Hey everyone.
I thought I'd give you all another 2 chapters. Just because it's taken me so long to upload anything and you all deserve it for waiting.
Enjoy.
9752 years ago….
It had been two hundred and forty-eight years since Azrael's death, and Phanuel had not moved from the spot upon which she had landed. The very spot Michael had taken her wings on the orders of their Father.
She wasn't entirely sure where she was, only that she was in the middle of some desert.
The sun was different on Earth than what is was in Eden.
In Eden it was warm and comfortable. Here it was scorching even on her skin, she could feel the sun's rays burn her flesh, not enough to scar or blemish her skin but enough to be unpleasant.
If she had been human, she would have died within a day or two, and what scared her was that she would have welcomed death with open arms in the hopes of being reunited with her beloved Archangel.
She found she had no energy nor desire to move. The pain in her heart, still as fresh as the day Azrael had died, it was heavy and broken.
Her eyes were sore and tired from her tears. And just when she thought she had no more left to give, a fresh batch would start rolling down her cheeks.
Everyday it became more and more unbearable.
'Hello'.
She raised her head, her eyes wide.
She was surprised to see two children, a boy and a girl, staring at her.
The boy couldn't be much older than ten years old and the girl about six.
What were they doing in the desert by themselves?
'You look sad. Are you lost?' The boy asked.
'No' she shook her head, offering them a small smile, wiping her tears away.
'Then why are you crying?'
'I lost someone who I loved very much'.
'Oh, was it the illness? That's how we lost our mother and father'.
Phanuel's heart went out to these two children, they were far too young to of endured such a hardship.
'It's just the two of you?'
The boy nodded his head.
'My name is Elijah and this is my sister, Hannah. What's your name?'
'Phanuel'.
'Like the Archangel?' The boy looked at her in wonder.
'Yes, like the Archangel' she chuckled.
'We're travelling to the town, just beyond that ridge' he pointed to a sand dune far off in the distance 'do you want to come with us?'
In all honesty, she wanted to be left alone in her grief but she couldn't leave these children to fend for themselves in such a harsh climate, the least she could do was to make sure they both arrived safely.
'I'd love to' she rose to her feet.
'This way' Elijah said excitedly, the boy and girl came either side of her, grabbing her hands and started to pull her enthusiastically.
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The sun was beginning to set, giving the sky a pinkish glow. The harsh desert began to cool down as night slowly approached.
'We should camp here for the night' Elijah announced. 'Are you hungry or thirsty? We haven't got much but you can have some'.
He rummaged through his little pack, handing over a small lump of bread to Hannah, which the girl greedily devoured.
'No, thank you'.
The boy gave her a bewildered look.
'Well, you should get some sleep at the very least, I'll keep a lookout'.
Phanuel couldn't help but smile at Elijah's caring nature.
'Lookout for what?'
'Bandits. They have a reputation around these parts'.
'You're very brave'.
'I have to look after my little sister and I promise whilst you're with us, I'll look after you too'.
Her heart went out to this boy. He was so young and yet had taken on the mantle of responsibility for his sister's wellbeing so maturely.
'Look after your sister by keeping her warm, I'll keep a lookout tonight'.
'But…'
'No buts. Go on' she said softly.
'Okay' he moaned like a typical child whose parent had told them to go to bed early 'but if you need my help, call me'.
'I'll be sure to do so' she chuckled.
Elijah took his sister's hand, guiding her to where he had laid the blanket that was to be their makeshift bed for the night.
'You're still holding that? You know you're gonna have to put it down sooner or later' Elijah complained to his sister.
Hannah gave a defiant whine, clutching the object closer to her chest.
Seeing the commotion, Phanuel walked over to the two young children.
'What have you got there, sweetheart?' she asked Hannah, kneeling down beside the young girl.
'She won't talk. She hasn't spoken since our parents died' Elijah explained.
'That's okay. I didn't speak for a long time either after my husband died'.
'It's a Desert Rose. It was the last thing our mother gave to her before she passed but it's dead now. It's wilted'.
