The Holy War
Bea and Ava went straight to the infirmary after a quick breakfast the following morning.
“Hey,” greeted Camila, “good—morning?” she adopted a confused look as Ava and Bea each immediately undid a restraint before speaking.
“Good morning, Camila,” replied Bea. “Come on, let’s go.” Ava pulled Camila out of the bed and as they turned to leave one of the doctors came out of her office. Bea glared at her and she retreated without saying a word.
“Where are we going?” asked Camila.
“To the mission room,” replied Beatrice, setting the pace with her crutches, “so that you and Ava can tell everyone what she told me last night.”
Camila stopped walking. “Are you sure you’re comfortable with this? What if she tries to make me attack you again?”
Bea looked at her young friend and gently placed a hand on her cheek. “Then I’m confident you’ll kick her ass out of your head again—just like you did yesterday,” she said kindly. “In the meantime, Ava and Lilith will both be in the room. I’m not too worried.” She winked at the young nun.
“Don’t worry Cam,” said Ava as she put an arm around her shoulders. “We got you.”
The three women were sitting at the table deep in discussion when they were joined by the rest of the inner circle.
“I trust today will go more smoothly than yesterday,” opened Mother Superion as she and Father Vincent walked into the room. She eyed Camila and Ava sitting near each other. “How are you both?”
“I’ve been better,” said Camila and Ava nodded her head in agreement. “We have news.”
“We should hear it then,” said Vincent, “but first I talked to my man at the Arc. There have been no signs of trouble.” He turned to the young nun. “Thank you, Camila. Whenever you both are ready.”
Ava took a deep breath as she began. “I don’t think she meant for it to happen, but while Reya had control of us, Cam and I were able to see into her mind.” She was greeted by shocked faces around the room.
A fireball tore through the sky cutting through the solid gray nothingness above. It landed in front of her, exploding in a massive geyser of sharp rocks and molten shards flying in all directions. She was tossed backward into a crowd of her brethren. Luckily, the blast disintegrated the monstrous four-legged creature that almost had her. Reya smiled, she hadn’t been that close to death in over one thousand battles.
“When we were fighting,” added Camila, “we were seeing visions that were paired with thoughts and feelings that weren’t our own. We believe we were experiencing Reya’s memories.”
She got to her feet and led a charge into the lines of the demons. Her gleaming white sword flashed in the air as she rallied the nearby angels to her. The Halo flared in her off-hand as she sent a blast of golden fire into a demon that had been ripping the wings off of a fallen angel—her friend. He lay there on the ground screaming in agony as his life slowly bled away. He would not recover from his wounds. She met his bright blue eyes and with a tear falling down her cheek, she did him the mercy of thrusting her sword through the back of his neck.
“Ava and I discussed it last night and the three of us have been going over it together this morning,” said Bea. “Here’s what we know. Long ago there were ancient, supernatural battles being fought between armies of angels and demons.”
“How do we know they were angels and demons?” asked Father Vincent with interest.
“We don’t, at least not in the typical ‘God sent me to tell you about Jesus’ sense,” replied Ava. “But Reya referred to herself as an angel when I was in her realm and she called Adriel a demon; so we’re just going with that.”
There he was! Adriel! He had been leading this particular demon hoard to great effect. They charged again over the rusty rocky terrain. Uneven and angular ground tripped them up as jagged outcroppings sliced into their smooth glowing skin. As they got close the beasts of hell were upon them, flanking in from either side they slashed with razor-sharp claws, tearing into the ranks of angels. Reya threw the Halo into in onslaught. It zigzagged from demon to fiend to beast blasting through them all and leaving behind only puddles of dark blood and pieces of fouled flesh in its wake.
The pathway opened and their swords met, bright white metal clashing with inky blackness. “Hello Reya,” Adriel leered at her. “You look delicious.” She could not tell if he said it out of lust or hunger. Suddenly another fireball blew apart the ground beside them. Adriel took the opportunity to retreat in the confusion. “Until next time,” he called to her.
Bea continued. “Both Reya and Adriel were fighting in the battles—on opposite sides. But suddenly the fighting stopped. We don’t know why but we know that Reya was angry about it.”
“We are pulling back—and so are the demons.”
“What do you mean we are pulling back? How can we pull back?”
He turned towards her. He had been handsome in his way, but countless battles and losses had worn on him—he was one of the first, after all. Lately, he preferred to adopt more forgettable features. “Reya, this was not my decision. The Choir gave their order. They want to see what will happen.”
“Who cares what will happen? That world is temporary at best! If the demons are pulling back it is our best time to strike and finally get an advantage.”
