War Angel (The Tales of Tartarus) Read online

  WAR ANGEL

  COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER

  Parchman’s Press, Publisher since 2013

  Copyright © 2016 by Mengel, A.L.

  All Rights Reserved. This book, or parts therof, may not be reproduced without permission of the publisher. Mengel, A.L. – © 2016 PP/AL

  Cover Design by Shoutlines Design. Boston, MA, United States of America. Title Page(s) by Shoutlines Design.

  Author Photo Rudicil Photography, Des Moines, IA, United States of America.

  Published by Parchman’s Press, United States of America.

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  All rights reserved. All plot elements originally created by author. Any similarity to any other work in any format, written or filmed, published or released; unpublished, unproduced or unreleased, is purely coincidental and unintentional. All elements of this book, for the purpose of storytelling, are fictional. All characters are originally created by A.L. Mengel. Any similarities to any person, living or deceased, is also unintentional and purely coincidental. Any similarities to any other fictional character, from filmed, published or unpublished work is unintentional and coincidental.

  Featured Poetry stanza “Center of Silence” from Beautifully Broken by Chase, Shane, © 2015 Sunfyre Books, LLC. Used with permission from the Author.

  Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ Reprinted in accordance with “Gratis Use” guidelines from HarperCollins Christian.

  Film and Television interests should contact Parchman’s Press, the author or designated representatives. This novel was published in the United States of America by Parchman’s Press, printed by Createspace and distributed worldwide.

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  CULMINATION

  OF THE TALES OF TARTARUS

  A.L. MENGEL’S BOOKSHELF

  from THE TALES OF TARTARUS

  Ashes

  The Quest for Immortality

  The Blood Decanter

  from THE VEGA CHRONICLES

  The Wandering Star

  other WORKS

  #Writestorm

  The Other Side of the Door

  Curtains and Fan Blades

  AUTHOR’S NOTE ON WAR ANGEL

  BELOVED FRIENDS of ‘The Writing Studio’,

  When writing this novel, which is entirely a work of fiction, there had been much turmoil going on in the world. One could argue that the “rapture” had somehow passed us by, that we all still remain Earthbound, our celestial destiny just a “myth”. That accidents and terrorism, shootings, intolerance, racism, bigotry, violence and war, were part of the period of tribulation.

  Before I started the manuscript, I remember a phone call I had with my mother one afternoon. The call took place when I was still writing The Blood Decanter. When I wrote that novel, I had experienced periods of anxiety, depression and frustration. I frequently found myself in a negative state of mind. I experienced periods of discouragement. And she explained to me that, when one is doing something good, interference is not uncommon.

  That same day, she said something that remained with me while writing War Angel. We had talked about the issues facing the world today, and one day she said a single, solitary, quite profound sentence, that remained with me: “I think we all need a war angel in our lives right about now.”

  And so I present to you, the reader, the Beloved Friend, the one who I appreciate for adopting my writing and reading my words. It’s the culmination of The Tales of Tartarus series, War Angel. This novel was first conceived in 2013 – way back when I was in the process of releasing Ashes. I knew, back then, that I wanted to write a story about angels. So enjoy, and let your wings soar across the sky…

  A.L.

  THE THOUSAND YEARS

  20 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

  4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years

  THE JUDGMENT OF SATAN

  7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

  THE JUDGMENT OF THE DEAD

  11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake.

  WAR ANGEL

  A NOVEL BY A.L. MENGEL

  WAR ANGEL

  I | WHO IS THE WAR ANGEL?

  II | PREMONITION

  III | THE KISS OF JUDAS

  IV | TRAMOS THE CONQUEROR

  V | BLOODY MARY

  VI | ANIMA CHRISTI

  VII | CHORUS ANGELORUM

  VIII | PURGATORY

  FOR ALL OF THE WAR ANGELS IN THE WORLD

  THE

  WAR

  ANGEL

  I

  WHO IS

  THE WAR

  ANGEL?

