I scan the Enmity brother’s faces. Trav looks unconvinced, but some of the other guys are nodding slightly. It’s working.
“Then, there’s Walker. Yes, he’s a ghoul, but he serves us all selflessly. He built our new soul storage towers. Did you know that? No one does. Walker wouldn’t let us put his name on the buildings. Whatever Walker does, he’s a good man. That’s family of the soul.”
Now, almost all the Enmity brothers are nodding. I’m getting there.
“Then we get to heart. Here, I’ll talk about my own father. Dad chose imprisonment in Hell to save my mother from Armageddon. He did this because he loved her, but there was more to it than that. Dad knew Mom could lead Purgatory out of ghoul rule. He sacrificed himself in part so Mom could realize that potential. And all of us benefit from that love every day. That’s family of the heart.”
The clearing becomes quiet. Anticipation hangs in the air. Even Inferno is watching me carefully.
“Knowing that, how can you only define family as one thing? Lincoln’s my family. Walker’s my family. You’re my family. Families don’t raise armies against each other because we think we’ve been treated poorly. Families work through problems with their heart, mind, and soul.” I focus all my attention on Trav. “Now, what do you say?”
Trav stares into my eyes for a long minute. His features stay unreadable. Eons seem to eke by as I wait for his response.
“Brothers! Inferno!” Trav lifts his fist. “Raise the angels!”
My heart sinks to my toes.
Fuck fuck fuckity FUCK fuck.
Chapter 24
Trav’s words still ring in my ears. Brothers! Inferno! Raise the angels!
What happens next only takes a few seconds, but it unfolds much more slowly. It’s that ice cream falling off the table situation again, only where there was once ice cream, now insert evil molten angelic army.
Moving in unison, all the brothers stomp on their canopic jars.
I gasp. Stomping. What the WHAT?
Trav said he figured out how the gauntlets could raise all of the Brimstone Legion at once. But he also said that he and his brothers spent months draining Walker of healing magic. All that power from Walker is now jammed into those canopic jars. I can’t image how smashing them is a good thing.
Threads of blue power hover above the crushed remnants of the canopic jars. The thin cords twinkle with azure light. That’s Walker’s energy and it’s beautiful. After stepping approaching a smashed jar, Trav sets his hands into the nest of power threads and raises his arms. The lines of blue magic in his palms glow more brightly.
“Inferno!” calls Trav. “Begin!”
While standing upright, Inferno pumps her molten wings in a steady rhythm. The threads react to the streams of air from her motion. Tiny blue cords unwind and fly across the field to where the stone angels lie. Wherever the lines of energy go, they clear out the fog and loop around the stone bodies. Quick as a heartbeat, the entire field of stone angels are connected by an intricate web of blue power strands. A thought occurs to me.
Walker is so powerful, he created enough magic for this. His angelic gift is incredible and unique. What’s it really for?
The thought disappears as Trav lets out another cry. “Awaken!”
Bright blue light streams along all the threads connecting the field. A symphony of cracking noises sound as the angels begin to move. Molten red fissures appear along their bodies. Wings unfurl. Swords blaze.
The Brimstone Legion rises again.
Trav watches the scene, his chest puffed out in triumph. “See that?” he calls to me. “I tested this very scenario with Inferno and two angels before this day. That’s how I plan. It’s why I’ll be King.”
Inferno stalks up to Trav’s side. “Thank you, Your Highness. You raised my brothers and sisters.”
Raising her arm high, Inferno then drives her sword straight through Trav’s chest. For a few heartbeats, Trav stares at Inferno. Blood drips from his chin as his mouth forms soundless words. Then he slumps over, dead.
Inferno pulls her sword from Trav’s chest. “You have served Lucifer well.”
Shock jolts down my spine. Gotta be honest here.
I did not see that coming.
Chapter 25
Trav’s body crumples onto the earth. Inferno towers over him. “I shall tell Lucifer of your great sacrifice,” she says in a low voice. “And that of your friends as well.”
Lincoln and I exchange a shocked look. Your friends?
While we were focused on Inferno and Trav, more lava angels have snuck up behind us. Heat burns into my back. An electric kind of awareness skitters over my skin.
They’ll soon attack.
My inner wrath demon instantly awakens. Energy and power spin through my mind. My battle sense kicks in and how. Time appears to slow as I soak in my surroundings. Lava angels now loom behind me, Lincoln, Happy, Obsidian, and all the remaining Enmity brothers.
“Everyone down!” cries Lincoln.
Happy, Obsidian, and I all heed Lincoln’s warning. Fast as a heartbeat, we crouch low to the ground. A whoosh sounds above me as a molten sword swipes over my head. Pulling out my baculum, I ignite them into short swords, stand, spin about, and go to town.
