, that it made me think that was the reason you had not returned for me. I was stranded up there, Jarahmael, and I was waiting for you,” Lillith added.
“I did not even think that Luciferael would ever be in my palace, Lillith. Nor did I think the ruse I used to escape the rebel Angels would be the thing that would make you reveal yourself. I am touched that it made you that upset,” Jarahmael said, smiling as he thought about how much she cared for him.
“I did care that much for you, Jarahmael, and I still do!” she said as she reached out and held his hand.
“How did you end up in Hades with Luciferael?” Jarahmael asked as he picked her up and held her closer to himself, so glad she was within his arms’ reach.
“Luciferael seduced me, Jarahmael, and became my lover,” Lillith said nonchalantly. “That is not important now,” she said as she in turn brushed her hand through his hair.
Jarahmael felt as though a sword had been put through his belly when she said that to him. He could not help himself but became silent as he put her down on the ground and started to back away from her feeling wounded.
“Did I say something wrong?” she asked, concerned by his reaction.
“No, Lillith. It just hurts that you were with Luciferael in that way. I doubt he cared much about you at all, other than as a distraction.”
Lillith now seemed hurt herself. “Luciferael did take care of me, Jarahmael, when no one else did. I was trapped up in the Seventh Heaven and neither you, nor your colleagues, nor the Almighty made sure I was safe.”
Jarahmael looked at her as he thought about what she had just said. “I could not get to you, Lillith, and still protect the Heavens from the attacks by Luciferael’s rebel Angels. For that I am truly sorry. I cannot blame you for what you did with Luciferael, but it still hurts me,” he responded, tears glowing in his eyes.
Lillith looked at how hurt Jarahmael was and realized she could not tell him that Luciferael had taught her a spell that allowed her to grow wings and fly. He would never be able to take that news. Then she thought about what she had to do right after the rebellion, how she had to remain hidden.
Lillith continued, “And then Luciferael had to save me from your other Archangels when I was in the Garden of Eden, he snuck me out of there after he told me that the Almighty and his loyal Angels were coming to capture or destroy me.”
“I doubt that the Almighty or my loyal brethren would have destroyed you, Lillith,” Jarahmael said softly.
“Then why do we continue to hide from them, my dear Jarahmael? Shouldn’t we be welcomed and blessed in the Seven Heavens and the Garden of Eden, once again?”
A NEW DEAL
The following morning, Sammuael flew up through Hell and into the caves that wound up through the Earth’s surface and into Lillith's upper palace. Ascending through the palace’s stairwells, he expected to find her at the cliff face where she would stay during the day. He called out to her a number of times as he approached but received no answer.
She must be out walking,
he thought.
As he looked around the palace, he found the Cherubim guards and asked them where the Human woman had gone. Nowhere that they knew of; they had arrived early that morning and assumed she had been asleep in one of the lower levels of the palace. Now alarmed, they began to search the entire palace for any evidence of her disappearance.
Sammuael needed to find her. She was the link that would give him Jarahmael. He also knew that Luciferael would not be pleased if he returned empty handed, so he decided to take the risk of being observed and flew out to search the local countryside.
This independent nature of Lillith’s is becoming intolerable to deal with
, he thought to himself as he pushed harder against the air to burn off his own frustration.
He searched angrily for a great distance without finding her or any clue as to her whereabouts. Could she have escaped? She did have wings, he remembered. Wings that Luciferael himself had given her. But where could she have gone? She had not been on the Earth itself for any length of time, except for that short time when she had left Adam before the rebellion.
We never found her that time,
Sammuael thought.
And we had searched. Had to deal with that idiot creature Serpentalia, glad I don't have to do that again! Jarahmael had found her first, but he never told any of us where he had found her. Why is it that everything that I have tried to do or Luciferael has tried to accomplish has been opposed in some way by Jarahmael? He really needs to be captured and neutralized!
Tired of searching for this Human, Sammuael decided it was best to return to Hell and inform Luciferael that Lillith was missing again.
Better to get it over with,
he thought as he flew back.
Luciferael was holding a meeting with some of the other rebel Archangels when he arrived, deep within the Seventh Pit of Hell.
“Ah Sammuael returns,” Luciferael commented as Sammuael landed in the entranceway of the replica of the Heaven’s Throne Room, the Pandemonium Palace so named by Mephistophael.
