by Mary Ting
Fire blistered through my veins, and the wings I tried to hide fanned out without my command.
“Do you know where Cyrus took her?” I almost choked Clarissa to get the answer out of her. She was taking too freakin’ long to answer.
Clarissa bristled again, her eyes wide with terror this time. “Cyrus has demons watching my brother. I’m sorry, Eli.”
“Sorry for what?” I roared. Then I noted Mortem was no longer by my side. Where the hell did he go?
“Cyrus,” Clarissa whimpered, her voice hardly audible.
I spun. Strong hands gripped my neck and lifted me off my feet as the pungent scent of rotting flesh stung my nose. Ominous, glowing crimson eyes met mine. Dark, distorted flesh replaced his human skin. His hideous demon form, one I hadn’t seen in a long while, appeared.
“You think I’m a fool, Eli? Every step you took, I was one ahead of you.” His words rattled through my bones.
“Where’s my mother?” I croaked. “I know she’s alive, you sick bastard.”
“You want to see your mother, Eli?” His expression turned wicked. “Why didn’t you ask? Let’s go see her right now.”
Cyrus’s inky wings enveloped me, pushing us through time and space. When we landed, I jostled around in his wings and fell smack on the snow when he released me. I shivered in the frosty air, and the icy wind nipped at my flesh.
I’d thought we’d come alone, but Clarissa had joined us. Willingly or forced, I didn’t care. Cyrus peered down at me. I scrambled up and glanced around for an escape route, but only fallen snow covered the mountain top.
“I thought you were taking me to see my mother? Why are we here?” I demanded. The frozen wind howled and burned my skin. I allowed the inhuman part of me to give me warmth so at least I would have a fighting chance.
“We’re here to see your mother and the Snow Queen. A perfect place for me to keep my eyes on them. No one dares to visit this side of the Alps.” Cyrus stomped forward, leaving melted footprints in the snow, heated by the flames of Hell.
Clarissa and I trudged behind him. We struggled up and around the mountain on a trail wrapping endlessly around, until we finally came upon a castle made of ice or crystal. Layers of snow covered it, but it seemed like something you would see in a fairytale. An enormous tower punched through the clouds, and Cyrus’s demons swirled around the castle like a swarm of bees. Their black wings contrasted against the sheet of serene white.
When we finally entered, silence filled the air. With every breath, mist floated out of my mouth like the ghosts of words. There was no sign of life, no evidence anyone lived there—no furniture, no photos, just an empty hall of clear crystal.
We went up the grand stairway, veered right, and down the long corridor. There. Overlooking a beautiful view of white mountain peaks, someone that resembled my mother sat with her knees tucked in.
My heart took a dive off the balcony. Was it really her? My mother, the strong warrior I’d always known sat alone, fragile and defeated. Fiery red light glowed around her. I bristled, blinking and blinking, wondering if the vision before me was real.
Mortem might have fed me lies. He had always wanted to be Cyrus’s favorite, to rule by his side. If he did fool me, he would be by my side gloating, but he was missing. So where was he?
I didn’t know who I could trust anymore. Clarissa was worried about her brother, understandably, but I needed her to be more helpful. The entire island was at stake. And the world.
“Eli?” The lady stood, her eyes teary, her expression excited and somber at the same time. “Is that really you?”
I cautiously approached her, and then a jolt of recognition awakened in my blood, one only my mother’s magic bond could produce. But even then, I was so sure it was a final trick. Cyrus always lied, and I’d be an idiot to trust my senses.
“My mother is dead,” I said coldly, glaring at her. “You’re just an illusion.”
The lady blinked, hurt flickering in her eyes.
“I assure you, Eli. She is real.” Cyrus gave me a cunning grin, pacing in front of her.
“Then where’s the Snow Queen?” I asked coolly. “Surely this is her castle.”
“Why don’t you ask your mother how she killed the Snow Queen?” I wanted to cut off his head so I didn’t have to see that hideous smirk.
Clarissa gasped, backing away and covering her mouth with her hands as if she was afraid of what would escape her throat.
