The Book of Seven Days- Semjaza's Death

The Book of Seven Days
Book Five
The Death of Semjaza

The dark angel Semjaza studied the frightened cleric through his catlike eyes, which had narrowed themselves down to two luminous slits in his fair face. His long, flowing hair trailed behind him as if it was being tousled by a light breeze, although the air around the two was completely still. Dust motes floated inside the huge central chamber of the Great Church lazily, surrounding the two as they stood off, hunter and prey.

The fallen one was the first to break the silence with his cold voice.

“You seem to have gotten yourself into a heap of trouble,” he remarked.

“You had better keep your feet,” Joan replied in a steely tone, her hands clutching the sun pendant that adorned her bosom. She looked fierce as a wild animal, with her red hair curling about her face untamed.

The angel laughed. “Or else….?” He asked, outstretching his palms in question, looking around him for a threat. “Uriel can’t do much in this realm, my dear.” He took a long stride toward her.

“I’m afraid he can,” she said, but this time her voice trembled, withering in fear as the darker of the two spirits continued to saunter forward.

“Oh, forgive me,” he chuckled, sending vibrations through the wide space. “I forgot about the one thing he could do- sleeping with you, of course. “

Joan made a noise that would have put the cry of a little baby girl to shame. This simply made Semjaza smile.

“Ah, so it is true, then.” He was directly in front of her now, and stroked her face with one of his slender, elegant hands, causing the girl to flinch violently. “Yes,” he whispered, his breath tickling her forehead. “He always was partial to you, even before you had come into being, as I recall. He would sit next to that luminous orb that adorns your chest and wait for you to be born, wait, and wait.” His hand slid from her cheek to her neck, where he let his fingers linger at her collarbone, clutching at the chain which held the pendant he spoke of.

“How horrible would it be for him if I took away the one thing he loves most, even more than he loves God?”

At that he yanked the necklace fiercely, and it shattered to pieces, the charm clattering to the stone floor noisily. The girl simply closed her eyes and trembled in the angel’s presence.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, but I would, little one,” he replied, cupping her chin and tilting her face up to his. She gulped audibly.

“It wouldn’t hurt to have some fun before I accomplish my task, however,” he breathed, and brought his lips to hers-

Just then, a blinding light filled the entire chapel, along with a roar unlike any either of them had ever heard before. What seemed like ray of fire spun down wildly from the ceiling in that instant, streaking through Semjaza’s chest and knocking him to the ground. The light faded, and, removing her hand from her eyes, Joan saw beyond her wounded assailant a glorious figure, one she had beheld many a time-

“Uriel!” she cried with all her might, running towards him-

And, just as he turned his shining visage to look at her, the sound of splitting flesh met his ears.

A long, wicked looking blade stuck through the stomach of the cleric, spraying blood at least fifty feet in every direction. Semjaza laid on the ground, one arm clutching his burned wound, the other holding the heinous weapon, upon which was skewered Joan, eyes wide open in shock, mouth dribbling red.

The Regent of the Sun stood in shock for just a moment, his golden eyes matching that of his lover’s almost exactly. His heart contracted in the way only an archangel’s can, and he cried out- a cry that caused the very foundation of the earth to tremble in fear of God. He swung out his arm with all his might, all his fury bent on that damned soul, and shot a wave of fire out of his palm, which met the air with a concussion that could compete with an atom bomb. The huge stones of the Church exploded outward, breaking into pieces and flying through the air with such force that the surrounding forest was flattened for miles.

Semjaza did not stand a chance. He used his steely wings to block what he could of the powerful blast, and ended up a bloodied mess at the far end of what had once been the chapel. He laughed, coughing up a mass of blood, which hit the dirt in a steaming pile.

Uriel had already crossed the expanse and yanked the angel up by the neck, gripping it so fiercely he began to choke.

“In the name of God,” he whispered fiercely, so fiercely that the opponent flinched in fear, “begone with you, and down to the depths of that accursed Hell descend,” he continued, his grip tightening on the fallen angel. “Not in glory, but in shame, that you would defile a spirit so pure, and injure her honor, which, seen by God, is worthy of utmost praise.” And with that he threw his hated enemy to the ground with such power that he flew into the bowels of the earth, leaving a fiery hole in the soil where he passed.

The Archangel stood at that spot for a long time, staring at the ground. If one looked closely they would be able to see him trembling, then raise his palm to his eyes, weeping, weeping uncontrollably before finally being knocked to the barren earth in his grief, falling on his knees.
“My dearest love,” he whispered, his tears, made of light, trickling to the soil and creating new grass where they soaked in.