"You did. You do. The real me. I'm not evil, I-"

He placed his foot on her chest and pushed her down.

"No, Ramael. . ."

He pressed her firmly against the ground, holding her in place. "I ought to drag you to Lord Michael myself." He loomed over her, glaring.

"No. Please, wait. Lord Michael will kill me."

Ramael paused. "He will consign you to the lake of fire."

Adryel gave a small smile. Lord Lucifer frequently tossed disobedient angels into the lake. She'd ordered it a couple of times when he had been away, exploring a new tunnel. They would tie the offender to a stake, waist deep. Their screams would be terrible, their burns sickening, but at some point the cords binding them would burn through, and they would stumble back to land.

Ramael shook his head as if he could read her thoughts.

"The lake runs far into the cavern, becoming deeper as it goes."

Adryel nodded. She knew this.

"At some point, a barrier has been erected across the lake, with a single entrance, and Lord Michael possesses the single key. Beyond the barrier, the lake ebbs and flows. One finds places where, at times, the land is dry, while, at other times, the lake may be a fathom deep or more."

He looked her in the eye, but his remained cold, hard. "You will be chained to a metal pole in that part of the lake. In the beginning, you will stand on dry land. The lake will gradually rise. It will cover your feet, then your legs and, finally, your body. It will rise until it reaches your neck. Then it will begin to subside. Its level will drop until you stand on dry land again. In the time it takes for the earth's sun to rise and set and rise again, the lake's level will rise and fall twice.

She gulped. "How long will. . ."

"For eternity. You will be all alone with only the lake for light. Moss will grow on the pole and you will eat it. Your robe will burn away when the lake rises the first time. Your skin will be unprotected and will burn whenever the fire touches it. Your screams will echo throughout h.e.l.l, as you call it, warning the others to mind what they do."

"Ramael, please, help me. I'd rather die," she cried.

"You won't have the choice," he snapped.

"Tell me what to do."

He turned away, pacing back and forth, as though tormented by his thoughts. Adryel lay where he left her. Finally, he stepped toward her again.

"Dariel returned to the city for soldiers. They arrived on Earth some time ago. He has sent them in all directions to search for you. They will never stop. You will never be truly safe." He pulled her to her feet.

"He and two others have gone west, toward your portal." Ramael nodded. "Yes, we know where it is. Dariel thinks you will take refuge in h.e.l.l. He will search every inch of it. If he does not find you, he will return later, again and again."

He sighed. "They left two hours ago. The moon will not shine tonight, so if you are careful, if you do not crest the hill until it is completely dark, you can avoid them. You know of the caves in the mountains near the portal?"

"You've been to the portal?" she asked, but he ignored her question.

"I would search for you in those caves, but Dariel won't. It would be unlike him to expend so much effort without a direct order-even for you. Eventually, someone may think to look there, but should you take refuge in those caves, you should be safe for a time."

He turned to leave, but Adryel reached out and grasped his hand.

"Ramael, I love you. I. . ."

He slipped his hand away. "The next time I see you, I will be with Lord Michael, watching as they chain you in the lake of fire." He wiped his eyes. "I don't want to see you again. You are dead to me now."

He took two steps before turning back a final time.

"When you next see Lord Lucifer, he will enjoy hearing the story of how, in addition to your other achievements, you caused me to disobey my orders. The two of you can laugh at my expense."

"Ramael, I would never. . ."

But he had gone.

If they had not forgotten to douse their fire, Adryel would have stumbled over Dariel and his soldiers as she trekked toward the mountains. Ramael had not led her astray. The moon did not shine at all that night, and with only the twinkling stars overhead, she had to strain to see through the inky darkness.

She found the party asleep, about two hours after she left the humans' camp. She had waited for the sun to set completely and had picked up some bread and fruit from Cain's tent before she had set out. Her flask of water had been filled the night before and she grabbed it, too, as she left.

The fire was visible for miles. She could have taken a wide berth and avoided the camp completely, but the ground nearby was uneven and full of small p.r.i.c.kly shrubs, so she walked toward the fire, planning to give it a wide berth when she approached.

She crouched low, almost crawling, and she paused repeatedly as she drew near, listening for any sign of life. She wanted to laugh when she finally detected the sound of snoring coming from the three angels.

Still, she hesitated. Soldiers, after all, were taught to be vigilant and to "sleep with their eyes open." She recalled how it had been nearly impossible for her to leave bed during the night without waking Ramael.

Finally, she decided that if she wandered off the path in the dark she would be more likely to awaken the soldiers by stumbling over one of the shrubs and crying out in pain than she would be by pa.s.sing through their camp, her route lit by the remnants of their campfire. As she crept through the camp, stepping over the soldiers, who lay directly in the narrow path, she paused beside Dariel. His sword lay on the ground beside him, doubtless so he could reach for it easily if he were threatened during the night. He was quite proud of his sword. It had been given to him by Lord Michael, himself, for distinguished service, and Dariel carried it on every important occasion.

