by Leia Stone
I looked toward Aurelia again, the only Lumen who had the power to shut the portals, but she was surrounded. The demons seemed to have targeted her, purposefully keeping her busy so she couldn’t close the portals anytime soon.
But I hadn’t been noticed yet.
Setting my sights on the closest portal, I started toward it, only to have a figure drop out of the sky and land in front of me. Jacob tucked his golden wings behind him as he straightened.
“What are you doing?” he yelled at me.
I gestured to the portal behind him. “I’m going to see if I can help.”
“No.” He stuck his hands out to stop me. “You have to get to Avalon. You haven’t ascended yet. This isn’t a normal demon-Lumen brawl. This is all-out war. They’re here to stop you from getting your powers.”
“Exactly why you need my help,” I growled, ready to shove him out of the way if I needed. “This is all my fault.”
The rest of my Lumen friends appeared. Marlow, Skye, and Dash were all armed to the teeth. There was a streak of red blood marring Skye’s perfect face, but besides that the rest of them looked unharmed.
“What are you doing, Tatum? Get in there,” Marlow said to me.
I grunted in frustration. We didn’t have time to argue.
“I want to try to shut the portals,” I quickly explained.
Marlow tilted her head in interest and Skye nodded.
“It might work,” Skye said. “She opened one from the Netherworld back to Earth with some portal mojo. Maybe she can close portals too?”
I glanced to Dash, but he was watching for threats.
“With us guarding her, we could give her a chance to try,” Marlow added.
That’s right, girls stick together.
“They’ll just open another one,” Jacob yelled.
“But it takes them time. Time we need to win the battle,” Marlow growled. “They’ve probably been working on these three portals all night long in the Netherworld.”
Jacob snarled. “Fine,” he relented. “I’ll protect you from the air. The rest of you fan out around her.” He then took off without any further argument. When I looked up, I noticed over a dozen shadowy flying demons.
Crap.
With a round of nods, we all fell into position. It was harder to get close to a portal than I expected. Demons, mostly levels fives and sixes from the looks of them, attacked en masse as we pushed forward.
Marlow used double pickaxes in each hand, both lit with Lumen energy as she slashed out a path for us forward. She sliced through the demons with the help of Skye and some random fellow hunters I didn’t recognize.
Skye used a semi-automatic crossbow to defend the group, letting bolts loose on demons in the air and on the ground, careful to avoid Jacob.
I pulled my blade free and held it before me, ready to defend myself if charged at.
We moved forward as one cohesive unit. A guttural battle cry rang out to my right and I turned just in time to see that it was Dash. He held twin daggers and went after the higher-level demons, leaving the smaller shadow demons for Marlow to take care of. When the daggers couldn’t get the job done, Dash used his fists and raw strength alone. It was brutal but effective. His tattoos swirled and glowed every time his fist landed a punch.
It took at least five minutes to get in front of the portal. By that time, the courtyard was overrun with demons. My eyes watered from the combination of sulfur, smoke, and ash pouring from the open mouth of the churning portal.
“You’re up,” Marlow called over her shoulder to me.
Now that I was close, I could see the distant Shadow City gates and steaming lava ruins of the Netherworld in the center of the portal, beyond the swirls of red and black magic. My heart squeezed at the sight of Shadow City. My mom was somewhere in that city, but now wasn’t the time to rescue her. I would need all my angelic powers to face whatever horrors the Netherworld was going to throw at me. That much had been made clear today. I was in no way ready for some big demon battle. I just hoped my mom understood that.
On the other side of the portal, a group of demons appeared in the distance, running toward us and snarling with angry expressions.
Sucking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes, relying on my friends around me for protection. I did what I could to center myself in the midst of the chaos around me, finding that well of energy inside that I’d tapped into before.
The same buzzing sensation I felt before rose to the surface and I welcomed it, melding with the magic even more fully than I had in the Netherworld. I felt a pulse of energy from the sanctuary building and wondered if I was somehow siphoning power from the portal there. The electric power flowed through my body like blood through my veins.
I smiled, knowing I had control, and then opened my eyes to see there was a slight golden glow haloing my entire body. Lifting my hands toward the portal in front of me, I directed my magic, holding back for a moment while it built, and then let it loose with a warrior’s cry.
The power I unleashed was so intense that it blew my hair backward. Streams of fire so dark purple it almost looked black shot from my palms and slammed into the center of the portal.
Holy crap. Purple fire was coming out of my hands!
Within seconds, my fire spread over the opening and licked around the edges, engulfing the passageway from the Netherworld completely. Tortured screams sounded from within the void, but I didn’t know what to make of that. Was my power blasting into the Netherworld and somehow the demons in it?
I hoped so.
Gritting my teeth, I threw all that I could into closing the portal. I didn’t know or understand how to control my gift, but through sheer willpower alone I was determined to stop any more demons from pouring into our world and attacking the Lumens.
My magic was part of me, and even though I’d only accessed it a couple of times before, I instinctually began to use it to do my bidding. But even knowing what my intent was, I let out a soft gasp of surprise when the portal actually started to slowly shrink.
“She’s doing it!” Skye shouted from somewhere behind me.
