Angelfall: Parts 1 to 5 (19 page)

“I did not, Sir. I did not,” said Victor from the dock. Valentino stretched his hand behind him at Victor to motion for him to be quiet.

“Mr. Saul,” said the judge. “I am going to assume that this is your first time before the judiciary. Therefore, understand that you do not speak in this courtroom on your own behalf because you have an attorney. Now, your attorney has been temporarily silenced until it is his time to speak. Therefore I expect not another word from you unless I ask you to speak. Understood?”

“Yes sir. I apologize,” said Victor.

“As I was saying, My Dark Lord. The accused resisted arrest at the restaurant. Therefore we believe that if he is admitted to bail he will fail to surrender to this court,” said the prosecutor. The prosecutor sat down.

“All right,” said the judge now looking at Valentino.

Valentino took his cue and popped up from the bench. The theatrical performance began as Valentino buttoned his black jacket, folded his hands in front of his chest and rested his jaw on his right hand. Those who knew Valentino knew it was his signal for war.

“My Dark Lord, pursuant to the Vampiric Constitution, the accused enjoys not only the presumption of innocence but also the absolute, unequivocal, sacrosanct and unfettered right to bail,” began Valentino.

“Mr. Miller,” interrupted the judge. “I have this unsettling feeling we will be here for another two hours. I am familiar with the Vampiric Constitution. Hurry it along.”

“Yes, my Dark Lord,” said Valentino. He continued.

“The right to bail is the normative position from which my Dark Lord ought to start in his analysis of the determination whether to grant bail or not. We believe-”

A loud thud interrupted Valentino. All eyes darted to the direction of the dock where Victor fell flat on his back convulsing at the mouth. His body shook violently. The bailiff and several police officers ran to the dock to investigate. The court erupted in commotion. The judge wrapped his gavel violently.

“Silence, silence,” said the judge.

“My Dark Lord,” said Valentino glancing to and fro between the judge and Victor. “It appears my client is having a seizure.”

“Very funny Mr. Miller. You well know vampires don’t have seizures. Try again,” said the judge. The Vampirol officers fanned Victor. Before Valentino could speak the judge continued.

“Better yet, are you and your client trying some chicanery in my courtroom? Obviously he's feigning. I wonder if you had something to do with this?”

“No, my Dark Lord,” Valentino said. “Absolutely not.”

Valentino sat down as the officers carried Victor out of the court through a corridor to the infirmary.

“My Dark Lord,” said the prosecutor. “Perhaps we should adjourn the matter until tomorrow night.”

“I was about to suggest that,” said Justice Morbid. “Mr. Miller. Is that all right with you?”

Valentino briefly stood to his feet.

“Yes, my Dark Lord,” said Valentino.

A few hours later, two Vampirol prison guards assisted Victor in getting back to the cell. As the guards opened the cell door a weakened Victor wobbled in.

“Victor,” shouted Cyril as he popped to his feet and rushed over to Victor. “What happened to you?” The guards closed the door and drifted out of sight. Cyril helped Victor to a concrete slab bench in the cell.

Victor rubbed his head.

“I, I don't know. One minute I was listening to Mr. Miller, and you're right, he is a really good lawyer, and the next minute I felt dizzy and that's all I remember until I woke up in the infirmary,” said Victor. “They gave me something. I don’t know what.”

On the other side of the cell, Johnson remained curled in his fetal position.

“Maybe this prison life just does not agree with you,” said Cyril.

Victor faintly replied as he rested his head on the concrete slab which served as his pillow.

Cyril sat on the floor next to the concrete slab and remained silent as his friend drifted off to sleep.

In the recesses of sleep, Victor heard a voice.

“Adonari. Adonari,” said a strong voice.

“Cyril. Let me get some sleep,” said Victor. “Please.” The voice came again. “Adonari. Adonari,” said the voice again. I must be dreaming thought spoke Victor.

“You are not dreaming. Really, you are not,” said the voice.

Victor popped his head up from the concrete pillow. Cyril was fast asleep and Johnson left his fetal position and stretched out on the floor but still fast asleep.

A richly dark skinned man of average height was sitting near Johnson. He had his arms folded in front of him. He was so black he was almost blue; Miles Davis blue, with light blue eyes and a short haircut. He was dressed in jeans, sneakers, with a small gold chain around his neck and a blue and white Adidas zip up sweat shirt.

Victor looked sideways at the man but did not see a chair underneath him. Victor rubbed his eyes and sat up on the concrete slab.

“Adonari. Look what you have done to yourself, said the man.

“Lorenz. I would say the same for you,” said Victor eyeballing Lorenz’s attire.

“Oh, said Lorenz as he popped up from his illusionary chair.

“I forgot.” Lorenz held up his hands high above him and the sweatshirt and jeans outfit was replaced by his bronze angelic body which was wrapped with an off-white tunic that matched the color of his wings. On earth holy angels had to wear clothes.