Adryel was flattered he would bring it with him to search for her. Two days ago, she would have taken the sword to taunt him with the knowledge that she had been so close and he had not known, but tonight she resisted that impulse. Better he believe her to have gone in some other direction.

She walked on, not pausing for rest, reaching the mountains near the portal to h.e.l.l as the sky first began to show a sliver of light in the east. She paused at the base of the mountain and looked toward the cave in which the portal lay. Perhaps she should enter and hide inside. Lord Lucifer would conceal her. With what she had done, her status in h.e.l.l would be secure for millennia to come.

She started toward the portal, then stopped. Lord Lucifer would protect her, but what about the others? Beliel would help her hide-for a price. She knew exactly what that price would be, and she shivered. The lake of fire might be preferable. Even if Beliel did not give her away, Ami would.

She began to pick her way up the mountain, reaching one of the higher caves just before light flooded across the plain. She looked to the east and thought she might see movement in the spot where the soldiers camped. They would not have seen her.

She gazed down the steep side of the mountain. The opening was obscured by a boulder and by a large bush, similar to the one behind which she had hidden the day before. The route she had followed was a steep, winding path. If Dariel were half as slack as Ramael thought him to be, he would never try to reach the cave, even if he noticed it.

Adryel sat behind the bush and ate her morning meal. As the morning pa.s.sed, Dariel and his soldiers came into view. By midday they stopped below her to rest and to eat. She moved into the cave, peeking out to observe them and they finally moved away, entering the portal to h.e.l.l below.

Never Coming Back.

Dariel and his soldiers stayed inside the cavern until the sun was setting. Hearing Dariel's angry voice, birds roosting in a nearby tree took flight as he stalked through the portal, back onto the earth. Adryel almost laughed as he complained about the stagnant aroma of h.e.l.l, about the darkness, the dirt, the heat. He swore she was in the cavern, hiding somewhere, perhaps moving from place to place as their search had proceeded.

The three of them pitched camp at the foot of the mountain and she heard them talking long after the sun had set, and she could see them in the light of their fire.

"Why do you dislike her so much?" one of the soldiers asked Dariel as they began their evening meal.

"An intellectual sn.o.b," Dariel hissed. "Always thought she knew more, argued better, was more clever than anyone else in our cla.s.s. I despised that orb."

The others laughed.

"Better grades than yours?" the other soldier asked.

"Always. And undeserved," he bellowed. "That arrogant excuse for an archangel, Lord Lucifer, always favored her. Wanted her in his bed, we all thought, but Ramael caught her eye first. . .I mean, I think the world of Ramael, but I've never understood what he saw in her. I'll bet he's sorry now. . .Lord Lucifer got what he wanted, I gather."

They all laughed and made indistinct comments that Adryel could tell were lewd in nature, even if she could not make out the words, the tone was clear, causing Adryel's cheeks to flush with heat. Still she listened to hear what else they might say.

"On the night we took the Inst.i.tute, she bit me. See my hand? Lost a finger to her." He held up one hand so they could see the stub of his index finger, the top section missing.

It was Adryel's turn to chuckle quietly.

"I vowed I'd have satisfaction. I will find her and bring her in, no matter how far she runs, no matter how well she hides."

"The earth is a big place. Where do you think she'll go?"

"She's back there. In h.e.l.l. She's in that cavern now, laughing at me. I'd go back and surprise them all if it were. . .if it were anywhere else."

The others snorted with laughter.

"Do you want to spend the night in there?"

Their chuckling ceased.

"Thought not. Lord Lucifer is protecting her, and why would he not? She's done more to interfere with Adonai's work than the entire group of them combined. We'll have more humans before too long. Think what she will do then."

"More humans?"

"Yes, it seems the old female just realized they were not immortal. . .Stupid creature. She plans more children. Told her daughters-in-law and her grandchildren they need to have them too. Soon, she said."

"Adryel could be hiding in these mountains," one of the soldiers said. "Did you see those caves up there?" He pointed.

She slipped farther away from the opening, even though they likely would not be able to see her with darkness all around.

Dariel laughed. "Can you climb that slope?"

She couldn't hear the soldier's response, but a few minutes later, she heard rocks rolling down the hill. She clapped her hand across her mouth. Did the stupid angel not realize it was night? The direct approach was all but impossible even during the day. Adryel had reached the cave using a winding path that began farther down the mountain. It was difficult to see, and only the width of one of her feet in many places. It had taken her many hours to navigate it safely and quietly in the darkness. He would never make it.

"I can't find a foothold," a voice shouted below. "I'm going to fall."

