"Remember," said Pellecus, "that there are some who are
already suspicious. I'm afraid that some of our bolder angels have
become rather brash of tongue lately."
84 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer
"Then you put a stop to it," snarled Lucifer. "The supreme
challenge in liberating the angels is in not allowing them to become
too liberated. I believe, Pellecus, that you need to advise caution
among some of your disciples. Now as to suspicions already raised,
there may be a few angels who suspect that something is stirring,
but all they can ascertain is that there is movement...undercurrent.
They can't possibly predict the outcome or its source."
He held up the scroll as a point of reference and said, "I am
convinced that the Worship Council is ready for the complete pres-
entation. Now that Berenius has replaced Sangius, I have whole-
hearted support and can speak quite openly. I'll have Serus
announce a meeting as soon as possible. We must meet before the
Creation begins and while our strength is growing. I will instruct
each angel on the Council to press his influence with those angels
who are under him or work with him.
Lucifer stared icily at the two angels, as if he was looking right
through them and into the future he envisioned. "We must begin
setting up the new authority now; to have it in place and ready to
take control once the stewardship has been given to me. I'll report
to the Council everything we have discussed: They'll be pleased
and encouraged to know that the Elders Kara, Pratia and Belron are
already with us. Rega will follow soon now that his appetite has
been aroused. I will also report that the Academy and the warriors
are beginning to turn."
"Some of them, my lord," said Rugio. "The majority of the
legions are still loyal to the Most High. I would hate to do battle with
them. Though if it ever comes to it I will." He patted his scabbard.
Pellecus and Lucifer looked up at Rugio, surprised at this
aggressive declaration. "Thank you, Rugio," said Lucifer. "But I
never said we would need every angel to be with us. All I need is a
show of strength--something impressive that will underscore the
need for my appointment should the Lord waver for any reason. If
urgent support for me is widespread, it will take on the appearance
of a general consensus among all the classes of angels: wisdom,
warrior and worship. Then, following such a demonstration on my
behalf, the Elders, at Kara's passionate and skilled pleading, will
"All I need is a show of strength--something impressive!" 85
insist on my appointment and the Lord will comply out of desire to
maintain peace and order in the Kingdom." He smirked. "You
know how He hates division."
"Do you really believe you can shame the Most High into giv-
ing in to your plans?" asked Pellecus.
"I don't intend to contest the Lord publicly, merely persuade
Him privately," said Lucifer. "You and I know that we could never
defeat the Lord outright, He's much too powerful. I will never be
greater than He, but I can be as great as He. He will see the need to
share power or face a ruinous conflict. Of course it may never come
to such a scenario if I am elected outright. Either way, I will be
made governor."
"And what about Sangius?" asked Pellecus. "Now that he is
no longer with us on the Council isn't it likely that he will...talk to
someone?"
"Sangius serves us whether he is on the Council or not," said
Lucifer. "Naturally I would prefer him to be in a place where we
could...look after him a little more closely.
"However, since he is no longer on the Council we need not
fear him. There is not an angel in Heaven who will take him seri-
ously. He has compromised his reputation at the Temple and there
will be talk among the Elders of asking for his removal from the
Ministry of the Flame. Kara will see to that. All he will do is detract
from his credibility with his ridiculous tales of what goes on in
Lucifer's ministry."
"You let me worry about Sangius. I should have known he
was too weak to commit to anything so important as what we are
undertaking," Lucifer concluded.
Serus entered the room with a tray of drinks. "Ah thank you,
Serus," said Lucifer. He and the others each took a small gold,
jewel-encrusted glass in their hands and held them up. "Here's to
golden days for us all," said Lucifer.
They drank the deep blue liquid that filled the cups.
"Serus, I want you to call the Council together as soon as pos-
sible," Lucifer ordered. "And tell Octrion that I have completed the
86 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer
Creation music and wish to take him up on his offer to help me. I
want him to begin preparing at once."
Serus nodded and backed out of the room. As he shut the door
behind him a burst of laughter spilled out of the room. He looked
around the luxurious surroundings which served as both his min-
istry to Lucifer and his home. He wondered what the golden days
would mean for him? Surely Lucifer had something special in mind
for his most devoted servant! When the time was right he was
going to ask Lucifer about it. As he walked down the corridor he
stopped abruptly. He had meant to tell Lucifer something else, but
didn't know if he should go back in the room after he had been dis-
missed. He decided he could wait until later to tell Lucifer that he
had seen Sangius and Michael speaking together.
