1 The Fall

As I arrived back at the Golden City, the familiar sweeping architecture with it's radiant gold and silver accenting, framing the pure white marble of it's building and walls. In contrast with it's roads, sweeping through the city like veins of a living body, Huge slabs of taaffeite shifting with iridescent of violet, pink, red and even white which lights the city during the night.

I ride down the main street heading towards the Sunstone Place enjoying the sites and smells of the city and all the people of various races seeing the children stop and point at me as I move past riding my Pegasus Anabale Fly. She has been with me for two hundred years now and her beautiful golden cloak with a single onyx patch just above her right eye, she stands a little over fifteen hands tall. But before long we are entering the gates and heading towards the stables where her mate and the rest of the herd is kept, After entering the stables I remove the saddle and begin brushing her down and filling her feed trough normally a cherub would be in charge of filling the feed and mucking out the stables but I love taking care of my mounts after all she looks after me just as much in a fight or when we are out on a mission. Unfortunately, I am interrupted before I can finish cleaning Anabale down by a cherub.

"Excuse me ma'am the Archangels have requested your presence as soon as you arrive"

I turn and see the cherub with her head slightly bowed in deference, A common misconception is that cherubs are child size when in fact they are the same size as an average human the only thing that marks them and a cherub is the size of there wings witch are not yet the size of full angels, I slip Anabale a sugar cube as I sigh.

"Very well I shall head there now please take good care of her"

After glancing back at Anabale I straighten my posture and head towards the Sunstone place at a brisk but graceful place, you don't want to keep the Archangels waiting. Side stepping other angels and cherubs that a going about their business moving towards the main entrance of the place the details of the vast pillars that circle around the building witch have elegant scrollwork of sunstone and mithril covering them from top to bottom, Moving my gaze to the massive double doors I notice anther angel who is clearly waiting for me as I get within speaking distance he nods and pushes open the doors witch are made of Yew wood he gestures for me to follow so I fall in step beside him.

Knowing he isn't going to speak to me I let my eye wonder over the tapestries witch depict angels of legends one that catches my eye almost instantly it's the one depicting Alora the Defender who gave her life to save a village under siege by a horde of the undead summoned by a necromancer. The battle that claimed her life lasted for four days and nights in till she detonated her magical core to remove the remaining forces and the necromancer and in doing so it cost her life but saved the town as the spell she cast only targeted the eldritch magic that was used, So as I pass I salute my old friend to honour her memory and sacrifice.

Just as I finish my recollection of Alora I arrive at the doors to the throne room I stop at the door and let my escort enter to announce my arrival to see if they are ready for me second pass be for the angel passes back through the door and simply nods again as I hear one of the Archangels call for me to enter the throne room.

"You may enter Arura of the lightning strike!"

I stride into the throne room with my eyes straight forward looking at the seven Archangels before stopping a respectful distance from the throne and I sink to one knee and bow. Then I rase my head slowly and speak out in a calm voice.

"This one humbly greets my Lords and I come with good news that the mission my Lords sent me on has been completed with out a problem, I also come with the evidence of their heresy."

As I say this, I remove the papers that I found in the Town proving their crimes and place it at arms reach in front of me and one of the Archangels moves to gather up the papers then promptly turns and moves back to stand in formation with the others. Nathaniel speaks as his brother rejoins the formation.

"Stand my child and claim your reward for a mission well done!"

As I stand and look towards Nathaniel I notice he isn't wearing his armour today and is wearing a seemingly plain white robe but as I move closer I notice the silver and gold thread weaving intricate designs on his robe, I focus on his face next he is like most of the other angels with a perfectly sculpted face and body shape although his face is scared from his left temple to the corner of his lip so it looks like he is constantly smirking his vivid ice blue eye shimmer in the light as I approach he graces me with a stunning smile showing perfect pearl white teeth. As I get within arm's reach, he speaks with his smooth baritone voice.

"Here Arura allow me to place my hand on your chest and bless you with the power given to my by God himself."

I smile and node my head giving permission this will be my first time receiving such a gift for my service and I feel my heart fluttering in my chest. He raises his hand and places it into the centre of my chest and smiles before pushing while saying

"I cast you out Arura enjoy the fall!"

And I do. With his push I am cast out of heaven and begin to fall though the realms of the world tree I see flashes of truly enormous space ships silently drifting in space, then it's a beautiful field full of blossoming roses, then it's a warzone with millions of people shooting at each other with tanks and aircraft screaming past strafing the ground units or engaging in dogfights, the final thing I see before it all blends in to blinding colours is a pack of dire wolves hunting some sort of giant dear, while all this is happening I a screaming all the way down until every thing comes to a stop as I hit some sort of a desert or beach of black sand with a the force of a falling star.