CHAPTER ONE
Dagon
A sweet scent stirred me from a deep, and dreamless sleep. Rousing, I tried to pinpoint it, searching quickly through my tired mind to find the word that went with it. It was a floral aroma, something fresh and wild, but its name wasn’t coming to me.
I sat up in my bed, rubbing my eyes against the brightness spilling in through the open window. The sun was full, and brilliant, and golden, and the breeze wafting through was gloriously cool against my warm skin. One might even say it felt heavenly, but that didn’t make sense.
Did it?
Opening my eyes fully, I took my surroundings in. The room I had woken up in was made of perfectly cut, light grey stone, the floors tiled a ruddy brown color. The bed was plush and full, the covers feathery and warm. On the windowsill I spotted an arrangement of flowers, some purple, some blue, all flowing gently as the air current pushed them.
I stood, finding my footing on the cold, tiled floor, and walked over to the window. I was groggy, and still a little out of sorts, though I couldn’t understand why. I was starting to recognize this place. It was a place I hadn’t been to in a long, long time.
But that didn’t make sense either, did it? Because I was here. Now. In this place, smelling the flowers on the window, and bathing in the bright, golden sunlight cascading down from way above the fluffy, white clouds in the sky.
Turning my eyes up past the flowers, I couldn’t help but take in an inspired breath. A sprawling city rolled away from my window; a beautiful, staggeringly large city carved out of sparkling marble punctuated by accents of gold, and iridescent hues.
There were residencies, communal buildings, and lush green parks and fields as far as the eye could see. Scattered throughout the city, huge spires reached high into the sky, the structures glittering where the sunlight touched them. And there, circling the towers, swooping down onto rooftops, and back into the air, were radiant, winged beings going about their business.
Those were angels.
I was an angel too.
And this was Heaven.
A knock at the door to my room snapped me out of the moment, and I was glad for it. I could’ve stayed there all day, watching the city live, and breathe, and flourish, but there was work to do. Right. Yes, there was work to do today.
I remembered, now.
Barefoot, I walked over to the black door and opened it to find a spry, cheery young man on the other side of it. He had dark skin, wide, incisive eyes, and large white wings tucked behind his back. Pinned to his tunic I spotted a golden broach in the form of a trumpet.
Avahi. That was his name.
That is his name.
“Mister Dagon. Glorious morning, isn’t it, sir?” he asked.
I watched him for a moment, scanning his eyes as if I were a little unsure. “Yes,” I finally said, “Yes, it is. What do you have for me this morning, Avahi?”
He tilted his head slightly, frowning. “You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“Forgotten? No,” I lied, “But you are a Trumpet, are you not?”
“I am.”
“In that case, please tell me what is on my roster for today. I wouldn’t want to deprive you of performing your duties.”
Avahi squared up, nodding, and when he spoke again, he did so with a certain gravity I couldn’t escape. “Very well,” he cleared his throat, “Ahem. By Her command, you are to train and induct a new group of angels into your detachment. They are fresh, and relatively inexperienced, but they are eager to learn and quick studies. She promises She is not attempting to… punish you… by serving you new recruits.”
“Did you add that last part in yourself?”
“I speak only the word of God.”
My eyes narrowed. “You hesitated, however.”
“Even Trumpets have a sense of humor, sir. I couldn’t help but find it a little amusing.” He paused, then looked around before addressing me again. “Is… She trying to punish you for something?”
“Not that I’m conscious of, but She’s always holding onto some grudge or other.”
“Really? I never would’ve thought she was the vindictive type.”
I paused, one of my eyebrows arching. “You realize we’re talking about the same being responsible for giant floods, plagues of locusts, and any number of not so natural disasters, right? Don’t humans read the Old Testament anymore?”
“Sorry, sir… I had it on my list of things to do before I got here, but—”
“—don’t worry about it,”