Angels Ascending - 12. Part Twelve

Chapter Twenty-Four

Crusade

Undergoing the change from Famulus to Angel had left Aidan bedridden for weeks. When he finally was back on his feet, it was to discover that major changes had occurred while he had been recuperating. As he walked through the tunnels of the monastery, he found both Dorian's Centurions and his own personal bodyguards covered with strange black and red markings, their eyes glowing with red fire.

"What has been happening?" Aidan asked the nearest of his men.

The man bowed."You need to talk to Amplexor, your majesty."

"What happened to your body?"

"Dorian..." was the man's one word response before running off.

The whole monastery was alive with activity. The snow had all melted and the roads were just drying out. Men were busy filling wagons with supplies as if they were planning on leaving soon.

Going to the chapel, Aidan found Amplexor supervising the transport of his lover's coffin to the wagon that waited outside.

"What is going on?" Aidan demanded.

"Civil war has broken out. You are needed back at Meltor," Amplexor explained.

"What?"

"Most of Admiral James's officers were arrested by the High Inquisitor on charges of heresy and are facing execution. The Admiral brought the armada back to the capital to rescue his men, but he was betrayed. High Priest Niles is threatening to excommunicate the army still loyal to the Admiral... that is over eighty thousand men. If you can't stop the execution, there will be a war that will destroy Jadoor."

"What about my men... their eyes, the markings on their bodies."

"That was Dorian's doing. He has been very busy converting all of them into his Demon Spawn."

"Demon Spawn?"

"The bonded children of a Demon."

"My men?" Aidan said, panicked.

"Your men are now unbeatable. We will need them if we are to stop this conflict from spreading," Amplexor explained.

"Where is Dorian?"

"I am here," Dorian said in labored Jadoorian as he came from behind Aidan

"My men?" Aidan asked his dark-skinned lover.

"Stronger... better." Dorian grinned.

"They don't look human!"

"What do I look like?" Dorian grunted.

"Like a god... a true Son of the Mother." Aidan grinned, unable to resist his lover's appearance. Aidan even reached behind Dorian and played with the stub of what appeared to be the beginnings of a tail.

"They are my children. Please treat them as such," Dorian said in a pleading voice.

"I will," Aidan agreed as he rested his head on Dorian's massive chest.

"You need children too," Dorian sighed as he held Aidan tight to him. He led Aidan to one of the bedrooms, where Diana stood, looking lost. "I saved her for you. Make her your child."

"My child?" Aidan asked confused.

"Kiss her. Give her your anima."

"Alright..." Aidan nodded going over to Diana, shocked by how empty she looked.

"Aidan," Diana said, his eyes containing a pleading look.

"Yes."

"Please kiss me," Diana begged. "I want to be a part of your life."

"I will," Aidan agreed. He did not know what had happened to his old lover, but the woman looked more broken than when she had lost her spot as Prime Minister. "Now why did you want my anima?" he asked after he had given her his kiss.

"It will turn me into a Saint, your spiritual protector."

"Is that what you want?" Aidan asked concerned.

"Yes... I miss you. I know that Dorian is your soul mate, but I still want to be part of your life," Diana explained as the color faded from her skin and her eyes picked up a white glow.

"You did not have to do this, Diana," Aidan insisted as he saw her face take on a pained look, a pair of black wings ripping out of her body.

"It was the only way." Diana replied.

"The only way for what?" Aidan demanded.

"According to Amplexor... it was the only way you would make love to me again."

"Not true!" Aidan said defensively even though he could not remember the last time he had.

"Then make love to me now, my king."

"But..." Aidan said, as he looked at Dorian's face.

"Make love to her... there's time," the Demon urged.

Taking Diana's hand, Aidan led his Saint to one of the monk's cells, closing the door after him.

From the very start of the trial, James knew what the verdict would be. He was amazed, however, that it took the ecclesiastic court two weeks to reach its decision... purification by fire or, put more simply, burned to the stake. It even took two days for the court to go from officer to officer, list his crimes, bemoan the man's lack of repentance, and expound on how the Mother would be their final judge. Each officer of the court made several long speeches in retort.

Just as James knew he would be declared guilty, he also knew that he would be the last man sentenced. Standing in the box of penitence, dressed in the red robes of the guilty, the Admiral glared defiantly at his two judges, the High Inquisitor Warren and High Priest Niles.

