Existence

---

Book excerpt

Prelude - Chief of Thunder

Rain echoed loudly from the roof of the car. Sounds of shattering glass broke through the falling rain from somewhere outside in the darkness. I sat in the rear of the black Lincoln, watching rain hit the windshield and drip down the car window. It was dark and menacing outside, dark and deepening blue. Lightning flashed in the sky, and only when the light flared all around did I catch my reflection in the car’s rear-view mirror.

The face of an older fellow was framed by long hair that was so blonde it was almost white. It was tied in a ponytail, and two large gray eyes stared back at me. Glimmering pale skin boldly hummed from my face. Was I that obvious? I smiled at myself; my pearly canines greeted me in return from beyond the curving flesh of my lips. The thin lips disappeared as I pulled my mouth back, closing it.

“Why are we here, sir?” a voice broke through the falling rain.

Only then did I gaze up from the back seat to the questioning eyes of my driver, Rufus, and fully realize I wasn’t alone in this dreadful weather.

“We’re waiting for someone,” I stated firmly. “Someone is coming,” I let a quiet sigh escape my lips.

He seemed satisfied with my answer. Though I sensed further questions stirring in his mind, he spoke no more. I never said much, and he never seemed to question that. He always did what he was told, with great devotion and respect. His thoughts never troubled me. He didn’t fear me, though at times he found my behavior both peculiar and alarming. But never once did he challenge me.

I was a private man, who paid him very well, and never asked much from him, nor placed him in harm’s way. Just like any other day, he was satisfied with my answer and sat quietly behind the wheel, waiting with me in this dreadful rain for “the someone” who was coming. The sounds of the pouring rain muffled all other things around us.

I gazed out the car window again. The streets were deserted this cold and wet evening; only the unfortunate homeless were out there, huddling for shelter within the downtown alleys. My Lincoln was parked near one of these, where only moments earlier two street people had come up to the car begging for money. I gave freely to the needy, willing to frighten those that didn’t leave me be afterwards.

I watched the raindrops fall, falling myself into a rain-sodden trance. I watched as the drops suddenly turned into blood. I flinched as a golden flash of lightning brought their watery color back. I gasped, catching Rufus’ eyes tracing my face from the rear-view mirror. He seemed concerned for me. I waved his feelings away, falling back into the trance, watching with amazement as the newly bloody skies fell. There was no rain anymore, only blood that fell from the sky. As promised, God wasn’t flooding the world again; he was obviously badly wounded. No mere mortal could ever see that. Why did we need the blood to survive? We didn’t. We had the poison, and we had the seed and the thorns. God needed the blood, but our wild and untamed fluid was too poisonous, too likely to flood the planet before God Himself ever could.

Suddenly, once again I stood at the foot of a stormy cliff, recalling everything. This time, however, Hell’s oceans did not greet me, nor did the bloody sands of the beach. This was a new chapter, a new realm that I walked. I questioned whether I was its first visitor. This place was dreadfully beautiful. The sky was a gloomy shade of midnight blue. Trees that resembled twisting vines, with brightly burning green leaves on their branches, moaned in the wind. The ground could barely be seen, covered in a light mist, where beneath the haze long stems of grassy arms came up to my knees. Like the sticky stingers of honeybees, they stung my bare feet. They seemed to be drawn to me; like sucking leeches, they swayed around my legs, painfully piercing my skin with their tiny ends.

I rushed through them, escaping their bites, onto a cobblestone path. From there, I watched the landscape shaping itself; the mist made it barely visible to my eyes. Before the cliff moved, a beautiful gray-green world, with only somber gray mists surrounding it appeared. It was fantastic, laid out in bleak wonder and mysterious power.

It was warm- neither cold nor hot. The colors of the landscape were bright, brilliant greens and reds shining radiantly from the heads of the flowers. The air was sweet, with the scent of the flowers wafting through its swift currents.

As I turned, I spotted a man’s form walking on the stone path towards me. He vanished. In a wink, he reappeared closer, each glance bringing him even nearer until he stood only a step from me. The silent figure was draped in a black cloak. When he lifted the hood, a beautiful young man’s gray eyes stared back at me from deep within its billowing folds. His long, red hair covered his shoulders as a grin spread over his simple full lips. In a flash, a woman’s face smiled from the hood instead.

Sabelle?

I jumped up as looming, rolling thunder broke my trance. Rufus was turning to me that very moment, trying hard to get my attention.

“Sir, I think someone is here.” Rufus pointed towards the alley.

