The Devil Wore A Brown Suit

Part one Perdition Chapter one The fires burned black as Bowen and Labith struggled out of the black smoldering pit to find Daniel. He was gone. He escaped through a small opening between the underworld and the topside. Bowen and Labith have been the caretakers of Daniel and Izzy since they were relocated to the underworld by their father. They were in hiding from Gabriel. The underworld was the only place Gabriel could not come. Bowen’s greatest fear was that Gabriel would find Daniel and force him into the garden. Bowen knew he had to find him quickly.  Bowen and Labith could only be out of the underworld for a short period of time before the underworld would start calling to them. Koko was left behind to locate Izzy. She was nowhere to be found.  Lucifer put him in charge of finding his only daughter. He could not lose her. Not now. He needed her with him in the underworld. Koko franticly searched every inch of the underworld. He could hear her, but there was no locating her. He feared she was in the void—a place where there is no escape. No one understood how Daniel managed to escape. They had a good idea of why. His mother, Venus, was calling to him. His dead mother was reaching out for his help. She sent someone to collect her children and bring them to the garden. A week before, a priest had been marked and sent to hell. It caused quite a stir among inhabitants of the golden city and the underworld. He was widely known. He had done much humanitarian work. He was a good man. Bowen was extremely confused as to why this man had landed in the underworld. People are marked for the golden city, the underworld, or back to the topside.  Not everyone is given the same punishment. Most people relive their worst fears or their greatest defeats over and over for eternity. They drop some into dark silence. They mark a select few for Bowen. Bowen was wrath. Bowen would make you pay for your earthly life. In recent years, Bowen had trained Daniel as his apprentice. Daniel wanted to make his father proud, and this was his chance to do it. Daniel and Izzy were celestial beings, not demons. They were the children of Lucifer and Venus, two souls very much in love that only wanted to have their twins and raise them in the golden city. Gabriel had other plans for the twins. The garden needed two watchers, and that was exactly what their life would be. A life of service to the garden. A life of no free will. It enraged Venus when Gabriel told her that her children would be taken and placed in the garden. “My children will never be a part of your plans, Gabriel” She grabbed her children from him. The mighty angel raised his wings at her and illuminated a powerful light. His voice echoed, “Your children are not yours. They belong to us. They will serve Venus or else.” Venus began to glow; she is the morning star, and she is bright. She blinded Gabriel and took flight with her newborns. She screamed for her husband.” Lucifer! The twins!” Venus dropped them right into his arms. Venus and Gabriel began to battle. Lucifer fled with the twins. Bowen and Labith fled with him to earth. The plan was to hide the twins and go back for Venus. “Labith, stay with them. Bowen will go with me to get Venus. If we do not return, go to the underworld and hide. The angels there will help you.“ Lucifer took flight with Bowen at his side. “Bowen grabs Venus. I will handle Gabriel” Bowen acknowledged his orders and took off. He was aiming for Venus. Gabriel sealed heaven. No one in nor out. Neither Lucifer nor Bowen could get in. “Give us the twins, Lucifer” Gabriel was so calm. He held Venus up high over the heavens.” Give us the twins, Lucifer. It would be a shame for her to fall to earth.”     Lucifer had no way to get to her. Bowen tried every portal. Nothing. No way in. The only way out was to fall. Gabriel held the morning star above him. He had her in his left hand and a black flaming sword in the other. With one mighty cut, he clipped her wings. “No, Gabriel, what have you done?” Lucifer screamed. Gabriel tossed Venus from heaven. She fell to earth. “Bowen, take the twins to the underworld. Get them away from here. Tell the gatekeeper they are my children. Tell them I’m coming home. I have to find Venus. Go!” Bowen flew to Labith as fast as his wings would take him. Labith was hiding with them among the trees. He grabbed Daniel, and she grabbed Izzy. They found a lake to travel to the underworld. “Labith, listen to me. The babies are not going to know how to make this journey. Cover her with your wings and go as fast as you can. If you get there before I tell the gatekeeper, Lucifer is coming, and these are his children.” She nodded. She flew high above the lake, waiting for a portal to open. A flash of red came from the water. She aimed, wrapped Izzy in her left wing, and dropped into the lake. A journey into the underworld was not a simple drop, and you are there. Knowing how to maneuver the levels of hell without getting stuck is tricky. The watchers have to be avoided. The watchers were on each level. They serve the underworld. They have no compassion. They were once angels full of l**t. Now they are the fallen. They are full of hate and vengeance. Labith held tight to Izzy, using one wing to shift through the levels carefully and the other to shield Izzy.  