Israfil's Future (Celestial Justice 3)
What if you're a police angel used to taking orders but suddenly find yourself facing a situation where you need to think for yourself?
Israfil is an excellent police angel. He doesn't like checking up on other angels to make sure they follow the dictates of Heaven's middle management, but he's very good at it. When a mission goes painfully wrong and he's faced with prosecution, he's sure he will be severely punished. Instead, he's sent to Earth and told to ‘get a life'.
Chris is a professor of psychology at Buffalo Community College in Flagstaff, Arizona, who is taking a much needed vacation in the Coconino National Forest. When he goes hiking one day he finds a very naked, very confused man with amnesia in a clearing. The only thing the stranger remembers is that his name is Israfil.
Will the two men be able to solve the riddle of Israfil's past? And once they do, can they decide what to do about Israfil's future?
NOTE: This book has been previously released in August 2011. No changes have been made to the story, it is identical to the previous version.
Pages: 77
Words: 23,340
Heat Index:
Cover Artist: Allison Cassatta
Book Type: EBook
Chapter One
"Where is that report about the incompetent Christmas angel? It is more than overdue, and the judicial panel is getting very impatient."
The booming voice made Israfil flinch. His evaluation of the case was late and now all his colleagues in the open plan office knew about it. Luckily, there were not that many left this late in the celestial day, but it only took one to spread rumors about his inability to do a perfect job. Competition amongst celestial law officers was fierce, and certain ones among them would use any perceived weakness in others to make themselves look more capable. After all, not all of them could become detective angels.
"Coming right up." Israfil kept his voice low, even though he wanted to shout.
He hated having to check on other angels. Especially in this case. The decision had already been made to let Junior Guardian Araton go, since he had been awarded leniency by a higher level of jurisdiction. But was that good enough for the judicial panel? Apparently not. They wanted to make sure all angles were covered, so they had requested an internal investigation.
He had not found anything untoward in the handling of Araton's case. Initially, he had felt for Dexter, the human who had been paralyzed due to Araton's moment of inattention. But that part of the case had now been solved as well, so there were no loose ends left.
Israfil closed the file with an exasperated sigh, quickly masking the irreverent sound with a fluttering of his wings designed to pretend he was stretching. He hated all this bureaucratic shit that came with his job as a police angel. Humans thought their bureaucracy was bad? They did not have a clue. Celestial bureaucracy had them beat by light years. After all, it had been around for much longer, and was now so refined it might drive an archangel insane. Of course, those higher angels would never admit to a feeling so far below them. Some of them were more stuck up about their so-called superiority than should be allowed. Why were there no laws against that?
Israfil snorted as he dispatched the file with a flick of his hand. It would appear on his superior's desk in the celestial morning. It was not his place to think about these things, or so he had been told. Never one to give up just because someone said he should, he had kept his protests and revolutionary thoughts to himself. He had been designated an officer of celestial law at his creation, so he performed those duties to the best of his ability. But nobody, other than possibly the Big Guy, could read his thoughts or censor him for them.
Time to enjoy the rest period. He had stayed in the office for much too long already. He rose and nodded to the others who remained. About to leave, the booming voice interrupted him again.
"Senior Officer Israfil, please report to my office immediately."
What now?
Mere minutes later he wished he had left the office faster so someone else would have ended up with the new assignment his boss had handed him. Apparently, another infraction against celestial law was about to happen, and this time the judicial panel was not taking any risks. They wanted an officer of celestial law present, ready to interrupt the proceedings if the participants went too far, and arrest them if needed.
As far as his understanding of celestial law went, intervening in anyone's exercise of free will was highly irregular. Punishment after an infraction was to be expected, but sentient beings had a choice about what they did. When he had mentioned this objection his boss had frowned and replied that he was not a lawyer, so he should stop thinking. It was his job to follow orders, not question his superiors.
Israfil had shrugged and made his way to Flagstaff, Arizona, Earth. One senior guardian angel named Zuriel was about to be very, very surprised. Israfil did not even want to think about the reaction of his alleged lover, one Luke Yarber.
©Serena Yates, 2011 % 2013
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