Angel Warriors - HellBound: Section 8

This section is mostly WIP with Story Notes. It's included to maintain continuaty. MSR

//NOTES: As a last resort, Mihdael makes a deal with Satan in an effort to have her return him to Earth (alone). He tells her that if he can find one mortal to take his place in Hell (which he has no intention of doing, he wants to retrieve his sword, the one he left there at the end of the “Xanthon, Demon of Duplicity” story – of course, he’s not going to tell her the real reason), would she accept him. Satan replies that if he could find such a self-sacrificing mortal, she would agree to the exchange.

He has six weeks to accomplish this feat, and can ask up to six different mortals; if he fails, he has to do whatever she wants, no arguments. Mihdael traces the residual energy from his sword to L.A., California; Alan still has it, stored in a trunk in the attic. Before retrieving the sword, Mihdael visits three humans at night, while they dream. One is a dictator of a third-world country; when Mihdael appears to him in a dream and asks: “Would you take the place of an Angel in Hell?”, the dictator naturally refuses. The second is a very wealthy man in England; same question, same answer. The third one, Satan intervenes, and tells him the third choice must be a supposedly “moral” person; so Mihdael appears to a TV evangelist, asks the same question, and is turned down – then the evangelist makes a lot of money to ‘keep him from dying’. Mihdael then takes the 3 ½ weeks remaining to visit Alan and retrieve his sword.

[[Additional Notes: Mihdael’s remaining time on Earth is roughly 20-30 pages as he experiences 20th Century Earth, with Alan’s help {Alan doesn’t know about Mihdael’s situation, until it’s , uh…too late.}

I.e.: proper clothes to wear; cars (Mihdael is leery of the internal explosions—which he can see taking place—and is concerned that humans would ride in such things); meets a religious fanatic (he’s an Angel, he doesn’t have a religion, or belong to the ‘right’ church – but he talks to God and knows Jesus personally); investigates churches to see exactly what they are (the big, expensive pretentious ones disgust him; he likes the small, local black church, with its grass-roots faith and singing – at one point, he joins in {only white guy in black church, but he has a great voice} and shatters every window in the one-room church {he repairs them later}; finds an elderly man who used to work special effects in Hollywood – specializing in armor and such – to make him a fire-proof shield; the man is blind, and terminally ill, but he instructs his sons how to make the shield. In return, Mihdael gives him his eyesight for the remainder of time he has left {the old man knows Mihdael is an angel, but says nothing to anyone else}; and various other things…

ADDED SCENE 4/3/07:

(Mihdael is standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean at the estate, watching the sunset, when Alan finds him)

Mihdael turned at Alan’s approach, and smiled. “I tend to forget, when I am away from Earth, how beautiful it is here. How God’s love and glory are everywhere, in everything. Even the end of the day is wondrous to behold – when He could have just as easily caused darkness to follow light, with no spectrum of color crossing the heavens, to be seen, and enjoyed, only by those on Earth.”

“I… hadn’t thought of it that way.” McConnell gazed out over the ocean, the sparkling colors more vivid than ever. “That we were the only ones who would see it, I mean.” He shrugged, hands in the pockets of his pullover. “After the first few, you sorta... just take it for granted.”

Mihdael nodded, gaze still on the fading colors of evening. “Mankind takes many things for granted, until they no longer have them. But how can you become so immune to such beauty and wonder, when no sunset – or sunrise, is ever the same twice?”

He turned, waved a hand at the lush gardens around the estate. “As it is with the flowers you cultivate here. All different, all variant in color and shape – and all given a passing glance, and then ignored.

“Even the rose I admired earlier, which caused you such surprise that I would even notice it, you regulate to the unimportant. As Man questions the existence of God, yet sees the proof of His Hand all around them… and does not notice. For that one rose – one of many – that I so admired for its perfection, color, and scent..." Mihdael smiled, imitating Alan's shrug of indifference, "and still, of what real use is it? It cannot be eaten, or worn for warmth, or traded for goods; its life is short, the blooms fragile. Yet, it is here. Placed here by a generous God Who wanted to give beauty, and nothing more; its purpose to be sustenance for the soul, not the body.

