* * *
Azaziel spoke to Yeshua while He still communed with the Lord in prayer.
"Pardon, my King. But there come of the son of men a squad carrying lanterns, swords, and staves. Surely they mean to do you harm."
Yeshua saw them afar off, sighed, and knowing all things that should come upon him, lifted Himself up from prayer and walked forth.
Azaziel looked flummoxed, unsure of what to do.
"My King?" he said, but Yeshua did not reply and set Himself to meet them.
Azaziel and his soldiers eyed the entourage, inspecting every inch of their person, ready to strike them blind or stop their hearts at a moment's notice. Other Elohim spread abroad throughout the countryside, ready to lay the whole region to waste if necessary, daring any of the Horde to come closer. None did save one.
Lucifer fell from the sky, his glowing persona lighting just yards from Yeshua, and within the protective circle, Azaziel and his band had set. Yeshua's royal guards raised their shields and swords, but Lucifer raised his hands in abeyance and spoke.
"I come naught but to observe. I mean the Godking no harm. Behold, see one of his own disciples comes to bring his love." Lucifer turned with a smile, his eye upon Judas who was at the head of the squad.
"Hail, Master," Judas said and kissed Him.
"My friend," Yeshua said. "Wherefore art thou come?"
Judas stepped back with gripped conscious but answered not the Lord. He meekly smiled and turned toward the armed party.
Yeshua then spoke aloud for Judas to hear. "Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?"
Judas looked down, shaken at the words but did not reply. Lucifer smiled, and his hands folded behind his back in smugness as Azaziel and his angels grew increasingly frustrated.
Lucifer sat on a rock and spoke, "Do not look at me. The human acts of his own volition," he said with a snicker as Yeshua narrowed his eyes at his rogue son.
Yeshua turned to the throng before him, focusing on those with swords. His face turned grim as He spoke. "Whom seek ye?"
A temple constable replied. "Yeshua of Nazareth."
Yeshua said, "I AM He." The power of Yeshua's voice carried on the gust of a sudden wind, and He spoke with such authority that soldiers shrank in fear and stumbled backward to the ground. Even Lucifer became discomforted but watched silently as his plans unfolded before his eyes.
Azaziel and the host warily eyed the men, ready to pounce, itching to cut down the whole entourage at Yeshua's word. Hands on hilts, the angels hovered. Azaziel's eyes looked pleadingly at his master for the command to move. But the command did not come. And Azaziel, having no command to engage, watched the exchange of God and men in dismay.
Yeshua then asked again, "Whom do you seek?"
And they said, "Yeshua of Nazareth."
Yeshua eyed His disciples, not willing that any should perish, that the saying might be fulfilled, of them which thou gavest me have I lost none. He knew that with but a word He could unleash a legion upon the fools who sought to unknowingly apprehend their Creator. With a single thought, He could send them screaming to the realm of the unrighteous dead, but He did not. He looked at Azaziel, who stood ready to slice the captain's throat, and Christ opened His hands to signal surrender.
"I have told thee that I am He: if therefore ye seek me, then let these go their way. But why come ye out as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was with thee daily in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is thy hour and the Power of Darkness," He said with a side glance at Lucifer.
Lucifer then projected his voice that only Simon Peter might hear and said, "Wilt thou stand idle whilst these men take hold to the Savior? What dost thou have in thine hands?"
Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote Malchus, the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.
Azaziel smiled. Finally, someone brave enough to confront this rabble.
But Yeshua frowned at them all and especially Lucifer, and said unto Peter, "Put thy sword into the sheath: for the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? For all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?"
Azaziel realized the Lord not only rebuked Peter but was also speaking to him and his soldiers as well. Yeshua's eyes were stern towards Azaziel, and the angel knew the Lord would not permit them to interfere. And Azaziel and the rest of the angelic guard sheathed their swords and stood watching their King, attentive to any command.
The Lord Yeshua then bent down and took Malchus' ear and healed him. Then the squad and the captain and officers of the Jews took Yeshua into custody, and the disciples seeing the Lord bound, fled every man to escape.
Azaziel withstood Lucifer to his face and spoke, "This is your doing Deceiver, you will pay for your crimes, and I will be there on the day you art judged."
Lucifer replied, "I could kill you before thou saw me coming; nevertheless, at the moment, thou hast more pressing concerns to attend to, do you not?" And Lucifer chuckled as he lounged on the rock smiling, waving goodbye, and shooing him away.
Azaziel snorted in frustration, turned, and joined his brethren who followed the Lord, as He was led by evil men, alone and captive through the dark of night.
* * *
Nephanos had watched Sherkanim's officers escort Gabriel and Metatron away. However, the chief of the guard hesitated, turned to his Lord and waited to be acknowledged.
Nephanos took note but said nothing. Moments of silence passed between them and Sherkanim stood at attention, waiting for the glance that he knew would allow him to speak.
Nephanos sighed, then spoke to his waiting servant, "We've have known each other for many eons, you and I, yet you still stand in my presence captain after being dismissed--why?"
