Rise of the Fallen Read online

  “If you insist.” Validus put an arm on Persimus’s shoulder and spun him around toward the Hall of Vision.

  “I insist,” Persimus said with a wide grin. He unfolded his wings and launched upward with one mighty stroke.

  Validus felt the air push down on him from above as he looked up at his friend.

  “Well? Come on!” Persimus called.

  “I think I’ll walk.”

  Persimus’s wings spread wide and remained still as he gently touched down just a little ahead of Validus. “They’re going to grow weak and frail if you don’t use them,” Persimus chided.

  “I prefer the push of the ground on my feet.” Validus took two large strides to close the distance between them. “Besides, up there”—Validus nodded toward the sky—“you miss the intricate beauty and detail of Elohim’s creation, which can only be experienced walking among it.”

  “You are right, I suppose. A little odd, but right.”

  The two angels passed through one of the outlying gardens, and a sleek black panther followed them until Validus stopped and stroked the beautiful animal for a few minutes.

  “Have you completed your studies and duties for the day?” he asked Persimus.

  “Yes, and you?”

  “Yes, but my perimeter watch begins in two hours, and I want to bring some manna to the men on the southern line first.”

  “Always going the extra measure,” Persimus said almost to himself.

  “It seems to encourage them, and we all need encouragement from time to time,” Validus replied.

  Encompassing the city of Zion was a jeweled wall fifty feet high and just as wide. Seven gates with towers stood sentry to the city, for the outer lands of heaven were not yet purged of the Fallen, though they dared not come near the holy city. The sphere of heaven was vast, and they found outlying valleys and caves in which to dwell, but they preferred the Middle and Lower Realms of earth.

  Validus and Persimus arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Vision just as a trumpet sounded from the guardian tower of Mount Simcha. Validus and Persimus stopped to honor the warrior angel who had fallen in battle.

  “There have been too many of those lately,” Validus said.

  Persimus remained silent.

  Twelve towers guarded Mount Simcha, the mountain of bliss. Twelve trumpet angels were stationed at each tower, and their duty was to herald those brave and courageous angels who had fallen in battle against Apollyon and his demons. On the earth below, their spiritual bodies were dissolved and sent to Mount Simcha, where they were comforted and remained until the End of Days. It would be a long wait, and although it was a place of comfort, it was also a prison, a place of idleness and reflection. Validus imagined the angst that those mighty angels must feel as they considered their brethren left to fight the wars of the realm with one less sword, one less fellow warrior.

  During a major encounter, there were times when all 144 trumpets sounded throughout the battle. Those were solemn days. The demons who fell in battle were sent to the Abyss, a place of utter darkness in the heart of the earth—lower than the Lower Realm, where the pit had no bottom. As the war raged on, angels and demons fell, leaving the fate of humanity to fewer and fewer combatants.

  Validus ached to be on battlefield earth fighting for Elohim, but it would never be, for the number of angels and demons sent to fight was set by the Genesis Accord.

  The Genesis Accord was a set of statutes established to govern the warfare between Elohim’s angels and the Fallen. Validus had studied them carefully, memorizing each one:

  1. Three hundred thousand angels and demons from the Warrior Orders will be sent to earth to battle for the future of humanity.

  2. There will be no replacements for attrition.

  3. Angel and demon warriors will be earthbound, subject to the physical attributes of the Middle Realm until dissolution or the End of Days as determined by Elohim.

  4. Use of wings is left to the discretion of each warrior, but a warrior is not allowed to ascend above the second heaven or below the earth. Warriors may morph and demorph wings as needed.

  5. Nothing physical may be modified or moved by an angel or a demon while a human is watching.

  6. Neither angel nor demon is allowed to directly take the life of a human without approval of Elohim.

  7. Demons who fall in battle will be sent to the prison of the Abyss, or the bottomless pit.

  8. Angels who fall in battle will be sent to the prison of Mount Simcha.

  9. Both prisons will be opened at the fifth trumpet at the End of Days when all prisoners will be released.

  10. The righteous men and women who die will be taken by the Carrier Order to Paradise in Hades.

  11. The unrighteous men and women who die will be taken by the Draeger Order to the place of torment in Hades.

  12. Elohim will not interfere with Apollyon’s attempt to conquer earth. The fate of each man will be granted according to his own will.