“An advantage for what?” he asked. He looked—tired. “We have both lost so many friends, Reya. A reprieve from the fighting, even temporarily, would do you well.”
“This is wrong,” she sneered at him and stalked away.
Camila took up the narrative. “Adriel and Reya met on Earth, I’m not sure when but based on what little else I saw it could have been during the Bronze Age. They talked about leaving and working together.”
She stood on the top of the grassy hill, feeling the breeze on her skin. He was right, it was pleasant here. Some parts even reminded her of home. Off in the distance she watched the humans as they went about their day. They were resourceful, it had not taken them long to work the land for food and shelter. Of course, it had taken even less time to learn to make weapons and kill each other.
“Hello Reya,” came a silky voice from behind her. “Taking in the sights?” She turned quickly; ready to draw her sword to finally destroy her nemesis. Then she remembered where she was.
“Adriel,” she replied with a voice full of revulsion. “What are you doing here?”
“Same as you, I imagine,” he said in the same silky smooth voice. “I was curious about these creatures.”
She said nothing. “I wanted to talk with you,” he said, “about the future.”
“This is the future apparently,” she said with resignation.
“It does not have to be.” He leered at her and she once again had to wonder as to his motivations behind the look. “We want the same thing, you and I—a return to what was. Only these humans stand in our way.” She scoffed at him. “Think about it, Reya! We were not meant to stand to the side and watch! If we work together, we can remove this barrier. I know how much you want to meet me in battle again. You cannot fight your desires forever.”
“We are not allowed to interfere.”
“Not directly,” he agreed. “But it would not take much to get them to destroy themselves.”
“When I met with Reya in her realm,” said Ava, “she told me that she and Adriel left their homes to establish her realm together. This must have been one of the discussions.”
“Why would they meet on Earth?” asked Yasmine. Ava shrugged her shoulders.
“The point,” stated Bea, trying to keep the discussion focused, “is that they went ahead and established Reya’s realm, or what we know as the realm on the other side of the Arc’s portal. We know this happened. We also know that Reya’s plan was to conquer Adriel’s portion but before she could he betrayed her and stole the Halo.”
Ava started speaking again before anyone could interrupt. “According to Reya, Adriel wanted to fill the world with wraith demons. From what I understood from her visions, removing humanity with the wraiths or some other way would restart the War between—I guess you could call it heaven and hell.” She looked over to Camila for confirmation and the sister warrior nodded.
“This is the real Holy War,” said Camila. “Not some war between the church and the FBC. It’s much bigger than that. It’s much bigger than Earth and for some reason humanity is in the way. We think that both Adriel and Reya wanted to restart the War but maybe disagreed about how to do it.”
“Why wouldn’t they simply work together?” asked Mother Superion. “Their fighting is what caused Adriel’s defeat in the first place.” There was silence in the room until Lilith spoke up.
“I don’t think they can,” she stated, “not really or at least not for very long. They are anathema to each other.” She paused for a moment. “And now, we know that Reya has taken up Adriel’s plan to populate the world with wraiths.”
“And where does the Halo fit in?” asked Mother Superion.
“Reya!” he stopped her as she moved through the halls. “What are you doing?”
She turned to look back. He stood there, nondescript as always. She shook her head in disappointment at her friend—her mentor. “I am leaving,” she said simply.
He did not ask for an explanation or clarification. “So the rumors are true,” he replied sadly.
“I do not know what…”
“Do not try to lie to me, Reya. I was there when you were born. Do not do this,” he implored. “You know the cost, you will lose everything—your powers, yourself.”
“It is a sacrifice I am willing to make,” she said severely. “I will have a foothold prepared when the War begins anew. You will thank me then.” She turned to leave.
“You know the laws!” he said sternly. “Leave them!”
She stopped and drew her white sword in one hand and held the Halo in the other. She eyed them both briefly before making her decision. With a flash of lightning she threw her sword at him and holding tightly to the Halo, she ran.
“Well it turns out that she stole it. I don’t think she was allowed to take it with her when she left heaven. So I don’t know if she can even use it on her own but I don’t think she can simply take it,” replied Ava. “But we know she can’t control the wraiths. So without the Halo there to keep her safe, she’s risking her life by being too close to the Arc while she lets them out. She wants to restart the War but she wants to be part of it. Up until now it wasn’t a risk she was willing to take.”
“Why do we think she changed her mind?” asked Father Vincent. No spoke for a minute until Ava cleared her throat.
