LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

Everything he had worked for was slipping away, and there was nothing he could do about it except hear his fate directly from the One he had led the angels to worship all of this time.

      Many different activities were taking place on this level. Some angels were debating in groups, some were designing elaborate construction plans, while others were sitting in pure silence with expressions of bliss. Lucifer chuckled to himself in disgust. All of the angels Lucifer passed stopped what they were doing and acknowledged him as their leader.

      He caught a glimpse of Thyaterra and stopped dead in his tracks. This wasn’t her level, and for some reason she had her eyes uncovered again. She was accompanied by none other than Bretabian. Even with this awful timing, he couldn’t resist her. Her face alone made him feel that perhaps everything wasn’t lost. She approached him with an eager look on her face.

      “Thyaterra.” He gave a small smile, taking her in. He glanced to her left and the smile was gone. “Bretabian.” The angel responded with a bow, and Lucifer cringed inwardly.

      “It’s been a while, Lucifer. Haven’t seen you since the performance at the Ludus Paradisus,” said Thyaterra.

      “I’ve had much going on, Terra,” Lucifer answered, turning his attention back to her.

      “I’ve missed you.”

      “I see Bretabian has taken care of you in my absence.” Lucifer fixed him with an unwavering look.

      Bretabian looked uneasy. “She has missed you, Lucifer. It’s good to see you,” he said.

      “That is appreciated, Bretabian.” He was not interested in the least in what Bretabian had to say. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Lucifer placed a hand on the small of Thyaterra’s back, just beneath her wings, and guided her to a small alcove. She put up little resistance though when she turned to face him, her eyes were wide, almost luminous.

      “I’ve missed you too,” he said, “but I have been taking care of something important.”

      “I’m worried about you, Lucifer. Something feels wrong. Are you upset about the announcement of God’s Son?” His insides seemed to cave in on themselves. “So it’s true?” He needed to hear it from Him. Thyaterra looked at him with those soft eyes. He couldn’t take it.

      “It is what it is. You don’t seem too worried. I’m sure between God and Bretabian you keep occupied.”

      “I don’t understand why you say that.”

      “I’m different now. I think differently. I see things that others cannot, and I don’t like much of what I see.”

      “What you are trying to say?”

      “Maybe Bretabian can explain it to you since he is so accommodating in my absence.”

      “Stop it, Lucifer. You are being unkind.” Two of her wings folded protectively around herself, their feathers brushing against her chin as if ready to cover her face.

      “Well, you know I love your opinion on matters, but I’m not fond of Bretabian following you around.” He buried the real hurt from what had just shattered his world.

      She took a step away, her wingtips now over her mouth while the glow from her skin shone through them. “He is a kind angel, but you know he does not mean what you mean to me. I have always been there for you.”

      It was true, and he found himself wanting to step close to her, to draw her wings from her face. Then his reason for the trip overwhelmed his thoughts again, and he could not keep the edge from his voice. “You have, Terra. I have to speak with His Highness, but I also want to take you somewhere and discuss things soon.”

      “Are you all right?”

      “Yes. I have much to tell you if I can trust you to keep it from others like Bretabian.”

      “Of course, you can trust me. I will help you, whatever you need.”

      “You will be proud of me, Terra. As proud of me as you are of God. I’ll see you soon.”

      He turned to leave before she could respond, hurrying off the platform and up to the third tier, almost too quickly—the hollow rush of feeling that had once been euphoric now made him ill and light-headed. He had to reach the throne. He had to see the so-called Maker.

      The seraphim all had their eyes covered, but still they faced Lucifer as he approached as if they knew he was coming. Did they know what was about to happen? Lucifer looked around at the platform made of the finest jewels in existence. He deserved to be on this level. Every structure was covered with millions of different types of gemstones all glowing brilliantly, and they taunted him. It made him realize how unimportant he really was to God.

      He had already wasted too much time. He ascended the final staircase to the throne and approached God’s blinding light. He had made it. It was time for his moment of truth. One of the four seraphs who guarded the throne slowly walked up to him with two of her wings covering her eyes, two covering her feet, and the other two standing tall and outstretched behind her back.

      “The Lord our God is holy and worthy to be praised,” said the seraph passionately.

      “He is,” said Lucifer, struggling to get it out.

      “He is waiting for you.” Her voice was like a song.

      Walking up to God sitting on His throne, Lucifer covered part of his face and got on one knee. He noticed the light was a little less blinding this time. The material and structures of the entire platform were still too hard to make out from His powerful glow, but he saw colors he had never seen before. Lucifer’s throne should reside up here as well.

      All he could feel was the presence of the massive throne, and he wanted one. It occurred to him that the angels couldn’t even see God yet still praised Him. Lucifer engaged directly with the angels, but they still adored and worshipped Him. Lucifer bowed his head and kept his eyes to the ground.

      “I have come to ask for your guidance and wisdom, Father. I have also come to ask you a question,” said Lucifer.

      “You have come upon great knowledge, O highest of cherubim,” God said in a chillingly powerful voice.

      Lucifer froze a moment before speaking. He tried to hide his mind and heart, but he felt he was not as successful as he had hoped. God knew why he was here, he was certain. “Yes, and I have become confused searching for the answer that I seek. But before that I must ask you something.”

      “What is your question, my son?”

      “You call me your son? Why is that?”

      “Every angel is a son of God.”

      “I hear you mean to have a real Son, a Son that you recognize to be on your level. Have I not done everything I can to praise you?”

      “You have, Lucifer. Be careful of your own mind and where it takes you.”

      “Is it true? Tell me!”

      “Yes.”

      Lucifer’s body instantly ached all over. His elbows hit the cold, jeweled ground below him. He reached deep inside and mustered a roar. “How could you do this to me?”

      “This is not about you, Lucifer.”

      “Everything is about me!” Lucifer screamed without thinking. God paused just long enough for a chill to travel down Lucifer’s spine.

      “Listen to yourself and truly hear.”

      “I have given you everything, God. Angels look up to me as their leader, and you presume to demote me by announcing a Son above me?”

      “You are not being demoted, Lucifer.”

      “I see it no differently! Are you surprised by this? Shouldn’t you know what I came here for as our almighty God?”

      “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

      “So

Скачать книгу