Lorenz’ long, white, holy angelic wings stretched past the relatively small cells space. He recoiled them behind him. Lorenz was a Cherubim like Victor used to be.

“Sorry about that,” said Lorenz. “I’m coming from a mission in West L.A.”

I miss those wings, thought Victor hardly able to look at Lorenz’s shining golden face. It had been some 8,000 plus years since he had seen his friend; his only other friend he had in heaven besides Havani.

“I can only imagine,” said Lorenz.

“Look at you now. You’ve got fangs and you smell like a mixture of rat urine and blood,” said Lorenz.

“Ah, Lorenz. You haven’t changed; always stating the obvious,” said Victor. They heard footsteps coming towards the cell.

Lorenz vanished as four prison guards arrived at the cell. They were young recruits that recently completed Vampirol Constabulary Academy.

“Which one is it?” said the oldest one at the top of his voice as he opened the cell door.

Cyril woke up. Johnson curled back in his fetal position. The young guards rushed into the cell and pulled out their batons. Cyril jumped up and one of the guards hit Cyril across the face knocking him out.

“Idiot,” said the guard who knocked Cyril out. They laughed.

They pulled Victor to his feet.

“We heard about the stunt you pulled in court today,” said one of the guards as he jammed the baton in Victor’s stomach.

Victor buckled at his waist.

“Not good. Not good,” said another guard who hit Victor across his back with another baton.

Victor fell to the floor. They picked him up. Johnson did not stir.

Victor could barely stand. The guard that hit him in the stomach held Victor’s face in his hand. The same guard leaned his face close to Victor’s. The guard was so close that Victor could feel his blood breath.

“You might as well get used to this,” said the guard. The others laughed. “Yep,” said another one.

Victor spoke.

“Judging from the unqualified that works for him, I see why the coup failed.”

The prison guard steamed in anger. He turned away from Victor stepped back and instantly swung his baton cracking Victor’s jaw. Victor’s gray blood flashed on the other guards and the stone cell wall. Victor dropped to the floor as blood oozed from his face. The guards took turn giving him a kick in his stomach.

They filed out of the cell, closed the door and laughed among themselves as they walked away. Victor was awake but in serious pain. Cyril was still unconscious.

With the guards out of sight, Lorenz reappeared.

“Great timing,” mumbled Victor. “You could have come just a tad bit earlier.”

“I wish I could but I can’t let them see me. It’s for your sake,” said Lorenz.

Lorenz bent down and helped Victor who propped himself against the cell wall near where his blood decorated it in strie fashion.

“I am tired,” said Victor.

“I figured as much. You know you don’t have to go through this anymore,” said Lorenz.

“What? Am I supposed to waltz back into heaven and say ‘Hey God sorry about the revolution thing. I’m back.’” Victor’s head was splitting in two with pain.

“Well yes and no. Yes you can ask forgiveness. Yes you can be forgiven, but no, you can’t just get back to heaven so easily,” said Lorenz. “There are consequences Adonari, consequences.”

“We’ll I am sorry and I do want forgiveness.” As the words left Victor’s lips, he felt a change in his heart. The feeling overwhelmed him as tears choked up inside of him. They had to come out. He felt such a flood of forgiveness and love sweep over his soul like a fresh cool spring on a sunshiny day. He felt a peace that was beyond understanding; a joy that bubbled up in his soul as he thought back to his existence in heaven. His heart was broken and before this moment, he had felt abandoned, thrown away, and left for dead. In that moment the tears streamed on his face making streaks on his gray bloody face. The spirit of the Almighty whispered in his heart.

“As long as there is life, there is hope, Adonari. I have been waiting for you with an everlasting love and I longed for this day more than you can imagine.”

For Victor, in that moment, everything disappeared; the cold cell, Cyril, Johnson, the guards, the mountain cave, his pain and agony. In that moment he became one again with The Almighty. He did not find God in that moment of forgiveness because God was never lost. What he found was himself; his true self. His spirit uttered groans that only the Almighty understood. Victor was still in his prison cell, but his heart was free. It was free to leap and soar up and above the clouds, past the terrestrial place called earth and far into heaven.

“Come let’s get out of here,” said Lorenz who looked at his friend who knelt on the prison cell floor. Victor’s countenance had changed although he still looked like a vampire.

“Yes. I am ready,” said Victor.

“All right, Victor Saul. No. Victor Paul. Yes. That is much better,” said Lorenz.

Lorenz lifted up his hands high above him and a terrible earthquake tremor shook the prison cell. Within seconds, the cell chamber cracked and the prison door broke open. Johnson did not stir and neither did Cyril.

Lorenz braced Victor in his wings and flew out of the cell far away from the mountain dungeon prison. 

:-Continued in:
Light at Dawn: Part 4 of Angelfall (Twilight at Dawn Saga, Book 1)
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