AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Worse; Helena and Micah had sacrificed themselves for this.
“You used me,” I dared, as the last thought crossed my mind.
I hadn’t meant to speak. I hadn’t meant to say what I said, but I hadn’t been able to stop myself either. For a brief moment I had given into my Anger, because it was the only emotion that could protect me against the soul-destroying realizations I was facing.
Lucifer looked down at me, disappointed. “Used you?” he asked, “No, Sarakiel. I just guided you…pokedyou in the right direction.” He poked his finger at my nose as he said it.
Tears began to gather at the corners of my eyes. I looked at Abaddon, who looked as stunned as I did. Neither of us knew what to do; we couldn’t run, it was far too late for that, and we definitely wouldn’t be able to defeat him.
Lucifer smiled gently at me. “Come now, Sarakiel. Why should we waste time with these pointless questions when there’s so much good work to be done?” He stretched his arms and cracked his neck. “I’ve been chained to this place since before time began—I want to spread my wings, stretch my legs, bring about the dawn of a new age. Doesn’t that soundexciting?”
“Exciting…” the word fell out of my mouth on the back of a short breath. I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer, they started streaming freely down my face.
Lucifer took my hand and pulled me away from Abaddon. He brought his other hand up to my cheek and wiped my tears from my face. “Don’t cry, please. You are so beautiful, Sarakiel. There is such Light in you, and I love you… so very dearly.”
I was trembling. Not with sadness, but with rage.
“You aren’t going to restart the Machine, are you?” I demanded.
“The Machines?”
“Humans are trapped in Heaven. They’re losing their minds, they’re suffering, and they can’t die… and the humans on earth, their souls can’t ascend.”
Lucifer nodded. “And they become horrible abominations that stalk people, right?” He sighed. “I know, I know.”
“Then restart it, like you promised in my dream.”
He shook his head. “Promised? No, no. I said I knewhowto restart it, but I never said I would. IbuiltHer Sacred Machinery.I knew what it did—I knew it ate them. Did you really think that I didn’t? It’s the whole reason I rebelled, after all.”
Abaddon stepped up toward Lucifer. “You must do something. If you do not… there are little ones suffering. Wemusthelp them.”
I remembered the child.
I remembered the way Abaddon had talked to her, so gently, so caringly.
Lucifer sighed again. “No,” he said simply, “Humans were Her pet project. They told you I rebelled because I felt sorry for them? Mmm, no.Wrong. I rebelled because they are sinful, dirty-little-bags-of-meat that don’t deserve thehonorof fueling our Sacred City. I have other plans for them. You’ll see.”
“Please,” I said quietly. This was all wrong, it was all going horribly wrong. “You promised… you told me you would help us, all ofusand all ofthem.”
Lucifer nodded, took a deep breath, and exhaled. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll help them. I’ll end their suffering by feeding them to my new Machinery, but only after I’ve made thealterationsI’ve spent all this time working out. Idle hands, and all that,” he added with a cheeky smile.
I pulled away from him and backed up a step. “I won’t,” I cried, gasping. “I won’t do it, and neither will he.”
I looked toward Abaddon for assurance. His eyes were wide and filled with fear, but his expression hardened when our gaze met, and he turned to Lucifer confidently. “I will not help you,” he said.
Lucifer brought his hands up to his chest. “Ouch… that hurts,” he said, “Actually, not really; once you’ve endured as much pain, suffering, and anguish as I have… anyway, you’ll change your mind,” he shrugged.
He will be King of the Ashes,came the words the dying Oracle had spoken.
“I will do no such thing.” Abaddon said.
Lucifer looked from me to him, and back again, “I see the problem. You don’t want to upset her, right? I get it, you’re basically human now—all those messy emotions.” He walked around me to face Abaddon, “I can fix it.”
Before he could react, before either of us could, Lucifer drove his foot into my chest and sent me flying back.
Back.
Backover the lip of the Pit.
Abaddon roared, pushing past Lucifer to get to me. I tried to right myself, open my wings, anything, but the pull of the Pit was too strong.
His voice was the last thing I heard as I plummeted into the deep, cold dark.
TO BE CONTINUED…
