Burning

Chapter three

Heat. That was all there was heat and despair. Chains wrapped around him, his ankles and wrists, one shackle clamped tight around his neck. From his seated position on the floor he could see all of the room though he could not reach it all.  He was trying to find a peace, a peace that could ignore the screams that echoed into his ears. The sadness that filled him with every second that passed him. Finally he opened his eyes, the bright blue orbs stark against the glow of fire all around him. A tear fell from one eye. 

“Is it over for the day?” His voice was a soft whisper, “Will I rest now, ready for tomorrow?” He glanced down at his body, the tears in his flesh were beginning to heal but the blood dried and stained the skin of his bare chest. Behind him the place in which his wings once spread majestically was now nothing more than   bloodied stumps. A few gold feathers still clung to the mess. 

“Will you answer me now, Brother? Will you tell me why? Why I was betrayed by my family and thrown into this place?” 

A shadow passed across his face and he dropped his head once more. 

“Will you come back soon? Or leave me for another hundred years to suffer to the hands of Lilith’s demons?” There was no answer to his questions. 

“Why do not answer me? You come here and sit. All you do is sit. You never speak and you never let me see your face.” 

The shadow was coming closer to him, he could feel it. A hand finally rested upon his shoulder and an emotion he did not understand swept its way through him. More tears flowed from his eyes and then the hand was gone; the shadow was gone and once more he was alone. Alone in a cage, with chains tying him down and walls that curved into him. Parts of them made from iron others of stone. The whole this suspended by an invisible force. Far below was a door, so large and aboding, taunting him each time he saw it. A door that begged to be passed through but was locked from the outside. 

In all the years he had been in that place all he had felt was pain, of course the torture was hard. In the first few years it had been only him in this place until the creatures spawned by Lilith crept in, their bodies twisting into smoke to breeze through the locks and gaps of the cage. It was by their hands that he endured the pain. Their long talons scrapping at his flesh.  There he stayed for centuries until his brother came to him. Came him to him so fully surrounded by light that it stung his eyes. Alone in that darkness he asked his brother the same questions he asked every time after and never got an answer to. 

Lucifer quickly became accustomed to the darkness of his hell. He learnt to see through the shadows of his imagination and soon he was learning. Lucifer learnt that through his anger and despair he could harness the powers of Lilith to create his own creatures. New creatures who would seep into the underworld and scratch at the human souls that were entombed there. For many decades this was perfect for the fallen Angel. Through the eyes of his creations he watched as they wrecked his revenge on the underworld.  He would laugh at the sight of the tears of human souls and dance to see them bleed. 

Still the chains that bound him still burnt his flesh, the wings that once stood proudly behind him were gone and the love he felt for his kin to still clinging  to heart. With each visit of his brother Lucifer began to feel his hopes falling. The hope that his father would forgive him. The hope that his creatures would rise up and break him free of the constraints that bound him. The hope that his brother would tell the truth. There was never such luck for him. In this darkness he learnt that there was only him. Sitting there with only his own imagination Lucifer didn't mean for more creatures to appear but whenever his mind drifted they would crawl out of his skin and scuttle away. 

The fallen, broken Angel didn’t know how long he had been sitting in the darkness since his brother last left but a new light was abruptly filling his cage. A light he had not seen in many years. Not the light of a corporeal being; he knew no one other than his brother could enter the cage freely. This light was a calling. A call to action in a way. In that moment he knew that a call to action had been sent out to all Angels. In that light he saw a face. A face that he would never be told was not the most beautiful face he had ever seen. The face of a sister he had once confided his suspicions too. 

“Sister? Will you fight for me now?” 

He had heard the news from his brother a long time ago. The news that their sister had fallen from Grace and disappeared into the planet. That same Grace now reunited with the body a new hope filling his chest. 

The door to his cage began to open, heavy metal scrapping across the stone floor. Lucifer always knew that his joy was not to be kept for the children of Lilith entered then. Their laughter splitting through his ears, and their teeth chomping against each other. His blood was their treat, their favourite and they got it, every day. 

Outside the cage an Angel stood, a tear falling from his. One hand came to wipe it away, squaring his shoulders he turned and left the underworld. Letting the heat of the sun warm his wings as he rose up in to Heaven. The white of his robes glowing around him. 

He was greeted by another Angel, one with chopped red hair. 

“Ramiel?” 

“Michael.” Ramiel placed his fisted hand against his own chest and lowered his head in a bow. 

“Well? Do we have her?” 

“Michael forgive me, there was another. A Venator with her. They fought as if they had been training together for centuries. Brother I do not understand it. She bested all three of us.” 

A smile spread across Michael’s face, causing the golden markings on his skin to crinkle around his mouth. 

“Of course she did. She is an Arch, beside Lucifer and myself, Priscilla was the strongest of all the Angels.  You will remember well her being your twin.” He said the last word with a strange hint of humour that Ramiel did not understand. 

“The two soldiers you took with you?”

 

“They were injured, they are healing now.” 

Michael turned away from Ramiel and started walking through the marbled pillars of the walkway. Ramiel followed along a few steps behind him. 

“Good, she is uses her powers quickly. Then she will not stay hidden for long.” 

“Michael, forgive me but may I speak frankly with you?” 

The Arch Angel stopped once more turning back to his sibling and turning his head to one side letting yellow hair slid over his shoulders. 

“Why? Why are we hunting her?” 

“She defied our Father’s rules! Fell to Earth for her own purposes. She is a traitor the to the Lord and she cannot be allowed to continue.” His voice had gotten louder with each voice. Noticing the confusion and fear in his brother’s eyes he placed both hands on Ramiel’s shoulders. 