  13. All children who die before reaching the age of reason will be taken to Paradise.

  Validus and Persimus entered the Hall of Vision and found an open portal near the center of the magnificent hall. Ivory columns rose sixty feet into the air, supporting a jewel-inlaid glass dome rimmed with gold and silver lines. The beauty was breathtaking, and it astonished Validus every time he entered, for it had been designed by none other than Lucifer himself. It was a testimony to the creative intelligence of the former first angel.

  Lucifer had made the request of Elohim after the Creation so that the angels could peer down on the miraculous world of the Middle Realm whenever they chose. There were windows throughout heaven through which one could see into the realm of man, but the view was always the same and with the same level of distance and clarity. The 144 portals in the Hall of Vision were designed to allow an angel to see anywhere with as much detail as was desired.

  At each portal was a twenty-foot circular marble table. Properly controlled, the bowl-shaped center of the table allowed the observers to see three-dimensional, lifelike images almost as if one were actually there. The outer rim of the table was flat and was where an angel could manipulate the imagery.

  Validus wondered if it was here that Apollyon began to tempt the other angels, for only he and most of the One Hundred had been given access to the Middle Realm before the Fall. Never before had such whispers filled the ears of the angels. Validus shuddered as he remembered the enticing words of Niturni. He became lost in thought as the memories of that fateful day filled his mind.

  “Not really seeing much from here.” Persimus’s voice shook Validus from his memories. “How about we look a little closer?”

  Validus looked over at his friend and then back at the portal. A serene picture of Earth in the Middle Realm hung in the blackness of the second heaven, surrounded by the crystalline protection of the firmament. There was nothing like it in heaven. The handiwork of Elohim was breathtakingly beautiful.

  Validus set his hands on the marble panels and slid his fingers across the cool, smooth surface. No other angel could operate the portal like Validus, for no other angel spent nearly as much time observing earth as he did. Persimus called it an obsession, and perhaps it was, because Validus could hardly keep himself from it when he had free time.

  Since the Genesis Accord, each decade that passed entwined the lives of men and angels of the Middle Realm. As the population of humanity increased, the number of angel and demon combatants decreased, for the battles between them were costly and there were no replacements due to the agreement.

  Validus had watched the number of angel warriors decrease steadily for fifteen hundred years. At the Battle of Balos, 543 angel warriors fell to only 216 of the Fallen. At Urso, 68 to 52. At Mordi Bensulan, 112 to 72. And on and on it went through the centuries until Validus wept in sadness at the impending doom he knew was only a matter of time. The Fallen were rising up and overtaking the forces of his brethren one battle at a time.

  Three hundred
years ago, Validus first contemplated the possibility that his brothers might actually lose the war for the Middle Realm. He dared not speak his thoughts, for they felt almost blasphemous. He confided first in Persimus and was chastised for it. But in the last fifty years, the devastating outcome of many battles was too difficult to overlook. There were too many trumpets sounding and too much ground being lost, too many cities falling. That was when the other angels reconsidered the perceptive insight of the last angel.

  Validus felt justified and hated that he might be right. But surely Elohim saw it too. Very few righteous men remained: Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah from the lineage of Seth, and a few who lived in the city of Kish. Humanity grew more and more evil with each passing year, and the forces of Apollyon grew stronger and stronger from their embrace of his hideous ways.

  Was this the Plan? Could the army of Apollyon truly defeat the army of Elohim? It seemed impossible, and yet …

  Validus flew the portal through the firmament and across the vast valleys of the lush green planet. The land rose gently to the rolling hills of the eastern hemisphere, and he slowed the approach as he entered the Cadari Valley. Here lay the city of Kish, the last great city that was not yet conquered by Apollyon’s army. All the other cities had fallen and the righteous men and women with them.

