The Rebellion of The Angels, page 11
While Youth, Light and Compassion tried to knock those enemies down, who had swords and that were trying to escape from the battle that, because of the distance, was unequal for them.
Rahab hid inside her canoe, where apparently the enemy arrows would not reach her, although they continued intimidating her, as they were able to cross the wood of the boat.
Youth and Light were forced to throw themselves into the water, but even carried by the current they were able to skilfully manoeuvre their bows and continued shooting against the enemies, while they were also fighting against the current, trying to approach the canoes.
Experience, Peace and Love had time to change weapons, and with their bows and arrows they helped Compassion. That is why the few surviving demons decided to leave through the forest, trying not to turn their backs on their enemies.
—Rahab, you can go out... —Experience said, after making sure that the fight was over.
And while Rahab went out, Experience, Peace and Love, the last one accompanied by Compassion who was still keeping guard, were driving their canoes again, continuing their way to the town of Chacra, in search of Youth and Light, who were still struggling against the current to get closer to their respective canoes.
Once all the crew was on the boats, the group continued their way upstream, seeking to reach the town of Chacra.
The river became increasingly tortuous because it was close to the sea. The canoes sailed again in single file as a precaution against the appearance of enemies.
They had left behind that complex area of rocks and they entered a dry region, with scarce vegetation, on the sides of the river.
After a few more hours of travel, the river was surrounded by very tall, lush and damp forests, which seemed to be part of a jungle region. They advanced several more miles until they could see in the distance the mouth of the river in the sea.
—Here we are —Youth said.
—Turn your canoes to the West Coast —Experience ordered out loud, and breaking the single file, the boats approached the shore where the rocks were so white that they seemed covered with flour.
Since they occupied the front of the canoes, Youth, Light, and Compassion abandoned the oars and took the strong ropes to drag the canoes to the coast, helped by their respective crewmates.
They inspected the coast and the edge of the forest for a moment until they were sure they were not in danger, although no one could guess what they could find in the forest... The wind continued blowing from the East and some minutes later a violent drizzle reached them.
—Lift the canoes, we will leave them hidden in the forest in case the tide comes in —Experience said, but when she saw that they were not so light, at least to carry them between two people, they all took them one by one up to a few meters inside the forest, where they hid them among wet fallen trunks, which naturally seemed to form a kind of house surrounded by a community of ferns.
—Maybe we could eat something. The water increased my appetite —Youth said. Experience, who was still not speaking to her because of the argument they had, chose not to answer, but Light, who showed some differences, did not hesitate to answer.
—For you any excuse is good if it is about eating, right?
—I do not think this forest is a safe place to rest —Compassion said.
—I do not think there is any safe place anymore —Peace said then.
—You are right, Peace. We´d better continue our trip as soon as possible, and maybe we will arrive at the town before nightfall —Love added.
—Come on, we have to go towards the West —Experience said, followed by the rest.
They took a narrow road that looked very wet, although it was really raining and the drops went through the protection that high sheltered trees gave to the forest floor. Even the bushes and ferns that surrounded the road were sweaty because of the weather, and the leaves that slept on the ground were awakened by the soles of those walkers who wanted to take them with them. On both sides, the trees appeared to be very young.
The road twisted and sank abruptly at times, until it rose in a surprising way beyond.
And just as the group led by Experience and Youth was moving through the forest, going up to the West looking for the town of Chacra, in that same direction, but coming down from the North, a large group of demons was advancing, as if they knew what road their enemies had taken, or sensing to which town they were going, although some of those demons could be those who survived the battle on the river.
In turn, the group led by Eyes of Heaven, in which were three of Abed's friends they met in the abandoned castle, moved towards the same town as Experience and Youth´s group and the demons that were behind them, through a desert region that appeared among continuous hills located in some central region of the continent.
In the meantime, in the East region closest to the coast, a group of demons was rushing. The group that kidnapped Abed so that he could lead them to the free lands of the South, where those who were once neutral angels led by Hope were hiding and protecting the Grail. In fact, they had left the portal behind, which they called the opening of a narrow gravel road between snow—capped mountains, which extended along the whole mountain range.
Experience, Youth and their group continued moving through that damp and sheltered forest, accompanied by the rain that did not stop. They moved in a hurry, although at times they had to face small ravines that blocked their way, causing more than one walker to stumble.
