The Flaming Sword Of Michael

Before this humble narrator proceeds with the conclusion of this part of the story of Michael and his flaming sword, I must set the scene a bit before it unfolds. From the Smoke Mansion where Michael and Lilith had proven victorious, there leads a path. The path is a flat plane the color and pattern of heavily laden rain clouds. It leads to a similarly colored stair, which in turn leads up to a once beautiful citadel, now in ruins.

The citadel was once the center and seat of power for The Kingdom. It seemed to be made of undulating clouds of every sort, and was as solid as the Coliseum at the height of Rome's glory. When a being stepped through the gilded gate at its entryway, a lightness came over them, bringing an unassailable peace. Citizens of The Kingdom fought against Tartarus, the plane of demons. The victors and defeated of those battles had great effect and influence on the other planes of existence, as well as our own. That was long ago.

The state in which Lilith and Michael found the citadel was decrepit and broken. The mighty pillars were now jagged stalactites and stalagmites of solid storm clouds. The exact location of the original doorway, lost forever. One now walks through the largest of the gaping holes in the citadel's walls to get inside.

Inside the citadel was only slightly better kept than its exterior. There are dark, crude, tapestries hung on what's left of the walls. Furnishings from every culture and era from all the realms were laid about in a perfunctory fashion. There clearly wasn't a single voice handling the decor.

What wait for Michael and Lilith inside are greatly responsible for the current state of The Kingdom. There are few inhabitants now; all of whom reside in the formerly great entrance hall, and before that, they resided in the pits of Tartarus. The recently hard-won hall itself, though, has been well maintained by these few imposing dwellers. There is a raised dais whereupon sits a row of various styles of thrones. On these thrones sit what remains of the lords of Tartarus.

On the left most throne sits Ge'ez Malkat Sh'va on a gaudy gold seat fit for a dessert tomb. Once a human queen, she had risen to a low-level demon status through a lifetime of witchcraft. Next to her, seated on a throne blood-painted bones, sits Ornias, a white lion faced demon with black eyes, red claws, and teeth. The three central thrones are tastefully jeweled pewter seats inhabited by the succubus sisters of Lilith; Naamah, Eisheth Zenium, and Agrat Bat. The two thrones to the right have two former princes of Tartarus in them.

On the far right, barely visible through the ever-present column of Dead Sea water he is forever imprisoned in, is Abezethibou. He is ebon skinned, with one large red wing protruding from his back, and out through the column of water. His throne is difficult to make out. Next to him is Ba'al Zbl, the lord of flies. He almost looks human, save for his pointed ears, sharp features, and red, segmented eyes. He was once the highest-ranking demon prince in all of Tartarus. Before that, the traitor was a prince of The Kingdom. His throne is the most ostentatious of them all. It's best left unreported.

These demons sit and squabble weakly between each other to pass the countless hours. Their goal had always been to overthrow the kingdom. They hadn't spent enough time considering what they'd do if they had actually succeeded. They had one the prize, and now they sat at the thrones, too proud to admit it might have been a poorly thought out mistake.

Now that I've set the stage, this humble narrator must get to the telling of Lilith and Michael's story. For as I ramble about the risen lords and ladies of Tartarus, the two of them are at the foot of the cloudy stairs.