Page 2 of Greed

“Hi there, sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” I wrapped my arms around her, and she gripped the white leather straps of my armor. “What is it? What’s wrong? Why are you shaking, Callista?”

“I’m sorry, it’s not you that has me out of sorts. Have you not heard?” I smoothed back the soft blonde waves from her delicate face and focused on Callista’s unique blue eyes that sparkled like the rarest turquoise gem found in Heaven.

“Heard what?”

“Lucifer, he’s decided to wage war on Father.”

My smile fell as my hand dropped to grip the top of my sword. “That cannot be true. Lucifer has his issues with Father, yes, but to wage war? To try and overthrow him? That’s just terrible gossip, and you shouldn’t be spreading that around. It will only cause unnecessary panic.”

“No, Maddix, it is true. I saw him in the great hall today while I was working. Lucifer demanded that Father stop favoring the humans over the angels, that they were a lesser species and should be treated as such. He said that it was blasphemy to push our kind aside, his loyal children, and if Father continued to raise the humans on a pedestal, then it was time he stepped aside and let someone else rule.”

“What was Father’s reply?”

“Father said he loved all his children equally, that there was no pedestal, only equal parts of the same,” Callista said. “I have never seen Lucifer so angry. He stormed out and said that Father was no longer fit to be our Father, and it was time Heaven found a new ruler, one that would look after the angels the way they were meant to be.” A lone tear fell from Callista’s eyes.

Wiping the tear away with my thumb, I gave her nose a reassuring kiss. “I’m sure it will all blow over. You know how Father and Lucifer can get. They rarely see eye to eye at the beginning of any argument, and yet they always find common ground in the end.”

“Maddix, this was different. Father laughed at Lucifer like he was a mere child. Father said that the humans should be the one creation that Lucifer should love most, as they were made in Lucifer’s ilk. You did not see the anger in Lucifer’s eyes and the way he stormed out after the insult…I don’t know, but Michael arrived shortly thereafter, and he and Father ushered everyone out of the palace so they could speak privately.” Her fists tightened on my battle armour straps. “I can feel…” Callista stepped back and moved her hand around over her chest. “Something terrible is going to happen, I know it. And I don’t want you to get caught up in it. Please, Maddix, I know you want everyone to get along, but I don’t think you can fix this. Whatever Lucifer decides to do, stay out of it and let Father deal with him.”

“Callista, I’m sure you are worrying for no reason. Father will forgive Lucifer like he always does, and Lucifer will calm down and see that Father isn’t turning his back on us and apologize for his outburst. And although I do appreciate you warning me and if—this is a very large if—something was to happen, I must get involved. I am one of the guardians. It is my duty to protect Father, the angels, and this place. To protect you.” Cupping Callista’s face, I laid a soft kiss on her nose. “Do you want to come inside? Maybe a hot cup of tranquility tea will settle your nerves.”

I held out my hand toward the door when abruptly, the world around me shifted as an ear-piercing roar, not of this plain, echoed in the distance. The terrifying sound made the hair on my arms stand on end. Releasing Callista, I reached for my sword as my eyes searched for what could’ve caused the resonance of terror. The terrifying sound wailed again, along with a deep rumble of thunder, booming in anger. The rich blue sky rippled as if a pebble had been tossed into the water, and a strange vibration shook the surrounding trees and leaves that had never felt the wind. The noise of them rubbing together was unbearably loud. It was as if an earthly storm was rolling in on the horizon like the humans had found a way to touch Heaven before their souls had arrived.

“This is impossible,” I said.

A blanket of blood red and fiery orange slowly consumed the once bright blue sky in the distance. I took another step away from Callista as I, like so many, watched to see what it was that could do such a thing. In all my years, I’d never known anything that could change the sky other than Father himself.

Another roar, louder this time, sounded in the direction of the golden gates. The piercing sound sent shivers racing all over my body. Whatever it was, it was big, and it was powerful. The ground trembled slightly underfoot, and I looked down at the perfect green grass. The little blades were shaking violently—none of this made sense. There was nothing even on Earth with the humans that could do such a thing.