“Can there be any more proof of God’s existence than that?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, or how to answer that question, Mihdael. I don’t know why one man can so easily believe, while another can’t – not even when the proof is staring him in the face.” Alan met the angel’s solemn gaze. “Too much knowledge, I guess; the more we learn, the less we believe.”

The warrior frowned, not understanding this peculiarity of human nature. “Knowledge should support belief, not topple it. Do not your discoveries prove that this world, Universe, and Mankind itself, is not an accident of Nature?”

“Well, most people see it as just the opposite. Especially where we’re concerned: That Mankind evolved, and wasn’t… created.”

And that statement was even more difficult for the angel to comprehend. “Evolved? From what? There were none such as Adam and Eve before their creation in the Garden of Eden.”

Alan shifted uncomfortably; he never liked discussing religion or politics. But he couldn’t refuse to answer, not while those unEarthly eyes demanded an explanation. “The, uh, common theory is that Man descended from… uh, apes.” And looking at Mihdael, he now realized how incredibly stupid that statement must sound.

The warrior looked like he’d just been backhanded by a child. “From apes!?” He repeated, incredulous. “From… an animal? And… why would you say ‘descended’? Why not ‘ascended’? Do you consider the ape above you?” He shook his head. “This makes no sense, has no basis in fact or proof.” He turned a low-grade glare on McConnell. “Why is it believed?”

“Hey, don’t get mad at me. I’m not makin’ this up, ya know. Some people don’t want to believe the Bible – it’s too restrictive, or incomprehensible for them, or too frightening. They want to believe something different, that they are the masters; that Mankind evolved, and will continue to evolve, into something better than we are now…”

Mihdael’s look conveyed more than hours of dissertation would have. McConnell shrugged defensively. “Well, you have to admit, the discovery of the dinosaur bones kinda puts a crimp into the whole Creation story, doesn’t it? I mean, according to the Bible, Mankind is only four or five thousand years old; yet, fossilized bones – animal and human – have been discovered dating back hundreds of thousands, even millions, of years. It has to be accounted for.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know! It just does. The human mind insists on an orderly progression of events, one from the other; each event influencing the one before and the one after. ‘Cause and effect’, and all that crap,” Alan ended with a grin.

Shadows deepened across the sky as Mihdael spoke slowly and thoughtfully. “And from long-dead, ancient bones, humans have decided that they were not created, but… ‘evolved’?”

“Some of them… most of them… Yeah,” he admitted helplessly.

The angel muttered a few words that McConnell didn’t understand, followed by, “Amazing… No wonder Michael often despairs of you…”Bristling in defense of his race, Alan’s tone held a distinct challenge. “Well, then, you explain it. The time difference—”

“There is nothing to explain, for there is no time difference.”

“Now you’re not making any sense.”

Mihdael smiled, turned back to the estate as the last remnants of the day gave over to the glory of the star filled night. They walked slowly, and the angel’s voice was quiet as he explained. “Think you that Mankind was God’s first attempt at creating a race of beings? Am I not proof of an even earlier creation? This world we stand on is, indeed, millions of years old – as Man measures Time. But it has not always existed as it is now.

“This world, solar system, Universe… all were formed from the mind and heart of God. Eons of time is as months to Him, to us; a day can be a century, a century can be a day. It matters not to One Who creates and controls Time and Space. All worlds were formed with the basis to sustain life, then left alone to allow that life – if any – to form and grow, to live and develop. But always to be as it started, and not… ‘evolve’. On Earth, God observed as many forms of life begin, grew, floundered, and died. So many times, so many attempts, yet all failures.