'Here' she cupped the girl's small hands within her own.
The flower's vibrant colour returned as its wrinkled, dried-up petals smoothed out to their fullness.
Hannah gave Phanuel a toothy grin before flinging herself into the arms of the Archangel.
'You are the Archangel!'
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They wondered through an apple orchard that was on the outskirts of town, the trees providing some comforting shade from the sun as Anastasia walked hand-in-hand with Hannah whilst Elijah led the way in front.
She was suddenly aware of a tugging on her arm, turning she noticed the little girl pointing towards an apple as her stomach made an unhappy sound.
'Here, let me get you one'.
She reached up to retrieve a bright red apple of the tree when she was interrupted by Elijah.
'You can't just take them. This orchard probably belongs to someone'.
'Trees belong to the Earth, which in turn belongs to God. Humans cannot claim that which is not theirs'.
Elijah made a strange face.
'Maybe we can find a marketplace that sells them' he suggested.
'Sells?'
'Yes. It's where you swap coins…' Elijah paused, looking at Phanuel's questioning expression 'small pieces of metal, for something else'.
'Sounds primitive. How can one human charge another human for something which the Earth grows for free?'
'I…I don't know. They just do' Elijah pondered, shrugging his shoulders.
'How does one acquire these coins?'
'Usually by doing something for someone else. Like working the fields or by selling something yourself'.
Phanuel reached up and took the apple, handing it over to Hannah.
'That's stealing' the boy's eyes widened.
'Is it?' Phanuel looked back up to where she had picked the apple.
Elijah followed her gaze to find another apple had already grown in the place of the one she took.
'Would you like one?'
Anastasia watched in love and awe, her husband drawing random patterns across her six month baby bump as they sat on the living room couch.
A week ago she had felt the child's first kick whilst they had been reading in the bedroom. In a flash, she had grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach, not a moment later their child had made their presence known by kicking hard, leaving them both chuckling.
He then proceeded to move his hand to a different spot, their child followed his movements, kicking him with precision every time.
And ever since then, this had become their favourite game.
'Why do I get the feeling that the two of you are always going to be up to mischief together?' she laughed, feeling their child deliver another swift kick against their father's hand.
He chuckled, kissing her belly before kissing her.
'It's dusk, would you like to accompany me on a walk'.
'As if you need ask' she smiled.
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'Look at that owl' Anastasia pointed up to a small barn owl that was perched in a tree 'she's so beautiful'.
She had her right arm hooked in his left, her free hand resting on her stomach.
'I can't wait to teach our child about the birds, the flowers, the wildlife. And you could teach them how to ride a horse' she looked up at him, laughing.
'We won't have to wait much longer' he chuckled.
Their joyful stroll came to a screeching halt, both of them stilling their movements at the same time.
The horseman quickly unsheathed his axe.
'You feel that too?' She asked, feeling goosebumps travel up her arms. The smell of evil suddenly penetrating the woods.
'Yes, it's coming from over there' he pointed with his weapon to a cluster of trees to the right of them 'stay here, I'll inspect the area'.
'You stay here' she said non-complaint, walking out towards the trees.
'Anastasia' he huffed, taking long strides to catch up with her.
The gruesome scene that greeted them was almost too ghastly for words.
A man and woman were hanging upside down on inverted crosses, their throats had been slit and the blood running off their bodies and into two big copper jars. Candles littered the floor giving the space a eerie orange glow, symbols of an upturn pentagram and a leviathan cross had been etched into the trees around them.
'The inverted crosses, are they satanic?'
'Not necessarily, it's a mocking of God. It could belong to any unholy entity but I don't think this is for a demon. This looks to be some sort of trading ritual. Some souls need sacrifices to be summoned onto this plane, usually human souls that met a tragic and violent end that have been condemned to Hell'.
Something caught her attention.
A flower tied around the neck of the woman.
'Anastasia, don't go near it'.
