War of Wings

unlikely it was that she would be down there. What was she doing here?
    “Saraquel, I need to speak with Thyaterra. You can find me later.”
    “I understand.”
    Saraquel walked away as Thyaterra approached.
    “Thyaterra?”
    “Hello, Lucifer. I wanted to see you.” As she floated over to him, he noticed the concern in her eyes.
    “I’ve been meaning to see you again also.”
    “What is happening?”
    “Follow me.”
    Lucifer dove over the cliff, his wings propelling him faster as he shot down the Marble Falls. Thyaterra followed him to the lower fall. He glided down to a swath of thick green grass where fresh flowers grew near the spray of the falls. He picked a purple one for her, her favorite color.
    “Do you know I love you, Thyaterra?”
    “Yes. And I love you.”
    “You know my passion for God and all of His praises has been my eternal ambition, and I have never faltered.”
    “Yes.”
    “Things have changed, Terra.” He yearned for her approval but could not keep the bitterness from his voice. “My passion for Him has faded.”
    “Lucifer, you are the highest of the cherubim. God loves you more than any angel and has blessed you with more than you even know.”
    “I have followed Him my whole existence and led worship time after time. Of course, He pretends to love me. What do we get from Him? He loves Himself more than anything and would have us all worship Him, blind to reason for eternity.”
    Thyaterra’s mouth closed, and she took a step backward with wide eyes. Lucifer took a deep breath and stepped toward her.
    “I have a new passion now. My passion is the truth,” he said.
    “God has never lied to any of us. We both love Him. What is this about, Lucifer?”
    She seemed to stare right through him. He snagged the flower from her hand and started shredding it. He could barely control his hands to pull the tiny petals apart, so he threw it in frustration to the ground. Thyaterra quickly stepped back again but this time much farther.
    “A Son! After all I have done.” He slouched in weakness as he momentarily sought comfort in her eyes.
    “I know you are hurt, but He loves you no less.”
    “I am not hurt. He will never hurt me.” He pulled his shoulders together. “What do we worship Him for, Terra?”
    “Lucifer, He would have us worship Him because He is worthy to be praised. He is the truth. I know you have been to the cosmos and there are things none of us can understand happening all around us, but do not lose your love for our God.”
    “How do you know about the cosmos?”
    She didn’t answer him.
    “Tell me! How do you know about the cosmos, Terra?”
    “Please calm down.”
    “Did God tell you I went there already?”
    “Yes, but Bretabian also saw you come from the water.”
    “Bretabian? Why was he following me?”
    “I don’t know; I am just telling you what he told me.”
    Lucifer snarled. “Neither he nor God knows anything of what I have seen! I have more knowledge of the cosmos than God and the rest of the seraphim combined.”
    “You are brilliant, Lucifer. Do not let your gift lead you astray. Stay humble before God. Sometimes faith is all we need when reason sends us down a different path.”
    Lucifer stomped on a pink flower. A tiny bit of powder flew up from it and struck Lucifer in the face. It smelled terrible. “Where did God come from? How do you know He doesn’t have all of us fooled?”
    She looked down at the mangled flower and back up at Lucifer. It started regrowing. “God has always been and always will be.”
    As the flower grew perfectly back into its original form, Lucifer stepped on it again and this time left his foot there. He looked at Thyaterra as he twisted his foot into the ground. “I could tell you I am the same. I was here before you. Would you believe that I am a god also? Tell me why God has no answers for any of my questions as of late. I’ll tell you why—He doesn’t know.”
    “God knows everything. We both know