“The dinosaurs you mentioned were not the first, but they were the largest, the strongest. But they did not develop intellectually; they had no thought or impression that there was anything greater than themselves. And without intellect to go with their great size and strength, they could not cope, or survive, the natural changes of a newly born Earth as the planet itself grew, and developed. God commanded their destruction, and Michael sent a meteor to Earth, destroying all.

“The process of life began again, this time toward the mammal instead of the reptile. They were not Man. They were creatures, another rung on the ladder of the animal kingdom, for they were truly below the ape. Their intellect was slightly higher, but they were fierce and warlike creatures who wanted only to hunt and destroy. They left the records of that destruction on the cavern walls where they resided. But they were not strong enough to survive on their own, and fought with each other until the last few died out.

“God had – and still has – a special fondness for this world, His best creation outside of Heaven. After a while, when the Earth lay barren and devoid of intelligent life, He decided to lend a hand. He created Eden, separate from Earth, but from it; He created Man, separate from God, but of Him. Adam and Eve were instilled with God’s Spirit, with His image, with His intellect and compassion. Man was perfect in all ways, and loved by God very much. This creation, Mankind, was given dominion over the Earth, the animals, the plants, seas, and air. They made of it the paradise that God had always envisioned the Earth to be. And He made a Covenant with Mankind: That the Earth would endure for as long as Mankind cared for it, and brought the planet to its fullest potential.

“Then, there was the Rebellion, and all the horror that followed after. Man betrayed God, with Satan’s urging. Man himself would have ended then, if Archangel Michael had not intervened. God’s mightiest Archangel fell to his knees before Him, and begged for mercy for Mankind. And He, in His fury, laid upon the Earth plagues and destruction, but allowed Man to live, to… continue…” His voice trailed off, as he remembered how it had been, and not wanting to experience it again.

He straightened his shoulders, and looked toward the city lights glowing in the darkness. “So you see, my friend, the Bible is not God’s first creation of the Earth, but only the first recorded creation…”


CONTINUE:


//PREVIOUSLY: As a last resort, Mihdael makes a deal with Satan in an effort to have her return him to Earth (alone). He tells her that if he can find one mortal to take his place in Hell (which he has no intention of doing, he wants to retrieve his sword, the one he left there at the end of the “Xanthon, Demon of Duplicity” story – of course, he’s not going to tell her the real reason), would she accept him. Satan replies that if he could find such a self-sacrificing mortal, she would agree to the exchange.
He has four weeks to accomplish this feat, and can ask up to six different mortals; if he fails, he has to do whatever she wants, no arguments. Mihdael traces the residual energy from his sword to L.A., California; Alan still has it, stored in a trunk in the attic. Before retrieving the sword, Mihdael visits three humans at night, while they dream. One is a dictator of a third-world country; when Mihdael appears to him in a dream and asks: “Would you take the place of an Angel in Hell?”, the dictator naturally refuses. The second is a very wealthy man in England; same question, same answer. The third one, Satan intervenes, and tells him the third choice must be a supposedly “moral” person; so Mihdael appears to a TV evangelist, asks the same question, and is turned down – then the evangelist makes a lot of money to ‘keep him from dying’. Mihdael then takes the 3 ½ weeks remaining to visit Alan and retrieve his sword.[[Additional Notes: Mihdael’s remaining time on Earth is roughly 20-30 pages as he experiences 20th Century Earth, with Alan’s help {Alan doesn’t know about Mihdael’s situation, until it’s , uh…too late.}

I.e.: proper clothes to wear; cars (Mihdael is leery of the internal explosions—which he can see taking place—and is concerned that humans would ride in such things); meets a religious fanatic (he’s an Angel, he doesn’t have a religion, or belong to the ‘right’ church – but he talks to God and knows Jesus personally); investigates churches to see exactly what they are (the big, expensive pretentious ones disgust him; he likes the small, local black church, with its grass-roots faith and singing – at one point, he joins in {only white guy in black church, but he has a great voice} and shatters every window in the one-room church {he repairs them later}; finds an elderly man who used to work special effects in Hollywood – specializing in armor and such – to make him a fire-proof shield; the man is blind, and terminally ill, but he instructs his sons how to make the shield. In return, Mihdael gives him his eyesight for the remainder of time he has left {the old man knows Mihdael is an angel, but says nothing to anyone else}; and various other things…