  CENTER OF SILENCE

  The path before me is clear –

  I hold that there is truth in here

  As I fight my way inside –

  Where I have no place to hide

  From myself.

  By Shane Chase.

  Tartare DÉPLIÉE

  Will you love me? Until the hour of death takes your senses?

  There comes a certain time for the choice – Will you accept your fate? The last encounter?

  A final chance. Can I give it to you?

  Whether it be on soil or the heavens, there always comes the moment of clarity.

  When the warmth of the blood becomes real.

  When the adrenaline stops and the sting pierces.

  The flesh returns.

  And wings are clipped –

&n
bsp; But they are never truly gone…

  THERE ONCE WAS A STORY of a ‘War Angel’.

  When the story had first been told, there were the many questions that followed. There were those who did not understand who the War Angel could be. While many wondered, there was an equally significant amount of people who were entirely unaware. But the questions remained, particularly in those societies who had a spiritual and cosmic connection. They asked the questions, over and over. Who is the angel?

  Who is this mysterious, mythical angel of battles?

  Was the angel male?

  Female?

  Did the War Angel walk among us? Protect us?

  Stories had started to circulate among the populace. There were some people that claimed to have seen angelic figures and spirits, particularly at night. Pale, white ghostly apparitions in trees, watching them.

  As if waiting for something.

  Or someone.

  But no one could be for certain if the phenomenon were a product of the War Angel. No one could tell if he (or she) were simply observing.

  Or protecting.

  And then there was the story of the immortals.

  And their similar musings of the War Angel, and those same supernatural phenomena. The immortals, who had been peacefully coexisting with the humans for centuries, had come to a precipice in their existence: for they were dying and close to extinction. And so the same rumors of the War Angel started to circulate through their communities.

  The same dinner table talk that the humans discussed penetrated their existence.

  Initially, they were just stories.

  Stories of angels.

  And of demons, and of ghosts.

  Throughout time, the stories had fueled the dinner table chatter among the immortals and humans alike. The immortals were on the brink of extinction after dealing with years of torment at the hands of the ‘hooded man’. Some of the immortals had wondered who the War Angel could be. Perhaps a warrior to protect them? To triumph in their pursuit of goodness?

  But the immortals had not been the harbingers of good. And there was no rest for the wicked. For centuries, the immortals were connected with sin.

  And evil.

  Debauchery and poison.

  The humans who befriended them often found untimely deaths. And when they did not, those humans typically had great misfortunes befall upon them.

  People started to talk about the immortals.

  That they were sinful.

  And that those humans who befriended them were courting evil; that those people who became embroiled in the wickedness deserved their fate.

  Over time and recent decades, as the immortal society neared total collapse, there had been the advent of a mythical figure called The Hooded Man, a malevolent destroyer of the immortal foundation.

  While no human being had ever been reported to have seen the robed figure, the rumors, which had initially circulated through the immortal communities, filtered over towards the human population, and not long after, were discussed in government meetings, on news stations, and media.

  Immortals Targeted for Annihilation the headlines screamed. Artists painted renditions of The Hooded Man from long discussions with their immortal friends.

  In Miami, which had long been thought to be the central battleground of The Hooded Man’s wrath, immortal Antoine Nagevesh, who headed that “sector” of their society, had led a local effort, in joint conjuncture with the human population, to hunt down the hooded figure and destroy him before the immortals were wiped off the face of the Earth.

  His drive made it across the Atlantic to France and Rome, where a large concentration of immortals lived, but it became futile. For The Hooded Man cast a seductive spell, and Antoine saw that the immortals were destined to wind up where they did: near extinction.

  And so came the mystery of the War Angel in the society of the immortals. At the council of The Inspiriti in Rome, an enlightened society thought to be governed by a council of immortals, there were many discussions. Several members of the high council met over the course of decades to confer the possibility of a warrior, of an angel, and whether the angel posed a threat to the immortals or if it could be an ally.

  And others, immortals and humans alike, argued about the mystery.

  The War Angel.

  Who could it be?

  The apparitions continued.

  Many during times of great distress.