  As Validus scanned the city, his heart quickened, and he froze the portal.

  “What is it?” Persimus asked.

  Validus turned to see that two other angels had joined them to observe their portal.

  “The armies are gathering. The battle for Kish is happening.”

  One of the other angels flew out of the Hall of Vision and quickly returned with many others. Validus resumed scanning with the portal as the angels gathered around. Outside, word of the battle for the last righteous city of earth spread quickly.

  “Validus,” Handerul called, “put your vision on the dome.”

  Validus touched his plates at precise points, and the space below and above the dome of the Hall of Vision became alive with the same view that was on his portal, only one hundred times the size.

  He swept around the perimeter of the city, and the view was unnerving. Forces were gathering—hundreds of thousands of angels and demons in one place for this last stand of righteousness. The Hall of Vision filled with angels of all orders: messengers, carriers, and ministers. All but the warriors. They were all on earth, gathering for what could be their last great battle.

  Validus was concerned for Cadriel. He had survived centuries and done well under Danick’s command, but what was happening now seemed … overwhelming. He wanted to find his friend, but all of heaven was watching, so instead he focused on the actions of the twelve remaining commanders, and especially Commander Danick.

  If ever Validus was encouraged by the war for earth, it was while watching Commander Danick lead his men. Danick was of the One Hundred. Validus had watched all the commanders, including General Jorill, but it was Commander Danick that Validus found to be the most brilliant tactician and warrior. He was grateful that Cadriel was serving under him.

  Validus had noticed a peculiar tactic of Commander Danick’s that made no sense at all, at least at first. Danick had plotted the lineage of hundreds of family lines on parchment he translated from the physical world. Validus tried to make sense of how he chose which lineages to track and which to abandon, but he could find no logical reason behind his choices.

  Until now. It seemed more than a coincidence that Commander Danick was the one responsible for the last city and the last region to fall to the evil hands of General Tarsis. As the collapse of righteous lineages occurred, Validus memorized those that Danick traced. The families of Roabom, Terillis, Melisichem, Alohm, and Lamech remained. And of those lines, Validus counted 213 men, women, and children.

  All but 12 lived in the city of Kish, and the rest lived in the surrounding region. It was as if Commander Danick were looking for someone.

  The Hall of Vision filled with thousands of angels, all now grasping the significance of this moment. Above the hall, many thousands more hovered in flight, watching the image of the battle for Kish vividly projected upward from the dome.

  Validus swept across the city that looked to be on the verge of complete anarchy. He briefly hovered near the city center, where Kish sentinels fought to control riots. The consulate was surrounded by a mob, and the prefect and the city elders hid inside with terror on their faces.

  Validus swept out from the city and across the gathering dark forces of the Fallen. There he was, General Tarsis, Apollyon’s first and a dauntless demon of great power, his unquenchable quest for evil rivaled only by Apollyon himself. He stood atop the hill south of the city, glaring down on his last battle. Validus closed in on Tarsis until the entire dome filled with his evil countenance. The angels of heaven recoiled, both those above and those below the great dome of the Hall of Vision.

  “What is the meaning of this?” boomed a thunderous voice.

  The portal froze displaying the grotesque visage of Tarsis on the massive dome glass above. Michael and Gabriel hovered in the air above the solemn assembly of angels, their wings white and great, beating in unison. A holy glare from Elohim’s highest fell on the angels below them as the Hall of Vision fell still and silent.

  Validus trembled, stepping away from the portal.

  “It is my doing,” he said with as much courage as he could muster, but his voice quavered. All the other angels stepped back and away until he faced the terrifying duo alone.

  The two archangels came near, and Validus froze beneath their fierce gaze. Gabriel frowned, then flew across the assembly and out of the hall. Michael remained, watching Validus with a face of stone.

  “Why?”

  Michael had been Elohim’s second angel, and now that Apollyon had rebelled, there was no other angel as powerful or wise. Validus had never talked to him. Why would he have? He was but the last.