I rolled my eyes. “You think I’m a fool, Cyrus.”
“No! I thought you were smarter, but I’ve given you too much credit, Eli.” Cyrus’s eyes flashed of evil and death, his smile dripping with malice. “Do you truly not know?”
Know what?
Cyrus waved his hand about the prison. The sizzling red light dimmed and vanished, and the lady looked so real. And so like her. He wouldn’t actually take me to see my mother, would he? He’d never give me something I wanted so badly.
“Eli,” she whimpered, tears streaming down her face. Extending her bound wrists outward, she stumbled toward me. “It’s me. Your mother. Cyrus didn’t kill me. He healed me and locked me up. He made you believe I was dead, and he told me you were—” She sobbed harder.
When she embraced me, every fiber of my being felt her. It knew her. I recognized her, her smell, the feel of her hug—soothing and calming. I could never forget my mother’s hugs. She pulled back and placed her hands on my cheeks to meet my gaze. She examined my nose, lips, my hair, every inch of me.
“You’ve grown the past years. You’re not a little boy anymore. Your father would be so proud. I missed you so much.”
I didn’t know what to say, as I tried to blink away my tears. She was not an illusion.
She was real.
My mother. My Mother. MY MOTHER. She’s alive! My heart pounded from too much sadness and happiness. Confusion filled my mind, and then clarity replaced it. Cyrus kept my mother alive and had reunited us.
I didn’t know how to process it all. I wanted to hug her, to apologize for the time lost, for giving up so soon. Had I even thought about following Cyrus, I might have found her sooner—or at least known she was alive. Fury drove me to do something reckless and stupid.
I transformed into my demon form and punched Cyrus’s face with every bit of rage in my blood.
Chapter 26
Lucia
Zach and I had our wings and shields up for the impact, protecting our friends. Demons charged when we entered. I had fought many demons in my lifetime, but never had I seen a horde that size in one vicinity. It was like being inside an ant hill.
Midnight black wings and crimson eyes headed for us from every direction. They were not the only problem. The ground rumbled harder and faster and began to shift and split. Lava crashed against the giant boulders, spilling over the boundary, completely taking over what was once a path. And some spewed from the cracks, creating mini volcanoes.
For a moment I panicked and froze, but my angel instincts and defense mode shook me awake. I worried about our team, but being supernatural, they climbed the rocky walls. Brody kept his word and held Jack in his strong arms, carrying him across the wall like a spider.
Zach flew high, leading demons to follow him to their demise. Our plan was to split up and search higher for Cyrus while the others fought off the demons on the ground level. Sparks from clashing swords caught my eye. I worried about Jack, but I had to move forward.
I soared faster and higher. No sign of Eli, Cyrus, Mortem, Clarissa, or… Something wasn’t right. Why would Cyrus not be there to gloat unless he had the treasure? The ground shook again. Rocks from the cavern walls hurled at me as if someone threw them with a slingshot. Then they showered down like pelting rain. Forced to take cover, I dropped down to an empty area where the lava hadn’t touched yet.
Open cages filled the space from ground to ceiling. So many children turned demons. Acid filled my throat. We had no choice but to kill them unless Cyrus died first. We had to find Cyr
us.
The ground trembled again, and pockets of lava spurted out around me. I expanded my folded wings and got ready to leap, and then I felt him. Indignation replaced my sadness, and without thought, I whipped around and drove my sword into Mortem’s chest. My sword met only rock.
“Lucia,” he roared. “Listen…”
I tuned him out, refusing to hear what he had to say. Nothing good, indeed. He would say things to confuse me, to trick me. He had killed my friend when we were on a mission in New York City. I would never forget the monster. I would never forget his stench, reeking like a rotting soul.
Mortem blocked my punch to his face, but he didn’t give one back. I somersaulted over him and kicked him behind his knee. When he fell, I plunged my sword, aiming for his gut, but he transformed into a black mist. Eli came to my mind. The thought of him cost me. The sock to my stomach flung me against a ledge high above. I tumbled down, hitting jagged rocks like a pinball.