Nothing was strong enough to disturb Heaven. The palace’s normal shimmer changed, and the energy it was casting off made me rub my chest. It was a warning. What was coming was real, and it was dangerous.

“It’s him,” Callista whispered as she held on to my arm. “Look!” She pointed toward the holy gates.

My eyes swung in the direction of the tall golden gates, and my mouth fell open in bewilderment. A massive black snout from a beast I had not seen before pushed through the clouds. The head was larger than I could even begin to describe. The front legs and body were next, and my eyes widened as a mammoth creature that was black as the furthest reaches of Hell was exposed. A great dragon the likes of which I’d never seen emerged from the Heavenly white and parted them like it was the Red Sea. It was unimaginably large, and it hurt the eyes to stare at it directly. As the tail fully emerged from the clouds, the full length and breadth of the beast were displayed. This thing was not of the human realm, it was not of this plain, and I’d never heard of such a creature lurking in the depths of Hell. No, this creature was made from a darkness that wanted to consume all in its path.

Its large red eyes sent an unfamiliar emotion straight to my gut. I looked down at my stomach and back up at the beast. Was this fear I felt? I’d never known fear, and yet this creature, this blackened beast from the underworld that had burst through the serene white clouds, was most certainly causing this reaction.

Human souls scattered to the winds as the dragon knocked them asunder, their ghostly bodies disappearing, in the unsafe space between the River Styx and the safety of Heaven. The gates that normally looked impenetrable seemed flimsy in comparison to the enormity of the creature. Wings blacker than the Hell realm itself and larger than anything I’d ever witnessed opened wide as it finally dropped with a boom to stand on the clouds. Smoke swirled into the air around the beast as the normal mists evaporated under its dark touch. The claws of the great creature pawed restlessly at the clouds. I watched in disbelief as the clouds the creature touched did not reform but remained blackened and charred. If it could destroy the land it stood on, what would it do to our home if it made it through the gates?

Suddenly, there he was, my brother upon the back of the beast that threatened our home. He stood like a tiny flea between the wings of the dragon, and my heart sank. There would be no coming back from this. Whatever this was, Lucifer would most certainly be cast out of home.

Smaller creatures from the same hellish plain followed in the beast’s wake, tainting everything as they dotted the sky. Fire replaced the smoke that rose in streams from the dragon’s nose in funnels so high I couldn’t see where they stopped, but the immense heat could be felt even from this great distance.

“No, this cannot be happening. My eyes must be playing tricks,” I said, and yet the pounding of my heart and the blood coursing through my veins told me I was indeed seeing the impossible.

“This is no trick, Maddix. I see it too.”

My wings spread open, and I took a step to leap into the air, but Callista squeezed my arm hard. “Please, Maddix, don’t go, don’t get involved.”

“Callista, I have to go, I’m an archangel, and those are my brothers and sisters,” I said as the great dragon roared again. Lucifer’s voice could be heard in the distance as he yelled at those that manned the gates to open them or die. Angels of every age and rank gathered to witness the unbelievable sight.

The guards at the gate drew their weapons in defiance, just as the dragon reared. Standing at its full height, I gasped at the sheer size of the beast—the front legs clawed the air with long talons as the tail lashed from side to side.

The large pillars of flame rescinded from the sky toward the dragon’s head, and all I could think was to scream, “Look out!”

The beast brought its feet down, and with such force as it roared that I had to catch Callista from falling as the ground quaked. A fiery breath flowed from the dragon’s mouth and covered the golden arches until they could no longer be seen.

Like we’d all been transported into the middle of an earthquake, the ground shook and vibrated as the power of the gates and the beast collided with a Boom. I stumbled where I stood but held Callista to me. Hellfire that didn’t penetrate at first began to seep under the gate and then unbelievably poured between the bars. The deadly fire trundled out of the dragon like tall waves in the ocean, and I watched in horror as the golden gates that stood tall as a symbol of peace and protection for many generations erupted into flames. The holy metal groaned like someone was screaming as they warped and bent away from the onslaught.