The Rebellion of The Angels, page 23
Running over, they entered the tent where more than one or almost all of them, from whatever their places were, leaned back in amazement, fascination and perhaps even frightened… Experience had returned from death but how? When? Thanks to whom? Why? Eyes of Heaven, Temperance and Offer seemed to ask themselves.
—Only the love of God our Father could produce such a sublime miracle —Love said.
—Blessed you are among all of us, your heavenly brothers —Compassion said.
Even with his spiritual and mental fatigue that concerned him for the kidnapping of his daughter Rahab, whom by the description of her condition seemed to be lost, Abed asked:
—What happens to all of you now? Who is she?
—She is Experience. The wisest of our nature —Eyes of Heaven answered immediately.
—But she was... —He said hesitant, not sure of continuing...
—I returned from death thanks to a miraculous gift from God, our father —Abed sat down again as if he was about to fall and without hesitation he asked:
—I need water, please... —Compassion gave him some water from his wineskin quickly, since it seemed that he would faint, while Love gave the most tragic news, no longer of the last days, but of the last weeks:
—We lost him... —Abed threw his water container to the floor and covered his face with his hands with no consolation —That loss also meant the loss of his daughter Rahab—. The rest approached Love at the side of the table and he moved away so Experience could get there, who after verifying that the wizard Suleiman was not breathing, she put the palm of her right hand on the sword wound that after getting worse produced the death of that wizard, and she put her left hand on her heart saying aloud and closing her eyes:
—You go back to this one, the kingdom of the Earth, because your mission in this place has not finished yet, and you will remain in this kingdom until our highest Father Almighty God considers that it is time to really leave this life and decide or not, according to how you pray in this one, the kingdom of the Earth, to welcome you in the kingdom of Heaven, the natural home of all the angels, and practically all this group.
Experience removed her right hand where the wizard Suleiman had the wound and she fell back, as if as a result of that action that tried to bring him back to life, she was weakened, being taken by Youth and Light that helped her to sit in a chair and they brought her water.
—What is wrong? —Youth asked.
—What do you feel? —Light immediately went on.
—I feel weak... —She said, drinking water, and when most of them approached the girl as if looking for more information about what she experienced… the recent and most relevant news of the last few months, perhaps, came from the mouth of Love:
—He is breathing again, the wizard is breathing again. In a weak way but breathing... —She said with such exaltation that she did not hesitate to hug the rest.
Abed jumped out of the chair and Youth began to cry hugging Experience, as it happened when they met again after Experience returned from death, although in that case through the grace of God.
And before someone asked her why she was crying, Youth said:
—I cannot believe that you do such miracles —Experience was still weak, but she could stand up to hug and caress Youth, her dear friend whom she also loved.
Shortly after, the wizard Suleiman opened his eyes, quickly recognising Abed and some of the many angels with the skin of men and women around him, of whom one with the skin of a woman managed to bring him back to life.
—How do you feel, friend? —Peace asked.
—A bit strange, but fine —Suleiman answered, and continued—. What has happened? I was in Heaven. I was in Heaven in a kind of room where there was an altar and many benches, but the room was almost lonely.
—Why almost lonely? —Abed asked interested.
—Because although there was no soul, I felt someone's presence. On the top of the altar I saw light, but the most fascinating thing was that the light made me feel peace, inner peace... Everything was calm and I was happy, very happy.
—The light that you saw and that made you feel that fascinating calm of which you speak, is the light of God, our Father. He was the one who was present there with you, represented by that light —Light explained, and the wizard Suleiman seemed to fall in love even more with that experience. But soon after, he remembered:
—Rahab, we must go for Rahab —Some of them smiled and others were worried and even astonished by the quick recovery of Suleiman, who perhaps was not fully healed, but even so his kind spirit knew that he should help Rahab before it was too late. Then he extended his hand and Love helped him to stand up.
—Put things in their place —He said pointing at the table and the chairs thrown everywhere—. And give me the cards —He said with desire, although with discomfort in the wounded area that was covered with rags.
Chapter XII
Love without fear
While some put the thrown things in order and even lanterns to illuminate the tent since the night bloomed, and others collected the cards with which Suleiman would do his spell to track the demons that took Rahab, Hope asked Kindness:
—We must gain time. Guide the group of Eyes of Heaven to the Ghost Port and got up the caravel —Kindness accepted the order and the company of Temperance and Offer, who quickly joined by saying:
—We will go with you.
While Suleiman, observed by the rest and sitting at the table, wrote the name of all the demon leaders that lived several days with him. Then he mixed the deck of cards and asked:
—Abed, for being Rahab´s father, whom we are looking for, I ask you to cut in three parts and choose a pile.