They all remained silent, accusing the effects of the storm as an undeniable guilty of the inclement weather, since the rain hit the vegetation, the floor and clothes with rudeness, up to the point of not allowing a good auditory reception of those forest foreigners, who were afraid of the possible appearance of demons, although inside the pockets of their jackets their respective guardian angels did not give news through their change of colours about the presence of enemies; and although in the future the appearance of these could be true, the group went through the forest without weapons in their hands, since they needed them to protect themselves from the storm.
After another large section, that difficult way of transiting the forest took them a considerable amount of time until they reached a profile of wooded land that appeared to be. Then Experience had time to look forward and discover that not far away, the small path created by nature surrendered at the foot of thick trunks of strong roots, which belonged to several mature trees that tried to hide a natural path that cut the forest down.
Without hesitation and with the insistent drizzle hitting on their entire bodies, the group hurried until Experience used her refined hearing, and immediately raised a hand meaning wait. She looked to the North as if trying to corroborate what she apparently heard, and while bending down, she gestured the rest of the group with her hand to do the same. Almost like a reflection of Experience and crouching down, they approached the edges of the forest where those mature trees grew; they hid themselves among the tall bushes that used to become familiar with the trees keeping each other warm.
—¡A deep noise moves through the soil! —Light said, resting one ear against the floor.
—Really? —Youth answered ironically, as if attenuating the tension.
—If it is about people, it is an important number —Light continued, ignoring the joke; but when Experience and Peace looked to the North, from where the deep sounds apparently came, Light approached Youth and, taking her aggressively from her hair, she said:
—The next time you make fun of me I will make you chew the feathers of my arrows! —So Youth hit her to get rid of her, and both looked at each other in a bad way. Light could not bear Youth´s whims and Youth could not bear that Light was constantly attacking her overwhelming ideas.
Peace observed her guardian angel that rested in the pocket of her jacket, and it twinkled transparent, so without hesitation she said:
—If what is coming is a group of people, surely they are not enemies. Look at your guardian angels.
Suddenly the noise varied from thunderous to shrill. There was no doubt that it came from the North, so everyone pointed their eyes in that direction, hiding among the foliage.
There was little grass that grew only on the edges of the road that cut the forest down, and what was heard in the distance as a thunderous noise were the strong footsteps of a very thick column of humans of both sexes and different ages, that were apparently going towards the same town Experience, Youth and their group were trying to reach, led by a group of soldiers; while the kind of shriek that seemed to be heard was due to the sound produced by the boots of those people when they splashed in large puddles of water.
—Where will all these people go? —Love asked.
—We must find it out —Light answered.
—Do you intend to fight against the soldiers? They are natural humans, not demons —Youth answered.
—Would you stop shouting and question each other someday? —Peace said.
—Maybe, when both are punished by the Lord... —Compassion interrupted.
—Do not doubt that the Lord will punish them both, Compassion —Experience said, who still did not talk to Youth, for that argument they had shortly before finding the rest of their brother and sister angels with the skin of humans.
—What do you suggest to do, Experience? —Peace asked.
—Maybe they are escorting these people to town. We will merge into them, when half of the column is passing in front of us. Be ready…
And while they watched the first members of that important column of people, in which there were soldiers guarding civilians, and after making sure they were not seen by them to avoid possible interrogations, the group of Experience and Youth merged into the crowd, separated from each other, although not so much so as not to see each other.
Rahab, who walked near Experience and Youth, who did not separate from each other even without talking, asked as if interviewing the rain that did not stop, or the nape of the person walking in front of her maybe:
—Where are we going?
—But where have you been all this time, young lady? —An old lady whose eyes seemed to come out of her face asked—. Have you not heard the murmurs coming down from the North?
And a sloppy adult man who walked very fast, as if he were running a race in which he could not jog, only walk very fast, to the point that his heels did not touch the floor, he said out of his place:
—¡Gossiping tongues say that a war is coming...! The strange men descend in multitude from the North continent, attacking the noble people and looking for who knows what or who?... But little is known about them. No one knows where they come from, where they hide... —He described referring to the demons—. That is why we are going to take refuge in the town of Chacra. You should investigate young girl, leave the toys and take care of yourself... or your hours are numbered! —He finished, insinuating panic.
—Thank you for the advice —Rahab said, while Experience looked at the pocket of her jacket, to see if her guardian angel had changed its colour, but it was still transparent, what confirmed only the presence of natural humans.
Then Light, who was walking a few meters behind along with Peace, hurried and approached Experience saying:
—I think we should reconsider our next movements —As well as she was making sure that she was not heard by others who were not their friends.
—For the moment, we should get to the library to look for information. There we will see how our mission continues —Experience said.
