Aekhem

Celestial

II

Aekhem, Dregnar, and Lacjner waited as the Angel talked among them. They didn't talk to each other; their worried faces said it all.

The soldiers surrounding them they were practically statues made of marble and silver doing what they were told by Meckham.

Meckham walked up to them, smiling. He was able to send two hundred soldiers, sympathizers to their cause to Tusuer and nobody had noticed their absence.

"Dregnar" he said "how did you dare to mix yourself to a female?. You know our laws. You are a shame to all of us. And to add to it all you have a "son"?. This being that presumes to be one of us?" he sneered at Aekhem "unheard of!"

Aekhem responded trying to reach Tusuer's neck. Four sharp spears stopped him. Dregnar touched his shoulder while thinking:

"Son, please, I've lost your mother, I can't lose you like this"

Aekhem turned around and looked at him and responded with a thought:

"All right, I will father but promise me that when the time comes I will myself tear his head off from this servant. You and I know he is a traitor and what he's doing it's just part of an act on their plan against us, the Celestial and humankind"

Dregnar looked at Aekhem, he was listening to his son's voice in his mind, as if he was human. He forgot his son was human and that was the reason they could communicate this way.

He looked at Lacjner and he responded with a question mark in his face.

He turned to Aekhem.

"Lacjner ignores you can communicate with us through your thoughts, tell him to rest easy, that I say so. In due time, we will all have a chance to get our own reward. Tell him not to give up, there's still plenty to do"

Dregnar looked at Lacjner's wide open eyes while listening to Aekhem's thoughts in his mind. Then he looked at Dregnar and they both smiled to each other. Lacjner thought that was a good trick from Aekhem.

An Angel interrupted their little mental dialog.

"Come along, we are waiting for you" he said looking at them.

They all started to move towards him and the Angel said:

"Not you" he told Aekhem.

"It's all right, I'll wait for you here" he thought to Lacjner's and Dregnar's minds. They nodded and follow the Angel.

Mekham behind them.

They arrived to this circular room, thousands of Angels around it, looking at them. Dregnar and Lacjner at the center of the circle. Right away one of them started talking:

"Dregnar, we don't know the reasons as of why you've decided to break our rules and disobey our orders. You were suppose to teach humans the right way without actually mixing with them. Our excessive trust in you and lack of supervision on our behalf it's something we will correct in times ahead. We want you to take one thousand Angels, soldiers, and go after Tusuer and all of his followers. Capture as many as you can and imprison them somewhere where they will be for the next five thousand years, that is their punishment. Only you and or someone you trust will know where this place is if you wish to do so. What Tusuer has done against humankind betrays all of our principles, we don't know what drove him to do it but now we know he's agrees with Liknal's way of thinking. We do not want him exterminated, we owe him respect for his loyalty as a soldier, a great commander and protected us during the war. But we do not want him at the Celestial's prisons. Exile it's out of the question, it would be a reward to him and we will not give it to him. He is way too dangerous now to leave him out there. This has come upon him. His ambition and that of his followers must be punished" he paused and then looked at Lacjner "Lacjner you will stay at Dregnar's side and will help him form this army" he turned around and saw the approval on all of the Angels present.

"Your 'son', if we have to call it that; Aekhem, he is not an Angel like us, therefore, he will no longer be capable of coming back to the Celestial, and as a matter of fact, he is being escorted at this moment to the gates. He has no right to be here and he will never be able to come back" again another pause.

"Once this conflict it's over, and we know you will be victorious, we will all help you with anything you need, nevertheless, you have broken our laws and went against our principles. Your punishment will be exile, you will never be welcome here again. You will be the Guardian on Tusuer's prison and his followers. Your job is just to lock them away" and he added "we will deal with their offsprings" Lacjner wanted to say something but he was interrupted.

"Lacjner, you have shown courage and bravery when you rescued our brothers, and although your punishment should be similar to Dregnar's your actions have saved you. If you don't perish in this coming battle you are free to come and go from the Celestial as you please just like any of us. After this conflict is over, you will no longer be allowed to have any contact with Dregnar or Aekhem or with any children you might have. You will never be able to contact any human. You will no longer participate in any missions involving humans" Lacjner couldn't say anymore. The Angel kept talking:

"Dregnar, as I've mentioned before, Aekhem is no longer at the Celestial. If you wish you can ask him to help you in this coming conflict but when this is done and if he is still alive his punishment will be an eternal and lonely life among the humans. He will not be able to procreate with them. He will never know the love of an Angel as we will not have any contact with him. He will not be able to love another human because he would just simply hurt them by loving them. Disobeying any of these commands will mean immediate extermination to all of you" he kept himself in silence for a while. Nobody said anything and concluded:

"Then let it be so"

He turned his back to Dregnar and Lacjner and directed to Meckham.

"Meckham, from this moment on you will post soldiers at every gate at the Celestial. Because of your involvement with Tusuer's army you are no longer allowed to visit Earth. You will be vigilant and ready to every single order we give you. Only the returning Angels from the army we are sending and

Lacjner are allowed back into the Celestial"

Meckham was going to oppose but he knew that by doing so meant his end. He just nodded in apparent agreement.

"Then let it be so" said the Angel when he didn't hearanything.JF