But she chose to ignore her husband's advice, instead she reached out to caress the flower's soft petals.
'It's a Desert Rose'
'What of it?' he asked.
'I knew someone, a long time ago, who had a Desert Rose just like this one'.
'It can't be the same flower, it could be just a coincidence'.
'In my experience, there's no such thing as coincidence' she turned to face her husband 'it belonged to a girl. She and her brother were the first humans I met on Earth. I don't understand, their souls weren't destined for Hell'.
'They must have done something to end up there'.
'No. They were so pure and kind, Father wouldn't condemn them to such a fate'.
'What happened to them?'
'They were murdered'.
'Stop fussing, Elijah. You look very handsome'. Anastasia said to a now eighteen year old Elijah, who was switching between smoothing out his clothes to brushing his fingers through his hair.
'What if she says no'.
'Then she's not worthy of you'.
'I love you, Amira. Kiss me, Amira' Hannah started smacking her lips together to imitate the sound of kissing.
'Stop teasing your brother, Hannah' Phanuel playfully scolded.
'But he makes it so easy'.
'Do you remember what you have to say?'
'Sir, I ask for your daughter's hand in marriage and I wish for your blessing'.
'Good'.
'But what if he says no'.
Phanuel held both his arms to stop him from fidgeting.
'Listen, any woman would be lucky to have you as a husband and any man would be equally as lucky to have you as a son-in-law. Now, deep breaths, confidence is key' she smiled.
'Okay. I can do this' he said to himself as he marched through the door.
'He's doomed' Hannah laughed.
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'Sir…' Elijah quickly glanced at Phanuel for reassurance, she gave him a smile and a small nod for him to continue. 'Sir, I ask for your hand in marriage and wish for your daughter's blessing'.
Hannah bursts out laughing over her brother's mishap.
Everyone else, however, stood in silence with bated breath.
'Elijah…' Phanuel whispered 'wrong way round'.
'Oh, no I didn't mean your hand, sir. I…I meant Amira's hand' Elijah gulped.
Amira's father towered over Elijah, he was a giant of a man with an expressionless look.
Everybody stood with anticipation waiting for his answer, which was looking less likely to be a "yes" by the second.
But the exact opposite happened.
The man roared with laughter.
'Elijah, my boy, I would be honoured. I've known you since you were ten years of age and now you have turned into a fine man and I know you'll treat my daughter well. We shall make preparations post haste'.
Elijah and Phanuel breathed a sigh of relief.
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'It's time for bed, Hannah'.
The festivities of Elijah's and Amira's engagement had gone well into the night and the sun was now beginning to rise.
'I'm not even sleepy' Hannah complained whilst yawning as she walked straight towards her room.
'You too, Elijah'.
'Wait, Phanuel. I wanted to speak to you. I wanted to thank you, you've always been there for me and encouraged me to do the right thing. Without you, I don't know where Hannah and I would be today, if we would even still be alive. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you may not be my mother by blood, but you are my mother and Hannah's. I love you'.
Phanuel had to wipe the tears that had rolled down her cheeks as she walked towards him, enveloping him into a hug.
'I love you both too. And I am always so proud of you'.
Their peaceful moment was interrupted by the sound of a woman screaming, closely followed by the sound of horses. Their high-pitched whinnying piercing the air as well as their hooves beating on the ground.
'What was that?' Hannah asked alarmingly, coming from out her room.
'You two stay here'. Phanuel ordered, walking towards the door.
She stepped out, not finding anything out of the ordinary.
And yet, all her hair at the back of her neck stood on end and it was as though thousands of tiny needles began piercing her skin.
Something unholy had come to this town.
She quickly walked back inside where the siblings were waiting for her.
'We have to leave now'.
Screams began filling their ears.
'Amira!' Elijah called out, running out of the door.
'Elijah, wait'. Hannah took off running after her brother only to be held back by Phanuel.
'No, Hannah. You stay here, find somewhere to hide, I'll find Elijah'. Phanuel instructed.
'But…'
'No, Hannah'.