Abed followed the instructions and he chose the pile with more cards, the one in the middle. Suleiman turned the first one over, but since this time there were no mirrors to translate the meaning of the cards as when he was in the company of the demons, who had that famous “burning mirror”, he explained what that card meant which describe a woman surrounded of demons...
—What this card tells us is what we already know, that Rahab has been kidnapped and taken away by the demons —Then he turned over a second one, that showed a woman turned around, but he needed a third card to understand its meaning. Then he explained:
—These describe the sexual relationship the demons will force Rahab to have with one of them.
—¡But we have to avoid that! —Abed interrupted abruptly.
—It is what I think we will try if I can find out where they took her — Suleiman said, then he turned over a fourth card that showed a woman, a long way, and the sun shining from the East—. They will take her away. As we know, to an island, to the island of Valleys of Fire —He remembered what he heard from the mouth of one of the demons when they left the tent—. And according to what the letter tells us, this island is in the East of this continent, but I would not know if in that direction there are more islands —Then Youth remembered that she still had that map whose most immediate form was that of a world—map, and she took it out from her clothes saying, while she put it on the table:
—Well, use this for help.
There were two islands almost in the same direction, but one larger than the other. Suleiman turned over a fifth card, which described a buffalo head in a wide territory. Then he stood up assuring:
—They take her to the biggest island...
—Then let's not waste any more time, let's go after them —Experience said, who was still weakened by saving Suleiman's life thanks to the power of her miraculous hands.
Youth picked up and kept her map as the wizard his cards, and after taking some of the lanterns to light the way to the Ghost Port, since also during the night, the passionate fog covered all that region, they all left that terrifying tent leaving the camp in the heart of the cloudy forest uninhabited, heading towards the Ghost Port, where the very inhabited caravel rested, that of the man Experience and Youth found in their way.
In a few minutes they arrived at that port, where among the fog they could see the sails of the caravel and many of its crew. Among them, there was the group led by Kindness, Temperance and Offer, who to gain time and by order of Hope, left from the cloudy forest shortly before Experience and Youth´s group did.
Then, that old man, its owner, received, on the bridge that connected the footbridge of the pier with that ship, the Experience group, who told him:
—Captain, we are heading farther East, towards the island of the Valleys of Fire.
And even no matter what was there, by the mere fact of fulfilling his long—awaited dream, the captain of the caravel turned around and he told some angels with the skin of men:
—Lift the bridges and untie the moorings. We will sail immediately — While he went to his position where the helm was waiting, accompanied by Experience and the rest of the last group to embark, which would later be distributed by different areas of the caravel, and as soon as the bridges were lift and the moorings were untie, they would sail in the agreed direction towards the island of the Valleys of Fire.
Dozens of moons passed by that caravel crew mostly by angels with the skin of men and women, who sailed on the high seas towards the island of the Valleys of Fire, where the demon leaders, accompanied by many of their soldiers of the same condition, took Rahab as a hostage, being ahead the caravel.
The accumulation of the days of travel was useful so that both large groups, represented by neutral angels led by Hope, and angels followers of God led by Eyes of Heaven, recognised each other and reaffirmed the brotherhood as in their old celestial life, as the union, collaboration, understanding and sharing with each other was of vital importance to the intention of all those to win the war that threatened on two fronts; on the island of the Valleys of Fire, where the main base of the demons was, and in the town of Chacra, to where two armies of heavily armed demons were going.
Fortunately for the crew of that caravel, the days of travel were mostly pleasant, although the rough cold of the high seas disturbed them until it intimidated their souls.
They only saw themselves in real trouble during a week in which a strong storm caught them, until it made the captain of the ship feel exhausted, who although he was all passionate about those adventures, he was still a beginner, but even so he managed to demonstrate why he was able to steer a ship, because his spirit as a navigator gave him the ability to, with the help of his sailors represented by all those angels with the skin of man and woman, escape from the immense and dangerous storm.
For those angels with the skin of men and women led by Hope and Eyes of Heaven respectively, the daily tasks were somewhat monotonous but not boring at all, and within many tasks, they used to dance animatedly.
The captain of the caravel had become friends with Abed and Suleiman. However, it was not one of those two who replaced the leader of the crew when he necessarily took a break, but Youth, with whom he now got along very well —because that memory of when they met on the piers had disappeared , in which the young woman threatened him with her weapons because as he did not know her yet, he threatened her first with a knife— although he did not leave her alone... because even without the need to ask her, Experience was always at her side and not far from both, Light and Peace who, with a kind of long sight, took turns to watch all the cardinal points known as a precaution against possible enemy attacks.
Love and Compassion used to entertain themselves through fishing with large and extensive nets, although they only practiced it for sport, since they had a lot of food, but if it became scarce at some point, they would not hesitate to catch the fish.