Stiffening himself up for a rebuke by his lord, Sammuael looked at Luciferael directly and began to speak as he made a slight bow. “My lord Luciferael, I regret to inform you that Lillith is gone. I could not find her in her palace or in the neighboring countryside. I searched extensively but there was no sign of her or clue as to where she may have gone,” Sammuael finished with his eyes still looking downward, afraid of how Luciferael would react.
Luciferael's face went dark. “I should have never trusted her near the surface, pregnant or not. We shall have to go after her, search the planet until we find her.” He sat and thought for a few minutes and then Luciferael's face lightened and he secretly winked over at Beelzebael. “Perhaps it’s not as bad as I think. It may bring Jarahmael out of hiding if he hears she is back on the surface of the Earth.”
Luciferael stood up from his seat and began to pace.
“Let me continue where I left off before this 'Lillith' interruption. My fellow rebel Angels, I have gotten much better news, news that will alter our future plans!” Luciferael responded with a sly look that he knew more than what he had told any of the rebel Archangels, even the ones assembled while Sammuael had gone to the surface.
The assembled rebel Archangels all had confused looks on their faces, although Beelzebael and Mephistophael both tried in vain to appear as though they too were privy to Luciferael’s news.
“Earlier today, I was up on the surface of the Earth flying over to where Adam and Eve have been residing. As I approached, the Archangel Michael flew down to me and we had a discussion.”
“Michael? Did you try to kill him, my lord? Did he try to kill you?” asked Beelzebael, not able to hold back the question as he was so surprised.
“No, neither of us was armed as I did not expect any trouble for my short foray into the skies over the Earth. Nor did I see any weapon upon Michael.”
“What did he want?” asked Sammuael as he rose again to his feet, adjusting the sword that he did carry with him whenever he ventured up to the surface of the Earth.
“He asked me what I had done with the Books of Creation and the Books of Life,” Luciferael said with a smile of contentment rising across his face.
“We have the Books of Creation and the Book of Life?” asked Mephistophael.
“Wait! What is the Book of Life? Where was that kept?’ Sammuael interrupted.
“That was a very interesting part. Seems that there was a second Book concealed in the Throne, supposedly in a hidden compartment underneath the Book of Creation.” Luciferael explained.
“I thought we had secured the Book of Creation within the Almighty’s Throne back in the Seventh Heaven when we had conquered it,” said Beelzebael. “If what you say is true shouldn’t that Book of Life still be there as well?”
“Exactly. We did not take the Books with us,” Luciferael said with some regret in his voice. “I did not let on that we did not know that the Book of Life was concealed there as well. I asked him indirectly about its powers. I said that if we did have it, did we have to be careful it could harm something if we used it incorrectly. Fortunately, Michael answered without thinking and said it wouldn’t hurt the physical Universe, but could wreak havoc with Human and Simian life.”
“Why did we not know about this Book of Life before?” Sammuael asked. “It’s just another example of how ill-treated we were by the Almighty and how justified we were to rebel!”
“I then told Michael we did not have the Books and why was he asking me that question to begin with! He became extremely agitated and replied that he knew my rebel forces had taken the Books and substituted counterfeit books, meant to look like the originals, well done, but fakes all the same. He further added that the Almighty was not happy that the Books were missing and that there would be a price to be paid for removing the Books or destroying them.”
Sammuael wondered why this was pleasing Luciferael. “Isn't this a problem that the Books of Creation or the Books of Life are missing or destroyed?”
“It is a major problem for the Almighty and the loyal Angels, is it not?” Luciferael responded, relishing the words. “Those Books would allow us to reengage the loyal Angels in battle and again conquer the Heavens whether or not the Almighty is present there!”
“That's right,” added Beelzebael. “Who would have thought we could ever get our hands on the Book of Creation again, and now a second Book that controls the mud creatures. We now have the chance to find them and use them even after we have been cast out of the Heavens. For all we knew they were safe and secure up in the Seventh Heaven, a place we have almost no hope of ever getting near again if we start another rebellion. The loyal Angels would be ready to fight us in each and every one of the Heavens. Now that they are fortified and aware, we would be lucky to get through the First Heaven, much less successfully fight our way all the way back up to the Seventh Heaven.”