“I understand that this is hard for you, but you must understand that this must be done.” 

“She will go to the cage? With Lucifer?” 

Michael closed his eyes and sighed, pushing his anger away. Spreading a smile over his lips he looked back to his brother. 

“At least they will not be lonely any longer. Trust me Ramiel I understand your reluctance to hurt your sister. On the day our Father ordered me to send Lucifer to the cage it broke my heart. I placed those chains around his body, I built the bars that hold him and I closed that door on him. I left him, my brother, the man I loved the most in the fire and the heat. You must do the same Ramiel. You must find her and bring her to me so that I might finish what must be done. By our Father’s laws little brother.” 

Ramiel nodded bringing his hand once more to his chest and bowing his head. 

“I will find her.” 

“Good now go on with you.” 

Michael spun on his heel and drifted through an archway; slumping down on to a simple wooden chair. His head dropped to his hand and he rubbed at his temples. Behind him entered Sarequeal, his long black hair flowed down to his mid back and swayed with his movements. The same gold markings swirled just beneath his skin. 

“Well, does the light bringer have anything to say?” He spoke, deep and hollow as if the words came from his chest. 

“He did not know. It was only by my opening the cage that he became privy to her reappearance.” 

“Then we will have no trouble from him?” It was almost hopeful. 

“Lilith will keep him occupied for the time being but she has no allegiance to us. She would sooner see the planet ravaged by our own war then keep her favourite toy in her domain.” 

“Do you think…the prophecy that Metatron spoke of, do you believe it will happen?” Sarequeal rounded on Michael facing him. 

“I believe that if my brother returns to the planet then yes, the fight Metatron foresaw will come to pass.” 

“Earth?” 

Michael quirked up one side his mouth and locked his eyes with his brother’s. 

“Collateral damage.” 

Author's Note

A shorter chapter this time, but let me know what you think of it.

Reviews

[Ellen Kolman]

I found this really interesting and fun to read...I am enjoying it very much...keep going....

[amberelisabethbagley]

Thank you very much 😁😁

[TheMalady]

This is rather interesting. It's refreshing for me to read about angels. I haven't read the other parts so, I couldn't clearly picture out the whole situation. Also, I noticed a few typo errors.

- '“Why do not YOU answer me? You come here and sit. All you do is sit. You never speak and you never let me see your face.”

- 'Outside the cage an Angel stood, a tear falling from his EYES.

-“Good, she is USING her powers quickly. Then she will not stay hidden for long.”

-'She defied our Father’s rules! Fell to Earth for her own purposes. She is a traitor TO THE Lord and she cannot be allowed to continue.”

Overall, I like the settings as well as the descriptions of the characters, quite vivid. Loved it. :)

[Solar]

With better text-spacing, it has made reading much easier on the eye.

the fight Metatron fore sore will come to pass.” I didn't get 'fore sore'?

The storyline keeps one's attention - perhaps a bit more action?

[amberelisabethbagley]

Hi tha kl for that.
I think that is a typo on my part I'll get that changed haha.
There is more action in the first 2 chapters and then again in the fourth which I will be posting in the next few days.

[Solar]

It sounded sorta poetic - so I didn't say it was a typo :D. 'Fore sore' could be a new phrase!

[Aurafiex]

I feel like you should space out your paragraphs. Currently it looks like a massive wall of text and its hard on the eyes.

For example, you could format it like....

Still the chains that bound him still burnt his flesh, the wings that once stood proudly behind him were gone and the love he felt for his kin to still clinging to heart. With each visit of his brother Lucifer began to feel his hopes falling. The hope that his father would forgive him. The hope that his creatures would rise up and break him free of the constraints that bound him. The hope that his brother would tell the truth. There was never such luck for him. In this darkness he learnt that there was only him.

Sitting there with only his own imagination Lucifer didn't mean for more creatures to appear but whenever his mind drifted they would crawl out of his skin and scuttle away.

The fallen, broken Angel didn’t know how long he had been sitting in the darkness since his brother last left but a new light was abruptly filling his cage. A light he had not seen in many years. Not the light of a corporeal being; he knew no one other than his brother could enter the cage freely. This light was a calling. A call to action in a way. In that moment he knew that a call to action had been sent out to all Angels. In that light he saw a face. A face that he would never be told was not the most beautiful face he had ever seen. The face of a sister he had once confided his suspicions too.

“Sister? Will you fight for me now?”

He had heard the news from his brother a long time ago. The news that their sister had fallen from Grace and disappeared into the planet. That same Grace now reunited with the body a new hope filling his chest.

The door to his cage began to open, heavy metal scrapping across the stone floor. Lucifer always knew that his joy was not to be kept for the children of Lilith entered then. Their laughter splitting through his ears, and their teeth chomping against each other. His blood was their treat, their favourite and they got it, every day.
Outside the cage an Angel stood, a tear falling from his. One hand came to wipe it away, squaring his shoulders he turned and left the underworld. Letting the heat of the sun warm his wings as he rose up in to Heaven. The white of his robes glowing around him.

*******

Story wise, this is the first chapter I've read, but based on what I've seen so far I think the dialogue is solid. I guess I just like observing the conversations of the villains.

[amberelisabethbagley]

Haha thank you, I'll take a look at my spacing and see what I can do.
Thank you. I use a lot dialogue in my stories to move the plot along so I am glad that it works in this chapter. Thank you for reading

[samparks,sam]

nice theme, I like it, keep continue

[Elle Alley]

I love how you write this. I love the detail. I will love to read more :)

[amberelisabethbagley]

Thank you so much the fourth chapter will be going up very soon!