Sariel couldn’t believe that it was finally time to start her duties in the library. She couldn’t believe that several months had passed either. Both were true, but then time had little meaning for immortal Angels, what were months compared to centuries?
She had worked her way through most of the palace, working amongst the servants who were surprisingly accepting of her. As they had mentioned time and time again, Sariel didn’t think she was better than them. She was willing to pull her weight without moaning. There was quite a bit of resentment amongst the different levels of Angels.
The Arch Angels stood above everyone, ironic that she was cleaning the palace, next came the Elder, the most magical of the Angels and from where the Arch Angels could only ever come from. They were the living, breathing, magical citizens of Heaven. Under them stood the Ascended Angels, Lesser Angels who through various means of sainthood or duty had been returned to life, blessed with more magic and gained an extra pair of wings. On the bottom were the most populous Lesser Angels, the spirits of Humans who had ascended to Heaven as payment for their good deeds on Earth. Most of them were powerless and lived at the beck and call of all those above them.
It seemed akin to the regime that the Elder Angels had originally overthrown. Not that she was foolish enough to mention that aloud.
Sariel had found her interest in the War had only increased as she had worked her way through the Palace. Despite many attempts to remove and cover over all traces of the Gods, there were still stunning artefacts of their legacy. Stunning murals, paintings and sculptures were hidden away in forgotten rooms, all bearing a remarkable resemblance to the stunning artwork gracing most of the palace. The so-called art of the Angels. Most of the architecture was clearly of the Gods’ design and magic, the Angels had only really done a rudimentary cover-up of the Gods.
And now she stood outside the library staring at the massive wooden doors ornately decorated with carvings and gilding of owls, ravens, ibis, and various other species of birds. There were symbols she didn’t know and images of men and women she felt sure were not Angels, though some had wings. She was surprised it hadn’t been replaced. Was its beauty its saving grace? That it could be assumed that the people gracing the doors were Angels?
She pulled one of the doors open, grunting at the effort. It swung smoothly, but it was damned heavy. No wonder the Elders used magic so much, Heaven was designed for it. She wondered how the poor Lesser managed to get about with their lack of magic and physical strength.
Inside was the stunning world she had only glimpsed in passing. Tall wooden shelves stacked full of books, scrolls, and tablets reaching high up into the soaring ceiling far above. Dappled light danced across the marble floors and polished surfaces of the rich and dark woods. It was a place not of stunning white and blinding light unlike the rest of Heaven. It was a place of solace, of retreat and relaxation. Her glance hinted at many sights that were not traditionally Heavenly. There were even various plants in pots, casting more shade and filling the air with subtle scents.
Sariel walked casually along the main aisle to the desk she saw at the end, taking her time to absorb as much of the library with her eyes as she could. This was better than a dream, this was almost a different world. A tantalising world full of unimaginable knowledge she had never accessed before.
The desk was a beautiful construction of owls, ravens, and ibis intertwined around each other, their wings spread wide, their claws clutching books and scrolls. They had been carved from different woods, the ravens from ebony, the ibis from pine and the owls from various woods of dark, light and golden hues. It was like light and shadows poured into one magnificent wood carving. The usual gold and white of Heaven seemed sparse and simplistic in comparison.
Sariel was standing there marvelling at it when a young female Angel popped up from behind the desk.
“Can I help you?” she asked eying her warily.
“Mary sent me to assist Patrick, do you know where he is?”
She smiled, “He pretty much lives in the Archives. Head down the main aisle until you reach the doors, you might have some trouble finding him, though. He gets lost in there for days sorting through God knows what.”
Sariel thanked her as she left, prompting a surprised smile from the girl, who ducked back behind the desk. Sariel glanced over as she walked past. The girl was sitting in a circle of books, apparently sorting through them, but she seemed to have gotten distracted with reading some of them.
The Archives’ doors were just as impressive as the outer doors, but to her surprise, there were a wider variety of animals, and most surprisingly she glimpsed snakes. The snake was one of the symbols of Lucifer, and Gabriel had done her best to remove every trace of him from Heaven.
