Read Online The Rise of the Fallen (The Angelic Wars Book 2) by J.J. Thompson - Free Book Online Page B

had attacked his brother, out of Heaven into what
could be eternal exile. They chose him over their service to God. And
remember, angels have the same emotions as we do. They feel love,
anger, sadness. Certainly some might feel admiration for Lilith.”
    Chris had suddenly lost
his appetite and handed his half-empty plate back to Ramona as she
walked by again. The judge thanked her as he handed his plate to her
as well, and then he settled back and looked soberly at Chris.
    “ But sir,”
Chris said as Ramona walked back toward the galley, “so what?
Lilith is still evil. She tried to kill Gloriel. Heck, she tried to
kill all of us, including Sariel. The angels should be happy that he
beat her.”
    “ And if he had
destroyed her, I'm sure they would have been.”
    The judge pulled his cell
out of an inside pocket and tapped it a few times. “We should
begin our landing sequence shortly.” He continued to tap the
cell as he spoke.
    “ But Sariel did not
destroy Lilith. He took her back to Purgatory and imprisoned her in
the Frozen Sea for all time. This could be seen by some as demeaning,
insulting. Better to die in battle, some might say, than be displayed
like some sort of trophy.”
    “ Huh,” Chris
said and looked out at the clouds. “I hadn't thought of it like
that. So that's what you think is keeping him there?”
    “ I have no idea. But
it's certainly one possibility.”
    “ What are you two
looking so intense about?” a quavering voice said from across
the aisle.
    Chris sat up and leaned
forward to look past the judge. Natalie was awake and staring at them
sleepily.
    “ Hey Nat! How are
you feeling?” he asked anxiously.
    “ I'm fine, thanks.
Just needed a little nap, I guess.” She grinned a twisted grin.
“But between my stay in hospital after our fight with Lilith,
and me conking out here, I'm starting to see a trend that I don't
like.”
    Judge Hawkes laughed
lightly. “You've been taking the brunt of the abuse lately, my
dear. And we are very grateful for that. Try not getting hit in the
head as much in the future. See if that helps.”
    All three of them laughed,
and Chris heard a couple of the staff behind him join in.
Conversation carried easily in the small plane.
    Natalie's expression
became serious. “Sir, I was thinking a bit about what happened.
And I have a question.”
    The judge simply waited
for her to continue.
    “ What I'm wondering
is, how did we beat him...it? He's one of the Four Horsemen. We
should have been smeared across the sky and left to float on the wind
like dust.”
    Chris could sense the
others listening closely, waiting for the judge's reply.
    The man hesitated a moment
before answering. Then he slipped his cell back into his jacket and
folded his hands on his lap.
    “ We knew his real
name, Natalie. Thanks to Sariel,” he added with a quick look at
Chris.
    “ So we knew his
name. Big deal. What does that have to do with it?” Natalie
sounded dubious.
    “ Well, it goes back
to ancient lore, I think.” Judge Hawkes began speaking in what
Chris had begun to call his teacher's voice. He wondered if the man
had ever taught law in university.
    “ It is said that
names have power. That to name a thing gives you power over it. I
don't know how true that is, but what happened gives the legend some
validity.” At Natalie's confused look, he shrugged. “We
locked him into the form he chose to use. I think that Chris caught a
glimpse of his true form, when he saw that massive eye looking into
the plane.”
    Chris shivered at the
memory. So it hadn't been a trick of the light. My God, he thought.
That eye was huge. How big are these Horsemen anyway?
    “ Okay, fine,”
Natalie said. “So we locked him into the form of a man. So
what?”
    “ Natalie,” the
judge said patiently, “you are forgetting the time of day. Dark
clouds don't matter. There wasn't an eclipse. We are in daylight. And
even the most powerful minions of Hell are weakened in the light of
God. Once