Word: Cherub

cherub

[cher-uhb]

noun

plural

cherubs, cherubim 

1. (in the Bible) a celestial being.

2. Theology.,  a member of the second order of angels, often represented as a beautiful rosy-cheeked child with wings.

3. a beautiful or innocent person, especially a child.

4. a person, especially a child, with a sweet, chubby, innocent face.

 

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                Allan was dating an angel. He had always thought that, but in a metaphorical sense, but ten minutes ago, he found that it was very literal. He was currently sitting on the living room couch next to Molly. Her large, white wings were folded up neatly behind her back. Luckily, she did not glow, nor did she seem to have a halo.

                “So ... how much of the various religious texts are real?” He asked. It was not what he really wanted to ask, but it was as good a starting point as any.

                “Very little.” She replied. “For one thing, I’m not some dead person who got to heaven, and I wasn’t created by a deity. We’re real, living creatures. I have parents, siblings. All that good stuff. Maybe I’ll introduce you to them one of these days.”

                Allan was not about to comment on meeting her parents. That was a whole different discussion, regardless of her species. “Huh, okay. So, God?”

                “Nope. Well, I guess the head of our leadership council has a title that could loosely be translated as ‘deity,’ but that’s about it.”

                “What about different types of angels?”

                “Different types?”

                “Yeah, like cherubs, seraphs and all that stuff.”

                “Ah, got it.” She shifted around a bit on the couch. Her wings almost hit him. The feathers did brush against his arm. They were a lot stiffer than he would have thought. “Let’s see, cherubs are just what we call our babies, so those are certainly real. Then there are seraphim and archangels. Although, those are complicated, and seraphs aren’t even angels. They’re basically light elementals we outfit in special armor.”

                “Okay, what? Light elementals?”

                “Oh sure. All kinds of elementals exist. We have a bit of a relationship with the light variety, for obvious reasons.” As she said those last words, her eyes began to glow a golden light. Whatever she was doing, she ended quickly. “Don’t worry, outfitting them in seraph armor doesn’t hurt them. Actually, they like it.”

                “They do? How do you know? Can they talk?”

                “The oldest and most powerful can. They say the seraph armor feels really good and supplies them with more power than they’d be able to gain on their own. So yeah, that’s the seraphim. Archangels are more complicated. That’s going to need a lot of background stuff and all kinds of explanations. But for now, the super simple answer is that they’re elevated angels.”

                “I’ll take your word for it. So, what about the other kinds? I can pull up a list if you don’t know.”

                She chuckled. “Maybe later. For now, I’m wondering how you’re holding up. I mean, you’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would be. I expected a much more, uh, dramatic reaction.”

                “Oh, I am barely keeping it together. I expect once you’re gone, I’ll probably collapse into a senseless pile as my entire worldview collapses down around me.”

                “Got it. If you want, I can stay longer to delay that. You know, give you more time to mentally process and hopefully not have a mental breakdown.”

                “That’s...probably a good idea.” He paused for a few seconds. There were so many questions running through his mind. Topics both big and small, important and irrelevant. He was not sure why he asked the next question, only that’s what his mind landed on. “So, do you call them cherub pictures?”

                Molly snorted, then burst out laughing. It was a good sound. Maybe he could deal with having a literally angelic girlfriend. Once he got over the fact that angels existed to begin with anyway.

                 *************************

Honestly, I have no idea if I ended this at a good place. A conversation like this can last a long time. Way too long for a story of this length. So yeah, hopefully this is a good enough ending point. 

Word: Intelligentsia

intelligentsia

[in-tel-i-jent-see-uh, -gent-]

plural noun

1. intellectuals considered as a group or class, especially as a cultural, social, or political elite.

 

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               Victor had finally made it. After all the study, all the preparation, he had finally made it to the Halls. All those years of effort had been worth it. Now he would no longer have to deal with the corruption and political games of the outside world. Here, everyone was a scholar. Here, everyone was intelligent, studious, and beyond such petty things.

               “You there! Hold on.” Someone called. Victor stopped, making sure he was the one being addressed. A middle aged man wearing large grey robe with silver trim approached. “You wouldn’t happen to be the new entrant, would you?”

               “Yes, sir, I am. Victor Nesserin, newly appointed scholar of the first rank.”

               “Excellent. In that case it’s perfect timing on both our parts. I am Christoff, scholar of the fifth rank. I’ll be your mentor for your first year here. I’m in charge of showing you around, ensuring your know the rules, and ensuring your time here is spent productively.”

               Victor stood a little straighter. A fifth rank scholar was to be his mentor? That was beyond his expectations. He knew he would get one, but he was expecting a second, or maybe a third rank if he was lucky. But a fifth? That was incredible.

               “It’s an honor to be in your care, sir.” He said with a slight bow.

               “I’m sure.” Christoff replied. “By the way, I was surprised to see someone from the Nesserin family applying to be a scholar. Your family has always been better known for military excellence.”

               Victor winced. He was hoping nobody would bring up his family. “Yes, well, I was never the combat type. I always did better in the library than the battlefield. Oh my father wanted to get me to study military tactics, hoping I would serve the national war machine that way, but I hated every minute of it.”

               “Ah, I see. So you came here hoping to turn your mind to other, less destructive pursuits. A noble goal, to be sure. Just don’t try and use your family to get anything extra.”

               There was something about the man’s choice of words. Something that felt off. It was nothing that Victor could immediately place, but something inside told him to be warry.

“Sir, that’s one of the reasons I came to the Halls.”

               “Good. Let’s be off then. This is a large facility, and you have much to learn.”

               Victor nodded. Both of them turned to leave the entry hall. As they went, another group approached. Three men, two wearing robes with black trim and another with the same silver that Christoff wore. Victor could guess the trim was a sign of rank, with silver being fifth. Black must be lower, but he not know which. The two fifth ranks spoke for a moment. Victor listened in, but most of the conversation was just small talk.