Standing up to bring silence to the courtroom, Warren read the Church's decision. "Under the gaze of the Mother, and by the holy laws she passed on to us, this court has found you, James Warwick, Admiral of the Fleet, guilty of heresy, more specifically, sins committed by the body, and for raising arms against the Church of the Mother. For these crimes your body should be purified by fire but...due to your past service to the Church, we have decided to give you this one chance to repent and join the Church as a sworn brother."

James had known he would be given this "out". The night before, Warren had come to his cell, offering him one last chance to serve him and lead his men in overthrowing Niles. The High Inquisitor did not ask for a reply. He said he would wait until the Admiral was faced with his death.

James had thought long and hard what his reply would be. So, when it came for him to speak, he took a deep breath before pronouncing the first word. "I repent..."

"Then you shall be forgiven..." Warren grinned, believing the man was finally broken, but James had a lot more to say and did not stop talking.

"I repent that I allowed you to attempt to seduce me in the bathhouse. I repent for failing in my duty to the fleet, and falling into your trap. I repent for not seeing how you broke some of my men with your torturers. Finally, I repent that I ever thought of joining you, Warren, in removing High Priest Niles for your own gains. I support the end of the persecution of my fellow gay men, but I will not resort to the tactics you are willing to use to achieve that end."

The fact that James had enough self-will to defy him left Warren too stunned to stop the Admiral before it was too late. Hearing the sound of heavy breathing next to him, Warren turned to see the furious red face of High Priest Niles.

"We will discuss this later," Niles warned. Two of his guards went to stand behind the cowering High Inquisitor. The High Priest returned his attention back to James. "I find no repentance in your statements, so your sentence will stand. Tomorrow at noon, you and your fellow sinners shall be purified by fire. May the Mother forgive you and welcome you into her arms."

With the final banging of the gavel, James was led out of the courtroom and into Temple Square, where the holding pens were set up for the condemned men. The six wooden cages were arranged in a hexagon and were crammed full with over two hundred men.

James, not finding Kyle in the same cage with him, moved to the center where he shouted his name. Soon, Kyle was looking across at his lover.

"Why are you in here with us? I thought Warren would offer you a deal!" Kyle demanded.

"I turned him down and told Niles about his plans to betray him. I would not be surprised to see the High Inquisitor join us soon," James said, as he took measure of the distance separating him from him lover. "I wish I could hold you now."

"I know... we have so little time left. Do you think the army will come to our rescue?"

"Make it past all three walls to the center of the city?"

"There are the royal guards at the palace," Kyle pointed out.

"Yes, but look, Niles has a small army guarding the gate. Our rescue will not come from that direction," James replied, hating to take away the little hope Kyle had of surviving.

"Then I guess we will die."

"Yes... and I am fine with that. I mean, if it takes facing death to find the one person you can't live without, I would have to say it is a fair trade."

"Not me... now that I know that I love you, I don't want it to end," Kyle admitted.

"But at least we will be together."

"Yes."

Reaching through the cage, James tried to reach Kyle. Together, with their arms outstretched their fingers could just touch.

"I love you," James promised, his eyes frozen on Kyle's.

"I love you too," Kyle agreed.

The two maintained the contact for as long as possible but then their arms became tired, forcing them to pull back. During the night before their execution, the two continued to talk, fantasizing a life they would have had together.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Fire

When Aidan and his men approached the besieged capital of Jadoor, they saw the camps of the naval forces loyal to Admiral James. Reaching a barricade, they were finally forced to stop.

"Halt!" one of the soldiers demanded, wielding a pike.

"You one of the Admiral's men?" Aidan asked.

"Yes... are you?" the man asked, trying to figure out what was hidden underneath Aidan's cloak.

"Take me to the man in charge. I need to speak with him."

"First of all, I do not know who you are. Second, even if you told me, how would I know you are not just an Inquisitor spy?"

"Because I am your king," Aidan said sternly, throwing off his cloak to reveal his white wings.

"Son of the Mother!" the soldier exclaimed as he and his companions bowed on one knee.

"Now, take me to the man in charge and be quick about it. We don't have much time before the Admiral is scheduled to be executed," Aidan demanded.

From the guard post, Aidan was led to a cottage, just outside the city's wall. Inside, the small building was crammed with the remaining officers who had tried to keep their forces united. On seeing Aidan walking in with his wings and pale skin, all of them stopped their arguing, their eyes frozen on the godling.