  “The battle for Kish, sir. The armies are gathering at Kish.”

  Validus surmised that Michael and Gabriel both must have known, for Michael was the commander of the Warrior Order and Gabriel led the Messenger Order. His answer felt foolish, but what else could he say?

  Michael descended, and the angels below him made way. As his right foot touched the elaborate marble floor, his brilliant white wings folded in, but they were still broad and powerful, evidence of his position as the leader of Elohim’s heavenly host. He walked toward Validus until he was just an arm’s length away. His eyes were hard and his jaw square.

  Validus could see pain in his eyes, the pain of tens of thousands of angels who had dissolved in battle under his command. Did he feel accused? Did he feel a failure? Validus shuddered at the thought that Michael might feel judged by the last and the least of the angels. He lowered his eyes and bowed his head.

  “I’m sorry, sir, if I’ve offended. I … we … are concerned for our brothers.” His voice lowered, but he dared to lift his gaze to Michael’s eyes for a moment.

  The corners of the archangel’s eyes softened ever so slightly, then hardened again.

  Gabriel returned and hovered above them. He looked down at Michael and nodded. Michael spread his massive wings and lifted himself up. He pointed up at the face of Tarsis spanning the entire dome of the hall.

  “Remember the face of evil, my brothers, and never forget the price the righteous will pay because of it!” His voice boomed throughout the hall.

  He looked at Validus, and his subtle nod brought no small relief. Validus took a deep breath as he watched both mighty angels exit the hall.

  He turned back to the portal just as six trumpets from the guardian towers of Mount Simcha sounded. Validus’s heart sank, for he knew there would be more … many more.

  6

  THE BATTLE FOR KISH

  2468 BC

  Validus slid his fingers across the marble of the portal, and the image of Tarsis raising his hand to signal the charge of the Fallen dissolved to a broad vi
ew of the land surrounding the city. The warriors of Elohim stood shoulder to shoulder to defend the last bastion of good in the Middle Realm. The ancient city of Kish had been founded by two sons of Enoch nearly eight hundred years earlier with a decree establishing a government to follow the ways of God.

  For fifteen hundred years the descendants of Adam had multiplied and filled the earth. Mighty men of God gave much hope at first, for the Spirit of Elohim was strong in their hearts, but slowly the tide of sin pounded away at the foundations of the righteous. The angel warriors found their battle with the Fallen difficult as man’s heart turned to darkness.

  Region by region, city by city, family by family, the Fallen conquered and screamed their victories with raised fists toward heaven. Many times Validus had to turn away, unable to share what he had seen with his brothers.

  His hope fell on Commander Danick and the city of Kish. Danick had defended this noble city for hundreds of years. But now with only one final fortress of righteousness to conquer, General Tarsis would not hold anything back.

  Just as this thought occurred to Validus, Tarsis dropped his hand and the assault began.

  Validus swept out across the charging forces of vile demons while the angels of heaven held their breath. Hundreds of thousands of the Fallen crashed down on the valiant warriors of the Upper Realm. Swords flashed and warriors screamed as forces collided in an endless concussion of steel on steel.

  Some of the demons took to the air in an attempt to gain an advantage over the warrior angels, but they did not last long. Validus had learned early while watching the battles between Warrior Orders that wings did little to help and were in fact usually a disadvantage. An airborne warrior could not maneuver fast enough nor push against the solid form of earth to accelerate his attack. It took energy and precious seconds to morph wings and minutes to retract them. Without them, a warrior was quicker and moved faster across the ground. Wings were usually reserved for carrying orders from one command to another, but that was all.

  Validus maneuvered the portal to a higher vantage point, for the battlefields of Kish were immersed in a continual sea of green and blue vapor as thousands upon thousands of demons and angels fell to the sword, dissolving to their prisons as decreed by the Genesis Accord. The holy warriors of Elohim stood strong, enduring wave after wave of demon attack, but soon their lines began to falter.