As he now has his sword and a shield, he bids Alan and the Judge farewell. The Judge, always helpful, shakes his hand in farewell, saying, “Sorry to see you leave so soon; now, you know that if you should ever need our help, for anything, we’d be more than glad to—“

Bang!! All three are instantly in Hell, as Satan takes the offer although Mihdael didn’t ask them.Mihdael is furious and terrified; angry that he didn’t foresee this happening, terrified that because of him, something worse than death will happen to the humans he has pledged to protect. He can protect them from the physical effects of Hell, but not from Lucifer or Satan.

Lucifer is jealous of the close rapport between Mihdael and the two humans; sets about discrediting Mihdael in their eyes. To keep Alan and the Judge safe until he can return them to Earth, Mihdael agrees to do whatever Satan wants. As Satan makes preparations for her ‘wedding night’, Lucifer sets about destroying the friendship between Mihdael and the humans…//







Chapter B
Then the three of them get the shield the next day.
*********
Chapter C
[[MORE NOTES: A bit later… this takes place before Mihdael has the shield made. He has been with Alan to various stores, met various people, investigated various churches, etc. He finds LA wonderful and exciting, and decides he wants to experience it on his own – his next to last day on Earth…]]
Mihdael went about Los Angeles on his own, and he checked the digital watch that McConnell had loaned him often. He was to meet Alan at Luigi’s Restaurant at noon. He still had a few hours, and he walked briskly along the concrete sidewalk, enjoying the warm sunlight and all the energetic, vibrant life that surrounded him. He was totally oblivious to the feminine stares that followed him, noting only that the people he passed would look at him, some silently with mouths open, some with low comments. He smiled at all of them.
The angel found the business area bracing, busy, and bustling; after a while, though, he began to feel a bit uncomfortable with all the stares and attention. Angels weren’t supposed to draw undue attention to themselves, preferring instead to blend into the background. As he wore a casual shirt with jeans purchased at a store that specialized in males of his size and stature, he knew it wasn’t his clothing causing all the attention. Studying the other males as he walked past them, he finally decided that it must be his hair that was causing all the looks and comments. He had never paid much attention to it before – it was just there. Aside from its unusual, uniform dark golden blond color, it was very long, reaching to his chest in front and falling in long, unbroken waves down his back nearly to his waist. The other men similar to his age (24-26), he noted, had very short hair. Even those with longer hair, wore it barely shoulder length.
He had been looking curiously at all the bright, inviting storefronts, and finally figured out – from the ads, photos, and such – that ‘Beauty Salons’ cut hair. He tried a couple of them, but the women working in both places refused to cut it (EXTENDED SCENE TO BE WRITTEN); it’s just too perfect, and too gorgeous, to cut. He finally decides to find a salon with men working in it, thinking they’ll cut it for him. He had approximately $35 that Stone had given him for helping Alan around the estate that day left over after paying for the ruined sweatsuit. Going into the establishment, he was immediately noticed; and the owner can’t wait to give him any assistance he may require… (ANOTHER EXTENDED SCENE FOLLOWS)
Mihdael left the salon at 11:38, his pockets stuffed with the green strips of paper that the owner had insisted he accept. He thanked the man again as he left, stepping out into the crowded sidewalk. This time, the stares and looks were of a much briefer duration, and the angel felt he had solved that little problem.
He found Alan waiting for him outside the restaurant, and they entered together.
McConnell immediately noticed the change in Mihdael’s appearance, but didn’t comment – even resisting the urge to tell Mihdael that he looked… shorn. Not to mention older, about twenty years older… Alan smiled to himself. Twenty years older than what? The Universe?
After the meal, the check was brought out, and having learned quite well about payment for services rendered, Mihdael offered to pay for the dinner.
Alan waved him off. “That’s okay; I have enough. Don’t want you to spend all that hard-earned cash at once,” he finished, figuring the haircut had probably cost $15-$20, and he knew the old skinflint had given Mihdael less than forty dollars.
“I have more now…” The warrior took several $20 bills from all of his pockets, placing them in an impressive heap in the center of the table. “Is this enough?”