"I am King Aidan III, Son of the Mother. I hereby take command of your forces for the purpose of rescuing the Admiral and your fellow officers."

"Thank the Mother you are here... none of us have been able to agree on what to do," one of the Captains spoke up.

"And your name is?" Aidan asked, as Dorian and his men began filling the tent.

"Harper, your majesty."

"Well, tell me where things stand."

"Our spies say that the executions will be at noon tomorrow, but our men are nowhere ready to make a full-scale attack, let alone reach past the third wall into the Temple Square."

"And why not? You have been camped here for several days."

"We have been debating if we are willing to accept excommunication if we step up our aggression against the Church."

Aidan stretched out his wings, giving himself a commanding presence. "As your king, and as your living god, I order you and your men to prepare for an all out attack by dawn."

"And High Priest Niles?"

"May I present my soul mate..." Aidan waved toward his black-skinned lover. "He, not Niles, is the reincarnated spirit of my brother, a Son of the Mother."

"Then you are telling us...?" Harper asked.

"That, as far as I am concerned, Niles is no longer worthy of the title High Priest. I declare him excommunicated from the true church."

"We will do as your holiness requests." Harper bowed. "The army will be ready to march at dawn."

After getting commitments from the other captains, Aidan, Dorian and their men left the tent for the cool spring air.

"We need to attack now," Aidan said, determined once he was alone with Dorian, Diana, and Amplexor.

"The walls are thick and high. Over fifty thousand Templars are guarding the city. The siege equipment is only half built and, even if they were ready, they would kill more slaves than any of the enemy," Diana replied.

"What can we do then?" Aidan asked.

"All you need to do is show up. Carry Dorian in your arms and fly straight to the Temple of the Mother. The people will see you as their gods returned," Amplexor recommended.

"No!" Dorian shot the idea down.

"Why not?" Amplexor laughed. "You are not afraid of flying are you?"

"No... too dangerous," Dorian insisted giving Aidan a look daring him to challenge him.

"Believe me, the only way to end this crisis is for the people to see both of you," Amplexor repeated, pointing at Aidan and Dorian. "You saw how the officers reacted to you."

After thinking about it for a long moment, Dorian offered a compromise. "Not without my children."

"How will we get them into the city? It would take a long time for me and Aidan to fly all five hundred of them over the walls," David sighed.

To that Dorian grinned and pointed at one of his Demon Spawn. Nodding, the man raced over to one of the towering granaries and began to race up its sheer smooth walls, reaching the top within a few blinks of an eye.

"Impressive," Diana said, her mouth agape.

"Then it's settled, we will storm the walls and make a dash for the Temple of the Mother," Aidan said, eager to begin at once.

"I suggest we attack at dawn. The temple is at the center of the city and requires we pass three series of walls."

"We would stand a better chance if I could get my own men at the Palace to help out, or do you think Niles has had them arrested?" Aidan asked.

"I can fly to the palace at night and find out," Diana offered.

"Why not I?" Aidan demanded.

"Well, first of all, I don't think Dorian would let you. Second, it will be easier to blacken my body for night flight as my wings are already black. I am sure that Dorian would kill anyone who soiled your beautiful wings."

"Thanks." Aidan grinned, giving Diana a hug.

That night they moved closer to Meltor's walls, just beyond the range of arrows. Diana was gone for over three hours before she came back to give her report. "Your men are ready. When Niles demanded they surrender the palace, they barred the gate and prepared themselves for a siege. Then the Admiral's army arrived and that was more of a threat than your men posed, so the gate is only guarded by a few hundred Templars to make sure no one tries to escape.

"They know to attack at dawn?" Aidan asked.

"Yes."

"Good... go get some rest."

"Nah... I would rather take a bath." Diana replied scratching the itchy soot on her skin.

"Go to it then." Aidan smiled.

"It will be dawn in a few hours. Are you going to get some sleep?" Amplexor asked as he joined Aidan at his vigil.

"No... I am afraid I will forget something, or I might sleep right through it all," Aidan replied.

"I don't think Dorian will allow that."

"I know... I'm the one who's supposed to be in charge, but he seems to make all the decisions.

"It is all about control. Dorian must keep a tight rein on a lot of powerful emotions at all times or else go mad. That makes him a little controlling. Gladius, my lover was the same way. Keeping you on a short leash gives him one less thing to worry about."

"I'm the king, I thought. It is my job to rule."

