CHAPTER ONE

Present Day

The two men had shown her almost every courtesy.

Her cane had been taken away for their protection. Her

hands were cuffed behind her back; however, the cuffs were placed

over cloth wristbands so the steel wouldn't chaff her writs. No

gag covered her mouth, and her feet were left unbound. The men

never spoke, so she couldn't identify their voices later, but one

limped heavily with his right leg. A note written in brail

explaining that they were taking her to see someone very

important was put in her hand. The note also informed her that

they were armed, and that resistance of any kind would not be

tolerated. The note was taken from her, and they gently helped

her into the backseat of their car. One of the men fastened her

seatbelt while the other one lit a cigarette with a Zippo

lighter. Though she had been treated well thus far, she'd still

been threatened and Megan Bright was scared to death.

Summer had arrived to stay in northwest Colorado less than a

week ago, and already the voices on the radio station the men had

on were complaining about the unending heat. Consequently, the

windows up front were down and the noises of the town filtered

through. Megan was horrified that the world right outside the

car's windows went on normally while she was being taken against

her will to God knew where for God knew what reason. She had the

almost irresistible urge to cry out to the people she knew had to

be out there, but she knew it was futile. Nobody cared. People

were nothing if not blissfully lost inside their own lives. It

was beyond infuriating, life went on for the intentionally blind

while hers could very well be ending.

In her mind, she screamed out to Isabella, her special

friend with the beautiful long hair and magnificent wings, to

help her. Megan never fully understood how she was able to see

Isabella, since she had been born blind; however, Isabella had

explained it was Father's Truth. All she ever had to do was

silently call out to her, and Isabella would appear. Megan prayed

her friend would appear now.

After a long while, the car finally came to a rest. Megan

heard the two men open their doors then open hers. She was

helped out of the car. She was standing on cement instead of

asphalt, and the air had a faint musty smell to it, so she

suspected she was indoors. The sound of the car doors slamming

shut had a dull echo to it. That told Megan she was indeed

indoors, and in a rather large, open space. The two men escorted
her through a path filled with a lot twists and doors, though it

seemed they were merely walking in circles. She might be blind,

but she had excellent hearing and a remarkable sense of

direction.

At last, they stopped walking. The handcuffs and wristbands

were removed and the two men stepped away from her. Megan heard a

loud whooshing sound and the air became hot and foul. It smelled

strongly of sulfur, molten rock and scorched flesh. Megan gave a

short cry of fear and instinctively stepped backwards. Whatever

made the air putrid was pure evil and not of this world, she just

somehow knew it. However, a heavy hand landing on each shoulder

stopped her. Whatever was happening, she was going to have to

face it. Her terror intensified.

She felt its presence.

It appeared before her like mist rising from an early

morning lake. Slowly the mist begun to took form. A grotesque

burning head with long curving horns above the eyes and a scaled

torso with huge black featherless wings materialized first,

followed by a pair of impossibly long arms. Like the torso, the

arms were scaled and huge fire-covered claws were where its hands

should've been.
 The legs solidified last. They were thick and powerful-

looking things and covered with scales like the arms and chest

was. A long, serpent-like tail swished in evil anticipation

behind the thing like a rattlesnake ready to strike.

Megan could actually see this hideous creature, its fire-

filled eyes staring back at her, studying her as if she were the

abomination. It was the only thing besides Isabella that she had

ever seen with her eyes, and she was bewildered by the

difference. Isabella brought soft light, warm feelings and peace

with her whenever she appeared, this creature brought unabashed

terror, hatred, and decay with it and Megan was frozen solid with

fear.

The creature threw its head back and laughed, its tail

twitched obscenely. The sound was an oddly inhuman mixture of

rolling thunder and flames crackling. "So, this common

guttersnipe is the great and powerful seer, is she?" It laughed

again, causing Megan to flinch from the sound.

"Tell me seer, can you see me with your blind eyes?" The

creature again threw its head back, but this time its entire body

exploded in a mighty gust of flames. The heat from the blaze

attacked Megan with an angry force and she screamed in obvious

terror. Her yelp brought another burst of evil laughter from the

creature.
 In her mind, Megan screamed out for Isabella to help her

again. She could feel the unfiltered evil and hatred radiating

from the beast in front of her, and she was scared that the

creature was about to kill her, though she had no idea why.

"I'm close, child," Isabella answered. "Father is with you.

