by Cate Corvin
Melisande held the spear away as she leaned in to kiss me. The bond between us lit up, washing the darkness inside me with pure light, the tenacity of something more than a simple angel.
I’d seen what she was in the orb. Her energy reflected it, even if her body didn’t.
Then she turned on her heel and strode to the balcony, spreading her wings and leaping off the edge of Blackchapel.
As soon as she left, the creature in me stirred again.
We’re hungry.
I sent several smoky birds from my fingertips, each carrying a message. They would repeat my warnings to the others- that the Between wasn’t meant for us. It’d once been the passage of gods… and monsters. But I wasn’t worried about myself.
If we were going to make it through, I needed to be at my strongest for the one who mattered the most to me.
Druzila was curled against the wall, her knees pulled in against her chest. Her face was contorted as she tried to cry silently. “Just one more chance,” she whispered, looking up at me through red-rimmed eyes.
Feed us. Protect the one we love.
“You should’ve left when you had the chance,” I said.
22
Melisande
I knew there was no way they would say no.
Not when I had the Spear, freshly forged and gleaming new in my hands. And not when I told them we could be there in days instead of weeks.
Tascius held my shoulders, keeping a careful distance from the Spear. “Azazel sent a bird just ahead of you. He said it was very dangerous. Are you sure you want to do this?”
I nodded, almost unable to speak.
The end was so far away, and yet so close.
Belial had already agreed on the way home from Wayland. I knew he’d support me wherever I wanted to go, even if it was into the furthest depths of Hell. The Between was just another day for him.
“Like I told Azazel, everything is dangerous. But if it means ending this and getting them back, what’s a little danger?”
“‘What’s a little danger’?” Tascius repeated, closing his eyes. Silvery light drifted off him, the antithesis of the Spear’s golden light. “Right. Let’s do this, friend.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, rising up to kiss him. I knew he’d have faith in me. We’d come this far, and we’d keep going, no matter what.
“I’m going with you.”
Haru’s sharp voice rang through the arena. I turned around, still in Tascius’s arms, and found the kitsune standing only feet away.
He wore a red kimono and black hakama, his sleeves finally pulled up to hide his lean physique. He’d tied his deep red hair in a ponytail, but his ears were perked straight up, his amber eyes narrowed.
“You don’t have to go, Haru.” I tried to sound gentle, but if the Between was that terrible and he died, I’d have the guilt of it on my chest forever, especially knowing he did it just for Vyra.
“I do.” He didn’t say anything else, just spun on his heel and headed to the armory.
Michael jumped off the upper balcony as Haru strode away and hit the floor next to us. He gave the Spear a sidelong look. “I’m going, too. I haven’t felt a hint of Raphael here in Dis, so if he’s in Hell, it’s somewhere else.”
“It’s not a cavalcade,” I snapped, but Tascius laid a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently.
“The more firepower we have, the better a chance we stand,” he murmured. “If Michael comes, we’ve got two archangels against Lucifer.”
I looked up at him, searching his blue eyes, but there wasn’t so much as a hint of reproach there.
There was every chance Lucifer would attack us. The Morningstar was deadly enough to match another Prince; Tascius was right. We needed strong people on our side.
“Fine. I’m going to get prepared; Azazel will be here soon, and he’ll show us how to get there.”
I brought the Spear with me, even though no one else would be able to touch it. That was the problem in itself; if I wasn’t paying attention to it every second, I might accidentally touch one of them with it. Even a brush could be deadly.
I found a thick leather bag in my dresser and slid it over the pronged points, tightening it carefully, then wrapped the shaft. It wasn’t much protection, but it was better than nothing.
Then I pulled on a fresh set of demon-leather armor and went to Vyra’s room. She’d always been working on something for me, ‘fashion imbued with death’, as she called it.
I inhaled her spun sugar scent as I pulled open a chest in the middle of her work area, knocking over a half-clad wire model in the process.
