“Forgive me, son,” I apologized. “You’re right. I’ve lingered here too long.”
With Mishael in my arms, I moved to leave Lucifer’s lair.
“Michael,” Lucifer roared, his fury erupting like a volcano, “don’t you walk away from me. Face me when I speak to you. Michael, do you hear me? Don’t you dare turn your back on me. I am the prince of this world. I am the god of this world, and I still outrank you. You will show me the respect I deserve.”
“You will never have my respect,” I replied sadly, keeping my back to him.
Lucifer’s scimitar sliced the air, his enraged cry following. “You’ll regret turning your back on me, Archangel.”
I dodged sideways, but the boomeranging blade struck my thigh, then grazed my heel, buckling my knees. Mishael slipped, colliding with the wall, his yelp piercing the chaos. As I rose, he vanished from sight.
I seized Lucifer’s scimitar, noting his absence. Their simultaneous disappearance spelled disaster for Mishael. I willed my wounds to heal.
“Mishael,” I called, restored.
No response. I reached into his mind.
Mish, where are you?
Mika, help me.
His voice guided me from the citadel. I scoured the courtyard, finding no trace.
Mish, focus now. Look around you and tell me what you see.
Water. I see water everywhere. I’m unable to transform. There are creatures beneath me holding me back. I can’t breathe. I feel like I’m drowning. Mika.
I’m coming to you, son. Hang in there.
Water. Drowning. I raced to the lake encircling Lucifer’s fortress and plunged into its inky depths.
Help me.
His voice sharpened, laced with panic. I kept him engaged, navigating the murk by his mental cries. In a weed-choked dip, I spotted his form, pinned by demonic spirits.
“Release him at once. I command you by the authority and power of the Lord Yahushua,” I bellowed at the spirits clutching his wrists and smothering his mouth. They hissed, defiant, until my second command sent them screeching in terror.
Mishael sagged, semi-conscious. I stood him on the lakebed, breathing life into his lungs. “Change, Mishael. You have to change now. Your life depends on it. Wake up, Mish. This is an order.”
Revived, he met my gaze, stunned. I steadied him, breathing again. “You must change now,” I ordered. “You can do this. Lucifer has no hold on you. Just turn your eyes on the Lord Jesus. He will give you the strength you need to transform. Do it now, Mish; I have faith in you.”
Nodding, his faith rekindled, Mishael’s wings unfurled, stretching wide. I gripped his arms, and we surged from the lake, landing safely.
He retched water, coughing as I checked his skin, his breaths steadying. “Son,” I began.
“I’m all right,” he insisted, cutting me off. “I’m all right.”
I stepped back, respecting his resolve. Wiping his eyes, Mishael staggered across Lucifer’s unkempt grounds, his emotions roiling. I shadowed him, watching as he circled the wide arc around the lake, his steps faltering.
Abruptly, he veered back toward the palace, heart pounding. “No. No, no, no,” I chased him. “Mishael, don’t go back in there.”
He teleported through a parapet, flickering in and out of dimensions, finally bursting into an oubliette in the Eastern wing. I pursued, always a step behind, his thoughts sealed from me.
When I at last found him in Lucifer’s living room, he was straddling the latter, one knee pinning his chin, his fists pummeling his cheeks. “You wanted to kill me,” he sobbed repeatedly, “you wanted to kill me.”
Lucifer chuckled remorselessly. “That’s right, little starling,” he mocked, “harder. Strike harder. Do it; it’ll make you feel so much better.”
“You lied to me,” the child cried, striking with fervor. “You had no intention of apologizing to me. You never did. You were never sorry. You’re a liar, Lucifer, a liar!”
“You foolish, naïve child,” the Devil sneered, his voice a guttural taunt. “I must change, you said; I must repent of my sin, you said. Hah! Do you really think you’re the first to try to reshape me? Do you think none of my brothers have tried? That Michael and Gabriel haven’t? That Uriel hasn’t? Did you truly believe you could succeed where my brothers failed, time after time? You, an insignificant dogsbody of your God? How arrogant and self-righteous you are.”
Mishael growled, pain fueling his rage. “I’m going to destroy you, Satan. I’ll destroy you!”
“Stop this at once,” I ordered, my voice cutting through the clamor like a heavenly decree. “That’s enough, Mishael. I said that’s enough.”
“No,” he replied, raising his fist again. “It’s not enough. He led a third of our brothers astray. He’s leading the whole world astray. Why is he allowed to escape justice? Why do you keep letting him escape justice?”
“You don’t understand, son,” I stated tenderly. “You’re very young. There are many things you still don’t grasp.”
“What’s there to grasp?” he cried, relaxing his fist. He turned toward me, his heart in a tumult. “He’s a criminal, Mika. It’s that simple. He must be held accountable.”
“Son,” I began.
Taking a shuddering breath, Mishael whispered to Lucifer, his voice chilling. “Today’s a good day to die.”
Stunned, I watched him grip Lucifer’s throat, drawing his kris from his boot.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. Fearing for his life, I exclaimed, “No, no, no, no, no.”