Rise of the Fallen Read online

  BOOKS BY CHUCK BLACK

  WARS OF THE REALM TRILOGY

  Cloak of the Light

  THE KNIGHTS OF ARRETHTRAE

  Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione

  Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court

  Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart

  Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue

  Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor

  Sir Rowan and the Camerian Conquest

  THE KINGDOM SERIES

  Kingdom’s Dawn

  Kingdom’s Hope

  Kingdom’s Edge

  Kingdom’s Call

  Kingdom’s Quest

  Kingdom’s Reign

  RISE OF THE FALLEN

  PUBLISHED BY MULTNOMAH BOOKS

  12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200

  Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921

  All Scripture quotations and paraphrases, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version.

  This is a work of fiction. Apart from well-known people, events, and locales that figure into the narrative, all names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Trade Paperback ISBN 978-1-60142-504-1

  eBook ISBN 978-1-60142-505-8

  Copyright © 2015 by Chuck Black

  Cover design and photography: Kristopher K. Orr

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, New York, a Penguin Random House Company.

  MULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Black, Chuck.

  Rise of the fallen / Chuck Black. — First edition.

  pages; cm. — (Wars of the realm; book 2)

  ISBN 978-1-60142-504-1 (paperback) — ISBN 978-1-60142-505-8 (electronic) [1. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 2. Good and evil—Fiction. 3. Angels—Fiction. 4. Christian life—Fiction. 5. Blind—Fiction. 6. Single-parent families—Fiction. 7. Family life—South Carolina—Fiction.] I. Title.

  PZ7.B528676Ris 2015

  [Fic]—dc23

  2014040058

  v3.1

  To my mother, Frances.

  Thank you for being a light to so many and a quiet but mighty soldier of the King, who never departed from the Spirit and has served God with prayers night and day.

  Luke 2:37

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Other Books by This Author

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  A Note from Chuck Black

  Cast of Characters

  Names of God

  Time Line and Major Events

  1 Validus

  2 Four Friends

  3 Shadows from the Light

  4 Reassigned

  5 The Hall of Vision

  6 The Battle for Kish

  7 Enemy at the Gate

  8 Echoes of the Past

  9 The Curse of Devolution

  10 Carter and the Guardian

  11 The Battle of the Purge

  12 A New Enemy

  13 The Second Generation

  14 Nemesis

  15 One Heart

  16 New Mission

  17 Tower of Confusion

  18 Protecting the Lineage

  19 Tracking Carter

  20 The Stratagem of Lineage Warfare

  21 Saving Carter

  22 Persian Prince of War

  23 The Challenge

  24 The Wisdom of the Aged

  25 Charge of the Droxan

  26 Twelve Legions

  27 Translation

  28 The Silence of the Cross

  29 The Rescue of Benjamin Berg

  30 The Indwelling

  31 Too Great a Sacrifice

  32 The Lineage Legion

  33 Warriors of Valor

  34 When Heroes Fall

  35 Into the Dragon

  36 Israel Reborn

  37 Twice Fallen

  38 Secrets of the Fallen

  Readers Guide

  A NOTE FROM CHUCK BLACK

  This is a speculative work of fiction not intended to confuse or diminish the truth of God’s holy and inspired Word. Where the Bible is silent, I have taken literary freedom to construct a fictional account of the angels of heaven and their association and interaction with each other and with humanity.

  The intent of this book is to, through fiction, open our eyes to the reality of spiritual warfare as described in Scripture. I have made every attempt to not contradict the Bible in any way but rather use it as a foundation upon which to inspire serious contemplation about our eternity and ultimately to give honor and glory to God. The Readers Guide at the end of this book will carefully delineate the truth of God’s Word from the fiction of this story. Please take the time to read and understand it so that there is no confusion regarding solid biblical doctrine.

  To further clarify, reference statements that are directly correlated to biblical truths are set in bold text.

  May you be inspired by the story that follows.