Here was where she kept armor; bits and pieces of it were scattered inside the chest, but it was the golden gleam of chainmail that caught my eye.
I pulled it out, letting the links chime as it spilled downwards like a metallic waterfall. It was a full cuirass that would cover a small woman from chest to knee, but the protection was right where I needed it: over my heart and abdomen. I couldn’t forget for a second that Sarai would always be in danger.
I pulled it over my armor, fastening the buckles that would hold it in place, and ran my hands over the lightweight links.
“There’s a spell on that.”
I whirled around and found Michael standing in the doorway, bracing himself with a hand on either side. His golden eyes bored into me.
“Do you want me to come, or not?” he asked. “You’re a sister of mine, in a way, but I get the sense that you don’t like me very much.”
I licked my dry lips. What could I say? He’d done nothing but prove himself trustworthy since we found him, but my experience with archangels had always been… less than pleasant.
“It’s not you,” I finally said. “It’s just an automatic reaction. Gabriel trained me too well, I think.” I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my voice. Gabriel had taught me to hate the archangels down to my very core.
Michael’s fingers flexed on the door frame. “Well. I can’t speak for my brothers, but I can promise you I’ll do whatever I can. Tascius is my brother-in-arms. I can’t let him go alone, but I don’t want to… uh… encroach.”
I couldn’t help but smile. He was trying so hard, and the whole time he’d been helping us, training Tascius to accept what he was now, I’d been pushing him away as one of them.
“It’s fine. Really. If Raphael is as good as you say, then he deserves to be found. Heaven’s going to need both of you if it ever wants to be a place worth fighting for.” I looked away, not wanting to say what I really thought.
That I feared he’d take Tascius with him. Hell was no place for an archangel.
Michael nodded slowly. “Okay. Good. Fine. By the way- the spell is to deflect any sword. Your friend knows her work.”
I looked back up at him. He was gazing around her room with curiosity, taking in all the pink and glitter with an expression of bemusement.
“She’s a very happy, sparkly person,” I said defensively.
Michael gave me a skeptical look. “As long as you don’t let her dress me.”
I followed him out, giving Vyra’s room one last, wistful look. We’re coming, my beautiful best fucking friend.
“There’s the problem,” I told Michael, grabbing my Spear from my room as we made our way to the armory. “She’s not really going to give you a choice.”
Azazel met us in a swirl of smoke, looking far less peaky than he’d looked when I found him earlier.
In fact, he was absolutely vibrant, his violet eyes gleaming.
A faint suspicion occurred to me, but I kicked it away. I knew what he was. I knew, and I’d made my choice. I couldn’t change him any more than I could change myself.
“I made a back-up plan for us,” he said, holding out his hand to reveal four silver amulets, each inscribed with harsh markings. “The quick way out, if you will. These will open a portal right into the heart of Blackchapel, but with a catch- they won’t work in the Between. Only in Irkalla.”
&nb
sp; Belial and I each picked up our own amulets, and Azazel raised an eyebrow. “I only made enough for the four of us,” he said, glancing at Haru and Michael. “If you’re coming, you’ll need to stay with one of us at all times.”
Haru shrugged. “I’m not going anywhere without her, amulet or not. I don’t need a safety net.”
He was looking more feral by the minute, his tails flicking with agitation, nails lengthened into claws.
Michael scratched his nose. “I’m good.” The archangel was clutching an unopened bottle of whiskey. Belial narrowed his eyes at him, but Michael was studiously looking in another direction.
“That’s what you’re bringing instead of armor?” I demanded.
He winked. “Just as good as a weapon in a pinch, sister.”
God help us.
Azazel gave the last amulet to Tascius. “Put these around your necks and repeat after me. Do not say it while the amulet is in your hand.” For some reason, he fixed Belial with a slit-eyed look when he said this. Belial put the necklace on, looking as innocent as possible. “A’kaza sothoth Dis.”