McConnell stared, dumbfounded, then quickly counted it. Fifteen hundred dollars. “Where…” his voice squeaked, and he cleared his throat, and tried again. “Where… did you get this?” He was afraid to ask ‘how?’.
“A very odd man gave it to me. He seemed… very nervous, yet anxious to please. He said something about ‘services rendered.’”
Alan paled, mouth dropping open. “What did you… do, to get this?”
Mihdael looked at him, at first unconcerned, then with uncertainty. “Just… what they told me to do. Did I do something wrong?”
McConnell swallowed, hard; ‘they’? More than one? He shifted uncomfortably. He pushed the plate aside, and folded his hands on the table; he had to find out, had to know… had to know if he was responsible for corrupting an Angel and would therefore spend an Eternity in Hell. His calm tone belied the churning in his stomach. “I want you to tell me everything that was said and done, right up to where you got this $1,500. Okay?” Please, God, let it all be okay…
Mihdael shrugged easily, another human habit he had easily[you use easily twice in this sentence] picked up. “I did little other than explore the streets and bazaars. So many interesting things and people… but they kept staring at me. I grew weary of the stares, the words, of the other people around me, and so determined the cause. None of the other men had hair such as mine, so I decided to have it cut. The first two… salons… employed women. All they would do was this,” he demonstrated, running his hands through now non-existent hair, “and refused to cut it. I found a place that employed men, and I felt certain they would cut it. They seemed very excited about it. Several came to look upon me, and one – the ‘proprietor’ – introduced himself as Mister Marion, was very eager to ‘assist’ me, as he said. I told him I needed no assistance, only service.”
Alan immediately lost all feeling in his extremities. He tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t form. So he continued to sit, listening helplessly to calm, matter-of-fact words that were condemning him to the Fiery Depths…
The angel continued, quiet unperturbed. “That made Mister Marion very happy, and he took me to a small cubicle at the back of the salon. He was saying something about always hoping for at least ten inches, but usually having to settle for six to eight, and sometimes less than that… And he said he could see that I obviously had much more than his fondest wishes. He was very flattering…”
McConnell couldn’t move, couldn’t speak; he fully expected to see his entire life flash before him in an instant… He shouldn’t have allowed Mihdael to roam LA on his own; there was so much he wouldn’t understand… But Alan didn’t dare interrupt, knowing his eyes were growing wider and his face growing paler with each sentence.
“The small room held mirrors, lights, strange brightly colored objects, and an oddly-shaped lounge. He had me recline upon the lounge, then positioned it as he wanted it. It took a few attempts, for he was unused to one of my height. Then, he tried to hold all of it in his hands, saying it was his ‘quick way to measure length’, and he knew it was a ‘good sign’ when he couldn’t hold all of it in both hands.” Mihdael smiled then, “Of course, I only need one hand, but I am used to it…”
Nothing short of the Apocalypse would cause McConnell to say anything at this point. He just prayed it would be quick and painless…
“Anyway,” Mihdael’s voice suddenly took on a ‘let’s wrap this up quick’ tone, catching McConnell off-guard by the quick transition, “he said if I would let him cut it off and keep it, he’d give me fifteen hundred dollars. I did not understand, as I thought I was to pay him, and he said ‘Consider it for services rendered.’ I still did not understand, but I agreed.
“And that was all that transpired—”
Catching up quickly, Alan interrupted, his voice barely escaping from the sudden tightness in his chest. “ ‘C-cut..’? ‘K-keep…’? Keep what?!?”
“My hair. Were you not listening? He said it was long enough, and thick enough, for two wigs – and of excellent quality.”
McConnell literally collapsed in the chair, feeling he had suddenly gotten a new lease on life. He was so relieved, he laughed. “I’m surprised you’re not bald!” Mihdael had also gotten a very expensive hairstyle in the bargain, and Alan considered thoughtfully, absently touching his own shoulder length curls. “$1,500, huh? Do you remember the name of that place…?”
**********
Chapter D
[[SCENE WITH BLACK CHURCH AND BREAKING/REPAIR OF WINDOWS. Right before he leaves to say his farewells to Alan and Judge Stone, Mihdael leaves the remainder of his money (about $1200) in an envelop in the Church’s mailbox. The note attached to it reads: For the air-conditioning. ]]