However, if I come any closer the demon will sense it and you'll

be in grave danger."

The creature moved slowly and Megan followed its movements.

Every so often, it would crackle out with laughter again. It

seemed to be very amused by the fact that Megan could see it.

Isabella, what is this thing? Why can I see it?

"It's a Haakai demon, the most powerful of the three demon

tiers. It possesses great magic and it will try to dazzle you

with it. You can see it because its existence is supernatural

Truth and you can see such Truth."

What does it want with me?

"Right now, it just wants to talk. It wants to rattle you,

shake your faith in Father. You must remain vigilant in your

faith."

Why did it call me seer?

"That is your destiny."

 I don't understand.

"I know. I thought I had more time. We should've had more

time. This is not as how it is written. Dwell not on it now,

precious one. There will be time for me to explain everything to

you. For now, know that your true destiny has begun."

I'm scared. Tears started to well up in Megan's eyes. This

was too crazy, way beyond her comprehension.

"I know, child. Be calm. It feeds off your fear. Father

is with you and I am close."

Megan closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to

steady her frazzled nerves. She wasn't sure how much more of

this she could take.

"Speaking to your angel, seer?" The voice was new, and very

human. Megan opened her eyes and was stunned to see that the

nightmarish creature was gone. In its place, stood a human male

of average height with thin receding dark hair, dark eyes and a

neatly trimmed goatee. The scaled body was now covered with a

charcoal-colored seersucker suit with a bright red kerchief in

the breast pocket and polished black shoes. The man smiled

wryly, "You find this form a little more to your liking, seer?

Don't like seeing your demons all ablaze? I can certainly

understand that. Now tell me, just where might your angel be,
seer? Did that despicable vermin fly back to the safety of

Father and leave you all alone? Leave it to an angel to hide

when a real man pulls into town."

Isabella? Is this still --"

"Yes, seer, I am. So, your angel is Isabella, is it? I

should've caught it when you said her name before. I must be

slipping in my old-age. Do you know that Isabella and I go way

back? No? Oh, I assure you it's true seer. In fact, you might

even say we earned our wings together." The man laughed as if

his last comment was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

"What are you?" Megan asked in a thin voice.

"My actual name is older than any known language, therefore

it has no word you would recognize or understand. I have

however, answered to Adze, though that name is an ill fit. Some

weak-minded mortals have also attached the moniker Grah-Hoth to

me, but that isn't accurate either." The man raised his hands in

a gesture for her to wait, "I know your questions, seer. Truth

be told they're not exactly original. I suppose I can overlook

your appalling lack of style and panache, after all, you are

merely just a sniveling gutter rat. I allowed you to see me in my

true form to show you that I shall harbor no secrets from you."

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, who am I kidding? I

appeared in my natural form because I just love making grand

entrances. What can I say, seer? I'm just a slave for the

spotlight. However, that is unimportant. You did not answer me,

seer. Where is my dear friend Isabella hiding?"

"Why do you keep calling me seer?" Megan hoped her voice

sounded stronger than it did before.

"Because that is who you are, half-wit." A slight smile

crossed his lips as he cocked his head and rubbed his chin with

his hand. The man-creature slowly circled Megan like a predator

moving in for the kill as he studied her with a bemused

expression. He'd stop every so often, look around and sniff the

air, as if searching for a particular scent. The strange

behavior unnerved Megan, though she did her best to remain brave.

She was also aware of the two men still standing behind her.

Running was not an option.

"There's no reason for you to look at me that way, you

little guttersnipe. I'm looking for your angel. We have an old

score to settle, her and I. Our last meeting was --

unsatisfying. Speaking of your angel, has Isabella not told you

who you really are? Has she hidden your true destiny from you?"

He laughed. Though the sound was decisively human, it was still

quite evil. "How so absolutely like her. You must allow me the

privilege then of explaining to you what exactly, a seer is. You

really will need to understand what you are, and why you're so

important, in order to comprehend why I have summoned you."

Megan remained silent.

"You see, even before there was an Earth, indeed, even

before there was anything," the demon spread his hands in a wide

gesture, "there was war. A mighty war between the Seraphim, the

highest level of angels for they are the Order of the Fourth

Choir, and Father that shook the very foundations of Heaven

itself.

