The Tears of Time

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Gabriel leant against the Altar, his mind wandering freely, touching gently from thought to thought, an anxious butterfly of conscience. His back was cold against the cool sandstone, the bare skin shivering at the touch.

The Altar stood on a hilltop, the valley flowing away from it in a flood of rich, green pasture, dotted with daisies, buttercups and tiny forget-me-nots. The sky was a sweep of rich blue, streaks of white rolling by in a light breeze which prevented the heat from becoming stifling. The white disk of the moon was a pale shadow in the bright presence of the twin suns, which travelled in a slow arc through the sky.

Comparatively, the realm of the Immortal was twice as bright as that of Earth. Each object seemed to glow with an ethereal light, which came not from the twin suns, but came from the centre of each living thing, spreading not unlike warmth to touch each stone or rock, sinking into the stone and bringing them alive as well. The trees rustled in the breeze, whispering to each other in low tones, dancing in the wind alongside the meadow grasses. The wind rippled through the tall grass, bending the barley heads in a wave of motion, imitating the sea which shimmered blue over the next valley.

Gabriel breathed in deeply, enjoying the light scent of wildflowers which pervaded the air. He shifted, his bare back scratching against the sandstone, his wings flexing into a less cramped position. He stroked the feathers of one wing thoughtfully, smoothing the bent fletches, and grooming out the stray pieces of grass.

“Gabriel?” called a voice from the forest behind him, its tone carrying carelessly through the now-shattered calm. Gabriel turned slowly to see who was coming, as Raphael stepped out of the cover of the old oak. Gabriel smiled a little as Raphael sat down next to him.

“You alright?” He asked, sifting dry dirt through his hands.

“Fine,” Raphael answered, his face betraying his real emotion.

“You’re not,” Gabriel commented, not even bothering to look at Raphael. A strange bond seemed to exist between the two, born from the many centuries which they had shared. Each knew the other’s unspoken language, up to the point where emotions seemed to be visible movements.

“It’s just… God,” Raphael said, the single word speaking an entire soliloquy to Gabriel.

“The Spirit hasn’t deserted us,” Gabriel reminded, continuing to breathe deeply.

“Just because it’s coming back, doesn’t mean it hasn’t deserted us for the moment,” Raphael snapped, his muscles tense. He stood up, pacing the pressed earth, flattening the dust further. Gabriel sighed at the young one’s impatience, closing his eyes to block out the scene, listening closely to the tree’s rustling song.

“God is our place of safety. He gives us strength, and is always there to help us in times of trouble,” Gabriel quoted, eyes still closed.

“Human words, not the Spirit’s,” Raphael countered, his forehead furrowed in annoyance.

“It doesn’t make the message any less true,” Gabriel whispered, opening his eyes again, stretching as he stood.

“Still,” Raphael trailed off, knowing that Gabriel was right.

“Brother?” Gabriel called, as Raphael paced off into the forest. He followed, flying to regain distance, “Has there been news of Elanor?”

“No,” Raphael replied, his gaze troubled once more. Gabriel let out a swift sigh of annoyance.

“I almost had her,” He whispered, mentally reprimanding his reaction to Lucifer, which had lost them so much precious time.

“For once you actually did human thing, and you’re already telling yourself off? For someone who puts so much faith in humans, you don’t like following their actions.”

“I acted irrationally, and it lost us time and Elanor. We have no idea where she is now,” Gabriel replied, his face still troubled as they traversed the forest.

“She’ll turn up.”

“Will she? What if Lucifer already has her?”

“If he does…” Raphael sighed, “We will have to get her back.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Nothing is ever simple,” Raphael glowered, as they emerged from the forest’s edge, taking off into the air in order to cross the river. Ahead of them, the golden city emerged from the land, the tall structures reaching high into the sky, the foundations merging seamlessly with the ground. Gabriel smiled at Raphael’s unconscious use of the human saying, flying above the pearl gates and towards the citadel, which shimmered under the sun’s rays.

Inside the chamber of the Counsel, Gabriel consulted quickly with the seekers, who moved endlessly in and out of the room, each delivering further news of no trace. Raphael sat on the floor, tucking his wings back, and bringing his knees up to his chin. He often marvelled at Gabriel’s maturity and endless patience, though he knew that it stemmed from the centuries of age that lay between them. Raphael was still sitting in unravelled thoughts when Ambriel burst through the open roof, landing in a heap in front of him.

He shot upright, then was startled into action, as Ambriel’s wings continued to flap in a panicked struggle. He embraced her tightly, pinning her wings behind her back, talking gently in her ear.

“Ambriel! It’s ok, calm down. You’re with friends,” he whispered, as Ambriel calmed in his arms. Gabriel shook himself out of his frozen, startled state, and drew closer, alarm crossing his face briefly.

“Gabriel!” Ambriel gasped out, her breathing unnaturally shallow, taken in short bursts which startled both angels. Raphael drew Ambriel over to the carved bench which ran around the room, and she sat thankfully, trying to catch her breath.

“Lucifer,” Ambriel breathed, her speech split up by her still heavy breathing, “Lucifer… has… has Elanor.”

“No,” Gabriel whispered, his eyes wide with fear. They had essentially, just lost the entire war, in one foul stroke.