  Why the apparitions now? At this time? At this moment when the immortals were on the cusp of extinction? Certainly this being could not be sent to combat the immortals.

  Could it have?

  And so the questions circulated.

  Did he or she travel along the sidewalks, and take a similar journey as the immortals and the people…or did he or she ride a horse?

  Or was the story of the War Angel possibly in a modern time?

  And did he or she sit in automobiles, ride on trains and ships and airplanes, and travel next to us…watching us…without our awareness of their presence?

  Many questions permeated minds throughout the world.

  And then, after the period of speculation, would follow the mystery of the angel’s existence.

  There were rarely answers, but the questions would always remain, regardless of the time period or amount of technology in the search: Would the angels only be seen in fleeting moments in times of distress?

  Or could they be engaged with human beings in mundane, everyday situations, without our knowledge? Could the next interaction one were to have with another person be a conversation with an angel?

  Or even a war angel?

  The phenomenon remained a mystery.

  There were those who did not understand who the War Angel was – nor did they choose to believe in something that they could not see nor prove.

  And then, due to the lack of conviction, the world continued to evolve; man discovered science, and evolution. Industry, and technology.

  The idea of a spiritual journey – and spirits who were sent from the celestial dimensions to protect – seemed increasingly foreign.

  So the questions remained.

  Was the war angel really there? Or was it an idea of stories and prayers?

  For he or she who the angel was called to protect – would they see the angel? Would they even know the angel was there fighting a battle in their name?

  Initially, there was no acknowledgement.

  And complacency reigned, within the immortal populace but the human beings as well. Stories of the War Angel faded as time wore on.

  Over the years, some did not believe the war angel actually existed. Man adopted the scientific mindset, and the world evolved. The Industrial Revolution proved to man – at least to a degree – that man was the ‘Supreme Being’.

  That man ruled the Earth.

  God was not the ruler.

  God was not the spiritual entity He once was; for man became increasingly self-absorbed.

  The seven sins were prevalent. And because of that, man suffered the consequences.

  According to Biblical history, Adam and Eve, after committing the first sin, were cast out of Eden, and ever since that time, a time which man had been birthed in the created World, there had been the stain of sin on man, like a fingerprint on a clean surface.

  But the stain could be wiped clean.

  It could be absolved, there was a method of cleansing.

  Of redemption.

  Man was given “free will” by God. And man, as a general entity, chose to focus on themselves. But that did not mean that man denied God, but, perhaps, rather, did not acknowledge Him. But He was always there, and He still gave man the tools needed for their survival – both physical and spiritual.

  And then came a war angel.

  A battle assigned angel.

  One given to each and every living soul; in many cases (most, if not all cases) the presence of the war angel was completely undetected.

  Their presence was ignored, a
nd all spiritual connection was extinguished – and those who were to be protected continued their lives without any awareness of the war angel. But, and it was argued over generations, the war angel was still there, fulfilling their duties.

  The story of the War Angel was told through generations – it was told again, and again, and again; over the centuries, no matter how many times the story had become diluted, it always reached the same conclusion.

  And left the same questions.

  Did the war angel actually exist?

  But still, there were those who believed. Those who were insistent that the angel existed, despite a complete lack of evidence.

  There were those who argued that they had seen the angel – whether it be in a night time vision or a specific summons – but, over the course of years, the awareness of the presence increased among the believers, over a slow period.

  And so, with much uncertainty, there was a degree of comfort…in the midst of the turmoil, had everyone had a warrior? One to defend, one to conquer, one to protect?

  Did everyone have a war angel?

  And then, there was the moment when the piercing scream of a child, of a little girl, was heard across the land…

  *****

  “He’s dead! Dead! Dead!”

  She shrieked and covered her eyes with her hands.

  A patchwork of blood soiled her little white dress. It was still fresh and wet, and as she moved, tiny red droplets dripped to the hardwood floor. She smashed her palms over her cheeks and her fingers over her eyes, sobbing. Her palms were flat against her face as she felt the warmth of tears against her cheeks.