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Validus main character, last angel created

  FRIENDS OF VALIDUS

  Niturni

  closest friend of Validus

  Persimus

  the compassionate friend

  Cadriel

  the beautiful friend

  Ral

  the awkward and funny friend

  ARCHANGELS

  Michael

  leader of the Warrior Order

  Gabriel

  leader of the Messenger Order

  ANGEL COMMANDERS

  Jorill

  general of the first generation of warrior angels

  Danick

  general of the second generation of warrior angels

  Brandt

  great leader of first- and second-generation warriors

  Kelandar

  primus commander of second-generation warriors

  Guilden

  primus commander of second-generation warriors

  Malak

  primus commander of second-generation warriors

  Rafinni

  primus commander of second-generation warriors

  Porthan

  primus commander of second-generation warriors

  Sorak

  primus commander of second-generation warriors

  GUARDIANS

  Tren

  assigned with Validus to protect Drew Carter

  Yortan

  assigned to protect Anna Wiesenthal

  FALLEN COMMANDERS

  Apollyon

  leader of the Fallen, also known as Lucifer

  Tarsis

  general of the first generation of Fallen warriors

  Desgard

  general of the second generation of Fallen warriors

  Durgank

  Midwest regional commander

  Kushad

  Fallen Prince of Shinar

  Maltrinidab

  Fallen Prince of Persia

  Tinsalik Barob

  rebel Fallen

  HUMANS

  Drew Carter

  main character of book 1

  Sydney Carlyle

  main female char
acter of book 1

  Benjamin Berg

  friend of Drew Carter

  Noah

  Nimrod

  King of Babel

  Eber

  great-great-grandson of Noah

  Tamaral

  maiden who speaks out against Nimrod

  Daniel

  José

  boy in Brazil

  Paulo

  boy in Brazil

  Luiz

  boy in Brazil

  NAMES OF GOD​

  Elohim

  God

  Elohim HaAv

  God the Father

  Ben Elohim

  the Son of God

  Yeshua Ben Elohim

  Jesus, Son of God

  Ruach Elohim

  the Spirit of God

  Ruach Ha-Kodesh

  Holy Spirit

  ORDERS OF ANGELS

  Guardian*

  Messenger

  Carrier

  Warrior

  Minister

  ORDERS OF DEMONS

  Vexer-Possessor*

  Messenger

  Draeger

  Warrior

  Tormentor

  RANKINGS OF WARRIOR ANGELS​

  Archangel

  Michael, leader of warriors in both realms

  General

  leader of all earth warriors

  Primus Commander

  commander of a region or nation (multiple legions)

  Regional Commander

  commander of a city or a state (typically one or two legions)

  Captain

  leader of church or small city (typically one century)

  Warrior

  single angel

  * Orders added after the Flood

  TIME LINE AND MAJOR EVENTS

  4010 BC

  Creation of Validus

  4004 BC

  Creation of the physical universe, the fall of Lucifer, and the fall of man

  2468 BC

  Battle of Kish

  2348 BC

  Noah’s flood

  2242 BC

  Tower of Babel

  1900 BC

  Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

  1250 BC

  Freeing Israel from Egypt

  1040 BC

  Death angel over Israel

  537 BC

  Daniel’s prophecy of the coming Messiah

  2 BC

  Birth of Jesus

  AD 33

  Crucifixion of Jesus, Pentecost

  AD 70

  Destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews

  AD 300

  Last years of persecution of Christians and the church by Rome

  AD 1776

  Formation of America

  AD 1943

  World War II and the Holocaust

  AD 1948

  Formation of Israel

  STAIRWAYS BETWEEN THE UPPER AND MIDDLE REALMS

  Mesopotamian Stairway Middle East

  Mediterranean Stairway Southern Europe

  Bantuan Stairway Africa

  Mongolian Stairway East Asia

  Celtic Stairway Northern Europe

  Palaeoan Stairway Northern North America

  Malayan Stairway Southeast Asia

  Andean Stairway South America

  Puebloan Stairway North America

  MILITARY UNIT STRENGTHS

  Legion 5,000

  Unit 1,000

  Century 100

  Company 30–60 (2–4 detachments)

  Detachment 15

  1

  VALIDUS

  Present Day

  Four 5.7 mm rounds whizzed past Validus’s head as he and two of his warriors dived over a tan brick wall. The sound was unmistakable: an FN Five-Seven, the only handgun fast enough to be a substantial threat to an angel.

  One of the warriors, Arn, rolled and immediately took up a position on the wall. The other, Brit, took up a position of cover near Validus. Men and women walked past on the sidewalk, oblivious to the battle raging around them.

  Captain Dartana was waiting for them. He kept a firm grip on his sword but holstered his pistol to help Validus gain a knee. “We’ve got to get you out of here, Commander. This isn’t just a few more detachments of reinforcement.”

  Brit nodded in agreement.

  Dartana continued, “We just got word that the Prince of San Antonio was able to call in another legion of Fallen for this fight.”

  Hulan, Validus’s executive officer, had insisted that he take four warriors with him to check up on the forces in Texas. “As commander of the North American continent, you can’t afford to take such risks, sir,” Hulan had insisted.