Sherkanim fell to one knee. "My king. Since our birth as a people, El hath always intended that all of Heaven's children be one. Never was it in His heart the schism that now exists between us. Yet due to our hardness of heart, He hath allowed us to stay behind the mountain of Heaven. And while idle in our solitude, we have silently awaited El's bidding to rejoin the Ophanim, and Elohim, and once more be one. Is it not possible that these emissaries are a sign from El that the time for reunification is before us? And lo, a new race stands on our grounds, these...Humans. Therefore, I ask my king to reconsider this course to dismiss the heralds from the throne room of God."
Nephanos nodded. "I have heard thy petition. If the angels are in such dire straits as they proclaim, then the Chief Prince will come, bend the knee before this throne and submit himself to my pardon. Then we shall be one. Then offense can be forgiven."
Sherkanim lowered his head further and glanced upward, careful not to look at his master. "Oh great king, did we not barter with the Deceiver? Hath, we no culpability for what has befallen us? We cannot blame Lucifer alone for what hath transpired. And what of his war now against the Godking Himself? Will we stand idle and watch as he schemes to bring down the fall of God? My king, I beg...."
Nephanos stood, and raised his hands. "Silence. Thou speakest out of turn, Capitan. Do not presume to lecture me on how to rule for thou hast spoken beyond your station. Now go to and see to your duties while I see to mine."
"My apologies, my king. It shall be as you command." Sherkanim then touched his forehead to the ground in obeisance, scooted backward until he was far enough from his lord to stand, bowed, and turned to leave.
Nephanos communed with his own thoughts, as he watched his servant depart his presence and when Sherkanim was gone, Nephanos walked to the rear of his throne, past a door to his inner chamber. He opened the door and rest his eyes on instruments of the finest craftsmanship, each stamped with the flaming symbol of Camael. His glowing hand glided over each trumpet in a light caress.
"I have not whispered into your innards the breath of my fire for many days now. Not since my betrayal at the hands of the Deceiver. Not since my brother made me stand in proxy to wear this accursed crown."
Nephanos then lifted the token of kingship from off his head and threw it across the floor. As it toppled to rest, a faded God-stone gleamed atop...a stone that no longer sung a song asking to be...a stone silenced from begging its maker to shape it to his will.
The King of the Seraphim sat in a chair and rocked, then placed a tortured head in his hands and murmured his growing anxiety. "Did Prince Gabriel recognize me? I cannot allow him to leave the city and reveal my identity." The king's eyes darted back and forth. "No one must know. For if the people were to see the truth..."
Nephanos stood and paced within his private chambers, and grew increasingly agitation as he eyed both the crown and the instruments assembled before him. In a gesture of frustration, he swatted several flutes and lyres to the floor and hunched over the table where they had been displayed.
"Nephanos, my brother, what were thou thinking? When Lucifer and I conceived the plan to upset the balance of power, when we created the trumpets, we could have unleashed their untapped power and ruled all! But no, instead of siding with thy own brother, instead of taking what could have been ours, thou didst reveal my sin to El and left me here to taste the burden of power. And after all this time, after all, these years, for what? To teach me the weight of ruling? To make me eat the bread of my lust? I am not thee, brother. For mine is to craft songs to lift our kind to worship and exaltation. Together, Lucifer and I would have melded light and sound and made the universe tremble. But no! Now I must take on this false persona, for I, Camael, the greatest of our kind, must be resigned to play 'king.' While true power sits on a mountaintop among the heights of the clouds, here I stand to rule within its shadow. And what of you? Thou hast chosen to go off and yelp in obeisance every time someone enters the presence of El. And what of these angels before me now. Is this thy doing, brother? To convince me to submit to El and once again unite our people? Is this your feeble attempt to bring me an olive branch? Pssft. I will see your emissaries destroyed, and their purposes brought to naught."
Camael laughed, and his eyes glazed and sparked, and he stared longingly at the dormant Stone of Fire in the crown that was on the floor.
And unbeknownst to him, standing hidden outside his doorway was Enoch, having entered the king's chamber in hopes to gain an audience. He stood with his hands over his mouth, horrified, shocked that the King of the Seraphim was none other than the traitor, Camael!
* * *
Jerahmeel and Iblis covertly wound through tunnels and corridors lined with Hell's villi.
Jerahmeel looked in the dimness and noted that they saw no servants of Lucifer, but the air echoed with groans and screams of distant angels caught in the creature's digestive tract.
"Why have we not seen any of Lucifer's servants here?" Jerahmeel said.
Iblis moved carefully around a dangling tendril, watching where he stepped so as not to awaken and bring attention to Hell's consciousness.
"There are sections of the creature where none venture. Because all fear to travel through the beast without authorization from their master, Satan. Hell is not as tamed as Lucifer would have the Horde believe. She is too vast to be entirely restrained. She merely tolerates the presence of those that indwell her. If Lucifer were not able to control her with the Keys of Death and Hell, she would devour us all. I have garnered enough travel through her to know the way, but Lucifer ever changes the path to the forge, forcing the creature to alter her innards to the central bowel. There are some areas that would be easier to travel, but we would encounter much resistance."