“This is just a guess,” she said, “but it seems to me that every time she has a loss she gets more desperate. I refused to work with her so she takes over the FBC. I leave so she gives up her plan in favor of Adriel’s. The FBC loses out on the divinium so she decides to risk the wraiths.” Ava paused for a moment, considering the deity she had met. “She’s like—the complete opposite of Adriel. She was absolutely pathetic at trying to manipulate me to stay in her realm. She doesn’t understand humans at all.”
“Whereas Adriel, as we all know was a master manipulator,” said Lilith. “He was also a master at strategy. He was ahead of you at every turn. It seems like Reya simply reacts.”
They continued the discussion for another hour, each person trying to digest all of the information that they had obtained over the last day. “It’s a lot to take in,” Bea said quietly to Ava as Vincent and Yasmine started on yet another discussion of the biblical implications.
Ava squeezed her hand. “How are you feeling?” she asked as Bea shifted in her seat again.
“Awful,” she answered, “but I’ll last.” She looked a little pitiful. The swelling on her face had dropped a little but the bruising was bright and colorful. Ava also knew that she had reinjured her ribs and sitting for so long had to be excruciating on her hip. She stood and made to pull Bea up from her chair. The room all stopped their discussions at once and looked over.
Ava looked to Mother Superion. “I’m taking Bea to lie down. There’s not much more we can add anyways.”
“Ava…” Bea made to argue until Lilith interrupted her.
“Shut up, Beatrice. Go with her.” Ava looked over to the taller woman and they shared a small smile.
“Lilith,” added Mother Superion. “Why don’t you help Ava get Bea to her room?”
“I got it, Mom,” replied Ava.
“Nonsense,” said the older woman. “You must also be tired after yesterday. Besides we’re about to break from here anyways.” She looked at the three of them significantly. “Dr. Salvius should be arriving to help Camila soon. It’s a shame you won’t be able to see her due to your injuries, Beatrice.”
“Yes,” agreed Bea immediately. “Yes it is. Please assure her I’m recovering well and give her my best. Ava, Lilith shall we?” The three women rushed from the room as fast as Bea was able.
When they arrived inside the Warrior Nun’s room, Lilith immediately took charge.
“Beatrice you should lie down,” ordered Lilith. “Do you need anything?”
Ava gave her a slightly dirty look. “I’ve got this Lilith,” she said defensively. “You can have a seat.”
Lilith raised her eyebrows but said nothing as she sat at the desk chair.
Ava flurried around the room to make sure Beatrice had everything she needed to be comfortable lying in the bed. Lilith took in the scene with passive interest. Finally, Ava sat on the bed next to Beatrice and moved the older woman’s head onto her lap.
“I—apologize, Ava,” Lilith stammered shortly after Ava sat down.
“Oh that looked like it hurt,” teased Ava with a smile. Lilith gave her an exasperated look.
“I guess I’m just not used to you being—so…”
“Competent?” Ava asked.
“Mature.” Ava smiled at her again. Beatrice chuckled.
“I wouldn’t worry about that too much, Lilith,” said Bea. “Ava hasn’t matured, if anything she simply brought the rest of us down to her level. You just caught us all on a weird day.”
“You know I’m right here, Beebs,” said Ava with a small pout. She jumped softly as Bea squeezed the top of her thigh.
“What the hell is a ‘beebs?’” asked Lilith.
“It’s Beatrice!” said Ava like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And you will not make fun of it. It took me forever to find that nickname.” Lilith looked down at Beatrice who simply smiled back and shrugged.
“I still don’t know what to make of this,” Lilith stated. Ava looked at her with a confused expression.
“What’s that?” asked Beatrice.
Lilith gestured to the pair of them but did not elaborate. Ava looked down at Bea and shrugged. Bea smiled back at her before addressing the other woman.
“We fell in love, Lilith,” she said simply.
“I’m aware of that, Beatrice. I was there. When did it happen? How did you finally get together?”
Bea and Ava looked at each other again before they both turned back to Lilith. “I’m not sure I could pinpoint when, exactly,” said Bea. “We had already bonded and became friends when we were sent to Switzerland. My mission was to protect and train Ava.” She shrugged from her spot on the bed and looked back up at Ava, a sickeningly affectionate look in her eyes. “Sometime during that time together she just became so much more than the mission.” Ava smiled back down at her and lovingly caressed Bea’s face.
“Ugh,” replied Lilith. “You two are gross.” Ava stuck her tongue out at her as Bea laughed.
“As for how we got together,” Bea continued, “that’s a bit of a story.” She and Ava launched into the tale for Lilith, covering everything from Ava’s time in Reya’s realm to Beatrice’s drunken escapades. Lilith, for her part, turned out to be a surprisingly excellent audience—asking all the right questions, laughing in the appropriate places and giving them information about her own activities during that time period.