Dazed, I turned and gazed out of the car window through the running raindrops.

I caught sight of a form in the distance darkly approaching. Again, a lightning flash brought a cloaked image into my eyes. I now recalled the face of the woman…

“Sabelle,” I whispered to myself.

Rufus glanced in my direction, but said nothing.

Another flash in the distant sky brought me to the cliff again; the rain was no longer falling, though the sky certainly was. As I gazed up into the heavens, giant balls of fire and flames stormed down all around me. I stood again on that very same cliff, but this time in Hell, staring down at the black oceans and watching the mortals drown as they fought to escape its mile-high currents.

The sky was black, gray, painted blue, and yes, always red with the infernal flames of the grand pits.

Angels soared above me, diving into the black oceans as if searching for something. A feeling overcame me suddenly, a presence of fear and excitement bringing me to my feet as again my eyes shot into the black ocean waves in search of its special spark.

At once, a single, bright-red light shone from the ominous waves, summoning me to the crumbling edge of the sheerest of yawning cliffs as I dangerously teetered upon it; but my reborn wings dramatically extended, keeping me safe upon the ground.

By my very toes I remained gripped to the ledge! It was only then that I saw her face washing out from every wave in the blackest oceans of Hell. It was her! She had come back. At once I leapt into the sky, diving past several angels flying closely nearby. My skyward dash brought their gazes to my attention, and they followed me without pause or mercy. I tried to fight them off, shoving boldly at one or two of them as they flew past me. I couldn’t let them get ahead of me. This moment was mine!

Yet they were just as determined as I was to get there first. I struggled savagely, floating in the air with one of the angels as he shoved his arm into my stomach and dove straight ahead of me. Enraged, I swiftly caught up with him, and pulled out the silver sword blade at my side. I struck him on his left wing.

All at once, he turned angrily, fiercely trying to shove me back. I recognized him, and he knew me.

“Not this time, Ramiel!” he hissed from beneath his grinding teeth. His angelical visage showed only naked rage as he bore down on me with unstoppable fury.

“She is ours!” he screamed into my face.

“I will not allow it!” I roared back in desperation.

“There is nothing you can do, traitor!” He grabbed my sword, flinging it out into the yawning abyss, which silently swallowed it. With a lurch of crazed strength, I grabbed him and tossed him over me backwards; as he fell, he crashed resoundingly into two other angels. Losing them all for a moment, I flew quickly through the skies and over the black ocean waters in search of my only hope, my one lasting light. A glimmer of red in the ocean alerted me, and I dove into the waters, reaching through the icy liquid.

I extended both arms deeply into the crashing black waters, in search of her. A red mass of seaweed- like hair, or like cobwebs- draped over my flailing hands as I desperately hovered just above the pounding, cold seas.

All at once, a frozen, naked arm shot out from the waves, grasping mine. I pulled the lost soul out. Her web of scarlet hair scattered water as it draped across her face. I could clearly see it was her. She trembled, but her eyes remained closed. Her open lips shuddered, and were blue in color. She had been under for a very long time. The icy oceans of Hell had consumed her fragile body. I could feel her gasping for breath as she collapsed within my closing arms. Straining upwards, pounding my wings, I lifted her from the hideous waters into the air with me, triumphantly embracing her tightly. She was alive!

She came awake in my throbbing, painful arms, wrapping hers tightly around my straining neck. She kissed my chin, dropping her weary head upon my heaving chest as we slowly mounted into the ruby skies. I placed my large hand over her dripping, cold head, allowing my warmth to permeate her freezing skin. Soon, she stopped trembling, and a grateful sigh escaped her lips.

“Thank you, Ramiel,” she whispered through her beautifully small mouth, never opening her eyes. Again, she collapsed, hanging limp in my equally grateful embrace.

My moments alone with her were short-lived. Above my wearied wings, the rest of the angels were swiftly approaching. A band of them flew ahead, coming towards us. Immediately, I swooped into the sky with her draped over my arms; the angels followed us with a most dreadful speed. They were determined to wrestle her from me!

I flew over the majestically beautiful but unspeakably infinite landscapes of Hell. Behind me, the angels closely pursued. If I could make it to the swirling gates at the other end of this realm, we would be away from this awful place, and my Sabelle would be safe at last.

I flew in between the dead trees, narrowly skirting their branches, avoiding the clutching arms that were widely outspread, reaching and trying to take hold of us. Suddenly, two angels appeared beside us, gripping my arms in an attempt to slow us down. I shoved both elbows back with my greatest strength, and successfully released myself from their embrace.