I resisted the urge to look back at her, and instead kept my gaze focused on my task. Before long, the portal was only the size of a basketball.
“Almost there,” I whispered to myself, and then a body dropped next to me.
Keeping my hands up and the purple fire focused on the portal, I glanced over to see a leather-winged demon stand to his full height. Two black horns jutted from his forehead. His skin was marbled, tan mixed with patches of dark fur, but his body was clearly that of a man. The only other mutation were the long claws that tipped each of his fingers.
Holy ugly bat demon from Hell! He was a level eight at least.
Ducking his head, the demon pointed the tips of his horns at my middle and prepared to ram me.
I quickly looked back and forth between the portal that I continued to pound with purple fire and the demon preparing to rush me. The passageway was almost gone, and not a single demon had slipped through since I’d first hit it with my power, but if I stopped what I was doing before it completely closed, would it open back up? On the other hand, if I didn’t defend myself against this demon, he was going to gut me.
A blur of gold dropped in front of me then.
“Sorry, I let this one through,” Jacob yelled, and then rushed the demon like a linebacker.
They clashed and went down together in a ball of limbs and wings. The black-winged demon went at Jacob with his claws at the same time Jacob hammered him in the face with his fists. Red and black blood spattered the ground around them. I couldn’t take my eyes off them until I caught Dash sprinting toward the pair. He’d help Jacob, so I didn’t need to worry.
I breathed a sigh of relief and returned my attention to the portal. It was barely the size of a baseball now and still shrinking. The moment before it disappeared completely, it exploded, as if putting up one final fight before shutting completely. The blast of energy t
hrew me and everyone else in the vicinity backward. I landed on my side a solid twenty feet from where I’d been standing. Pain shot up my arm and hip, which had cushioned my fall, but I hardly paid it any mind. Scrambling to my feet, I scanned the area, but the portal was gone.
“You did it!” Marlow shouted. There was a cut on her forehead that wet her black hair and dripped blood down the side of her face, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“But there’s still two more,” I said, pointing to the next closest portal. A steady stream of small level one and two demons slithered from the black and red vortex. That portal was spitting so much smoke I couldn’t even see the Netherworld beyond.
“You still have juice left in you?” Marlow asked.
“I think so.” My hands shook slightly, but I think it was from an adrenaline rush.
“Then let’s take care of those as well,” Jacob said as he limped toward us. He was covered in gashes and scratches but had a huge smile on his face. The demon he’d defeated lay on the ground behind him, a shriveled husk of skin and bone, which slowly turned to smoke, and after a moment dissipated into the air completely.
Gross.
“That was badass,” Dash said as he and Skye rejoined our group.
As a unit we limped, slashed, and fought our way toward the second portal. When we reached it, Marlow slew the smaller shadow demons that slithered out of the void, and then ducked out of the way for me to blast it with my purple fire once again.
Rather than my power waning, it seemed to multiply. It took half as long to shut this portal, as I was getting used to funneling the energy. The second portal exploded when it died as well, but I shouted a warning right before it happened and ducked. It knocked us off our feet, but at least we were ready for it. I landed on my back this time; the wind knocked out of me. I blinked up at the sky, seeing some flying demons and Lumens battling in the air as the clouds darkened.
Dash’s face appeared above me, his hood having been blown off his head from battle, his dark hair sweat dampened. The scar at his temple and chin looked dark red and angry. Reaching down, he hauled me to my feet and opened his mouth to say something, but claws clamped onto both of my shoulder plates and lifted me into the air. I gasped, catching only a glimpse of the shock splashed across Dash’s face as I was pulled skyward.
Some sort of two-headed demon beast had me in its grasp. One of the heads was a dragon and the other a horned goat. Its animal body was a mix of scales and fur.
I dangled from its hind legs as the demon flapped its giant bat-like wings and we shot skyward. In mere moments, we hovered over the top of the tallest Lumen building.
I looked down and caught a glimpse of a man standing on the opposite side of the street as the academy. Serpentine shadow demons wound around his torso. He stared straight up at me with a smirk on his lips.
Arthur.
The bastard. He knew this would happen and had come to Lumen Academy to what… watch the show?
I ripped my gaze off of Arthur when the beast flew even higher. I had limited mobility in my upper body but managed to grab the handle of the golden sword at my hip. Yanking it free, I jabbed wildly at the demon’s underbelly. A river of black blood splashed down on me when I sliced through its flesh. The smell was vile, and I struggled to keep myself from retching.
Stabbing it again, I sunk my blade deep into its flank. The creature shrieked and released its hold. And then I was free falling toward the ground.
A scream ripped from my throat. I was high enough that my body was going to splat like a blood bag when I reached the hard earth below.
Arms wrapped around me suddenly and I came to a jarring stop.
“Gotcha,” Dash said into my ear.
Looking over my shoulder, I took in his face and then the wings that arched behind him. I hadn’t really noticed his wings before, but now I took note they weren’t full white. Veins of gray weaved throughout each of them.
A flash of gold streaked by me as Jacob took off after the two-headed demon that had dropped me and, somehow, despite getting stabbed twice, still wasn’t dead.