               “By the way, thank you for the…help in the…issues I had.” The other man said.

               “Of course. We must always give aide when we can. Although you must understand that the help I rendered did not come easily.”

               “Naturally. I would expect nothing less.”

               From out of the man’s robes came a small coin pouch. Christoff palmed the coins, slipping it into his own sleeve. Victor’s eyes widened. He knew a bribe when he saw one. But that could not be right. The scholars of the Halls were supposed to be beyond such things. The other group moved along.

               “Sir, what was that?”

               “That? A conversation between peers. Nothing more.”

               “But, sir—”

               “Nothing. More. Understand, Victor?”

               “Yes, sir. I understand perfectly.”

               It seemed like even the most learned men in the world could not escape the same problems that plagued the rest of the world. What that meant for him, he would have to find out on his own.

              *******************

Smart people are still people, which means they can still suck. They're just smarter about it. 

Word: Leviathan

leviathan

[li-vahy-uh-thuhn]

noun

1. Bible.,  Often Leviathan a sea monster.

2. any huge marine animal, as the whale.

3. anything of immense size and power, as a huge, oceangoing ship.

4. Leviathan, a philosophical work (1651) by Thomas Hobbes dealing with the political organization of society.

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                The deck of the ship was filled with activity as the sailors scrambled everywhere. They worked tirelessly to put out fires, struggled to repair any damage, and strived to keep the ship mobile. The smell of smoke and sound of cannon fire was everywhere.

                “Damn it, get this tub turned around!” The captain roared. “Where’s the enemy now?”

                “Which one, captain? There’s still at least four other ships out there.” The first mate replied over the din.

                “Any of them!” The captain said.

The ship rocked as a cannonball hit the side. The captain cursed loudly. Men scrambled to find out which of the enemies had fired on them this time. They were the worst kind of opponents. Small, nimble vessels that could sail circles around theirs. Sure, each enemy only had a single small cannon on it, but when they could avoid all return fire, that was enough. And that was only the enemy vessels currently attacking them. There were several more, larger ships heading steadily towards them, cannons at the ready to do some real damage.

 The captain rushed to find out where the latest attack had come from and he saw something that gave him pause. One of his men, a new hire, was not doing his duty. In fact, the man was kneeling by the side of the ship. The captain felt his jaw clench. He stormed over to the idle man.

“Listen here, you damn lazy bastard, get moving or else I’ll strap you to the side and make sure you take enemy fire for the rest of us!”

The man did not respond. By now, the captain was close enough to hear that the man was holding a small object and speaking. It sounded like a prayer.

“—who is guardian of the sea. He who watches over the waves, both above and below.”

The captain could understand praying to a higher power, but that could wait. A few choice words to some religious figure would not help them avoid sinking. The captain kept his march steady towards the praying man. All the while, the sailor kept his prayer steady.

“I, your humble servant, beseech your protection from harm. Those who would besmirch your ocean and cause harm to those within it.”

Another cannonball hit the ship. This one came from the front. The captain paused to bark out a few more orders to the sailors who were willing to work. The prayers of the man were getting louder and faster.

“I offer you this token to show my oath, my service, and my dedication.” The praying sailor tossed the object he held, a large coin, over the side of the ship. “I beg your aid now, in my time of need. Please, come forth, oh mighty Leviathan!”

                The captain paused. Something happened when the man said that name. An echo of...something issued forth from the man’s mouth. A stillness came over the wind and waves. The captain was not sure if he imagined it or not, but it was like even the enemy ships had paused.

                And then the ocean erupted.

                A massive column of water burst upwards, taking one of the smaller attack ships with it. The craft shot into the air before dashing against the waves. A vast shadow moved under the water. Bigger than any whale, it moved like a serpent under the water. A massive, monstrous head emerged under one of the attackers, jaws large enough to swallow the small ship whole enclosed around it.

                The sailors stopped to watch the sight. The beast’s scales were the color of the ocean at night. Fins larger than sails emerged from its back and teeth larger than swords lined its mouth. Yellow eyes larger than any man roved the battlefield. The enemy ships, both large and small, were doing the sensible thing and turning to flee. The man who had apparently summoned the massive beast was bowing with his head to the deck of the ship.

                The sea serpent slid back under the water. Another small ship was destroyed, this time by a large fin that rose up under it. The fine cut through the wood as effectively as a blade. The final small vessel was destroyed by the massive beast’s tail, which rose up in front of it and came down like a hammer.

                The larger ships were still in the process of turning when the beast’s attention turned to them. They only lasted longer than the smaller ships by virtue of being father away. It took only minutes for all of them to be sunk.

                Once the task was done, the sea serpent rose, looked at their ship for a moment, and faded into the water as if it was never there. The captain’s heart raced as he carefully looked over the side of the ship, where he saw nothing but the water.

                “The request fulfilled, the boon given.” The sailor said in prayer. “The offering made shall be given, the oath completed, upon my return to that which I call home. I give my thanks to great Leviathan, guardian of the sea and all the reside there.”

                The prayer finished, the man rose. He turned and faced the captain, who stared at the man with an open mouth.

                “All finished there, captain.” The man said. “If you don’t mind, sir, I’ll be getting back to my duties now.”

                The captain stared for a moment, shook his head, cleared his throat, and addressed the man as if nothing had happened.

                “Very good. See that you do.”

                The man went about his tasks without a care in the world. The captain, all the men on board, had a list of questions a mile long. Not one of them asked. They had no idea how to even begin asking. How does one bring up the subject of a man able to summon a god?  

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Respect the ocean everyone. You have no idea what might be lurking beneath the waves.