Between Heaven and Hell Read online

  Powers, on the other hand, were born with strong emotions, and they typically made no effort to suppress them. Adryel, though, actually had considered taking the angels’ advanced training. She had even consulted Lord Lucifer, searching for a tutor. It would not have made her one of them, her red hair and glowing skin would have given her away, but they would have taken her more seriously and accepted her more easily.

  Then she had met Ramael. He had sat next to her in the symbolic-logic class that was required of all second-year students at the Institute. He was as bright as she, but not as flashy. He would help her prepare for debates, and then he would cheer and clap for her as though he’d had no role at all in her success.

  Ramael had also talked with her about everyday things, not just academic questions. He took her on walks, cooked dinner for her, told jokes. He discovered she enjoyed painting, and he spent long hours sitting beside her, reading while she worked. He had teased her into smiling, and taught her it was all right to laugh, to cry, even to throw things when she felt angry.

  Her face had glowed so brightly on their pairing night that she had been certain the entire neighborhood would have been able to extinguish their candles.

  The memories made her happy, and when she heard Ramael enter the house her heart began to race. He would come to bed soon, and that made her happier still.

  ***

  Ramael had gone when she awoke the next morning. She breakfasted, and then set out for the Institute, humming softly as she walked through the city.

  Crossing Palace Square she noticed that extra guards had indeed been posted. Four stood at each entrance to the palace, rather than two. Other guards patrolled the perimeter of the square, and, glancing up, she spied a dozen on one section of the wall where she typically saw two or three.

  She shivered. If Lord Michael had instructed Ramael to post this many guards he surely must expect something really bad to happen.

  As she approached the Institute, one of Ramael’s guards rushed past, almost colliding with her. She heard a commotion ahead, angry voices, shouting. Rounding a corner, she spied a mob of angels swarming around the front gate of the college. As she hurried toward the crowd, she recognized most of them as students. They were shouting and shaking their fists at two powers who stood by the gate. Their red sashes and swords identified the powers as members of the city guard.

  “No guards on campus,” one of the students screamed. “Go back to your pen, pigs.”

  Both guards appeared to be young, about the same ages as the students who surrounded them. One held his body-length shield in front of him, covering all but his head, reminding Adryel of a turtle who had hidden his entire body inside his hard, protective shell. The other had drawn his sword and was pointing it at a tall angel who was berating the guard loudly. The angel held a large rock in his hand and seemed to be creeping closer and closer to the guard. The guard’s eyes were locked on the student, and he seemed on the verge of springing forward to strike.

  Not a good situation.

  Adryel pushed her way through the crowd, stepping around those who would not move aside to let her pass.

  The guard turned toward her, pointing his sword in her direction. “Stop where you are.”

  Behind her, the students chanted, “Pigs off campus. Pigs off campus.”

  Adryel held up her hands to show they were empty and she meant no harm. “I won’t hurt you. I’m a professor. Why are you here? Guards are never posted at the Institute.”

  “We were posted here this morning. To maintain order.”

  “Worked really well.” Adryel looked around at the throng, which continued to grow as more students arrived for class.

  “Piggy, piggy, piggy,” a voice called from the crowd.

  Another response came from students standing atop the seven meter high wall that surrounded the Institute. “Oink, oink, oink.”

  “There were three of us. I sent one for reinforcements.”

  “Piggy, piggy, piggy.”

  “Oink, oink, oink.”

  The student who was holding the large rock had continued to advance, creeping forward while the guard and Adryel talked. As the student lifted the rock above his head, the guard sprang between him and Adryel, hacking at him with his sword, ripping his robe and slicing across his chest. The crowd roared in anger as the student dropped the rock and collapsed on the pavement.

  “Kill them. Kill them all,” the crowd roared.

  The guard pulled Adryel behind his shield. He turned his head, scanning the area, a look of panic on his face. Then he raised his sword, pointing down the street. “The reinforcements. They’re coming now.”

  Adryel followed his eyes and saw what she guessed were twenty-five armed guards trotting toward them.

  A stone sailed through the air, shattering on the wall behind them.

  Adryel ran toward the crowd, waving her arms, calling for quiet. “You know me,” she shouted. “I’m Adryel, Professor of Philosophy. Some of you are my students. Your behavior is an uncalled-for disruption of the peace of the city, and of the Institute. Disperse at once. Go to your classes. Go to—”

  “Piggy, piggy, piggy.”

  “No guards on campus!”

  “Oink, oink, oink.”

  The chants drowned the sound of her voice, and she gave up.

  The reinforcements arrived, pushing through the crowd, shoving students aside and knocking several to the ground. They formed a line that stretched from one side of the entrance to the other, cutting the students off from the safety of the walls.

  CLANG. CLANG.

  Adryel instinctively ducked as stones shattered against the guards’ shields.

  CLANG.

  The first guard pulled Adryel back to safety behind his shield, and she huddled there, trembling.

  “Sooey. Sooey,” a student shouted.

  “Here, piggy, piggy.” The refrain swept back from the wall.