Phanuel walked out of the small homestead, in mere minutes the streets had gone from calm and peaceful, only to now be filled by carnage and chaos.
People were screaming all around her, homes were burning and the stench of blood thickened the air.
'Elijah!'
She started running through the panicked crowd, heading towards the home of Amira.
Hearing a horse neigh, a flash of fire and red raced past her, mowing down anyone in its path but she continued onwards.
She couldn't help but notice the bodies piling around her.
Men, woman and children.
This wasn't the work of humans.
But as to who had arranged this slaughter she could not say.
All she was focused on right now was getting to Elijah, she could sense he was close.
'Phanuel!'
She heard Elijah call as he ran round a corner, she released a breath she didn't even realise she had been holding but her solace was short lived.
It was what was behind him that had her heart stop.
A pale horse was right on his heels, chasing him down without mercy, it's glowing red eyes piercing through the black smoke.
But it was not the horse but the horseman who truly caught her attention.
'Azrael'.
Her voice was barely a whisper, the shock of seeing him had her feet rooted to the floor, she couldn't make sense of anything in that moment.
Azrael was dead and yet here he was.
It was as if time had sped up and slowed down all at once.
Until the spray of Elijah's hot blood hit her face, his head rolled on the ground severed from his body.
She didn't even have time to register what had just happened before she heard Hannah behind her.
'Elijah!' the young girl screamed in horror, catching the attention of the horseman.
'Hannah stay back' Phanuel warned.
But it was too late, the horseman had already taken off galloping towards the young girl.
'Azrael, stop'. She pleaded as the pale horse raced past her.
He swung his sword and brought it down on the young girl's neck, cutting her head clean off.
Phanuel stood, her legs still unwilling to move.
It was as though her mind and body could not keep up with what her eyes were seeing.
Two people who she loved very much had just been killed by another of whom she loved very much.
She watched as he climbed down from his saddle, striking down anyone who was unfortunate to cross his path.
'Azrael!'
Her feet suddenly gained a life of their own as she ran over towards him, she grabbed his arm and spun him around to face her.
She gasped as she noticed his eyes were no longer blue but instead were pure white.
'Azrael, my love…It's me…what happened to you?'
He made a move to leave her but she tightened her grip on his arm to stop him in his tracks.
'Look at me' she cupped his face, forcing him to look straight at her.
His face was void of any emotion, there wasn't even a glint of recognition. It was as if he had no memory of her what so ever.
'Do you not recognise me?' her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
'What happened next?' Jenny asked.
Anastasia had asked the witnesses over to Frederick's manor to discuss the situation. Abbie also orchestrated the police to deal with the poor unfortunate people who were sacrificed.
'Azrael pushed me aside, I tried several more times to reach out to him but he acted almost as if he didn't even see me. Then all four Horsemen raced off into the distance, presumably to the next town or village. And I stayed behind to bury Hannah and Elijah'.
'And now you believe that Elijah and Hannah are the second of the three?'
'It's possible but it doesn't entirely make sense. Given that they are already deceased they do have a certain amount of immortality but nothing that can't be quickly overcome. This just seems sloppy, like someone is impatient to get it over with. At this rate the third out of the three will be a puppy'.
'How do we eliminate them if things go south?' Abbie asked.
Anastasia couldn't help but flinch at the question.
'There's only a few things that can kill that which is already dead' she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bullet 'this is one such thing'.
She extended her arm, offering the bullet to Abbie.
'One bullet?' Abbie asked, accepting the single shot.
'My Father only made this single one'.
'God made this?' Jenny asked.
'Yes. So don't waste it'.
An unexpected tapping at the window had the group promptly turn to where the noise was coming from. It was a crow, squawking incessantly as if it was desperately trying to get their attention.
Anastasia journeyed over to the window, opening the latch she noticed there was a note tied to the bird's leg. Once she had unfasten the string, the bird flapped it's wings rapidly and flew off into the night.
She stood beside her husband, allowing them both to read the note.