"See, seer, we knew of Father's foolish plans to create the

human race, and we were baffled it. Why create a much weaker and

inferior species? Especially a weaker and inferior species that

so closely resembled us in appearance? What was the point? Then,

it was announced that we, the Seraphim, the mighty and powerful

archangels, would be required to bow down and serve these lowly

and weak humans, and to the one who'd been anointed to be their

Savior, Jesus. We were outraged, and rightly so. The lowly

humans should be required to bow down to us! Were we not the

more powerful creatures? Were we not the beloved children of

Father first? Did we not reside in Paradise with Father while the

humans were to live separate from us?

 "My Master, Lucifer, who was the highest of the Seraphim and

chief among all angels, failed to understand why a 'son of fire

should bow down before the son of clay.' By clay, Lucifer meant

humans."

"Half-truths mixed with lies," said Isabella. Megan noticed

a tinge of anger in her voice, and became even more frightened.

Isabella never got angry over anything. "Close your mind to its

words, child."

"Come now, Isabella," said the man-creature, a tone of

amusement in its voice, "don't be a poor sport. You're the one

who failed to educate this guttersnipe to the Truth. Don't be

sore now when I'm forced to rectify your gross negligence." The

demon sniffed the air while spinning in a slow circle. Finally,

his eyes returned to Megan. "So, where was I? Oh yes, the war.

I remember. Lucifer boldly defied Father and refused to bow down

before the humans or their Savior Jesus. Others, myself

included, followed suit. Lucifer opened our eyes to the sad

realization that Father had lied."

"Liar," growled Isabella. "You know Father never lied.

It's the one thing He is incapable of."

"Wrong, Isabella! Father did lie! He told us that He loved

us! He said that there would never be anything higher in His eyes
than the Seraphim. Father betrayed us, Isabella! He lied. Then

He had the gall to say He was all mighty! That He is incapable

of making a mistake! That He is perfect! Well He's anything but

perfect, Isabella! He's fickle and ill-tempered and a common

liar! Hardly fit to be the ruler of Paradise. Lucifer showed us

Father's flaws. Humans were a bad idea, Isabella. They are

vermin and should be squashed under foot and chalked up as a

cosmic mistake. You know what I say is true. It's Father who

should be ousted from our home and the Seat of Power should be

given to Lucifer. He's strong enough to return the mighty

Seraphim to our Seventh Heaven home of Araboth. Father is weak

--"

Suddenly, Isabella appeared in-between the man-creature and

Megan. Her mighty wings spread out to full length and her golden

hair billowed out behind her. She thrust her arms toward the

man-creature and a great wind erupted from her fingertips sending

the surprised beast flying through the air.

An instant later, Isabella turned to face Megan. She opened

her arms and said, "Come! It won't be down long."

Megan never hesitated. She bolted into the safety of

Isabella's embrace. Megan felt Isabella's majestic wings close

around her a moment before the fireball slammed into them. The

force of the impact sent Isabella skittering across the ground,

leaving Megan exposed. However, what scared Megan even more than

being unprotected was the sound of the two men who'd brought her

here screaming in agony. Megan surmised that the man-creature's

fireball had somehow caught them on fire, and now she was forced

to hear their gruesome death cries.

Isabella recovered very quickly, and with impossible speed,

she flew at the beast hitting him in the chest and causing him to

go tumbling backwards. She then hit the demon with another blast

of wind from her fingers, and the creature was sent hurling even

further away from where Megan watched in horrified fascination

from her knees. Next, Isabella slammed her fists into the floor

causing it to ripple violently. When the pulsating floor reached

the man-creature, it exploded in a mighty gout of concrete, steel

and wind. The demon was sent crashing through the roof and high

into the air. Before it had a chance to land, Isabella sent

another blast of wind at the man-creature and blew the beast

completely out of sight.

Isabella was at Megan's side in the time it took to blink.

"We must leave now," she said as she scooped Megan up in her

graceful arms. "It will be back in less than three seconds, and

it'll be very angry." Megan buried her head into Isabella's

shoulder as the angel took flight.

 A moment later, Megan heard a loud inhuman roar followed by

a massive explosion. "What was that?" she asked, fear was again

very prevalent in her voice.

"The demon just destroyed the parking garage you were in

when it found you were gone."

"Can he follow us?"

"No, child. Father is blocking you from it. For the

moment, we are safe. However, the war is now upon us. I must

take you somewhere so we can talk. Life as you know it has

ended. Your true destiny beckons. I have a lot of explaining to

do."