“Well,” said Lilith finally, “as disappointed as I am in Beatrice for her lack of taste,” she smirked as Ava sent a vulgar gesture her way, “I am sincerely very happy for you both. Given all the shit you’ve been through, no one deserves it more.”
“Aww,” replied Ava in a disgustingly sweet voice.
“Ava never make that noise again,” Lilith commanded sternly. “Also I will deny everything if you ever repeat what I just said.”
“I will take it to the grave,” said Bea with a smile. They both looked at Ava.
“Oh I’m going to tell everybody!” She was looking mischievously at Lilith, very obviously trying to press her buttons. She jumped as Bea tickled her thigh again. “Fine,” she huffed, “my lips are sealed.”
It was another hour before Camila let herself into the room to join them. “Jillian’s gone. She took care of me. You all can come out now.”
“Come join us Cam!” said Ava. “Thanks for knocking!”
“I figured I didn’t have to this time since Lilith is with you.”
“This time?” asked Lilith.
“She barged in on us a few weeks ago,” explained Ava.
“Once,” said Camila. “It was enough to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.”
Bea laughed quietly at the exchange before quickly pushing everyone onto a new topic. “What did Jillian do, Camila?”
“She just fitted me with the same collar she had given me before to block Adriel.” She turned so they could see the back of her neck. “It worked on him and I tested it trying reach out to Reya with it on and I couldn’t.” She sat down on top of the desk next to Lilith.
“I have news,” informed the young nun. “Father Vincent got in contact with the Vatican and they are refusing to destroy the Arc.” The three women in the room looked at her with a mix of shock and outrage. Camila immediately raised her hands to stop any questions. “So I suggested we make use of that goodwill that we earned in Italy and go blow it up ourselves.”
“I like it,” Ava agreed.
“I thought you might. Mother Superion and Father Vincent are considering it. I think they will likely agree, although Father Vincent is concerned about why the Vatican wants to keep it around.”
“They’d better get a move on,” growled Lilith.
“We have time, Lilith,” said Bea gently. “Vincent is in direct contact with the Guard that are stationed at the Arc. We can be there in a matter of hours.”
“We can be there in a matter of hours,” replied Ava. “You aren’t going anywhere yet.” Bea gave her a dirty look but didn’t argue. Lilith raised her eyebrows.
“We need some time to recover, Lilith,” said Camila. “The girls are all a bit shaken. Besides, our new divinium weapons are almost done.” She looked excited. “We have to wait for those.”
“That’s a nice way of saying they’ve gotten soft, Camila.” Bea felt Ava’s legs tense beneath her and was about to say something to Lilith before Camila beat them to it.
So what’s going on in here? How are you feeling, Bea?” she asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
“I’m fine—just a little tired. Mostly we’re just storytelling and reminiscing,” replied Beatrice. They sat together quietly, each woman alone with her thoughts.
“When was the last time the four of us were together?” asked Camila suddenly.
“Just after I teleported us away from Adriel,” said Lilith with a somber tone and a frown. “After the Vatican—when we lost Mary.”
Silence engulfed the group. The memory of their friend hung over them like a shroud. After a moment, Bea started to chuckle and they all looked at her like she was crazy. Noticing their gazes, she pushed herself up off Ava’s lap and sat next to her half on the bed, her left leg hanging down to the floor.
“Sorry,” she said, still laughing softly. “Ava was so pissed at you, Lilith.” She adopted a mock look of anger and did a fake yell. “Dammit Lilith! What the fuck? Take me back now!”
Lilith snorted a little as she broke into a small grin. “You’re welcome Ava,” she and Bea said together in mocking tones.
Ava laughed and joined in on reliving the memory. “I just saved your life you ungrateful bitch!” All four women laughed quietly together.
Camila sighed, the smile slipping from her face. “It’s been less than a year,” she said quietly. “Less than a year since Shannon was killed and Ava came to us. How could so much have happened since then?”
“How could we have lost so much?” asked Lilith. She looked up at Ava and Beatrice sitting next to each other on the bed. Ava’s head was on Bea’s shoulder and they were holding hands. The sight of her friend so happy melted her heart just enough. “How could we have gained so much?” she said with a small smile. Bea locked eyes with her and smiled back. She felt Camila’s hand on her shoulder.
“I love you all,” said Camila quietly eying each woman in turn. “You’re my sisters, you’re my friends, you’re my family and you always will be—each of you.”