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Warrior Angel

Chapter One

As he paced about the antechamber to Heaven, waiting impatiently for the angels to summon him into their presence, Derek could look out the doors into the twilight world of Purgatory. The realm existed in a perpetual red haze, for the sun never rose here, the sun never set. As there was no day, there was no night. Purgatory was a battlefield, where some of those souls who were not deemed ready to enter Heaven continued to serve God by voluntarily helping to fight the eternal battle against the Dark Angel, Lucifer, and his archfiends.

The battles were terrible, for the archfiends fought with weapons of hideous make and design. Derek bore the scars of his many wounds proudly. He was a valiant soldier and, due to his valor, he was rewarded by being given the honor of commanding a legion of holy warriors. His deeds of courage were legendary among the warrior-angels of Purgatory. Undoubtedly this was why he'd been summoned to appear before his superiors. The archangels must have some special assignment for him.

He had heard rumors that the battle between good and evil had not been going all that well of late. Some even whispered that the Angels of Light were losing the war. Certainly, the archfiends and their demons who fought the holy warriors in Purgatory were becoming moreconfident, more aggressive. They attacked in greater numbers and it was all Derek and his warriors could do to shove them back into the Veil of Darkness from whence they sprang.

Rumor had it that the Dark Angels had developed a new tactic. They were fighting the battle on two fronts. They continued to try to take Heaven by storm, to overwhelm and destroy the holy warrior-angels and seize Heaven by force. In addition, however, they were attempting to defeat Heaven through more subtle ploys and schemes.

Derek had never before listened to such rumors. A true knight paid no heed to gossip mongers. Dark rumors such as these undermined the morale of his troops. As the battles they fought grew more and more difficult and dangerous every day, Derek could not help but wonder if there might not be some truth in what his comrades were saying.

He was thinking of this and thinking, too, that he should be out on the field with his men, not cooling his heels in some fancy antechamber, when he heard voices. Derek ceased his pacing. The voices were coming from the realm of his superiors. He could hear them through the gate that was only partially closed.

The cherubim are the "gate-keepers" of the Realm of Heaven, responsible for opening and closing the astral gates that divide one realm from another. They are also heavenly messengers and in this instance, a cherub, a bright and ambitious young angel named Sampson, had been sent onto the field of battle to fetch Derek and, in his excitement, had apparently failed to close and seal the gate.

Derek frowned and shook his head. Sampson was a Moorish prince, who had died during the twelfth century when he wandered off into the desert and became lost. Sampson had always longed to be a holy warrior. He was continually coming to Derek, begging him to allow him to enter the ranks of the soldiers of Purgatory. The cherubim was eager and enthusiastic and his courage was unquestioned, but he had a tendency to be scatterbrained and undisciplined. Forgetting to shut the astral gate between the realms was a prime example.

Derek was not one to eavesdrop, for he considered the practice dishonorable and beneath him. He could not help overhearing the conversation his superiors were holding, however. He could hear the two archangels speaking clearly.

He was about to interrupt them, inform them that the astral gate had been left open, and offer to shut the door for them, when he realized that they were discussing him.

"Are you certain Sir Derek de Molay is the right man for this, William?" The angel speaking was the Archangel Michael, the Supreme Commander of the forces of Purgatory. Derek did not know the other angel, the one called William.

"He was a Knight Templar, Archangel," this William angel replied. "He died a martyr defending his faith. He is a gallant warrior who has served with distinction through the centuries. Sir Derek is known for his courage, his strength, and fortitude—"

"He is also known for his rebellious and hotheaded nature," the Archangel Michael said grimly. "De Molay is one of the few souls who has actually chosen to remain in Purgatory rather than repent his sins and gain admittance to Heaven."

William brushed it off. "Yes, I know all about his battle with God. Had a few battles with the old boy myself in my day—"

"Angel William," the Archangel rebuked. "We do not speak of the Heavenly Father as 'the old boy.' "

"Oh, He understands," said William with enthusiasm. "God and I are great friends. He's a hell of a backgammon player."

"What did you say, William?" Michael asked, shocked.

"Oops. I beg your pardon, Archangel. I mean to say: God is a very good backgammon player."

Derek smiled to himself and forgot all about the fact that he was listening to a conversation he should not have been. He wondered where they'd dredged up Angel William.

"I have to admit that de Molay's independent spirit is what led us to choose him for this task," said Archangel Michael. "Though I still have my doubts." "It makes him human," said William enthusiastically. "Trust me, he will blend in nicely. I should know. I was on Earth myself once."

"Yes, indeed," said Archangel Michael in frozen tones. "We all know how well that turned out. We are not accustomed to having to post bail for one of our own. It was quite upsetting."

"All a mistake," said William. "I went into that Chicago speakeasy to try to persuade this extremely nice but very naive young Kansas farm girl who was dancing there that she would never make it big and to go back home. I was not informed that Eliot Ness was planning to raid the place that very night."

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Excerpted from Warrior Angel by Margaret Weis Copyright © 2007 by Margaret Weis. Excerpted by permission.
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