Dash glided us safely to the ground near the third portal that I had yet to close. Marlow and Skye were already defending a space in front of it, ready for me to get to work.
The courtyard was a complete disaster. The battle raged all around us. Part of the community center was on fire, and there were plenty of injured lying on the ground, but it looked better than before—the odds were turning in our favor. Closing two of the portals had forced the demons to funnel through only one to enter our world, and that had to have helped.
“One to go. You got this!” Marlow shouted, and she was right. I did have this. I’d passed out after creating the portal back to Earth when I was in the Netherworld, and now I felt pure energy running through my veins. I glanced at the closed doors of the sanctuary and felt the tug of magic from deep inside. Being near the portal to Avalon was feeding my power somehow. I could sense it.
After having called on it twice today, I now had the feel of how to move the energy back and forth inside me, and how to focus it in one place before commanding it to leave me.
Standing before the black and red swirls, I blasted the third and last portal with everything I had. A torrent of dark purple fire shot from my hands straight for the vortex, ashing a few level one and two demons who got in the way. I definitely wasn’t sad about that.
Peace out, suckas.
I smiled as the portal started to shrink. It was working, we were going to do this.
I realized too late that my mental celebration was premature. Suddenly the portal bounced back to its original size, a force from within pressing back against my own magic, startling me. I lost control of my powers; the nearly black fire sputtered. From the smoky void, a bolt of dark lightning shot toward me, and I dove out of the way, hitting the ground face-first. Rolling over, I watched a figure emerge from the angry portal.
I felt his power smother me like a heavy blanket before the smoke dispersed enough to see his face clearly. His energy was dark and oppressive, pressing against me, making the fine hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stand on end.
He strode forward, muscled and at least seven feet tall, with a folded set of black feathered wings arching behind him. His face was handsome, almost spellbinding. He had light blond hair, piercing blue eyes that were ringed in black, and a sharp chin. He looked angelic.
My heart thumped in my chest, beating against my rib cage almost painfully.
I don’t know how I knew who he was, but I did.
Apollyon had arrived.
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
The ruler of the Netherworld, my father, strode forward. Thick black chains of smoke trailed behind him and wrapped around his feet as he walked.
Huh. That was interesting. Even the ruler of the Netherworld was chained? But why?
The demons must have felt the same dark power I had, but rather than being filled with revulsion, it whipped them into a frenzy.
I wanted to cover my ears against the shrieks and calls they made, but terror locked my muscles and joints.
Apollyon’s gaze trailed over the violence and carnage around him, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a wicked smile, one filled with bloodlust and pride.
Forcing myself to move, I scrambled to my feet, instinct telling me to run and hide. Despite the clashes between demons and Lumens throughout the courtyard, my actions caught his attention.
Oh crap.
“I think that’s above level ten,” Marlow squeaked next to me, looking down at the gadget in her hands. The light blinked wildly, and Error scrolled across the screen.
That’s definitely above a level ten, I wanted to say, but my vocal cords were knotted.
Apollyon’s gaze locked with mine and recognition flared in his eyes.
“Come with me, daughter. You don’t belong here. Your place is by my side.” Apollyon held out his hand, as if it were an offering, even though hi
s words were a clear command.
There were gasps as he outed me as his daughter. I glanced around, and any Lumen near me scattered. Even Marlow, Skye, and Dash took several steps back, their faces painted with a mixture of disbelief and horror.
Shame blanketed me. I wanted to disappear in that moment. The other master hunters and Lumens present didn’t yet know about my parentage. When I’d told Drea, she’d offered me nothing but unconditional support, but it was clear from the looks of fear and distrust from the Lumens around me that I wouldn’t get treated the same from everyone.
“You see how they react,” Apollyon said, poking at my insecurity. “You’ll never really be one of them. You’re mine.”
“You are one of us!” Drea shouted as she broke through a group of Lumens and ran toward me. “Don’t listen to his poisonous lies!”
Apollyon didn’t even look at Drea, he just held out his hand in her direction and then she went flying.
“Drea!” I lunged for my new best friend, but Jacob dropped from the sky and caught her before she could hit the wall.
The chains at Apollyon’s feet pulled taut. “Come with me now!” he commanded, his voice shaking the windows in the buildings that ringed the courtyard.
Aurelia, Theo, and one of the other master hunters were slowly moving to flank him. I was worried someone was going to get hurt. He could clearly toss people with a mere flick of the wrist, so why wasn’t he forcing me? And why wasn’t he stepping more than a few feet away from the portal? Maybe it was the chain.
“You have free will,” a familiar female voice shouted from deep inside the portal. “He can’t take you by force, but his demons can. Once you’re a Lumen, not even his demons will be allowed to drag you back to the Netherworld.”
I couldn’t see her, but I knew it was my mother. The blood drained from Apollyon’s face upon hearing her voice, which only strengthened my conviction that it was my mom.
“Mom!” I rushed forward, only making it a few feet before hands grasped my upper arms and yanked me back.
“No,” Dash growled in my ear.
“Come with me and I won’t hurt your mother.” Apollyon smiled a sadistic grin that said he had plans for her otherwise. The demons were closing in, and I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.