I flipped over when I thudded on the ground, sword out, expecting Mortem to be on my tail, but he stood several feet away.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said, sounding genuine.
“Liar,” I seethed, flexing my fingers to will my light. Mortem had run out of time. With enough of my light, I could zap him from existence. How satisfying that would be—to take my revenge for him killing my friend and so many others.
Mortem dropped his sword, his hands up to surrender. “I’m not lying.”
“What are you doing? Pick up your sword.” Our handbook stated when a demon surrendered with its weapon down, we were not to terminate, but to bring them in. “Pick up your sword, Mortem,” I demanded.
“You’re running out of time. Cyrus has Eli, his mother, and the Snow Queen.”
I almost keeled over. Cyrus had Eli, that I understood, but… “Ikelia is dead. I saw her die with my own eyes. And why do you care so much for Eli?”
“I don’t have time to explain. If you don’t come with me, you’ll never see Eli again. But Ikelia lives. Eli and I astral traveled back to confirm.”
I scoffed. “You expect me to believe Eli trusted you to travel back to the past together? You must think I’m gullible.”
“You’re not taking my sister anywhere.” Zach landed behind me, his bow lighting up like Heaven’s light. He must have been listening from above somewhere, spying, ready to make his move.
Spread out around us, Brody, Jack, Milani, and Abel appeared out of breath. Their baffled glances bounced from Mortem to me to Zach, and no one seemed sure what to do.
“Lucia. More of my father’s friends are here,” Brody said. “They’re pushing back the demons, but they’re also leaving. My dad told us to find you and Zach. We have to get out of here. The mountain is collapsing.”
“It’s all right. We have a few seconds.” I placed out my hand to reassure them. I had to act fast. The splitting ground spat out more lava, and chunks of the mountain fell between Mortem and me. “Mortem claims Ikelia is alive. He wants me to go with him to help Eli, his mother, and the Snow Queen.”
“He’s telling you the truth, Lucia.” Milani appeared next to me.
I took a heartbeat to consider her words. Milani wouldn’t lie to me. “How do you know?”
“Because.” Her lips stretched to her eyes. I had never seen such a bright smile from her as I did then. “My mother lives. Ikelia lives. And the Snow Queen is going to kick Cyrus back to Hell.”
“Ikelia lives? Your mother lives?” I murmured. Bliss filled my soul. There couldn’t be happier news. I wanted to know more details, but that would have to wait. With the newfound revelation, I had no choice but to trust Mortem. I would deal with him later. “Mortem, take us to Cyrus. If you lead us to a trap, so help me, I will kill you without hesitation.”
Mortem snarled. “I’m only taking you if you promise to let me go free when it’s over.”
“No,” I clipped. “You need to turn yourself in.”
“No deal, then. I can go freely now. Why should I give a damn what happens to everyone else?”
“Hurry. We need to help Eli, Lucia,” Abel warned, eyes flashing amber.
“Fine,” I growled. “It’s a deal. Take us.”
“An angel’s word is to be kept,” Mortem reminded. “You can’t take it back.”
“I know, moron. Hurry before I change my mind.” I flapped my wings as I hovered above the river of lava that had replaced the ground.
Mortem created a portal, and flurries of snow blasted through. The snow gave me an idea, but first we had to save too many beings. God help us. Angels help us. And where were Uncle Davin and the Venators?
Chapter 27
Davin
After I finally got approval from the Elders, I gathered our team and prepared for battle. As soon as I entered Earth’s atmosphere, Caleb to the right of me, the demons attacked. Not teenaged demons, but demons from Hell. Their crimson eyes stood out from the black hole where their faces should be. Inky black cloaks masked their skeletal bodies. They had known we would come. We anticipated that they would.
“Did you miss me?” I mocked the demons surrounding us. “You couldn’t wait until we landed. You had to be right in our faces. At least take a bath. You stink like rotten cheese.”
They hissed, the deafening sound shrill in my ears. A gust of wind almost knocked me sideways and exposed the demons’ bodies more than necessary.