Chapter E
[[This is his last day on Earth, Mihdael has his shield and sword, and says his farewells. However…
The Judge, always helpful, shakes his hand in farewell, saying, “Sorry to see you leave so soon; now, you know that if you should ever need our help, for anything, we’d be more than glad to—”
Bang!! All three are instantly in Hell, as Satan takes the offer although Mihdael didn’t ask them.
Mihdael is furious and terrified; angry that he didn’t foresee this happening, terrified that because of him, something worse than death will happen to the humans he has pledged to protect. He can protect them from the physical effects of Hell, but not from Lucifer or Satan.
//Story notes: mention here that Satan isn’t pleased with Mihdael’s attempted subterfuge, and orders him to be branded.

She orders Lucifer to brand Mihdael with the inverted Cross that all the damned are branded with upon their entry into Hell. Mihdael, thinking he will heal that scar as well, tells Lucifer to go ahead, to do as he’s told – but at the last second, Satan takes the iron and brands Mihdael herself, inflicting a soul-searing scar that can be removed only by God. Such a brand on an angel is considered the lowest degradation that an angel can suffer, as all can see it and know the cause of it (it’s on his left shoulder)…

And Mihdael can’t bear the thought of anyone in Heaven seeing or knowing about it…//

Lucifer is jealous of the close rapport between Mihdael and the two humans; sets about discrediting Mihdael in their eyes. To keep Alan and the Judge safe until he can return them to Earth, Mihdael agrees to do whatever Satan wants. As Satan makes preparations for her ‘wedding night’, Lucifer sets about destroying the friendship between Mihdael and the humans…//


STORY PICKUP:


Lucifer looked into Stone’s mind and soul, searching for the one, significant, weakness that all humans had—a weakness that would work in their favor… And he found it, his lips twisting into a rarely formed smile. The loss of a loved one, always useful in convincing mortals that their God was at fault, was “punishing” them, when a loved one died… This time, it was a son, cut down in one of Satan’s better-devised Earthly conflicts…

Sometimes, Mankind made it so easy for him and his kind to bind their Earthly bodies and their immortal souls in the chains of Evil forged in Satan’s Hell…

He was aware of their caution, their wariness of him; but his appearance had not been as horrific as they had expected, and he could assume a very 'friendly’ aspect when necessary. He approached this mortal 'Judge’ in his most disarming manner, spoke in a tone that was both smooth and concerned.

“There is no need to fear me; I mean you no harm. I am not the monster that His Angels would have you believe… You are here because of the warrior’s misjudgment, and are in no danger from me. I wish only to serve you as well, but I serve by not withholding what you wish and desire, but by giving it to you…” Lucifer watched intently the effect his words were having on the two mortals.

The younger one barely glanced at him, before turning away; but the older one, there was interest in his cool gaze—a curiosity that had caused the downfall of more than one mortal soul. And he had the information, now, to press this advantage, and to use his willingness to listen to its full benefit… “I note that the Angel Mihdael keeps his distance from us. Does he find our company so distasteful? Or is there a deeper reason, one he keeps from you…?”

“If you have a point to make, then make it.”

