disturbing you, sire . . . a thousand pardons . . . ’
Xacheriel prised his hand free with immense difficulty. ‘What is it?’
The tiniest youngling piped up. ‘Dimnah’s head is stuck!’
The leader added, ‘In the electrofission cathode!’
‘And on fire!’ a second tiny youngling piped up.
Xacheriel slammed his stick on the ground. ‘Enough!’
‘With blue flames . . . ’
‘ Enough! Quite enough! Dimnah!’ He hurried out of the portal, waving the younglings forward in haste.
‘Come, Michael,’ Jether said, strangely solemn. ‘There is something I must show you.’
Michael followed him to the very edge of the portal. He looked upward to where Jether looked, incredulous.
In the distance before them blew a stormy wind, and out of the wind burned a great cloud with a fire. Great flashes of lightning came out of the fire. In the centre of the burning flames were four living creatures: the mighty cherubim of Yehovah. Each living creature had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight and the soles of their feet were as the soles of a calf’s foot, and they sparkled like burnished bronze. Each had the face of an angel in the front, the face of a lion on the right-hand side, and the face of an ox on the left-hand side. They bowed in worship to the Ancient of Days.
‘The sacred vaults,’ Jether uttered.
Michael stared in amazement. He bowed his head. ‘Yehovah’s wonders . . . ’
‘The treasuries of the snow,’ Jether whispered in awe. ‘The storehouse of the ordinances of the heavens. And the holding place for Yehovah’s greatest gift bestowed on man, Michael . . . ’ He stopped, overcome by emotion. ‘Free will.’
Michael took a step back, stunned.
Jether gestured beyond the seraphim. ‘It resides here,’ he whispered. ‘It has been programmed into the genome . . . ’
‘But . . . ’ Michael started.
Jether stared at him gently and slowly nodded. ‘But what if they misuse it?’ He softly finished Michael’s thought.
Michael nodded, dazed. ‘We, the angelic, who live within the fire of His presence, have been endowed with free will – and we have still to be proven, Jether!’ Michael’s voice rose with passion. ‘Each and every moon we have to be proven.’
‘You mean, what of mere mortals?’ Jether smiled at him compassionately. ‘What if they were to become renegade?’
Michael nodded, ashen. ‘It cannot be borne even to think on it.’
Jether looked long and hard at Michael. ‘He would have them love Him by their choice , Michael. He will not force them.’
‘Such a risk . . . ’ Michael echoed, incredulous.
Jether shook his head. ‘You mean, if they fail Him?’ He moved his hand, and immediately they were back again, standing in the central portal. ‘Such is the enormity of His love,’ he answered quietly, a sense of wonder transforming his features.
‘Ahem . . . ’
Someone cleared his throat behind them. They turned.
Charsoc, one of eight ruling monarchs of the Ancient Ones, stood at the portal door. Majestic, his noble features clothed with wisdom, he was attired in the flowing crimson royal robes of heaven’s kings. He bowed, his long white hair and beard sweeping the crystal floor. ‘The council is gathered, my revered Jether. We await your report with great anticipation.’
‘When will the new race be ready?’ Michael asked.
Jether’s eyes lit up in exhilaration. ‘Very soon.’
Chapter Four
Eden
Michael stood a long while on Earth’s surface, staring up towards the firmament, marvelling at its palette of cerises and lilacs, sapphires and ambers. He wrapped his deep blue cloak around him and strode towards his chariot to resume searching the heavens for signs of Lucifer as he had the past hour.
Far in the distance there was a sudden thundering as Lucifer’s monstrous golden chariot became visible through the clouds, riding the shafts of lightning, pulled by eight of his finest winged
Xacheriel prised his hand free with immense difficulty. ‘What is it?’
The tiniest youngling piped up. ‘Dimnah’s head is stuck!’
The leader added, ‘In the electrofission cathode!’
‘And on fire!’ a second tiny youngling piped up.
Xacheriel slammed his stick on the ground. ‘Enough!’
‘With blue flames . . . ’
‘ Enough! Quite enough! Dimnah!’ He hurried out of the portal, waving the younglings forward in haste.
‘Come, Michael,’ Jether said, strangely solemn. ‘There is something I must show you.’
Michael followed him to the very edge of the portal. He looked upward to where Jether looked, incredulous.
In the distance before them blew a stormy wind, and out of the wind burned a great cloud with a fire. Great flashes of lightning came out of the fire. In the centre of the burning flames were four living creatures: the mighty cherubim of Yehovah. Each living creature had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight and the soles of their feet were as the soles of a calf’s foot, and they sparkled like burnished bronze. Each had the face of an angel in the front, the face of a lion on the right-hand side, and the face of an ox on the left-hand side. They bowed in worship to the Ancient of Days.
‘The sacred vaults,’ Jether uttered.
Michael stared in amazement. He bowed his head. ‘Yehovah’s wonders . . . ’
‘The treasuries of the snow,’ Jether whispered in awe. ‘The storehouse of the ordinances of the heavens. And the holding place for Yehovah’s greatest gift bestowed on man, Michael . . . ’ He stopped, overcome by emotion. ‘Free will.’
Michael took a step back, stunned.
Jether gestured beyond the seraphim. ‘It resides here,’ he whispered. ‘It has been programmed into the genome . . . ’
‘But . . . ’ Michael started.
Jether stared at him gently and slowly nodded. ‘But what if they misuse it?’ He softly finished Michael’s thought.
Michael nodded, dazed. ‘We, the angelic, who live within the fire of His presence, have been endowed with free will – and we have still to be proven, Jether!’ Michael’s voice rose with passion. ‘Each and every moon we have to be proven.’
‘You mean, what of mere mortals?’ Jether smiled at him compassionately. ‘What if they were to become renegade?’
Michael nodded, ashen. ‘It cannot be borne even to think on it.’
Jether looked long and hard at Michael. ‘He would have them love Him by their choice , Michael. He will not force them.’
‘Such a risk . . . ’ Michael echoed, incredulous.
Jether shook his head. ‘You mean, if they fail Him?’ He moved his hand, and immediately they were back again, standing in the central portal. ‘Such is the enormity of His love,’ he answered quietly, a sense of wonder transforming his features.
‘Ahem . . . ’
Someone cleared his throat behind them. They turned.
Charsoc, one of eight ruling monarchs of the Ancient Ones, stood at the portal door. Majestic, his noble features clothed with wisdom, he was attired in the flowing crimson royal robes of heaven’s kings. He bowed, his long white hair and beard sweeping the crystal floor. ‘The council is gathered, my revered Jether. We await your report with great anticipation.’
‘When will the new race be ready?’ Michael asked.
Jether’s eyes lit up in exhilaration. ‘Very soon.’
Chapter Four
Eden
Michael stood a long while on Earth’s surface, staring up towards the firmament, marvelling at its palette of cerises and lilacs, sapphires and ambers. He wrapped his deep blue cloak around him and strode towards his chariot to resume searching the heavens for signs of Lucifer as he had the past hour.
Far in the distance there was a sudden thundering as Lucifer’s monstrous golden chariot became visible through the clouds, riding the shafts of lightning, pulled by eight of his finest winged
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