"Catch that shrub. Grab it."

"Help me!"

A scream echoed up, followed by the sound of something large-likely the soldier's body-sc.r.a.ping across dry ground. She peeked out in time to see him tumbling down the slope, while Dariel and the other soldier roared with laughter.

"You couldn't make it a quarter of the way," Dariel chortled. "You can't climb it. Well, neither could she."

For several minutes they continued to talk, but Adryel could not make out what they said.

Then Dariel rose to his feet, staring up the darkened mountainside. It was all she could do not to dart inside the cave and risk him seeing the movement.

"If the others find no sign of her," Dariel announced, "we'll come back. Tear their cavern apart." He swung his arm and tossed a stick upwards. It bounced off the boulder behind which Adryel sat. She clapped her hand across her mouth to stifle a gasp.

"We'll find her, and I'll be there when she receives what she deserves."

After a while, the chatter died away. Peering down, Adryel saw them sprawled on the ground, seeming to be asleep.

She needed rest too. Adryel spread loose stones at the entrance to her cave so any intruder would make noise and awaken her. She moved well down the tunnel, around a bend where she could not be seen from the mouth, and she, too, lay down to sleep. The next morning she hid behind the boulder as the sun rose and she watched Dariel and his soldiers walk toward the garden. Later in the day, they set out to the east, munching on fruit, their search apparently over for the time being. Adryel kept watch until, as night fell, they crested the far hill and were lost to view.

Adryel stayed in the cave, fearing that if she walked on the earth, Dariel would find her. If she returned to h.e.l.l, someone would betray her, and Dariel would find her. She had nothing to do except to look out at the great plain that stretched before her, and to think.

Days pa.s.sed. The air became cooler, and soon it would be cold. One morning, she explored the cave more intently. Multiple caverns opened off a long tunnel. The tunnel led her deep into the mountain. She walked slowly to avoid slipping on the smooth floor of the cave as it angled down, stopping when she reached a section every bit as steep as the slope Dariel's soldier had been unable to climb.

She wiped perspiration from her face. She had expected the tunnel to feel colder as she moved away from the surface. Instead, it was becoming toasty. She finally decided she had descended into the mountain so far that she stood just above the lake of fire. If the floor were to give way, she would surely find herself immersed in the flames. At least she had found a warm place in which to sleep if she needed it now that the nights were getting colder.

One evening, no longer able to stomach the moss that grew inside the cave, she ventured into the garden. A sliver of moon gave enough light to find her way without fear of being seen. She spent all night walking among the trees and lying on the gra.s.s. She collected fruit-one type with hard red skin seemed to be in season-placing it in the bag she had brought with her from the humans' camp. She bathed and washed her robe in the river.

As dawn approached and she began the trek to her cave, she caught sight of a piece of cloth caught on tree near the tumbled-down section of the wall.

"It's a robe," she said aloud.

She sank behind the tree and looked about wildly, expecting to find soldiers prepared to pounce, but she saw no one.

"Whose could it be? I sit at the cave's opening almost every day. I've seen no one approach the garden."

Almost every day.

She would have to be more careful.

She inspected the robe. It was made for someone much taller than she was, an angel, certainly. It was torn at the bottom. Maybe one of the angels from h.e.l.l had been exploring.

Not likely. Maybe Dariel or one of his soldiers had left it. They had visited the garden.

She looked about carefully, hoping that's all it was.

She tied the robe at one end, filled it with dried leaves, added the fruit and nuts she had picked, and carried it with her, like a bag, up the slope. Reaching her cave, she placed the leaves in a corner and covered them with the robe. As she lay on it, she thought of her bed at home, the one she'd shared with Ramael. She cried, then, and resisted the urge to scatter the leaves and toss the robe-the bed was soft, much better than the stone on which she had been sleeping.

Each morning, the sun would peek out above the eastern hills and slowly climb into the sky as if it were trudging up a steep, rocky slope, then it would slide toward the west, until it hid behind the mountains on the far side of the plain. Darkness would descend on the earth and the stars would begin their pilgrimage across the sky. Finally, morning would come and the cycle would repeat.

Herds of antelope grazed on the plain. Elephants, giraffes, lions, even monkeys paraded before her as if they were displaying themselves for her approval.

She looked for angels and humans, but she found neither. She could not believe Michael would call off his search so easily, after so little effort, unless he had known she was listening to him as he spoke to Cain, unless he had planned for Ramael to find her and to terrify her with stories of the lake of fire, unless her true punishment was to spend eternity on the run, constantly looking over her shoulder, fearing Dariel would be in pursuit. . .If that were the case, then Ramael had lied to her.

She shook her head, crying. She raised her face to the sky and whispered, "Tell me he didn't do that." Then she caught herself. As if Adonai would answer her prayers anyway. . .