Finally, an invitation to wreak his evil, and vengeance. “These Angels …they are not what they appear to be. For while it is true that they can speak only the truth, they do not always tell all of the truth. In this way, they manipulate Mankind into seeing, and believing, what they want to be seen and believed…” His cold gaze shifted, directing Stone’s eyes to where the angel was seated, away from them, head bowed in an almost self-imposed isolation. Then he caught and held the Judge’s gaze, willing him to listen, to believe… “And Mihdael, he is no different from any of the other angels. He is not all that he says he is. Or, perhaps I should say, his misrepresentation has not been of himself, but of his actions. Certain things he hasn’t told you; certain…information that he does not wish for you to know, which would result in your seeing him for the lie that he is.

“They are very good at withholding knowledge, these ‘superior beings’; that is their true control of Mankind. Withholding knowledge was His only control over Man…

“Do you not wonder why the warrior keeps from you?” His voice softened, taking on the convincingly persuasive tone that had induced one-third of God’s angels to turn against Him, “Why he speaks to you little, if at all? Think you it is from regret for bringing you here…? No, angels do not regret their actions, for God Himself sanctions all they do and say. No, it is because he fears you. You are his master; you are more powerful than he is. You have the silver-blue aura – as I have, as Archangel Michael has; your potential for power is very great.

“Yes, he fears you enough to keep certain knowledge from you. They are expert at that, God and His Angels,” Repetition, he knew, would reinforce the believability of that which was unbelievable. “They seek to control you—you, who are their Master – by keeping knowledge to themselves only. While Satan and I, we offer you all the knowledge you want, to use as you will…”

“What knowledge do you have that would be useful to me? Your lies, your deceptions, are legendary; and I’ve never been given cause to doubt the… veracity of your lies.”

Even enthralled by his power, Lucifer sensed the doubt; this human was truly a powerful foe – and, willingly or not, he would be a powerful ally, for Satan. He would now play the card that would win them the hand, and the stakes. “The knowledge I have, you will want. Yes, the warrior has reason to fear you; and you have reason to hate him. For, he took the soul of your first-born child—your only child—before it was his time to go.”

Stone shook his head slowly, not wanting to believe anything this creature of Darkness was telling him. Not wanting to listen, but needing to. “No…what are you saying?”

“I am saying that I know all that happened, for I was there…” Lucifer’s words came in a convincing flow. He himself had not been there, but Satan; the events had been relayed to him by the demons that served the Evil One. But retelling the story from a personal point of view gave truth to the hearsay. “A war, in a foreign land; a battlefield, not for what was good or moral, but for power and financial gain. I am saying that this was not only a battlefield of power, but of souls as well. There were many dead and dying, and Satan’s force reaped a large harvest. But, so did God’s Angels; until the count was even, with no clear victory for either side…

“Until one angel, one who was, and is, ever eager to please his Lord and Master, to gain approval in any way, took one more soul to tip the scales in God’s favor. That angel took the soul of one of the wounded, who was not yet dead… And God’s forces claimed victory.

“And that angel, that angel was Mihdael; and the soul, was your son’s—“

The Judge backed away, finding it all too much to accept at one time. “You’re lying.”

Lucifer spread his hands in mock dismay. “I cannot lie all the time; that in itself is impossible. For if I should say to you: I am going to tell you a lie, and then do so – is that not then telling the truth? You see, it’s impossible to lie all the time. But you need only to ask the warrior; he will not lie to you, and you find his words easy to believe. Ask him, and you will know that I have told you the truth.

“And you will know that they are not what they say they are. That an angel can use the omission of truth to lie as competently as any demon can.”

He retreated then, back into his Darkness, to watch the results of his ploy to divide and conquer. For his success needed only the confirmation of the angel…
His laughter was heard by only himself and his fellow demons. Laughter that his enemy’s own, honestly truthful nature would defeat him. His truth would substantiate the lie, and turn ally into enemy…
What better victory could Satan ask for?

CONTINUED IN SECTION 9: "Angel Warriors - HellBound: Section 9" 

Stone turns against Mihdael