Wings of Destruction by Victoria Zagar Page A

Gabriel.
    "Do you want to fall to Tartarus as well?" Gabriel laughed. "Do you wish to lose your new body, Sarah? It would be all too easy to strip you of your wings and revert you to the body of a man. I gave you the gifts you desired—holy wings and a woman’s body—for completing the task that Anael would not. Now you would rise against me in rebellion?"
    "What you are doing is wrong. You have twisted the natural order of things,” Sarah said.
    "I have? You mock me, Sarah. Or should I say, Simon?"
    "How dare you!" Sarah pulled her sword back and watched Gabriel stumble forward. She turned to strike him, but he turned quickly and their blades met again. Martin watched helplessly from his vantage point on the ground, frozen in place by fear.
    "Tell me what you’ve done to God. Tell me why the world has not been reborn? Why do you think you can stand up against the Almighty and win?" Sarah jumped back and swung again. Her sword tore at Gabriel’s clothing and nicked his skin. It healed immediately, the cut closing as Martin watched. He realized with despair that Sarah had chosen to fight a battle she had no hope of winning.
    "That’s simple. While He was sleeping, I ushered Him into a dimension where time has no meaning. The Seventh Day will continue for Eternity and so will His slumber, leaving us angels free to rule Earth and shape it as we see fit." Gabriel kicked Sarah and she flew backwards, hitting a rock, her sword of light flying helplessly from her hands.
    Martin stilled his shaking legs and crawled over to the sword, picking it up from the ground and parrying Gabriel’s sword with his as he sought to land the killing blow. Martin staggered backwards from the force of the blow. Sarah was stunned, but pulled herself back to her feet.
    "Tartarus. You’ve sealed God in Tartarus with the fallen angels." Sarah shook her head. Pretty blonde curls danced around her face.
    Gabriel overwhelmed Martin and knocked him flying. The sword of light fell at Gabriel’s feet and he stooped to pick it up. He paused for a moment, considering his options before coming to a decision. Gabriel raised his hand and a void opened. Two strong angels stepped forward and picked up Martin and Sarah. They were dragged to the void and tossed in one after the other, as Gabriel grinned maniacally.

Chapter Seven
Tartarus
    Martin woke in the darkness. He brushed off the ashes sticking to his skin and stood up. The pain was gone, but thirst still wracked his body. Underfoot was a soft carpet of ash. He started to walk through the darkness, feeling around for a wall to guide him. His hands met a smooth surface which started to glow blue. He recoiled in horror as the body of an angel encased in crystal was lit up before him. Pain and suffering was etched on the angel’s face, speaking of a torture not physical, but psychological, in nature.
    Martin followed the wall and another crystal lit up, followed by another. He searched for Anael and Sarah with growing desperation, knowing that if they were here, he would do whatever it took to free them from whatever desperate torture they endured. Despair mocked Martin as he recognized none of the faces that lit up before him.
    Eventually Martin saw an orange light that indicated the mouth of the cavern he was in. He ventured towards it. Outside the cave was a much larger cavern, with a ceiling far out of sight. The sun didn’t reach this far below the earth. Pools of lava swirled beside a rocky path that led to another cave. The stone was as red as blood and he felt as though he was inside a living organism. In some ways the scene was magnificent, a wonder of nature that Martin marveled at, but in others it reminded him of the typical vision of Hell that those in the Old World had depicted in paintings and books. It was hot, and sweat dripped from his brow as he explored.
    Martin followed the path, seeing nowhere else to go. Dazed and in despair, without the bright light of Anael to keep his darkness at