We all repeated it obediently until we had it memorized.
“Once the portals open, you have five seconds until they close. Do not use them unless you have no other choice, or once we have Vyra and Lucifer. Seriously, Melisande.” It was my turn to be pinned by his sharp stare. “Leave Satan behind if you have to. They’re the most important ones.”
I nodded. Like Hell I would waste an opportunity to escape if I got my hands on either one of them.
We were ready. There was nothing else to do but put off the inevitable, and I was done wasting time.
“Will Dis be okay with both of you gone?” I asked Belial. He was bristling with weapons, and helped me buckle a harness around my chest, rigging it to hold the Spear on my back. Then he knelt down, sliding thin boot knives into place on me, strapping them to my thighs, and sliding one into my belt.
He rose up to his full height and kissed me deeply, his lips soft and warm. “They’ll be fine.”
Days was better than weeks, but still, Dis was in a fragile state as it was. “You sure?”
“Lucifuge Rofocale was elected Prime Minister only hours ago,” Tascius said. “Prince Abaddon has already agreed to be the liaison if the Circles need anything from Wrath, and Adranos is willing to keep an eye out for us.”
It seemed Fate had aligned exactly right to shove us out the door and into the unknown.
Which didn’t bode well, in my opinion. In my experience, when Fate seemed to be pointing in one specific direction like the way was free and clear… well, that meant it was time to bunker down and weather the storm.
And we’d all been sure a storm was coming.
“This is it, then,” I breathed, talking to myself, but Azazel was suddenly in front of me. He touched me under the chin with two fingers, tilting my head up.
“You can stay.” He said it hopefully, as if I’d be willing to pull off all this armor and sit on my ass, waiting for them to come home.
Fuck that. This was my destiny, my fight.
“I can’t.”
He inclined his head, even though his expression wasn’t happy. His fingers slid around to the back of my neck, touching the mate mark and sending his emotions through to me louder than ever.
His worry and terror that something might go wrong.
“Nothing will go wrong,” I said quietly, as though I could will it into being true. “We’ll get them back and we’ll kill this motherfucker.”
Azazel’s smile was sad. “Yes.”
Tascius strapped an enormous broadsword to his back. “So, Azazel. Point the way.”
My Watcher gave everyone a cool look. “It’ll take everything I have just to open the Between, but I’ll take us this far.”
Oh, fuck.
My stomach lurched and I gripped his arm as the world shifted around us, clinging to anything around me to stay stable. A moment later, the lurching stopped, and the world went back to normal, even though my stomach was still flipping around.
Belial and Michael both swore, and Haru’s tails were puffed up to three times their normal already-substantial size.
My head swam as a hot breeze swept over us. Azazel had moved the six of us through time and space, right into the middle of the wastelands. Black sand crunched underfoot as everyone shifted around, getting their bearings and glaring at Azazel on occasion.
“Did you all forget that assassins are after our mate?” Azazel said icily. “Or did you want to parade her through the streets and let everyone know she’s going to be out in the wilderness without defense?”
Belial swept his hand through his hair, still scowling. “No, we’re good. Just do whatever the fuck you want before asking. That’s fine.”
I looked around the dunes. The spires of Dis were barely visible in the distance, and the dune tops were empty.
If anyone followed us into the Between, they’d have to be crazy.
On the other hand… most demons were.
23
Melisande
In the end, half of us flew, and half of us ran.
Haru shifted just like Belial, but he became an enormous fox, large enough for one demon to ride. All of his tails were present, waving gleefully as he raced across the sand like a rusty comet.
I imagined he was feeling the same relief I was, the driving force to get out there and do what called to us.
Belial rolled his eyes and became a lion, kneeling for me. “RIDE, ANGEL. DON’T WASTE YOUR STRENGTH.”