  “Forward.” The guard who appeared in command of the squad of reinforcements pointed, and they began to advance. Nudging the students away from Adryel and the two guards huddled at the gate, they herded them down the street, away from the Institute.

  The students dug in their heels. They pounded on the guards’ shields.

  “Filthy power-tripping scum!”

  The guards continued to advance by half steps, pushing forward, not pausing even when one student attempted to stand his ground and was struck by one of the heavy, iron shields. The student toppled over, screaming in pain as he was trampled under the guards’ thick, leather boots.

  “Guards off campus. Guards off campus.”

  The chanting continued as another group of sentries appeared a block away, behind the mob. They, too, formed a line and began to advance. The students quickly realized they were surrounded, pinned between the two groups. Cries of distress now mingled with the shouts of anger. As Adryel peeked to see what was happening, both groups of guards halted, their lines but six meters apart.

  “They’re going to kill us,” one student shouted, and another barrage of stones banged against the shields. One barely missed Adryel’s face. The students cheered as one struck a guard on the side of his head. The student who had thrown the rock raised his arms and danced in victory before being struck with a shield and knocked to the ground. Insults rained down from the wall. Two others—Adryel didn’t recognize them, but supposed them to be students—reached under their robes and withdrew knives, brandishing them in the guards’ faces.

  “Draw swords!”

  As the sound of metal sliding across metal filled the air, the students raced, first in one direction, then the other, back and forth between the lines, screaming in terror when they found no way to escape.

  “Wait,” Adryel cried. She started toward them, but the guard who had protected her caught her arm.

  “Forward.” The commander pointed.

  “Let me go.” She struggled against the guard who held her.

  “Please, I don’t want to die,�
�� a student wailed.

  “They’re just school kids,” Adryel screamed. “Don’t hurt them.”

  The guards hesitated, and, as Adryel jerked away and dashed between the lines, Lord Lucifer stalked through the gate. Ignoring the guards, he stepped in front of their line and called for quiet.

  “I share your outrage,” he said to the students. “Lord Michael has posted soldiers at our school as if such action can control our minds and sway our hearts. We will not cower at this threat of brute force.”

  “No guards on campus,” one of the students screamed. “Tell them, Lord Lucifer.”

  “These angels,” he motioned at the guards, “have no quarrel with you.”

  “They’re armed.”

  “They plan to kill us.”

  “We’re trapped.”

  “They have no quarrel with you,” he repeated. “You have none with them. Your quarrel is with Lord Michael, who sent them here. Your quarrel is with the council, who yesterday debated, in secret, a plan that will totally disrupt your lives. Disperse for now. We will meet this afternoon to consider these matters. I assure you your outrage will be heard in the halls of the palace. If you leave now no harm will come to you.” He turned to glare at the guards’ commander.

  For a moment, no one moved. The students stood face to face with the guards, neither side yielding.

  “Drop the knives. Drop the stones.” The commander’s eyes met Lucifer’s, not flinching.

  Another moment passed.

  The weapons clattered on the pavement.

  The commander took a step back. “Allow them to enter the Institute.”

  The guards who blocked access to the Institute split into two lines, forming a narrow path through which the students could pass. They held their shields in front of their bodies and their swords ready. After a pause, the students began to move, glancing angrily from one side to the other as they filed between the lines, muttering to themselves.

  Adryel heaved a sigh of relief. As the last student withdrew, and the guards marched away, leaving three at the gate as before, she and Lord Lucifer walked toward the school.

  “I can’t believe the guards’ presence caused so much trouble,” she mused.

  “The Institute is a place of intellectual inquiry. The presence of armed guards casts a chill over free debate of ideas. Of course they were angry.”

  “Still. . .they almost attacked those poor powers. They were just doing their jobs. They didn’t choose their posts this morning.”

  Lucifer smiled slyly. “Well, the students may have heard a bit about the plan, and they may have believed the guards had been posted to force their acceptance.”

  Adryel stopped walking and looked into his eyes. “And how would they have heard about the plan? Who would have suggested the guards’ motives?”

  He shrugged a shoulder. “I may have mentioned something to a few of my associates.”

  Adryel stared at him in disbelief. “Council business is private. No wonder Lord Michael believed you would cause trouble.”

  “Did he now?” Lucifer chuckled. “What else does Lord Michael believe?”

  Adryel started to tell him of the comparison to Robiel, but she caught herself. She doubted that either Lord Michael or Ramael would want Lord Lucifer to hear that suspicion.

  She shook her head and resumed walking. “If anyone had been harmed, it would have been your fault.”

  “There was no real danger.”

  She spun back to where he was still standing, his face a mask of innocence. He couldn’t possibly believe that. . .

  “You weren’t in front of the gate,” she said. “One of those stones struck a guard. There could easily have been students’ blood on the ground.”

  Lucifer laughed again and began walking. “How would Michael have explained. . .?”

  “A stone almost hit me in the face!” She scurried to catch up. “Had I been hit, Lord Michael would have been the least of your problems. Ramael would have cut your throat.”