Phanuel,
We are at the abandoned mill.
'What does it say?' Jenny asked curiously.
Anastasia handed the piece of paper to her as the witnesses gathered round to inspect it.
'Then we shall venture forth to the mill' Ichabod said.
'Wait. Doesn't anyone else think this is a little too easy?'
'Is there such a thing as too easy?' Abbie asked.
'To tell us where they are…Elijah and Hannah are no warriors and they don't have supernatural powers. They're just children, Elijah is eighteen and Hannah's only thirteen'.
'But if they are part of the prophesied three, we need to handle this efficiently' Ichabod reasoned.
Anastasia and the witnesses had agreed it was best to split up to cover more ground.
The witnesses would check the grounds whilst she and the horseman searched inside the mill.
'I would feel more at ease, darling, if you chose to stay home'.
'You benched me when Pandora came to town and we know how well that went. Besides I know Elijah and Hannah, maybe I can talk some sense into them'.
'Fine' he agreed, knowing there was no arguing with his wife 'but allow me to go out in front'.
'Fine' she said, knowing there was no arguing with her husband. She placed her hand on his arm 'My love, if…if you must stop them, don't allow them to suffer'.
'I promise' he nodded.
They walked through the rubble of the old mill, the rooms filled with dust and cobwebs. Each room was illuminated by a limited amount of moonlight through various broken windows.
'Phanuel!'
They both turned to see Hannah standing in the shadows, aiming a gun straight at Anastasia.
'Hannah, what are you doing?'
'You have to kill me or I will kill you' tears streamed down the young girl's cheeks.
'You're not making any sense, Hannah. You know mortal weapons can't hurt me'.
'And what of your baby?' She asked, lowering the gun to Anastasia's bulging stomach.
Anastasia instinctively raised her hand to cover her baby bump protectively.
'I don't understand. What has happened to you, Hannah?'
The young girl began to tremble, her arms shaking as she began sobbing in earnest.
'Please, just talk to me, Hannah. I can help you'.
'He won't let you'.
Anastasia didn't know why but those words sent a chill down her spine.
But before she could ask who Hannah was referring to, the young girl gasped suddenly, dropping the gun to the ground.
Somehow the horseman had managed to sneak around them, using the darkness to his advantage so much so that even Anastasia had not been aware of his movements.
And had seized his opportunity to put an end to Hannah's threats.
He lowered her to the ground, cradling her in his arms.
'Phanuel…' Hannah gasped.
'It's okay…I'm here' Anastasia whispered soothingly, kneeling down beside her, holding Hannah's hand tightly.
'I'm sorry…'
'You have nothing to apologise for, Hannah'.
'My brother and I…' she coughed suddenly 'we were trapped…in the sixth circle of Hell'.
'How? You and Elijah weren't destined for Hell'.
'He trapped us…he made us do this'.
'Who?'
Hannah lifted her trembling hand, weakly pointing at the horseman.
Anastasia looked up into his eyes for answers but he looked as shocked and confused as she was.
'I'm scared, Phanuel'.
'Don't be. You're going home now, your real home. In the Garden of your Father, where you will no nothing but peace'. She stroked the young girl's cheek soothingly.
Hannah gave the Archangel a small smile, closing her eyes as she took her last breath.
Anastasia wiped the tears that had gathered in her own eyes.
'Why did she point at you, Azrael?'
'I don't know. I don't remember ever seeing her before tonight. You said that I was the one who killed her perhaps she felt I was responsible for what happened to her'.
'Perhaps'.
A realisation quickly dawned on her.
'The sixth circle of Hell, that's where she said they had been all this time' dread suddenly washed over her 'we have to stop the witnesses from killing Elijah'.
Gunfire echoed throughout the open field, alerting Anastasia that she was too late to warn the witnesses of what she had expected they had just unleashed.
She kneeled down in the wet grass beside Elijah, stroking her fingers through his hair.
'Phanuel, I'm sorry' he apologised, searching for her hand which she gladly gave.