"You do rule... but just a smaller kingdom than you think you have. The only person you rule is Dorian, just as my kingdom was made up of only Gladius. Your days as supreme commander of the army are over. Dorian will insist he take that role. Still, if you really want something... something that will not endanger your life, all you have to do is ask Dorian and he will give it to you."

"I am king," Aidan repeated as if saying it again would make it true.

"Yes... but with limitations. Just as you would not like Dorian doing something behind your back, Dorian needs the same respect. He will try to make most choices for you, but you always have the final say. You just need to remember that, regardless of how menacing he gets."

After a moment of silence, Aidan felt compelled to change plans. "I have come to a decision. I want the attack to begin now. My men back at the palace are poorly trained. They will need every chance possible to make it to the Temple of the Mother. If Dorian's men attack early, more of Niles' Templars will be drawn away from the palace."

"Then go tell Dorian." Amplexor grinned, pointing to where Aidan's lover was talking to his men.

"I will, and thanks."

"My pleasure." Amplexor waved, enjoying how history seemed to be repeating itself.

History was almost repeating itself. The Mother had warned her creations, Amplexor and Gladius, that her fellow Dominus were coming to destroy them. All of them madw their escape from the burned out world of Mordel and flee to the healed new one of Ares where they would be safe. Over the long years the Great Barrier had become unstable, leaving holes through which a small fleet could escape. All they had to do was capture the port and the large transport ships located there.

With them came five thousand Centurions, the very first legion, two hundred Legatio, and tens of thousands of desperate Jadoorians. There were also the dark-skinned Rapas, the mix of tribes that made up the eastern kingdoms, and the narrow almond eyed people who eventually settled in the southern isles. The plan had been for the Mother to open the prison cells and arm everyone for a suicidal dash to the ships. All this was to happen at dawn, but Amplexor, feeling unsure, insisted the escape happen that very night. In the end it turned out to be the right decision for, while the port fell quickly and the transports loaded, the sensors picked up a large fleet of attack ships approaching from afar, too far to intercept the transports. But if they had waited until dawn, the escapees would have been trapped between the shore and the Masters' attack boats. That would not be the last time Amplexor had such premonitions. He hoped that Aidan had that gift as well.

Warren and his Inquisitors stood before High Priest Niles, grim expressions on their faces. "This is not what we agreed to."

"Well, it was what I had planned all along..." Niles laughed. "A three-front war fought with three armies... our main army wiping out the Centurion Western Army, our fleet and marines taking care of the Home Guard, and the armies of the Eastern Confederacy eliminating the Centurion army at Qul Tos."

"The plan... MY PLAN... had been to get Domus to surrender, not to wipe it off the map!" Warren shouted, grabbing the top of his cane threateningly.

"Domus will surrender, and I will give it to you as we agreed, but not before every single Legatio is dead. They are the true problem. Without them there will be no new Centurions."

"I have plans for the Legatio and the Centurions," Warren insisted.

"Yes, I know... you want them build up your own power base. I've read the secret histories. I know that once Jadoorians, Legatio, and Centurions lived together in peace. But I also know that it was a Centurion who killed our sacred Mother. They all deserve to die for that crime, and I will be the High Priest who sees that they finally pay for it."

"I will not let you," Warren said menacingly, drawing the sword from his cane.

"And how do you plan to stop me HERETIC!" Niles laughed just as the room was filled with his armed Templar guards.

"I am the High Inquisitor!" Warren said, as if that declaration would defend him.

"Yes, and I am going to enjoy seeing what kind of fire you make!" Did you think I would not look into what the Admiral said about you?" Niles shouted back.

Seeing that their leader was in danger, the robed Inquisitors drew daggers in a vain attempt to free Warren. All of them were soon dead at the more skilled hands of the Templar guards, their blood spreading across the black marble floor.

"You will not get away with this!" Warren spat as he was being dragged away.

"But I already have," Niles smirked. "Soon the rebellious army will lose their leader and come back to the church, looking for forgiveness. I will give it to them, and then send them as the vanguard in the attack on the Gate. I will leave it to fate and the Mother to see them through what will be a slaughter, but at least their souls will be pure."

"I will see you in hell!" Warren swore as he was forced out of the office.

"Not for a long time, my dear High Inquisitor," Niles sneered as he turned away to look out at the massive bonfire before the steps of the Church of the Mother. He wondered what color flame Warren would produce as his body burned to ashes.