So, I feel like I need to clarify before we start that a lot of characters in this book refer to themselves as brother/sister/cousin etc. in a symbolic way when in fact they are not genetically/biologically related (Ill try to make it more clear in my rewrite).
1. Archangels are not the result of 'breeding' but a creation by god, so they are each unique and unrelated. When they refer to themselves as siblings it is symbolically because they have the same creator and were created at the same time as the first beings. So, Zak & Abby are not related :)
2. Nephilim are also unrelated but as there are only 7 of them in existence and they all faced similar circumstances they too consider themselves 'siblings' of a sort.
Hopefully, this helps clear up any confusion :)
Chapter 1 ~ Abbegael
Follow your General's orders. The words have been ingrained in my mind from the day I was born. Even now, as I face an eternity serving Lucifer, they circle like sharks in my mind. Binding and unbreakable.
Heaven, once a home where I was openly welcome is now a hopeless dream held just out of reach by those four little words. Anger flashes through me at the thought and without further prompting my blade is in my hand.
With a small flick of my wrist the streak of silver flies from my hand toward the image of Lucifer on the back of door. The satisfying thwack resounding in my mind as the blade bites deep into the wood, impaling him right between his bright blue eyes, so similar to my own. Flickering flames disintegrate the image in seconds and I silently wish I could have enjoyed the small conflagration for a while longer.
Fear builds as I stand, silently, waiting. All too soon a blinding flash of light and the rumbling growl that accompanies it announces his presence. Turning from the door there he is; Lucifer. My General, in all his glory.
He stands in the centre of the dark room. His overpowering presence filling the small space to its limit. His once pristine white wings hang tattered and torn at his back, as his pale eyes pierce the darkness and render me frozen in place.
"General." I bow my head in the customary sign of respect. My tone dull, almost a monotone as I forcefully rein in the fear and set my face in a mask of calm compliance. Whatever happens I will not allow him to see me afraid; never again.
"Abbegael, I've been looking for you," his commanding tone sends shivers racing down my spine. "You weren't... hiding? Were you?" A knowing smirk slides across his lips, a calculating glint sparking in his eyes.
He knows I have no choice but to follow him and he knows I hate him for it. There's no point trying to escape, there's no going back. Remembering myself, I halt my thoughts before they can go any further, he will have people listening as always and I still need to play the part he's given me.
"No, sir. I've been waiting for you since...the war." It's the truth, despite how much I despise myself for it. I have nowhere else to go. And I knew my prayers to the Almighty Father to forgive my sins were hopeless. Even God has His limits. As it turns out, all out rebellion is one of them.
"Really? Well... we will see." His eyes maintain an unwavering vigil on me for what feels like an eternity. Finally he frees me from where I stand, frozen beneath his gaze. "Guards!" He barks before disappearing with the same flash of light and ear-splitting rumble with which he appeared. In his place stand two more of the Fallen.
"Sepher," I recognize the pale blonde locks and almost black eyes of the angel on the right. I turn to the angel standing beside him and my breath catches in my throat. "Chase?"
I attempt to hide the shock that radiates through my body, and remain in place as his warm, chocolate brown eyes meet my own. His presence as one of the Fallen sets my mind reeling. What is he doing here? He wasn't even in Lucifer's army.
"Wha-" He shakes his head sharply in warning, stopping both my thoughts and words before they can fully form. Heeding his silent message I break off mid word and choose a more suitable topic in its stead.
"Where are we going?" I ask, keeping my voice calm and controlled as I regain my composure and re-school my expression to a blank slate of detached disinterest.
"You'll see when we get there," is the stern response from Sepher before he steps forward with Chastir and takes my arm in a vice-like grip. Chastir is gentler and I barely have a chance to send him a quick glance of thanks before they take flight.
* * *
We arrive almost instantaneously at Lucifer's hide out. Immediately my ears are assaulted by screams and cries of pain interspersed with the occasional whimper and plea for mercy. They echo off the walls attacking me from all angles.
I know what they are. I know what is causing this anguish. He practised on me enough times. The urge to help them; to save them from the evil that is Lucifer is like a physical pull on my body. But I can do nothing. I'm too weak to save any of them and he knows it.
My eyes drift warily to the rocky walls around us, it is obvious I am trapped in some deep pit under the earth; scorching heat bites at my skin, dead, stagnant air fills my lungs with every breath, and my eyes burn as they attempt to adjust to the dim, flickering light.
This place, whatever it is, is in stark contrast to my previous home. Heaven. What other words do you need to describe the most beautiful place in existence? I lived in the open air; with light and clouds shimmering in the sun as they raced across the endless skies. Now, I'll probably never see the magic of my home again.
The dark cavernous chamber filled with flickering shadows, scrapes the glorious image of my home from my mind. The large chamber looks somewhat like a throne room, and judging by the enormous ornamented 'throne' sitting at the top of a small tiered platform, I guess that was his aim. Slouching on the throne like he owns the world is Lucifer, his wings now back in their transparent, virtually non-existent state, he looks almost like his old self.
The almost normal image is wiped away quickly as we move closer and the startlingly bright red hue splattered over his hands and up his arms reveals itself. I almost falter as images of my blood on his hands flicker from behind the locked door in the farthest recess of my mind. But control is all I have, so with barely a hesitation in my stride, I continue moving forward, relocking that door and forcing back the wave of fear before it overwhelms me.
