The Warriors and their King

CHAPTER FOUR

Jose, or more commonly known to the Warriors as "The Good Prince", was sent by the King into the midst of Nevaeh to help bring up the fallen after Lucifer's sudden attack. Two of the King's most honored angels, Afriel and Gavreel, traveled with Jose, armed from head to toe. But Jose went as he was - no weapons, no armor.

"You cannot be afraid of them. They are my father's creation - my people," Jose said to his two escorts.

"But some of them could kill you, your highness,"  Gavreel objected. Jose looked back at the angel, his brows furrowed. Gavreel was a fighter with an iron heart. Besides Michael, he was the bravest and most fearsome angel of the King's hosts. His wings were strong and giant, with unbreakable feathers and bone as firm as steel.

"Gavreel, are you really forgetting who I am, and who my father is? I'm not afraid of death. A death that does not result in damnation results in life greater than the one lived before!"

Gavreel bowed his head in apology. "Yes, your highness."

They continued their descent from the castle and eventually entered the attacked village of Nevaeh. The village seemed hardly disturbed at all. The houses were stable and upright - they always had been. But there was silence. A silence that seemed deafening to the ears. No Warrior or Crimson was walking about the town as there was every day. No one at the market buying food for their families, no children scampering about playing their games, no Warriors in a hurry to complete their daily duties.

Gavreel and Afriel remained tense at Jose's side, weapons clenched and ready in their hands in case the enemy was still out there somewhere. Jose put a steady hand on his angel's weapons.

"Don't be afraid. You will leave me when I go throughout the village and heal the wounded. Both of you go separate ways and find as many wounded humans as possible and bring them to me," Jose ordered.

Gavreel began to protest that he couldn't leave Jose alone but Jose didn't back down. After all, once the prince's mind is made up, no could make him reconsider. He was always so sure, and always made the right decisions. No one had the right to argue against the King's or Jose's plans and choices. In the end, they would all learn that everything the King planned was for good.

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Adriel Walter lay on her back and though she had finally reached consciousness, she did not open her eyes. Pain seared through her spine and up her neck. If her spine was broken, she may not have much time yet to live. Adriel cracked her left eye open, afraid of what she might see. There was nothing but green leaves and blue sky peering down at her, the glass roof completely gone. A blanket of tiny glass shards covered her body. Adriel dared not move for fear of her damaged spine and glass ripping through her skin. She somehow managed to miss landing on a bed by an inch, and landed right on the hardwood floor instead. Adriel was also covered in her own streaks of blood. A few glass shards were somehow wedged under parts of her skin. Adriel lay there, grinding her teeth in pain. Her fists clenched, and that was when she realized she still held the glass ball in her palm. She screamed for help relentlessly until she lost her voice. No one came, and there was a silence - a terrifying void that enveloped her in fear. Adriel closed her eyes, trying to keep her panicked thoughts at bay, as she logically tried to figure out a way to help herself. But there was nothing she could do. Adriel was about to allow herself to slip into unconsciousness again when she heard footsteps below the loft.

"Help," She croaked, but her weary voice was barely audible. Nevertheless, the footfalls came toward the loft's ladder, and within seconds, she heard someone come to her side. There was no gasp of horror or shout of fear as someone of her family would have done. Only silence, as a strong hand, lifted her head and lay it on their lap. Adriel hardly had the energy to open her eyes, to see who had come to her rescue. She felt the steady hands pull the glass out of her skin. Adriel wanted to tell him not to do so, as she might then lose a lot of blood, but dare not object. For some strange reason, Adriel sensed a wave of peace in her heart and felt that this person knew exactly what he was doing. Once the glass was swept off of her, and every shard had been removed, the hands pressed over her wounds, and Adriel felt a curious tugging and tightening on her wounded skin as if the broken flesh was knitting itself together. She began to feel her strength rushing through her again, alive and anew. Bewildered, Adriel opened her eyes and found a soft and gentle face peering down at her. She had never seen that face before, but with one look at it, she knew who this young man was. Only one person besides the King had healing powers.