These doors were clearly used far less often, moaning in protest as she pulled one open. Inside was a darker world. While the main library was all about the play of light and shadow, filled with the golden hues of polished wood, the Archives were all about shadows. The soaring shelves were all made of ebony, decorated with gold, silver or bronze. The floor was black marble, occasionally broken by crests and designs of various stones. Black marble and granite columns soared up to the vaulted ceiling, where white glass let in filtered light. She heard water running and was surprised to see fountains here and there.
Sariel was more surprised when she walked up the main aisle, following it around the corner to find not only a large fountain of what could only be Gods but a massive ebony desk sitting in front of it, carved entirely with the design of serpents.
It was a truly unusual creation, she was unused to dark features, and snakes were completely alien to her. She was fascinated by the differences of them, some were huge, others seemed tiny in comparison, some even had ornate hoods. Coils plain and decorated with stripes or diamonds twisted around each other and the desk. Their dark eyes seemed to follow her as she moved, their open mouths ready to strike. It seemed terrifyingly lifelike. The workmanship was truly astounding.
Perhaps strangest of all was that it was warm to the touch as she ran her hands over some of them.
“Truly marvellous isn’t it?”
She turned around to see an Ascended Angel walking towards her carrying a stack of scrolls. He was not the typical Ascended, pale skin, dark brown hair, skinny rather than muscular. But his brown eyes were warm and welcoming.
“Patrick, I presume?”
“Indeed, and you must be Sariel, Mary has told me so much about you.”
She smiled glancing back at the desk. “Yes, it is marvellous, I haven’t seen anything like it.”
He smiled in response. “I bet you haven’t. It is very rare to see anything that bears a serpent or harks back to the Age of Gods.”
“Yes, Gabriel was very thorough in removing all traces of her brother.”
“It wasn’t just Gabriel, Michael was also very thorough at removing all traces of the serpent but of course the serpent must live on in the depictions of Eden.”
She frowned in confusion, why would Michael bother unless Gabriel had demanded it. It seemed like it would have been a more personal goal of Gabriel’s to remove all trace of her brother.
He looked at her funny thinking her confused “The serpent is an integral part of our history. Adam was the first man born solely into the Angels' cause. He was born in Eden, our citadel on Earth. Lucifer and others were tasked with tempting him and his offspring to see how reliable they were.”
“Was that what led Lucifer to his Fall? By tempting Humans, he himself was tempted,” Sariel asked.
He gave her an assessing look “That is not a bad theory. You would do well to mention it to Gabriel, it will certainly put you in her good books. She will readily agree with your assessment.”
“But you do not?”
“No. But then I am well-read on my history. I may not have been there, but others were and have left extensive journals in the archives. Journals that the other Arch Angels would be furious to learn about.”
Sariel leaned forward her eyes wide with curiosity “Journals the other Arch Angels would not want me reading? I haven’t been told the whole truth, have I?”
He studied her for a moment, searching for something. Whatever it was he seemed to find it and be satisfied. He propelled her down various aisles so fast she was instantly lost. He led her to a forgotten derelict corner. Dust coated everything, the wood more grey than black. The poor fern sitting next to a bench looked the worst for wear.
He stopped in front of the shelves, his hands hovering along the books until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a black journal with a unique crest on it- a serpent on Venus.
“This is a copy of one of Lucifer’s Journals, he kept extensive records of his life. I suggest you read it.” He clicked his fingers, and a box full of cloths and polish appeared. He smiled, “Just in case anyone comes looking for you.”
“Like Michael or Gabriel?”
“Exactly. Now I shall leave you to read. Once you finish feel free to read any of the other journals around.” He waved at the shelves.
She watched him walk away before turning her attention to the book. It was a replicate, the product of a copy spell, everything would be exactly as the author wrote. A shiver ran down her spine as she ran her hands over the cover. Lucifer’s journal, she couldn’t believe it. Gabriel would kill her.
She sat down on the bench and opened it to the first page, written in a neat masculine hand was Lucifer and underneath he had drawn a serpent on Venus. It seemed to be his personal crest. Excited, and more than a little apprehensive, she turned to the next page filled with neat line after neat line. She settled down and lost herself for hours in his journal.
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