“For crying out loud, keep your clothes on and try not to scare me.” I inched closer, talking to confuse the leader approaching. The others waited for its command. “I don’t particularly like bony things.”
I threw a small weapon at the leader. He watched it sail over his head. He smirked in delight.
“Idiot,” he growled.
“So you do have a voice after all. What are you going to say when…wait…wait for it…” Stupid demon had no idea I used a new weapon Austin had created—a sharp circular blade surrounded the wooden handle in the middle. Boomerang, he had called it.
The demon’s bellow bounced from cloud to cloud when the boomerang sliced through half his body.
“I think they missed you too much?” Caleb teased, his bow flaming in silvery light, ready to attack. “Look how many are ready to touch your greatness.”
“I do agree with you there.”
The demons hissed, obviously not liking our humor and the fact that I just killed their leader. Déjà vu. We had been in that situation before. Vivian stood outside the circle of demons and tossed an oversized boomerang, double the size of mine. It sliced through the skeletal bodies circling us, but that was just the beginning. It was chaos.
“Nice shot, Vivian,” I praised. “But you missed one.” I ducked and stabbed my sword through its ribs and moved away to swing at the ones waiting for us.
“I didn’t miss one. I left it for you.” Vivian winked and veered to the right, blocking a demon’s blow.
How I missed my old team. Michael and Claudia were to stay in Halo City and direct the other Venators. It seemed Cyrus had other points of attack besides Hawaii. England, China, Japan, Australia, Spain, Canada, and a few others were being heavily invaded.
Venators and the children turned demon hunters battled in tight formations led by top officers. White and black twisted in the air. From below, to a human, we looked like a tornado. After we successfully killed the demons in the air, Vivian, Caleb, and I took the front and led the demon hunters to land.
“Angels above,” Vivian gasped as we neared the mountain. “There’s no place to land. It’s all covered. It’s gone.”
“Lucia and Zach? They—”
“They’re not here.” My angel instincts told me they were nowhere near Hawaii. I had to trust them and find them as soon as we had things settled. “It’s not too late. We can stop the volcano from spreading.”
“First, we need to go through that.” Vivian pointed with her sword, slowing down.
A massive black beast surged toward us, only it wasn’t one demon. I raised my s
word in the air, glowing like the birth of a new star. A signal. A warning. Full battle mode.
“Vivian, I have an idea. Tell your general to take the teens. Tell them to surround the island and either flap their wings or use their breath to blow the lava to the ocean. It’s the only way I can think to prevent it from spreading further to the land.”
“Good idea. On my way. I’ll come back if you need me.” With that, she veered away.
“Ready, Caleb? Like good old times. Let’s show them what we’ve got.”
“Right by your side, Davin. You’re the bomb.”
I chuckled lightly. “Love you, man.” The words escaped so freely. We were taught to keep our emotions at bay, but somehow being on Earth, being surrounded by overly stimulated hormonal kids all the time, I had let loose. It felt good to express my feelings.
Caleb, who never showed his emotions, said tautly, “Love you too.” He coughed. “Man.” It sounded almost like a question.
My heart melted. I even smiled. I let my sword glow brighter, a green light for the Venators behind us to attack.
“To the end!” I shouted.
The demons engulfed us at first, blocking out the little sunlight that managed to peek through. Ashes floated like drifting snow from the volcano, and we added more when we killed the demons.
The clanking of swords in the air flashed like blinking light bulbs in the dark. Caleb and I floated back to back, swinging our swords while watching each other’s back. In the mass of chaos and confusion, sheets of black demons stood out from the alabaster angel wings and glowing swords. When the demons died, they crumbled to ashes, but when a Venator died, they floated to the clouds.
I hated looking up, afraid to see many that had lost their lives.
“Caleb. You think you’ve got this? I need to find Lucia and Zach. They’re off course. I have a feeling they’re with Cyrus,” I shouted above the war battle cries and sounds.
“I’ve got this. Go. Be careful. Godspeed.”