----------------
Michael had mixed feelings as his friends began seating them-
selves around the table in his house. Crispin and Sangius had
arrived already and knew what this was all about. Gabriel, how-
ever, presented quite a dilemma. It was not that Gabriel was thick-
headed, but he was very cautious in his judgments concerning his
brothers. He always thought the best of any angel, giving them the
benefit of any doubt, and one had to be very diplomatic in dis-
cussing such delicate issues with him. He was already suspicious
that Michael had a grudge against Lucifer, so it was essential that
the information be delivered in a sensible, logical way, that it, as lit-
tle of Michael as possible.
Michael, Crispin and Sangius were already seated at the table
when Gabriel arrived. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw his
old teacher at the table, and rushed forward to greet him. "Master
Crispin!" said Gabriel, picking up the scholar and hugging him.
"It's been so long! How are things at the Academy?"
"Put me down and I'll tell you," said Crispin. Gabriel apolo-
gized and gently set his teacher back on the floor, giving him anoth-
er hug in the process. Gabriel then saw Sangius, and though he was
rather surprised to see him at this meeting he greeted him warmly.
"Brother Sangius! Good to see you!"
"All I need is a show of strength--something impressive!" 87
"And you," said Sangius, claspin
g his arms. "You make a
remarkable archangel!"
"What about me?" said Michael in a feigned slight. They all
laughed and Michael invited everyone to be seated.
Michael's house was just off the Grand Square. He had built it
so that the front door faced the Great Temple. He always enjoyed
the Temple being the first thing he saw every time he left the house.
His largest windows also were on that side of the house and the
light from the Lord's presence often filled his home to such an
extent that he could hardly see. But Michael loved it. He bathed in
God's glorious light, worshiping Him with upraised hands and
drinking deeply of His presence. Today's meeting, however, was
vastly different from anything so joyous as worship. Everyone
looked at Michael as he began speaking.
"Let me first say thank you to Crispin and Sangius for com-
ing. You both know what will be discussed here today and will in
fact be doing most of the talking." He then turned to Gabriel, who
had a puzzled expression on his face. "Gabriel, this meeting is for
your benefit as much as anything. Or rather it is for me to tell you
some things which you might not find so believable without other
witnesses. I only ask that you hold all your questions until you've
heard everything we know up until now, and that you keep your
mind open to the possibilities about to be unveiled. With that, I
guess I'll turn this over to Crispin and Sangius."
Gabriel, perplexed as ever, turned first to one and then the
other as they decided who should speak first. Crispin began by
recounting the things that he and Michael had discussed in his
chambers the day the Creation was announced. He described the
tense situation at the Academy, and the dismissal of Pellecus
because of his radical teaching. He used Berenius as an illustration
of how some angels were beginning to question the truths of God;
he mentioned Pellecus, and his association with Lucifer both in the
Council of Worship and as a probable vehicle for Lucifer's own philo-
sophical agenda. "My feeling," said Crispin in conclusion, "is that
the angels who are showing up at the Academy with this tainted
88 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer
viewpoint are simply the leading edges of a much larger, much
more sinister movement."
Sangius next spoke about his association with Lucifer, his
work on the Council of Worship and his slow plunge into Lucifer's
reckless world of criticism, suspicion and ambition. He told about
meetings that were particularly offensive toward the Lord or the
Kingdom, and how the Council members were passionately loyal
to Lucifer. He concluded by recounting his recent dismissal from
the Council and the recovery of his integrity through worshiping
the Lord and loving Him as never before.
Throughout the testimonies Gabriel gave no response, show-
ing very little emotion, except when Sangius spoke of his own hurt,
at which point Gabriel felt tremendous compassion. When they
were finished Gabriel sat quietly for a moment or two and then
spoke up.
"I owe you an apology, Michael. Earlier I cut you off and told
you to leave this Lucifer business alone. I can see now that your
feelings are justified or at least have the appearance of something
real." He looked at the group. "The day the Creation was
announced Lucifer was trying to pry information out of me as to
who would be governing the new world. Octrion was with him,
jabbering away as usual. I could tell the two of them had been dis-
cussing it. I can see where you might have been suspicious."
"What do you think we should do, Gabriel?" asked Michael,
relieved that Gabriel was at least considering his position in light of
the new evidence.
