Abandon them! It was the voice of the shadow that spoke again. And go back to heaven. Apologize! God will immediately forgive you, and you will begin to prepare his angels for battle again. Many will follow you again. You are so good. If you fall again, God will forgive you again. He has always adored you, my bright shadow. Seduce him at last and destroy him. And then summon me.
She recognized the voice of her own mind, though she thought differently now. The fall had changed her.
I cant leave them all behind, she nodded at the monsters crawling in the sand. All those who followed me are my responsibility now.
They are defeated and crippled, and you are wasting your time with them.
I love them! She knew how wild that sounded right now. She did not love them when their beauty delighted the heavens, even when they followed her into battle, they were only an army. Every warlord needs an army. It is a tribute to custom. Feelings were restrained. But now love broke through. Because of her they were brought down, because of her they were tortured, because of her they were mutilated and burned, and yet they were still willing to serve her.
Would they love you if you were as ugly as they are now? Youre lucky your ugliness lives apart from you.
What do you mean? Alais asked, but secretly she was already aware of it and shuddered inwardly. The memory of something burning and mutilated being separated from her by the fall pierced her brain with pain. It had happened! And it had not been a dream! And even if it had been, her dreams had never lied to her. In heaven in general, it was difficult to separate dream from reality. There, eternity passed like a dream. Grim reality began on earth. And dreams of magic invaded it with golden spells.
We must show mortals what magic is!
Why? A voice grows wary.
Their lives are empty without it.
Mortals will not appreciate you, nor understand you.
But Ill take my chances anyway.
And you will run into their knives.
I dont think so, Im still immortal. They are.
They will put you in a cage for your skill.
They are weak, I am strong. Only I have the power to rule them.
Youd better stay here with me.
I cant even see you.
But I can see you, and I like your beauty, detached from me, even more than when it shone on my own face. It is only when we lose something that we know how valuable it is. Such is Gods curse.
He chose to teach us a lesson, but instead he gave us freedom. The world is our kingdom. We no longer share it with any god. Here we can become gods ourselves, we and our army.
Youve already begun to talk about us as one. I like that.
Youre a good persuader. I am beginning to trust you, or my dream. It doesnt matter! She always trusted herself more. But the darkness was indeed half of herself.
It condensed beside her. Its outlines were forming into claw-like shapes. First it touched her golden curls, then it tried to penetrate her, but it failed.
People call people like you genies, Alais shared. Her ears were clearly picking up what mortals whisper behind the deserts. Djinns are my warriors who have no bodies left-just a blob of darkness instead of a shell.
There were also djinns of fire, but it was the pillar of darkness that hovered before her.
Which of my warriors were you before you died? What was your name?
I have no name, the darkness clung to her. I am you! We have the same name! Dennitsa.
Dennitsa means dawn! And you are all dark! How can you be called Dennitsa?
Do you want to give me a new name like you gave yourself? The darknesss voice became soulful.
Alais closed her eyelids, feeling a strange pleasure in the intimacy of darkness. The darkness enveloped her entire body, caressed her wings, sought to penetrate her skin.
After the battle, Michael shouted insults-the devil, Satan. This meant an opposing angel, an apostate. These were probably her new names.
How absurd it all came out! Michael loved her to pieces, but the first argument over power ended in tragedy. The admirer had become the enemy. Alais remembered the way Mikhails blond hair had fluttered in the firestorm. She longed to cut off his head with her sword, to grasp it by his beautiful hair and hold it in her hands like a trophy. His head would remain alive even after it was cut off. It can be spoken to, it can be rebuked.
This naive angel wants her to go back to heaven. And she wants his head.
The darkness caressed her like a lover.
I am you, he repeated.
Then your name is the devil, Alais recalled Michael calling her.
The gloom fell silent for a moment.
What can I do to make you believe that you and I are one? After a pause, he asked softly.
Destroy the heavens!
I am not strong enough yet.
Then dont bother! Well speak when you are strong enough.
I could gather strength. Theres a lot of potential in this land. It needs people. Lure more people into the wilderness. Ill take their lives and make me stronger.
If you have anything in common with me, you must deal with everything on your own, as I do after a defeat.
Surviving was difficult. Alais was torn by a longing for the celestial sphere. The desert full of gold in front of her, though it looked fabulous, couldnt take away the nostalgia. The sandy plain seemed like the back of a huge giant. It seemed as if it was about to rise from the sands. The darkness seemed like a giant, too. He hovered around Alais, fawning over her, and then suddenly disappeared. With him gone, Alais sighed more freely.
Seven
Alais woke up as if jolted. They were leaning over her. There were her former standard bearers. Mastem, Noreus, Doriel, Setius, Novelin, Ramiel, and Amadeo. Their faces and bodies were as beautiful as ever. It was idyllic, like heaven! It was one exception. The angels had become marbleized.
I remember when you were petrified, Alais rose from the dune on which she had lain and grinned vindictively. Its good to know that all traitors have been given a fair trial. Are you comfortable being marbled? Dont you feel a certain stiffness of movement?
Beautiful curly heads drooped shamefully. Even the curls snaking down their shoulders turned to marble. Pale marble faces phosphoresced beneath the starry desert skies. The slender figures of the angels looked bulky because of the heavy marble wings. Was it difficult to fly with such wings? The celestial company did not seem to have any discomfort. The marble bodies were hovering over the sand, not treading on it.
All are in their entirety! Alais counted. It was like being in heaven! Only one angel was missing. Ciel has shown more loyalty than you, and has not become marbleized.
Weve been thinking of bringing him back, Cetius answered for all. He was the boldest of the Seven Angels and always took the initiative. She was sure hes the one whos put everyone up to this treachery. Our strength would seem to be growing weaker without Ciel.
Serves you right! Alais glared vindictively at Amadeo. The seventh angel was as if he were superfluous in the company. Would his cunning and poise, in time, compensate for the loss of the most powerful of standard bearers?
We carried your standards and assembled the disparate parts of the legion into coherent units, Setius began to pity them. We were your standard-bearers and commanders of your armies. All your orders we faithfully obeyed. You know all our secret talents. Can you do without us from now on? Take us back.