'I know…I know. It's okay, Elijah'.
'Hannah?'
'She's fine…she's waiting for you' Anastasia reassured.
He weakly pointed at the horseman, in a similar fashion to Hannah.
'Don't…don't trust him, Phanuel' he warned.
And with that Elijah drew his last breath.
'He's dead' she announced.
'Isn't that what we were going for?' Abbie asked.
With the help of the horseman, Anastasia stood back on her feet to address the witnesses.
'You don't understand. Elijah and Hannah were not the second of the three, they were the third'.
'What do you mean?' Jenny queried
'Pandora was the sixth priestess of Atlantis. Elijah and Hannah were trapped in the sixth circle of Hell. And the plague that almost wiped out Sleepy Hollow was the sixth plague of Egypt'.
'Are you kidding me? Six, six, six' Abbie stated.
'My Father had an affectionate nickname for Lucifer, the Morningstar'.
'Free the morning. That was the next line in the prophecy' Ichabod added.
'I fear, you have just unknowingly released my brother from his imprisonment'.
'Wait. This whole thing was some kind of passcode to the Devil's cage?' Jenny asked.
'What do we do now?' Ichabod asked.
'I honestly don't know'.
The next night
All had been calm these past twenty-four hours. No apocalyptic storms, no locust or boils, no earthquakes.
No rapture.
No end of days.
And most importantly no sign of Lucifer.
Perhaps the prophecy had been wrong.
Perhaps Anastasia had been wrong.
But Abraham still stayed on high alert. If Lucifer had indeed been set free, he wanted to be ready for him.
Seeing that the door was open, he bolted downstairs only to find Anastasia standing outside.
She looked to be staring towards the spot where they had buried Elijah and Hannah underneath an old oak tree.
'You shouldn't be out here alone, darling' Abraham called out as he stepped out into the cool night air.
'I was just thinking' she shrugged.
'No, you were worrying. Tell me' he closed the gap between them, her back resting against his chest as his hands came to rest on her growing belly. Rubbing small, soothing circles with his thumbs causing their child to kick, no doubt thinking their father was instigating their game.
'Hannah and Elijah, they both seemed adamant that you had some part to play in all this'.
'I don't know what to tell you, Anastasia. I can neither confirm nor deny something that I don't remember. But I can apologise'.
'Apologise for what?'she asked, confused.
'For killing them. It pains me to know that I've hurt you in such a way, that I took away those whom you loved'.
'You don't need to apologise, my love. I know if you had had your memories you wouldn't of done such things. It's not your fault'.
'Still, I will live the rest of my life making amends because you are my life, Anastasia'.
She raised her hand to her face as she began to cry.
'My darling, what's wrong?'
She turned to face him, tears glistening in her eyes but a huge smile adorned her face.
'In Eden, that's what you use to call me. Your life'.
'Because it is true' he smiled.
'There is something else that's troubling me. Every line of the prophecy has come to pass, except one'.
The Horseman will end.
'I can't lose you again, Azrael'.
He gathered her in his arms, her hands wrapped around his middle whilst her head rested next to his heart.
'You said yourself, Lucifer needs me if he wants his apocalypse to start' he kissed her hair 'I promise, no one is going to take me away from you'.
'You don't know that'.
'But there is one thing I do know for certain'.
'Which is?'
'You're going to be an wonderful mother' he pulled back from her so they could see one another 'When you were at your lowest, you decided to put aside your grieve and anguish to take care of two orphaned children, you loved them both like they were your own kin. You're going to be a good mother because you've already been a mother'.
She kissed him softly.
'I love you'.
'I love you'.
'Don't go out tonight. With Lucifer possibly on the loose, it's best we stay together'.
'I agree' he nodded.
'Will you read to me?'
'Of course' he smiled.
They shared one last kiss before entering the house, he watched as she climbed the stairs to retrieve the book when the air around him instantly became frigid and thick with the sense of foreboding.
A voice called out behind him.
'Hello brother'.