await me near rocks by the sea.”
“ ‘Near rocks by the say?’ Oh. Never mind. Not bad, Ariel. Well, what did you learn?”
Ariel cleared his throat and began: “I found out that Yaweh has grow-en full sore, at Satan who turns down invites to his door, and Lucifer, Lilith, and p’raps many more. I saw then that Michael does hunt for this one, to ask him for reasons for what he has done, with Raphael, he’s going forth at a run.”
“I can see,” said Leviathan, “that it’s going to to take a while to get the whole story. I may as well relax.”
Abdiel was well ahead of Raphael and Michael, but he hadn’t yet found Satan and Beelzebub. With the added strain of having to find Satan before either of the others saw him or each other, he could barely keep going.
“This is stupid,” he told himself. “But unavoidable,” he added.
He moved along the road as quickly as he could, without the risk of being spotted too soon. It was still fully day, so both parties would be moving. One way or another, he decided, something would happen before nightfall.
Yaweh paced back and forth within the chamber, feeling more alone than he had ever felt since he had discovered, back at the beginning, that there was such a thing as un-alone.
Deciding that he needed company, he called his page.
“Yes, Lord?”
“Bring Abdiel. I want to speak with him.”
“Abdiel is gone, Lord.”
“Gone? Don’t be ridiculous. Where would he go?”
“I don’t know, Lord. But he left soon after Michael and Raphael.”
“But—are you sure?”
“Yes, Lord.”
Yaweh stood silent, then noticed the page. “You may go.”
“Yes, Lord,” said the page, who bowed and left.
Yaweh remained, feeling very much alone indeed.
“This doesn’t make sense, Ariel. No, don’t answer. But it doesn’t. Mephistopheles tells me that Gabriel has summoned Satan for Yaweh. Now I learn that Satan refused the summons. But I also hear that he’s left the Southern Hold and is going toward the center. Why?”
Ariel started to speak, stopped at a look from Leviathan. Her tail swirled the water behind her as she said, “Let me think for a minute.”
She did so, with Ariel looking around him absently.
“No,” she said, “I was right in the first place. There is something wrong, and I’ll never find out what without speaking to Satan.” She sighed. “Sometimes, Ariel, I hate being stuck like this.”
“I grieve for you, lady, with all of my heart, I do what I can to aid for my part; so tell me my mission—anon will I start.”
“Thank you, Ariel. Your help means a great deal to me. As to your ‘mission,’ if you will, I want to speak to Satan as soon as possible. Tell him so. Say please. I think he’ll come.”
“I go to find Satan and bring him to you; I fear I’ll be gone for an evening or two, but I promise to do all the best I can do.”
As he finished, he bobbed his head, spread his wings, and launched himself into the air. He circled once over her head and was gone.
“Fare thee well, Ariel,” she said softly. She sighed. “It’s good to have friends.”
“Yes, it is, honey.”
“Harut! How long have you been there?”
“Just got here. Thought I heard Ariel’s voice, but I guess I missed him.”
“Yes. Harut, are you sure you saw Satan and Beelzebub leaving the Southern Hold? I don’t mean to offend you, but—”
“I know. It’s all right. Well, they weren’t saying anything, and they didn’t seem to notice me, but one was an angel, and I’d say he was an archangel at least by the way he walked, and—”
“The way he walked?”
“Yeah. You know, some people kind of step lightly, as if they aren’t sure what they’re about. An’ some kinda march, like they aren’t carin’ who’s in the way. Well, this guy knew where he was going, and he was sure of himself. And he was the right size for Satan, too—I could hear how far apart his feet planted themselves.”
“I see.”
“And
“ ‘Near rocks by the say?’ Oh. Never mind. Not bad, Ariel. Well, what did you learn?”
Ariel cleared his throat and began: “I found out that Yaweh has grow-en full sore, at Satan who turns down invites to his door, and Lucifer, Lilith, and p’raps many more. I saw then that Michael does hunt for this one, to ask him for reasons for what he has done, with Raphael, he’s going forth at a run.”
“I can see,” said Leviathan, “that it’s going to to take a while to get the whole story. I may as well relax.”
Abdiel was well ahead of Raphael and Michael, but he hadn’t yet found Satan and Beelzebub. With the added strain of having to find Satan before either of the others saw him or each other, he could barely keep going.
“This is stupid,” he told himself. “But unavoidable,” he added.
He moved along the road as quickly as he could, without the risk of being spotted too soon. It was still fully day, so both parties would be moving. One way or another, he decided, something would happen before nightfall.
Yaweh paced back and forth within the chamber, feeling more alone than he had ever felt since he had discovered, back at the beginning, that there was such a thing as un-alone.
Deciding that he needed company, he called his page.
“Yes, Lord?”
“Bring Abdiel. I want to speak with him.”
“Abdiel is gone, Lord.”
“Gone? Don’t be ridiculous. Where would he go?”
“I don’t know, Lord. But he left soon after Michael and Raphael.”
“But—are you sure?”
“Yes, Lord.”
Yaweh stood silent, then noticed the page. “You may go.”
“Yes, Lord,” said the page, who bowed and left.
Yaweh remained, feeling very much alone indeed.
“This doesn’t make sense, Ariel. No, don’t answer. But it doesn’t. Mephistopheles tells me that Gabriel has summoned Satan for Yaweh. Now I learn that Satan refused the summons. But I also hear that he’s left the Southern Hold and is going toward the center. Why?”
Ariel started to speak, stopped at a look from Leviathan. Her tail swirled the water behind her as she said, “Let me think for a minute.”
She did so, with Ariel looking around him absently.
“No,” she said, “I was right in the first place. There is something wrong, and I’ll never find out what without speaking to Satan.” She sighed. “Sometimes, Ariel, I hate being stuck like this.”
“I grieve for you, lady, with all of my heart, I do what I can to aid for my part; so tell me my mission—anon will I start.”
“Thank you, Ariel. Your help means a great deal to me. As to your ‘mission,’ if you will, I want to speak to Satan as soon as possible. Tell him so. Say please. I think he’ll come.”
“I go to find Satan and bring him to you; I fear I’ll be gone for an evening or two, but I promise to do all the best I can do.”
As he finished, he bobbed his head, spread his wings, and launched himself into the air. He circled once over her head and was gone.
“Fare thee well, Ariel,” she said softly. She sighed. “It’s good to have friends.”
“Yes, it is, honey.”
“Harut! How long have you been there?”
“Just got here. Thought I heard Ariel’s voice, but I guess I missed him.”
“Yes. Harut, are you sure you saw Satan and Beelzebub leaving the Southern Hold? I don’t mean to offend you, but—”
“I know. It’s all right. Well, they weren’t saying anything, and they didn’t seem to notice me, but one was an angel, and I’d say he was an archangel at least by the way he walked, and—”
“The way he walked?”
“Yeah. You know, some people kind of step lightly, as if they aren’t sure what they’re about. An’ some kinda march, like they aren’t carin’ who’s in the way. Well, this guy knew where he was going, and he was sure of himself. And he was the right size for Satan, too—I could hear how far apart his feet planted themselves.”
“I see.”
“And
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