War of Wings Read Online Free

anyway—he’s more of a combat angel. Great in the games.”
    Raphael’s mouth drew close to Gabriel’s ear. “Gabriel, we asked Arrayah to take your place in the unveiling tomorrow since you weren’t here. I hope you don’t mind. Uriel and I think having a virtue such as Arrayah involved in the grunt work will inspire the angels and add excitement around the project. What do you think?”
    He thought of Michael’s vision. He was getting demoted in construction, but he was supposed to save over half the angels? “I think that’s fine. I’m sure many angels will be inspired.” Gabriel pulled up to hide his embarrassment. “You will do great, Arrayah.” Her intoxicating scent made it even harder to breathe. “I actually must be going now.”
    “Wait, Gabriel,” she said, but he pretended not to hear her and flew away.
    Gabriel headed directly to the orange groves. When he arrived, he sank down with his back against his favorite tree. He knew the perfect angle that positioned the bark directly between his wings, but today when he rubbed up against it for a familiar scratch, he found he could not relax. His face hardened as his frustration grew.
    Why did nothing turn out right? What was he here for? Everyone else seemed to know their purpose. He peeled and bit into a succulent orange although he hardly tasted the sweetness he usually tasted. He went over again in his head everything Michael had told him and chuckled bitterly to himself.
    How could an archangel play a more important role than the members of the seraphim or cherubim or any of the hierarchs for that matter? He started to imagine what it would be like to be as important as a cherub. With this thought, his shoulders relaxed. He imagined how it would feel to be the highest cherub of all, like the one he admired so much, the Son of the Morning. Everyone looked up to God’s highest angel. He felt juicy pulp trickling down his forearm. He began to wipe it off, but he was interrupted by an ear-piercing voice.
    “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord!”
    Gabriel jumped up, dropping his orange, and spun around as he looked for the origin of that booming yet feminine voice. It cried out again, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord!” He flew up, looking in all directions and across the top of the trees, but he saw nothing. The voice was actually quite beautiful, and when it repeated itself again, it seemed to be a song. When his sheer surprise wore off, Gabriel realized why he didn’t see anyone. It wasn’t because she was too far away. It was because the voice was coming from inside his head. He realized that the voice wasn’t singing because there was no rhythm or beat. It was weeping. The beauty of her voice made him misinterpret her words as a song.
    As he kept flying across the tree tops, his ears vibrating with her words, he shouted, “I know the Lord is holy! Please get out of my head. Where are you?”
    “All of Heaven is full of His glory!”
    “Who are you?” He flew back down to the ground and began to search through the orange grove, moving branches and looking around trees.
    The powerful voice repeated, “All of Heaven is full of His glory!”
    “I get it. God is great. Come talk to me like normal angels do.”
    “Many will soon forget what I’ve just said to you now,” cried the voice.
    “Well, I won’t forget since I’ll probably never be able to hear again.”
    “You must hear God inside you. Let only Him and Michael guide your way.”
    Gabriel stopped walking. “Who are you and how do you know Michael?”
    “I am of the seraphim.” With that, the vibrations went away and Gabriel’s ears were at rest.
    “Wait! What is your name?” He waited for a response, but nothing came. “Are you there?” He cupped his large hands around his ears and temples and closed his eyes. But there was no answer. Gabriel slumped down into his previous spot against his favored tree. It now provided even less comfort than before. He reached for another