Instead of arguing, I climbed up between his shoulder blades as Azazel, Tascius, and Michael took flight. Every morning and night I fed a little more healing magic to my wing, but there was no point in taking risks when I’d need my strength more than ever in Irkalla.
I gripped two handfuls of his silky mane as he plunged forward, only steps behind Haru. With the others gliding on the air currents above us, we made for a very interesting assortment, but we ate up the desert with wings and paws.
“We head towards the mountains and turn south,” Azazel instructed. He was a wisp of smoke, but his form twisted until he was a raven, black wings shading us from the endless sun. His beak flashed as he spoke. “Pluto’s Gate will take us into the Between.”
Even as a raven, he didn’t sound happy about the plan. But we were out here, and there was no going back.
The Spear thudded against my back with every step Belial took, but it was a comforting rhythm, a reminder that I held a weapon that could destroy just about any demon in Hell. As long as I kept my hands on it.
As long as Lucifer didn’t try his best to kill me again.
After several hours of running, Haru had finally slowed and was keeping pace with Belial. The others floated overhead, and Azazel drifted between us all.
“Listen to me carefully,” he said, the croak of a raven’s tones in his voice. “The Between will play with your mind, twist it like putty until you don’t know what’s real and what isn’t. It is a place of the memories of the gods.”
“We stay together,” Tascius said firmly.
“It’s not enough.” The raven made a harsh, disapproving sound. “Once you step inside, you cannot leave until you’ve passed through entirely. There is no turning back. Everything is twisted in the Between, because it was never meant for us.”
Haru flicked his tails, showing a flash of teeth. “Don’t tell me twice, old man.”
Azazel just rolled his eyes, his beak snapping. “You will see for yourselves. Good luck to you, if you think you can handle it alone.”
I sat up a little straighter, even though the hot wind whipped my face and brought tears to my eyes. “Bad time to start fighting, everyone. If we’re going to make it through the Between, listen to Azazel and don’t get cocky.”
The raven overhead let out a rasping laugh. “It’s cocky just to imagine you can pass through.”
I smiled at him, even though I didn’t feel much like smiling at all. “
Let’s call it blind faith.”
He swooped low, brushing the top of my head with his wingtips in a soft caress, and soared back up into the sky. “Don’t believe anything your eyes show you. The memories can’t hurt you, but getting lost… well, you will never see the real world again.”
I nodded, taking his words to heart.
Evening fell, and still we ran. The sand eventually became rocky soil, and we were forced to slow. Even with Belial’s rapid healing, the cuts to his paw pads would leave a trail of blood behind, and no one wanted to see what might be hungry enough to sniff us out.
I shifted my seat, adjusting with the roll of his shoulders. “I can fly,” I said quietly, leaning forward to stroke the edge of his ear. It was soft as silk, tickling my palm.
Belial snorted and flicked his tail, almost setting fire to Haru. The kitsune snarled and hopped away, casting a venomous glare his way.
“YOU WEIGH NOTHING,” my Prince informed me. “LIKE A FLEA.”
“Thank you for that comparison.”
“YOU’RE WELCOME.”
I sat back, scrubbing my fingers through his fur to scratch him. His purr was as loud as thunder.
“Will you shut it?” Azazel asked with asperity. Belial dropped his timbre, but he didn’t let up with the purr. Maybe he knew I liked it, the gentle roar that vibrated right into my bones.
Both Tascius and Michael dropped low, the wind from their wingbeats sending my hair flying back, but it was necessary.
With the sun gone and the shadows deepening, they both gave off a clear glow. Tascius was pale silver, and Michael was hot, red light, both of them essentially flying beacons.
Hours later, they finally dropped to the ground on Azazel’s command. Belial paused, waiting patiently as the Watcher shifted back into his usual form.
“We go on foot from here,” Azazel said, his tone now crisp instead of croaking. “The angels are too bright, and I’d rather not put out a welcome mat for any intruders.”
I nodded, but the spot between my shoulder blades was beginning to prickle with a warning sign.