"I believe that the last thing we should do is make too public
an issue of this. Not yet anyway," Gabriel answered. "This calls for
patience and deliberation."
"I agree completely," said Crispin. "We must not allow Lucifer
or any of those angels friendly towards him to know that we are
observing their movements with such interest."
Crispin leaned back in his chair and assumed a professorial
attitude. "He'll give himself away at some point. He must if he is
ever to...do whatever he intends to do. The Creation now seems to
be the focus. Perhaps as it unfolds Lucifer will overreach himself
and then we'll have him."
"All I need is a show of strength--something impressive!" 89
"I don't want to have him," said Michael. "I want him to come to
his senses." He gave his old teacher a resigned look. "But you're right,
Crispin. The Creation seems to be the prime consideration in all of
this." He shook his head and made a baffled expression. "Except
that the Creation was only recently announced and Lucifer has
apparently been garnering hidden support for quite a while now."
"That's his way," said Sangius, who was considered the resi-
dent expert on Lucifer's secret world because of his recent post on
the Council. "Lucifer has always envisioned an opportunity for
which he needed to prepare. He told the Council once that his
appointment to the worship ministry was a result of his own musi-
cal effort rather than the grace of God. How did he put it? Ah yes,
he said that `music is merely a tool like any other tool--a vehicle to
something greater.' What makes Lucifer so dangerous is that he
believes he has a destiny that he must fulfill. This drives him. And,
naturally, in order to fulfill that destiny he must prepare.
"So he has been slowly building up support through the influ-
ence of the Council; through the teachings of Pellecus; through his
own ability to charm and ingratiate himself with others, by prom-
ising future benefits for present loyalties. I believe that he views the
Creation as the opportunity he has been looking for--though in
what way he intends for it to be of use to him I am not sure."
"Just remember," said Gabriel, who was increasingly uncom-
fortable with the discussion. "This is Lucifer we're talking about.
Our Chief Minister of Worship--the Anointed Cherub. In spite of
everything, including my own conversations with him, I find it
hard to believe that he would try anything so vain...so traitor-
ous...so stupid. I admit that the things you have told me bear look-
ing into. But Lucifer is our brother and until he actually does
something wrong he is innocent. I really think we need more infor-
mation before we move on this."
"Agreed," said Michael. "But as an archangel you must real-
ize your responsibility to the Most High in keeping order in this
Kingdom. And if there is a seditious group of angels who are plan-
ning something in connection with the Creation, then that is crimi-
nal enough. We must stand ready. You heard what Sangius said.
90 CHRONICLES of the Host: Exile of Lucifer
They actually believe that angels maintain order in Heaven
through their obedience; and that if the day comes when angels dis-
obey, the Lor
d will no longer be able to maintain the Kingdom!
Gabriel, these are very damning statements!"
"And very damning charges," said Gabriel. "I am only saying
that caution must be the byword in all of this."
"Perhaps it would help to bring an elder in on this," offered
Sangius. "That way when the time does come when we need to involve
the Lord, we will have gone through proper lines of authority."
The group looked at each other as if to read one another's
thoughts on the idea.
"Sangius might have an excellent point," said Crispin. "It's
always wise to have an authority covering you. It makes for a more
credible argument as well as a more proper approach."
Michael thought for a moment, looking to Gabriel for his
opinion. "Well?" he said.
"It could be the wise thing to do at this point," said Gabriel.
"But we'd have to be very sensitive in our choosing. I think all of
the Elders are competent and trustworthy. But if Lucifer's influence
extends to the Academy as you say, then it might also extend to the
Elders. The Lord forbid that he should corrupt that body!" Gabriel's
bluish aura began manifesting even as his words sickened him. The
thought of corruption to such degree and in such high circles of
authority affected him greatly.
"We would need someone we could completely trust,"
Gabriel continued. "Someone who is acquainted enough with
Lucifer to see that these concerns are a possibility, however remote.
Most of all, we need someone who will hold this in the proper con-
fidence it is due."
"I know just the elder!" said Sangius. "Lamon! He has always
had difficulty with Lucifer."
"I don't want someone who will be looking to bring Lucifer
down," said Gabriel.
"We need someone who will be completely objective; whose
interest is the welfare of the Kingdom."
"All I need is a show of strength--something impressive!" 91
"Sharma comes to mind," said Crispin. "He is quite closed-