At his back is a table cloaked in the rest of the blood he mercilessly stole from his latest victim. The sight of the thick red liquid dripping from the rough edges of the table and the steady drip drip as each tiny drop finds the company of all the previous in an ever growing pool on the floor, has me fighting the urge to close my eyes, to shut out the knowledge of what he has done.
The slightly muffled sounds of torture continue beyond the walls of Lucifers cavern, and it is this that sends chills down my spine; he is not only taking up the blade against innocents himself, but passing his skills on.
"Chastir. Sepher." Lucifer acknowledges as if the too bright colours in the room are normal. As if there is nothing wrong with what he has done. "Out," he dismisses the two angels at my side, the word echoing throughout the chamber and blocking out the cries of pain momentarily.
All too soon the resounding echo subsides and the violent sounds return; relentlessly hammering at my heart. I wait patiently. Listening pointedly to the quiet footfalls of the two angels as they make their way from the chamber, I wait silently until even the echoes subside. Then, finally, we are alone.
"I have our minds blocked right now, so we can speak." I almost sigh in relief, that means not only can the other Readers not see my thoughts but neither will Lucifer find out that I'm not just pretending to despise him...I actually do.
"Welcome to Hell Abbegael." Hell? That's what he's calling this place? Okay...way to be original. "My dear child, are you okay?" He asks after a moment of chilling silence. I almost growl in indignation at the words, though that would not be the most intelligent thing to do at the moment.
Why he bothers pretending, I have no idea, it's not like he actually cares; he simply needs me alive. It wouldn't matter to him how badly I was injured as long as I was still breathing. Yet he insists on keeping up the charade. It will never work; I know better. Torture tends to do that to you.
"I'm perfectly fine, Father," I attempt to keep the anger out of my tone as I respond; the disgust that writhes through me at the last word is almost physically sickening. But he can't know I hate him. I don't think I can survive another round under his blade, not right now, it gets more difficult to bounce back and force myself to keep going each time.
"Very good. You did well in there; none of them would think for a second you were my daughter, or anything beyond another member of my army, for that matter. It would have been easier if you actually were a part of my army. But I think you convinced everyone of that too with the little act you pulled in there."
"Yes, Father. I apologise for that, though you know I had no choice." I keep my voice light and submissive. In truth I had chosen which General to serve. As one of the top fighters in my class I had the right to that privilege, I simply didn't tell Lucifer that and chose Mikhael instead.
Of course, when he found out I wasn't in his army...well some things are better left unsaid, but I will never understand his love of violence and torture. Despite that, I don't regret my decision and I never will; serving Mikhael for the short time that I did would trump serving under Lucifer for eternity any day.
"Yes," his tone now glacial as his eyes spear me in place. The fear I perpetually fight comes crashing down on me in an unstoppable tsunami; slamming into my chest full force and crushing any last shred of hope in my system. It appears he still hasn't quite gotten over that incident. Keeping the terror he instills hidden away deep within the recesses of my mind, I keep my face blank; right now my best chance is a change of topic.
"Umm...will I be staying down here? How do I keep everyone from finding out? I can't spend all my time with Chastir now, since you obviously have him working and you aren't going to let me tell him the truth." The ice in his gaze barely shifts as I speak. I wait in tense silence for a reaction. Finally his focus shifts briefly away from me and he responds.
"Yes. You will remain here. You are half human Abbegael, never forget that. If God finds you, if any of the Angels find you, you're dead. Just like your brother. They may not know what you are capable of, but they know you shouldn't exist. They won't hesitate to kill you. You are something that God forbade; Angels will fear you without knowing what you can do. The fact that you are the Devil's Daughter only makes it that much worse."
"The Devil?"
"That's what they call me. I quite like it don't you?" I nod, despite the sudden urge to laugh at his arrogance, and wait for him to continue the rambling speech I've heard a million times before.
"A half breed from an Archangel is even rarer and more potent than normal. You are only the second to exist, my dear Abbegael. Your brother was murdered when He found out. He pardoned me the first time, forgiving me my one and only sin. When He found out about you He was going to banish me from Heaven. Me! You know this! I had to wage war on my friends! My family! All to protect you!" He is almost screaming at me now, blaming me for his failure to conform to God's rules.
In reality he doesn't care about being thrown out, he intended to go to war anyway. That's why he needs me. "If it wasn't for Mikhael we would have won! Why my own brother turned against me I have no idea, but one day I will kill him for daring to betray me." By the time he finishes his rant he's practically discussing the issue with himself, more or less ignoring me completely as he grumbles on about Mikhael's army and military skill.
"Father," the word feels wrong on my tongue even after all these years. I don't want to draw his attention back to me but I can't just leave; the consequences of that would not be pleasant, not for me anyway.
"What!" He barks. I stumble back half a step despite not wanting to let him see my fear, and a sparkling glint lights his eyes. "You will remain down here at all times. You will not leave. You will not enter the human realm. You understand?"
My head moves to acknowledge his request as my heart sinks like a stone in my chest. I'm stuck here? Forever? I bow my head, refusing to let him see the moisture in my eyes as I imagine an eternity in 'Hell'.
"I will assign my best Shield to you so you will not let any of this slip accidentally to the other Fallen. He will remain with you at all times. I will send him to you once I finish speaking to him. You can go," at his words I immediately stride from the room, keeping my movements fast and silent, anything to keep his attention from falling back on me.
So what do we think of Abby? Do you think she's going to survive down in Hell for long?
Remember to vote/comment if you liked it :)
Thanks for reading!! :D