"Is there no other option?" Jerahmeel said, stepping gingerly.
"We could travel areas that are not constricted by Lucifer's leash, but we risk the beast's hunger. All paths are perilous and fraught with danger."
Jerahmeel pondered the decision when he paused.
"Hold, do you hear that?"
Iblis stopped his advance in the dimness. "Nay Prince, but we should not stand idle or our presence will be detected. We must keep moving."
Jerahmeel squinted his eyes, as though narrowing them would somehow enhance his hearing. He tilted his head slightly and strained to hear. "Hmmph. Perhaps it was my imagination. You are right. We should keep mov..."
A faint scream floated on the air.
"I hear it," Iblis said. "It sounds like Turiel... below us. It sounds like he is in battle."
Jerahmeel pulled two axes attached to the small of his back and exercised his authority over the cold in El's name over what little water could be evidenced in the cavern. He withdrew the heat from the cavern and slowly the temperature dropped; Iblis could see his breath, and the rivers of lava in the chamber cooled and slowed their incessant march across the floor as muffled screams continued from below.
"If we go to his aid, we will die," said Iblis
"And if we do not, he most assuredly will," Replied Jerahmeel. "We cannot leave him in this place. Fear not. We will find the Forge."
Iblis nervously eyed the cavern, watching for signs that Hell had noticed a change in her internal organs. His anxiety increased with each passing second.
Run, his mind whispered to him, his thoughts battling in silent conflict.
Abandon the cause of the Forge. Iblis then put his hands to his temples and proceeded to rub from his mind the erosion of logical thought and the ever encroaching madness of the Withering. Iblis could feel it getting stronger. He shook himself and watched as Jerahmeel continued to summon the elemental forces of nature to his cause and watched as the lava came to a stop, and ice crystals on the walls and ceilings.
Runnnn... the voice urged again. The floor crusted over in ice. Jerahmeel satisfied by his work slammed the hilt of his axe into the ground. Cracks creaked across the floor and wound themselves under the duo's feet until the ground collapsed with the sound of shattering glass. Jerahmeel and Iblis fell through and landed on the level below. They stood to their feet to see Eskalion and Turiel encased in flaming tendrils. Insulated in the creatures siphoning grasp, maggots crept over them. Jerahmeel instantly leaped to their defense. The Prince of Harrada touched the flaming lattice around Eskalion to freeze it and snapped the now brittle strands apart. Eskalion coughed up blood and maggots escaped his mouth, no longer protected by the warmth generated by their host's body. As they squirmed down his flesh, Iblis and Jerahmeel brushed the creatures aside and crushed them underfoot.
Eskalion's eyes fluttered. "Turiel...trapped..."
"We have him," said Jerahmeel. "Iblis, see to Eskalion. I will free Turiel."
Iblis nodded and helped Eskalion to his feet while cautiously watching the floors and ceilings.
Runnnn... his mind begged him.
Turiel thrashed within the warm, life-sucking blanket Hell had made for the redactor, and Jerahmeel froze the tentacles and snapped them off. Turiel settled to the floor and fell into Jerahmeel's lap. Slowly, he gained his composure... just as the floor moved.
Iblis nervously backed away from Eskalion, his eyes darting all about the room. As the two rescuers frantically moved to get the party going.
"Jerahmeel, behind you!" Iblis screamed.
Tendrils of flame lowered from the ceiling and openings appeared on the floor, as eyes upon eyes looked upon the group and noted that angel flesh walked freely within the cavern.
Jerahmeel took his axes and twirled them over his head, swishing the air, cutting the approaching tendrils into pieces.
"RUN!" Iblis screamed.
The eyes that followed them turned red and the march of one-eyed cells with teeth now turned to pursue them. Hell was conscious of them now, and she would not let them escape. Iblis pressed hard, flying through an exit, and Eskalion and Turiel quickly followed with Jerahmeel bringing up the rear. Through each corridor, more eyes seeped out of the walls, and lengthy tendrils extended themselves to capture the intestinal quarry.
Iblis turned left, and when he did Turiel spoke, "No, turn right. I remember this from Hell's tomes."
Iblis paused, in a quandary. "But if we go that way we will surely run into the patrols of the Horde."
Turiel was insistent, "Turn left, now!"
Iblis noted that the march of red eyes had multiplied and Hell now followed their scent with dogged persistence. Desirous to be anywhere but where they were, Iblis and Jerahmeel looked into each other's eyes, and in that moment, Jerahmeel knew the Iblis who had earlier helped the cause of Heaven was no more, for the Withering had taken its hold. Iblis' eyes bulged, fearful of the march of the centipedes of fire, and with the look of a madman, sheered off to the right.
"Iblis!" screamed Eskalion.
"Let him go. The Withering has him," said Jerahmeel. "Let's get out of here – quickly now."
The group headed left as Turiel instructed, and Jerahmeel looked back to see Iblis slip into the dark.