War of Wings - Tanner McElroy

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looking in all directions and across the top of the trees, but he saw nothing. The voice was actually quite beautiful, and when it repeated itself again, it seemed to be a song. When his sheer surprise wore off, Gabriel realized why he didn’t see anyone. It wasn’t because she was too far away. It was because the voice was coming from inside his head. He realized that the voice wasn’t singing because there was no rhythm or beat. It was weeping. The beauty of her voice made him misinterpret her words as a song.

      As he kept flying across the tree tops, his ears vibrating with her words, he shouted, “I know the Lord is holy! Please get out of my head. Where are you?”

      “All of Heaven is full of His glory!”

      “Who are you?” He flew back down to the ground and began to search through the orange grove, moving branches and looking around trees.

      The powerful voice repeated, “All of Heaven is full of His glory!”

      “I get it. God is great. Come talk to me like normal angels do.”

      “Many will soon forget what I’ve just said to you now,” cried the voice.

      “Well, I won’t forget since I’ll probably never be able to hear again.”

      “You must hear God inside you. Let only Him and Michael guide your way.”

      Gabriel stopped walking. “Who are you and how do you know Michael?”

      “I am of the seraphim.” With that, the vibrations went away and Gabriel’s ears were at rest.

      “Wait! What is your name?” He waited for a response, but nothing came. “Are you there?” He cupped his large hands around his ears and temples and closed his eyes. But there was no answer. Gabriel slumped down into his previous spot against his favored tree. It now provided even less comfort than before. He reached for another orange on the ground without thought and bit into it, but he quickly realized it wasn’t peeled and spit out the coarse rind.

      Although Gabriel knew the angel he heard had claimed to be a seraph, it was not easy to believe one had spoken to him. He had always thought they did nothing but sing praises to God. Unlike most angels, they had six wings, one pair of which they used to fly, another to cover their feet, and the last to cover their eyes. They covered their feet out of respect for God, but they covered their eyes only when they spoke to other angels. This was rare because they were the guardians of the throne and were almost always next to God.

      In fact, they were so close to Him all the time that His glory shone through their faces like a light. They covered their faces for the benefit of others because it would be too much for other angels to bear all at once. For any angel to adapt to the glory of God’s light without their eyes covered took thousands of years next to Him while slowly covering less and less of their eyes. Some angels didn’t know why seraphim placed their wings over their eyes, so although it was an angel courtesy, it also led to their mystique among the lower classes.

      A seraph had never spoken to Gabriel before and certainly not inside his head. He had never even seen one up close. But now that one had spoken directly to him, Michael’s story didn’t seem so ludicrous anymore. On top of this, Gabriel knew what the word “seraphim” meant.

      Lucifer stared down from the top of the Rolling Hills of Peace just west of the Great Mountain at the sixty-six angels constructing his throne. They were carving ornate designs out of gold, chipping away pieces of the legs and armrests, shaping cushions from a gelatinous material, and sewing intricate details into various pieces of the throne’s cloth. The cushion of the seat was made with red velvet and had white trim. It looked old and predictably like something God would have, not something he would have chosen. Yet he felt it was nothing compared to God’s. Not even on the same level. The angels were wasting their time.

      Saraquel caught his eyes and immediately labored up the hill in his direction. Lucifer noticed that Saraquel’s stringy, dark hair was long now. It flopped from side to side as he walked, and Lucifer remembered what that felt like; his own hair had been long until recently. Saraquel’s forehead wrinkled as he opened his eyes wide for a welcome greeting. He must want something. Lucifer glanced over the creature so different from him. He looked frail and uneven because his arms were unusually long for his body, yet his hands and feet were small. His skin wasn’t pristine like most angels. It was dry and scaly.

      He approached Lucifer, head lowered, and slowly raised it after Lucifer acknowledged him. “Your throne is turning out to be quite magnificent, great Lucifer.”

      “I am looking forward to commenting on the finished product, Saraquel.”

      “We will work on it until we have pleased you.”

      “Will this be worthy of sitting next to God’s throne on the highest tier of Heaven?”

      Saraquel’s expression made it apparent the answer was no. “We will do everything we can.”

      Lucifer stared into the distance. “Your hair. It has changed.”

      “I grew it long to match yours from the ceremony.” All angels could will their hair to grow, but most kept it short for convenience.

      Lucifer felt it looked nothing like his. He read the words engraved on Saraquel’s chest: Ab uno disce omnes. From one, learn all. What could he possibly learn from this sad angel? “The long hair suits you well.”

      “Oh thank you, Lucifer!”

      “I will be back soon. I expect you will have the throne ready upon my return.”

      “Yes, sir. Will you have time to speak to me about some of my questions when you come back?” Saraquel’s eyes were hopeful.

      “I will do my best to make time.”

      Saraquel smiled ear to ear. “Before you go, please tell me your thoughts of the news.”

      Lucifer slowed the opening of his wings. “What news?”

      “The news of God’s equal. You haven’t heard? I just know it will be you.”

      “No, I haven’t heard. Tell me.”

      “God is declaring a Son. I figured you will be promoted and that is why we are constructing this throne for you. All of the angels have been talking about this.”

      His promotion. Finally. He could barely contain himself. “I will be back, Saraquel. Thank you for the news!” Stretching his massive wings, Lucifer flew straight down off the mountain. He propelled himself south, soaring over the glorious fields on his way to the rocky cliffs at the Marble Falls.

      As he flew across the Field of Tranquility, it turned a magnificent shimmering yellow. He stared at the brightness of the field with joy. He’d never seen that color in this field before. He halted abruptly at the very edge of the Marble Falls and stood on the tips of his toes for a moment. A cloud of dust traveled in front of him over the edge and climbed up around his sixty-six-foot wingspan as he looked down. He took in the majestic beauty and great depth of the roaring river below, took a deep breath of the cool, perfect air, and leaped off headfirst. He plummeted toward the water, gliding past the four waterfalls. There were four tiers that fell over seventy miles on each level, making it almost three hundred miles from top to bottom. Marble made up the rock faces, with each level lighter than the next. It started with deep shades of brown, black, and gray, and ended with light variations barely above white. As he entered the river, his speed parted the water so easily there was hardly a splash.

      He quickly covered thousands of miles through the depths of the sea. On the other side, he emerged to view the never-ending black of the cosmos. The infinity of its area was inconceivable. This place was very familiar to Lucifer. He’d spent countless days there already.

      Lucifer let out the most jubilant yell of his life. At last, it was his moment. He would finally be able to take what was rightfully his, the highest seat in all of Heaven. He would soon know all the secrets

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