Another one swung a gleaming sword blade at my side, barely missing me. I rose high up into the sky, tearing away from the clutching trees, but the ever-present angels always followed. I kicked one or two off of us, but there were too many; it seemed the whole angelical realm had gathered to stop me and to steal my Sabelle away.

I heard shouts from a distance as others approached to aid the seemingly demoniacal angels surrounding us. But once again, the strange feelings overcame me, and Sabelle stirred in my arms as if she were calling on other forces to come to our aid, or maybe she was merely dreaming, oblivious to our present nightmarish danger. She kissed my neck gently as her tiny lips whispered something I couldn’t make out.

A glowing light above us caught my attention, and I gazed up as the strange feelings of excitement overwhelmed both the other angels and me. From out of the light, a form slowly descended, dropping right before us. Although distracted by the light, the fearsome angels finally pinned me, trapping my wings, fighting me for ownership of Sabelle. An angel lifted his sharp blade to my weary face, but then a glowing hand reached out and quietly stopped him.

When I looked upon his face, he who had blocked the blow was staring straight at me. Esphen’s smile warmly greeted me. He, being no coward, would more than ably help us all.

Esphen lightly tossed the angel away; lifting his sword, he challenged the others with the same unequivocal courage. He advanced, with his mighty blade pointed bluntly and threateningly at the entire surprised angelic host.

Slowly, these hideous demons backed off, though remaining watchful of us, too frightened of Esphen to approach.

“Go and do what you have to, Demon! Leave this place!” he shouted through his trumpeting mouth. A grotesquely sinister smile flashed across his beautiful face.

He joyfully lifted the sword; its light glaring at the angels in front, as beside him another form swiftly materialized. As I stared in lost stupefaction, I saw it was Gabriel who happily flew beside me, briefly protecting us. He pointed ahead to the swirl in the sky, achingly just within reach in the almost closeable distance.

“Go, Demon! Get away!” he shouted, also drawing his sword blade and wielding it mightily. The angels behind us called out to me in rank despair, trying vainly to convince me…otherwise.

“Ramiel, remember what you truly are! Ramiel, give her to us!”

“Pay no attention to them. Go!” Esphen snapped, taking a sharp blow to his side from a gloatingly confident angry angel. He bled; scarlet ribbons of blood which whipped rapidly through the red blowing wind as he valiantly fought back. They were both so hopelessly outnumbered.

Esphen turned and stared straight at me, and in his eyes, I clearly saw the red-haired Princess, all the poison and the inescapable web the dragon weaves, the lies and what would become of everyone if this were to last any longer. I began to weep, afraid of feelings I couldn’t control, terrified of what I couldn’t stop, horrified of who I was.

But with the last ounce of my vast demoniacal strength, I immediately broke free, mounting to the light above in the sky. It was then the desperate battle behind us began. The enemy angels, frightened as they were but determined, jumped through the red-stained skies to get past Esphen and Gabriel.

But Esphen was too quick for them. He swung his sword doughtily, neatly slicing off the heads of two approaching angels. Gabriel lifted his shining blade in the same manner, driving its pointed end repeatedly into the sides of his brother angels, knocking them down into the black seas below.

A flash of lightning shook me out of my trance. I realized I stood outside of the car, a short distance from glaring lights in the alley flooding into the darkness.

Rufus stood stoically behind me, holding the black umbrella over my head. I took a hesitant step into the alley, the weird excitement racing throughout my entire body. Raw smells of waste filled the air, but that was not what made me cringe, though I couldn’t say the same for Rufus, who was forced to cover his nose with his white pocket-handkerchief. Death was quite near, and its taste and smell deeply stirred my vitals, like it always did.

Again, the terrible thunder roared over us, nearly knocking poor Rufus off his feet. As I moved closer to the sickening light, I ignored his singular kindness of covering me with the umbrella, walking far ahead of him as he stumbled manfully behind.

Inside the alley, a lonely form staggered free, and almost seemed to materialize from the nowhere before us. From past experience, I knew that wasn’t far from the truth. The peculiar feelings overpowered me; the lightning seemed to strike right behind me, as I stood transfixed, swaying under its power and guidance. Presently, eerie light hummed out from my whitish blonde hair, and I could feel it inside my immortal body, changing me.

I was more than alive for at least this moment, and now there was nothing to fear but my own failure. In a flash, the light left me, and again, I caught sight of the figure staggering ever closer. Rufus stood over me, shakily holding out the umbrella.