Kindness had formed a very strong bond of friendship with Temperance and Dedication; they shared long talks, in which they told many anecdotes lived in their earthly lives.
But the most outstanding and striking thing of that caravel that sailed on the high seas, was the romance between Hope and Eyes of Heaven —the one that began so timidly during the long journey to the cloudy forests, although both were attracted from much earlier, when they met in the library of the town of Chacra, administrated by the young woman and her group— A romance that both tried to hide in an impossible way, since that was very evident. The attraction, the mutual desire, was very strong.
For this reason, love could not be hold back; It was one of the many cold, windy and cloudy nights, but of gentle sea and soon to arrive at the island of the Valleys of Fire... Eyes of Heaven went around the outside of the caravel but looking everywhere among his shipmates, as if something or someone had been lost... He was looking for Hope, who was then walking along the interior of the ship, down a long corridor of low wooden roof, that in the nearer end had a door that took its occupants to the outside of the caravel. This corridor showed different and continuous doors that led to different places, among them the rooms, dining rooms and bathrooms, in addition to the cellars where the horses rested.
As he did not find Hope on the outside of the boat, Eyes of Heaven went to the door that led to the interior, and shortly before opening it, he discovered thanks to the circular glass that it had, that Hope approached facing outwards.
Then, Eyes of Heaven made sure that from them respective positions anyone could see him, hiding behind the door illuminated by a weak lantern, which seconds later, Hope opened going outside of the ship and she was taken from behind by Eyes of Heaven, who hugged her, pulling her to him.
—Eyes of Heaven, you are crazy, anyone can see us —She laughed.
—Then come with me —He said, and he took her hand again into the caravel from where Hope arrived, and after a few meters down that corridor lit by old lanterns on the side walls, they entered his rooms, whose only circular window located at the opposite end of the door, allowed the light of the nearby moon and its friends, the stars to enter. And under the gaze of the stars the following happened:
Eyes of Heaven drew a smile, Hope a caress
he surprised her with a kiss, she did not have pretexts
under passionate looks, their burning bodies wanted each other
they undressed each other, between caresses that shouted bed.
Eyes of Heaven explored Hope´s body, she let herself want
the sex that could not wait, both of pleasure were tearing
their damp bodies, the love protected them.
She said “I care of you”, he corrected "I love you"
They emerged to the heavens, through a new sex
between clouds they dreamed, loving and loving.
An oasis of illusions sailing in the ocean
two angels fallen from heaven, loving each other without fear.
And maybe that is how it would be at night
until arriving at that island where love would be blind
eclipsed by the proximity of the war.
Chapter XIII
Hope
In the town of Chacra, located on the southern continent, everyone was waiting for the war. The children, women and the elderly ones had taken refuge in the underground warehouses built for that purpose. They were huge galleries to which you could enter through an internal passage of the palace. In fact, they were just below that building that, as a neighbour, had the so—called library in front that Hope and her group of neutral angels administrated. This last construction was still guarded, because although it was difficult to assault, the enemies could also invade and attack that town, entering it by the usual underground roads with so many underground stations.
In the rest of the land delimited by the high and strong walls that protected it, the soldiers were distributed along the area. The war could begin by the least expected cardinal point.
For that reason, there were catapults surrounded by soldiers and small mountains of debris that would be used to load those long—range weapons.
Although the greater concentration of men and weapons was appreciated in the extension of the main wall, the one that through two high and strong doors allowed the access to the town.
At the top of the wall, a walkway covered its entire length until it hit the towers at the ends, grouping dozens and dozens of archers, who camouflaged themselves among the thick parapets.
The afternoon fell slowly, more slowly and restlessly awaiting the war. The sun was hiding red in the distant horizon as if announcing, anticipating with that colour, the tragedy that was coming.
King Lagash remained with the general of his army, near the entrance to the town where they still waited for the kingdoms of the East and West to come to their aid, as Eyes of Heaven had asked the kings of those a long time ago.
Suddenly an officer approached saying:
—Your Highness, I have my company keeping guard around the palace as you requested.
—Okay, lieutenant, then go back to them and make sure that no one else enters or leaves the palace and even less, once the war had started —The king ordered, and the lieutenant left immediately.
In as much from the tower of the Northeast end a soldier announced:
—Blue and white flags, blue and white flags. The eastern kingdoms are approaching in the aid of us —Then the king ordered:
—Open the doors. General, send a company to escort them here —The man nodded.
—Green and white flags, green and white flags. The kingdoms of the West are also coming to the aid of us —Another soldier shouted from the tower at the other end.
—General, the companies should be two —The king smiled hopefully, as he went to the open stairs that took him to the walkway where the archers camouflaged behind the thick parapets, from where he appreciated the arrival of the kingdoms of the East and West , that from their respective orientations descended from green hills making numerous columns.