  They reached the top of the stairs and she turned on her heel toward her classroom.

  “All means, Adryel,” he called after her. “I’ll use all means to oppose this plan. Our meeting this afternoon will be during the midday meal, in the Commons Hall. I’ll see you there?” He snickered. “Or have you been ordered to not attend?”

  She stopped and turned. “No one gives me orders, Lord Lucifer.” She wheeled around and strode away. She could feel his eyes boring into her back, and sensed he was laughing at her.

  ***

  Adryel made her way toward the Commons Hall. She had eaten before making her way across the quadrangle, planning to arrive late. She had truthfully told Lord Lucifer that she took orders from no one. He had been discussing Ramael, but she wanted it to be clear that no one included him as well.

  As she crossed the quad, she glanced across the yard. Ramael and four of his guards stood at the gate. Ramael obviously had not been intimidated by the students. Adryel waved and hurried over to greet him.

  “Ramael,” she called. “I hadn’t expected to see you here.”

  “Are you all right?” He ran to meet her. “I was told you were here this morning when Lord Lucifer’s lackeys attacked my guards. I came by your office, but you were in class.”

  “Lord Lucifer’s lackeys? They were students. They heard about the plan and they believed the guards were here to force them to toe the line and accept it.”

  “And how would they have heard about the plan”

  “Lord Lucifer told them. . .”

  “I can imagine. An unbiased report, no doubt. Just in passing. Not with any evil intent.”

  “I don’t believe there’s any evil intent. He is opposed to it though.”

  “Those students were throwing rocks. One guard was injured. If he didn’t intend the confrontation, then he needs to be more careful.”

  “I’m on my way to his meeting now. I’ll let you know how it goes.” She gave him a quick kiss.

  “Be careful, Adryel. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Not at this meeting.” She laughed. “Academic discussions are seldom settled with fists.”

  She climbed the steps to the Commons Hall, turning to wave again as she reached the top. As she made her way along the gallery and through the arch that led into the large meeting room, she could hear Lord Lucifer’s voice.

  The hall was packed, primarily with students, although there were also a fair number of teachers present. The chairs were all taken, leaving students sitting on the floor and standing along the walls. Adryel found a spot in the very back where they were standing three deep. She slipped between two other teachers and leaned against the wall.

  After a few minutes, she found herself yawning. It was a typical academic meeting. Lord Lucifer had read parts of the Plan of Creation aloud—a clear violation of council policy—and had elaborated at length on the dangers that were inherent in the plan. No one else spoke. There was no discussion, no interruption, no questions. The students stared at him with the same blank expressions she had seen this morning in her logic class when she had tried to explain that even if it was true that all angels were good, it did not mean that all good creatures were necessarily angels.

  She smiled. Lord Michael had nothing to fear from this meeting.

  She began to think about Ramael. It had been nice to see him, even if for only a minute. It made her feel so good when he tried to protect her.

  “Adryel.” Lord Lucifer’s voice cut into her thoughts. “You were at the council meeting. Were not the others disturbed by what they found in the plan?”

  Adryel stood straight and stepped away from the wall so she could be heard, though, she wasn’t sure how much she ought to say about the meeting.

  “I don’t think most of the members noticed the description of the humans, Lord Lucifer, not until you pointed it out. They were curious, certainly.”

  “They were curious enough to seek clarification, were they not?”


  “As I recall, Lord Lucifer, after you left the meeting, they agreed to seek further information.”

  “What else took place after I left?”

  Adryel hesitated. So far, she had simply confirmed what he already knew. The request for clarification had been circulated among the council members in the afternoon. “Nothing, really, Lord Lucifer.” She offered him a smile. “What more could be done without you present?”

  “What is your opinion of the plan?”

  “I await clarification, Lord Lucifer.”

  “Bah!” Lucifer’s voice blasted through the hall. “Don’t give me the party line, Adryel. Give me your conclusion.”

  She did not reply.

  Lucifer held his copy of the plan high, where everyone could see it. “This plan is dangerous. As I’ve illustrated,” his eyes flicked to Adryel, “the humans will inevitably choose evil.” He paused. “What is that to us, you might ask. I’ll tell you.”

  He paced side to side behind the podium, wagging a pointed finger—moves intended, no doubt, to add emphasis to his words. “Humans will procreate. That means they will have children, little humans. They won’t have one or two children per pair, as we do. They will have four, five—whole tribes of children. A male human will be able to father one every day—potentially thousands, from just one male! The earth, the ball of rock on which they will live, will quickly fill. There will be no room for them all and they will look for other places to live. Where do you think they will look?”

  He paused, arms stretched wide, glancing about as if searching for someone to answer his question. “They will look here.” He aimed his wagging finger downward, as though the humans would choose the very spot in which Lucifer now stood. “They will look to the heavens, to our city. They will come in huge numbers, too many to repel. They will swarm across our walls like wild, unchecked beasts, kill us, and take our homes. No appeals to justice will sway them.”