  Validus had scoffed and agreed only to bring Arn and Brit. He would not enjoy admitting to his subordinate that he had been right.

  “Where is Commander Gregan?” Validus asked.

  Dartana’s red hair matched the fire in his eyes. “He’s pinned down with twelve warriors in the building across the street.” Dartana motioned with his head to a burger restaurant.

  “Then I’m not going anywhere.” Validus drew his sword. Arn and Brit frowned, but they knew that arguing was pointless.

  Dartana looked both concerned and relieved. The situation was escalating out of control quickly. “We don’t have enough men to keep the ground and extract the commander and his men. I wasn’t sure which to—”

  Validus cut him short. “How many units are engaged right now, and what are their positions?”

  Dartana gave Validus a full tactical analysis, using the back of the brick wall as a temporary map. Validus was impressed with the captain’s assessment and filed that information for future use. His mind began to race through the options, evaluating threats, advantages, and possible outcomes. He had only moments to respond—the Fallen were coming fast.

  Validus was angry with himself for underestimating the resolve of Bavot, the Fallen’s North American continental commander, to stop their attempt to set up a pregnancy crisis counseling center for young women just two blocks away from a Planned Pregnancy clinic.

  Guilt, shame, and emotional trauma were powerful weapons in Apollyon’s hands. The destroyer always robbed. He stole joy, peace, relationships, and ultimately, life. The Enemy’s destruction left traumatized and despairing souls in its wake, souls who yearned for love, healing, and forgiveness, exactly what the counseling center was hoping to offer. The battle was fierce and relentless, a battle at the heart of the spiritual war for families.

  Validus should have anticipated this kind of response from the Fallen, but this was not the time for self-retribution; this was the time for action. One thing was sure: Captain Dartana was right—they couldn’t both keep the ground and try to save Commander Gregan and his men.

  “Captain, move one unit to this line, one here, and the remaining three centuries here.” Validus pointed to a pawnshop and two other buildings surrounding the proposed site of the counseling center. “When they are in position, meet me one block south of the restaurant with two of your best detachments. Tell the unit commanders that as soon as they are in position, they will attack from the north to regain the ground for the counseling center.”

  “But, sir, they won’t stand a chance against an entire legion.”

  “All we need is a two-minute distraction. As soon as we’ve recovered Gregan, tell them to pull back.”

  Dartana nodded. “A decoy?”

  “Yes.”

  “What of the counseling center?”

  Validus couldn’t hide his disappointment, but it was as much his fault as any other’s. He looked at Dartana with fierce eyes. “Go, Captain.”

  As Dartana passed the orders and prepared the men, Validus, Arn, and Brit circled away and into position behind a house just one block south of the restaurant where Gregan and his men were trapped. Validus could hear the fierce battle cries of desperate warriors and found it difficult to wait for Dartana. He wanted to rush into the battle before another warrior had fal
len.

  “Keep a lookout south and east,” he told Arn and Brit. “I need to get a better view of the fight.”

  Both warriors took up positions on the corners of the house as he jumped to the roof and peered over its peak to get a tactical view of what they would soon be facing. He estimated over three hundred Fallen were attacking Gregan. The angels were surrounded and fighting for their lives with no access to retreat.

  “Come on, Dartana, hurry!” he whispered.

  Two long minutes later, Dartana arrived with thirty capable warriors. Validus jumped down to talk to them. The solid faces of the warriors assured him that Dartana had chosen well.

  “Get ready, men; this won’t be easy. We’ll have two minutes to extract Commander Gregan and his men. I want suppressing fire until we get within thirty yards, then swords until we can break open a line for our warriors to escape. Keep a tight cover.”

  Ten seconds passed, and then the sound of an all-out war erupted in gunfire and clashing swords at the counseling center just to the north of them, as twenty-three hundred warriors charged Bavot’s legion of nearly five thousand Fallen.

  Dartana looked to Validus, but he held up his hand, holding them in position. Validus watched as a third of the Fallen attacking Gregan left to reinforce the battle to the north.

  “Now!” Validus ordered.

  Thirty-four powerful vessels of Elohim sprinted across four lanes of traffic, using cars and buses as temporary cover in their assault. At first the Fallen didn’t realize what was happening because the sound of the larger battle to the north swallowed the sound of their attack. That changed when over forty Fallen warriors collapsed under gunfire and dissolved into a green vapor that fell into the heart of the earth. By the time the Fallen could react, Validus and his men were on them with swords flashing in the humid heat of a Texan spring day.