—Do you think the enemy knows about our presence? —Love asked, joining the group with Compassion, while they continued walking among the crowd, under the rain that did not stop.
—I suppose that if they did not know it, they could imagine it —Peace answered.
—Remember that Lucifer is no longer our brother, he is no longer Lucifer. Now it is a very powerful enemy called Satan, which we can only defeat not only by working together, but also by praying, being communicated with our Father —Experience said.
—Could you be a little more explicit for others when you talk to each other? —Rahab asked, continuing that delicate and intimate dialogue, which was developing in a very low voice.
—Some day you will have to narrate what you have experienced, Rahab, remember that —Compassion pointed out, and everyone looked at her smiling before Rahab's lost eyes, who did not understand anything.
The small group of friends continued walking among the crowd and in the company of the inseparable rain for a few more hours.
The path that cut the forest down was now going towards the West in a very delicate way, almost as if to go unnoticed for its passers—by. The soldiers advanced very carefully, preventing anyone from delaying and mainly because they were afraid of the appearance of some enemy that could show up from the thick forest by surprise.
Later, they left the forest behind, when that path that cut it down continued into the open field. It had stopped raining but the wind was blowing from the East in a very violent way.
They walked a few more miles until they reached a region where young mountains rose, covered by a soft green carpet that could shine bright, even having put up with the strong storm for hours, and being covered by a dark grey sunset that differed little from the night.
Shortly after, many of those who headed that column of souls who were looking for more protection discovered that behind a few mountains, the high and strong walls made of wood appeared, which protected the town of Chacra. Then they showed a shy smile that went from face to face, under a general murmur that said “There is the town”, or “We have arrived”.
Meanwhile, another important group of soldiers came out from the mountains and approached that column of civilians and military companions, to escort them to the entrance of the town, where from the towers at the ends of the front of the land whose geometric shape was square, they could see the movements of the guards who notified their companions of opening the huge and strong doors, allowing that contingent of civilians and soldiers to enter the town, while the other group of soldiers who joined them at the last moment, returned to their shelters in the mountains with the mission of guarding.
At that time, a soldier who arrived with the civilians, including the small group of Experience and Youth, and who apparently had the position of sergeant, approached another of higher rank, which in this case commanded the soldiers who protected the entrance to the town, asking him:
—Sir, how many contingents have arrived from the central region?
—Only one... —Who was actually his lieutenant answered.
—¡How weird! —The sergeant continued.
—Maybe they have stopped to rest on more opportunities than you.
—We hope it is just that.
—In two hours I will increase the security —The lieutenant said when the night reached them completely—. If there are no news of them at night, I will warn the general so that he ask the king what to do —And the sergeant, who had just arrived, left approving his lieutenant, while the last members of that column entered the town, after which they closed the huge and strong doors.
Once inside the land surrounded by high and strong walls that protected the town of Chacra, the soldiers who arrived with that large column of people, who for security had to leave their homes and moved to that place, accompanied those civilians to the rooms specially prepared to receive them.
Little by little they were entering that place, built with mud walls, as all the others, because there were many others like those rooms for the same purpose.
Then, the guards who were next to the doors began to count those who entered and who would clean up soon, after changing their wet clothes, wearing others they carried in their rucksacks; they would also receive medical help, which would consist of an individual and general check—up for everyone; later they would replace calories, having a huge dinner that as an appetizer would have soup.
The group of Experience and Youth was among the closely watched people who little by little entered the room, and they observed all the movements that took place around them.
There were other buildings with halls to house possible people in need as in that occasion, and also open wooden cabins, crossed in the front by a wide and thick wood, used as a counter. These cabins extended throughout the town, giving place to shops that in certain days of the week were visited by people of other near towns, for the necessary exchange of goods.
The rooms that protected people and the cabins used as shops were part of the buildings of the town along with was a place of it particularly guarded, where they cultivated the town houses and they took care of the animals of the neighbouring farms. Both of them belonged to the King, called Lagash.
In a place further away, they could observe the stables of the cavalry. In front, on the other hand, there were tall, circular constructions, which were the headquarters of the king's soldiers; in some of them they kept armaments and catapults.
But the most important constructions were observed in the centre of the town. They had a rectangular shape and you had to go up a few steps to enter them. Its supporting columns were cylindrical. They had windows on the fronts, on their sides and on their backs, not only on the ground floor but also on all their floors.
One of those buildings was precisely the library of the town, which had three floors and was at the time the largest one known in the world; while in front of it, there was a five—floor building, which was King Lagash's palace.