Labith was a mighty one. She was never a full Angel. She had apprenticed under Uriel for many centuries. She was a great weapon maker. Her hand formed many celestial weapons. She was still a fairly new Angel, but her speed and marksmanship were unmatched. She fought in many battles under Uriel and Gabriel. Uriel cared deeply for her. He trained her as if she was his child. Labith continued quickly through the levels of hell. She kept pushing herself. She needed to reach the gatekeeper with Izzy. Bowen waited for the portal to open. He was so focused on the opening he didn’t notice Lucifer and Gabriel coming quickly behind him. Lightning began to strike right over the lake.  Lucifer and Gabriel were fighting as they flew toward the lake. Gabriel would strike over and over with his flaming black sword. He wanted to remove Lucifer’s wings and bind him to earth. The thunder and lightning made it hard for Bowen to focus on the portal. The lake was shaking. Trees were falling into the lake. “Bowen,” Lucifer screamed. “Get him to the underworld.” The portal was not open yet. There was nothing Bowen could do.  “The portal is not open; Lucifer” Bowen aimed for the lake. He was ready. Gabriel aimed for Lucifer’s wings. “You will fall, Lucifer,” he bellowed at him. He lowered his sword into Lucifer’s wings. It became bright. A bright red star shone on the left side of the lake. It was Venus. She blinded Gabriel. The portal opened. Bowen flew into the lake. Lucifer flew toward the lake, following the bright light. “Go, my love, and care for them. I’ll be fine.” When Venus spoke, it sounded like an echo. It was not her heavenly voice. Lucifer hesitated. He loved Venus, but the twins needed to be hidden. He slowly descended into the portal, leaving her behind. She could not follow without her wings. Lucifer descended quickly. Bowen and Daniel are just ahead of him. The levels were bright. The watchers were now curious about all the excitement going on topside. They began to leave their post to see what the commotion was. Labith landed in the underworld. Koko, the gatekeeper, was standing guard. He was not happy about someone landing in the underworld unannounced. “Why are you here, Labith?” he grumbled at her. She released her wing and revealed Izzy.  “I have Lucifer’s child with me, Izzy. She is the daughter of Venus and Lucifer. There has been a great battle. The children need sanctuary.” Labith began to cry. She was afraid. She was not afraid of the gatekeeper. She was afraid of what would happen next.  “Where is Daniel? Venus? Lucifer?” “What has happened?“ The gatekeeper’s attitude changed. He knew something terrible was happening. Bowen landed with Daniel wrapped in his wing. Lucifer was immediately behind him. “The prophecy has begun.” The gatekeeper spoke quietly. Koko opened the gate. “Amaros will settle you in. Do not worry; they are safe here. We will send someone up to retrieve Venus. Once you go inside, you cannot leave again.”  They all acknowledged their fate once they entered the underworld. It was the only way to save the children. The twins had to live. Koko gathered a few quietly to go topside to look for Venus. Leaving the underworld through the portal was always a risk. Hell came with those who lived there. IT was inside you forever. It never leaves. It was a binding spell set to keep the dark ones in—only one way in and no way out. If a resident of Hell left, they had 24 hours to return before they would go mad.  A human would not make it to the top without going crazy. There was no escape. A demon could leave for a short period. However, they were always spellbound to hell and could be recalled at any time or expelled straight back. Koko, Azazel, Baragel, and Luce entered the portal. The portal is always open from the hell side. There was no need to close it. No one could get far. They went up the tunnel quickly and came out on the other side of the lake.  As they came up, they released their wings. They had much smaller wings now. They were not as glorious as they once were when they resided in heaven. That was a long time ago before there was a need for hell. When there became a need for hell, there had to be a gatekeeper. Koko was the best angel for the job. When they reached the surface, they split up. The sky was dark. The clouds were red. There was a storm brewing. They have to act fast. “When you find her get to the lake and sound your horn as you enter the portal. Do not alert Gabriel; we found her,” Koko instructed. They each set out looking for her.