“Those Books would allow us to defeat the loyal Angels easily,” interjected Mephistophael, “we really should have taken the Books when we had the chance.”
A hush ran around the room as each of the Archangels thought that Mephistophael was correct. But all were afraid to say anything about it, as it would show that Luciferael had not taken advantage of their control over the Seventh Heaven when they had conquered it the first time. If they had only taken the Books when they had the opportunity, was the unspoken thought lingering among them.
Sammuael then spoke up. “That means the Books could be somewhere other than in the Heavens?”
“Exactly,” said Luciferael. “What Archangel or Angel of the lesser Orders would ever take or destroy those Books? They would not dare. It would have had to have been someone who was up in the Seventh Heaven and had the opportunity to go into the Throne Room and remove them when no one was around. This could have only occurred during the rebellion when there was confusion all through the Heavens. Once the rebellion was over, one of the loyal Angels would have seen someone steal the Books. Yes, whoever took the Books, they would have had to steal them during the rebellion. Someone who would want to keep the Books safe and the theft secret from us or the Almighty. There was only one of the loyal Angels who was moving freely throughout the Heaven after our rebellion began. . .”
“Jarahmael?” Sammuael blurted out.
“Yes!” said Luciferael. “The one and the same. Even better it seems that he is not in the Almighty or the loyal Angels’ favor anymore. Michael was looking for him as well, apparently he did something wrong and is no longer welcome in the Heavens. Michael even accused him of joining with us for his own gain.”
“Oh, I will have him join us all right!” exclaimed Sammuael, thinking of how Jarahmael had kept him trapped within that crystal during the rebellion. “So Michael believes we have the Book of Life and Book of Creation?”
“He seemed to be hinting that they knew that either Jarahmael or we ourselves now have them. He did not seem concerned about Jarahmael’s well-being, he may have been hinting that the loyals may not do anything to help Jarahmael if we did find him and force him to tell us where the Books are located. He only wanted the Books returned. And, even more surprisingly Michael offered me a proposition.”
“A proposition?” asked Sammuael. “Why would he offer us anything?”
Luciferael smiled before he continued. “The Almighty cannot allow the souls from Adam and Eve or their future offspring up into the Heavens after they die. Having violated His commandment, their souls are no longer pure. His offer is that we receive the souls from the dead Humans and Simians and house them in our realm. They will remain in the Hades section. Those souls in Hades are not to be harmed, but just kept there until the Almighty establishes a plan to redeem them in the future, and allow the purified souls back into the Garden of Eden or some other place in the First Heaven. The deeper section of my realm, Hell, will be reserved for those Humans who become followers of mine, and reject the Almighty. Once they are mine we can do with them as we want, punish them as we see fit, place them wherever we desire in our kingdom, the Seven Pits of Hell.”
“Sounds too good to be true,” said Beelzebael. “The Almighty is giving us access to the Humans? We get to interact with the Humans to convince them to join us?”
“Yes, but only if the Humans choose to follow us or ask us for something,” responded Luciferael.
“How will they know we exist?” asked Sammuael. “The Almighty can keep us hidden and secret if He so desires, can’t He?”
“According to Michael, the Almighty will allow the Humans to learn of our existence and tales of our war for the conquest of the Heavens. We can also offer a path that removes the Almighty from their lives, so they can choose to follow us or simply ignore Him altogether.”
“There will be more Humans?” Sammuael asked.
“Yes, according to Michael, the Humans will reproduce and populate the Earth. All will receive souls generated from the Almighty. Those will be the ones who will go to either Hades or Hell at the end of their lifetimes. Then, there will also be a class of Angelic or saintly souls who are generated from the Guardian Angels from the First Heaven. This class will be allowed to choose to be born on Earth, live as Humans and then die, all without remembering they are in fact Angels. Those who remain as Guardian Angels or return to Angel form after death will work with other Humans on the Earth.
“To be fair to us, they too will be limited in their ability to recruit souls by the restriction that the Humans must request the Angels' assistance just like the Humans have to request our assistance. The Almighty is setting up a Council to supervise and even a Library to keep track of all the Human souls. The Library will be housed in the Fifth Heaven with the Order of the Virtues. Since we are no longer welcome there to discuss various view points, there is not a lot of activity going on in their Heaven.” Luciferael smiled and looked directly at Sammuael.