My blades crisscross before me as I slice through the lava angel assigned to end my life. Rage consumes me. Who gets their army raised from the dead and then kills who helped them? Sure it was a dumb idea to revive the Brimstone Legion, but more death is not the right response. My temper snaps.
Swipe.
That’s for Drayden.
Swipe.
That’s for Walker.
Swipe.
That’s for me.
Soft pressure lands on my shoulder. Looking over, I see Lincoln at my side. “I think you got him,” he says dryly.
Looking down, I find my lava angel is diced up into mush. “Got a little carried away there, huh?”
“I gave you a minute to let off some steam, but it was starting to get awkward.”
Stepping back, I scan my surroundings once more. The only folks left standing are Obsidian, Happy, Lincoln, and me. Nearby, there lay a lot of dead Enmity brothers. Oops.
“What did I miss?”
Happy shrugs. “The Enmity brothers didn’t duck.”
A weight settles into my heart. Sure, I ran across the Enmity brothers after they’d cooked up their ‘let’s rule the after-realms’ plan, but what if they’d never turned up Lucifer’s Gauntlets in the first place? The Enmity boys could have been model citizens. As Mom says, when it comes to power, some people shouldn’t be tempted.
“What happened to the lava angels?” I ask.
“Obsidian and I took down the other angels. Inferno then called for the angels to get back in ranks.” Lincoln lets out a low whistle. “And these warriors follow orders to the letter. Once our angels reformed, they took off for the skies. Yours will do the same once it’s back together.” Lincoln purses his lips. “That might take a while, though.”
Leaning back on my heels, I scan the heavens. Thousands of lava angels fly in neat formations. At this distance, their bodies paint the clouds in shifting layers of sunset red. As the warriors fly about, they stay grouped into neat columns that arc and twist through each other like ribbons.
Inferno’s voice booms down from above. “Brothers and sisters! We must break into Black Wing Manor and free Lucifer!”
Again, it strikes me how well trained these warriors are. The Brimstone Legion gets zapped into stone for thousands of years, raised up into molten form, and then—BOOM!—there’s no fuss. They heed orders and follow Inferno’s plan to attack Black Wing Manor.
Speaking of battle plans, I need one of my own. Once more, my mind slows as I consider my options and inspect my surroundings. Overhead, the skies shift with crimson light as thousands of lava angels circle Black Wing Manor. Happy stands nearby, hugging her elbows. Obsidian waits at her side, his face pale with shock. The Enmity brothers lay lifeless
on the ground.
Yup. I can work with this.
Lincoln glances at me over his shoulder. Everything confident and calm shines in his mismatched eyes. “What’ve you got for me?”
I wink. “Who says I have anything?”
“I do. You’ve had all of two minutes to come up with a plan.”
“We have one key advantage.” I point at Trav’s dead body. “Guess what Inferno left behind?”
A slow smile winds Lincoln’s mouth. “Lucifer’s Gauntlets.”
“Someone got a little over-excited to free her boss.”
That master chess player look returns to Lincoln’s face. “Plus, Walker had a canopic jar, remember? When I brought him inside, Walker told me the jar held his healing magic. We didn’t yet have the gauntlets, so the jar wasn’t useful at the time.”
Obsidian scans the skies. “The lava angels won’t stay up there for long. What’s our next step?”
I march over to the very dead Trav. “I’ll pull these gauntlets off Trav here. You get the canopic jar from Walker. Then we’ll all meet at the gate surrounding Black Wing Manor.”
Obsidian’s face falls slack with shock. “You don’t mean … you can’t …”
“Oh, I totally can. Trav here was helpful enough to give a step-by-step demonstration of how to use six canopic jars and Lucifer’s Gauntlets in order to raise thousands of lava angels. If we get one canopic jar, it should be more than enough to raise eight seraphim.”
“My brothers and sisters.” Obsidian takes a half step backward. “We were created as a flock.”
“And soon you can fight as one again. Your fellow seraphim already know how to transform lava angels into a bunch of rocks, so let’s make that happen.”
Obsidian still stands there. Happy nudges him with her elbow. “You should get going. Besides, Jaime is with Walker. Someone should check on him.”
The name Jaime gets Obsidian focused again and how. “Right.” His triple sets of wings unfurl behind him. “I’ll meet you at the gate.” There’s a lot of complex flapping noises and Obsidian takes off.
Someone taps my shoulder. It’s Lincoln and if he wasn’t the most amazing husband in the world before, he’s officially winning an award. Why? My guy went and took Lucifer’s Gauntlets off Trav’s dead body. Now he hands them to me.
I scoop the gauntlets from Lincoln’s hands. “Thank you so much.”
Folks say that a romantic dinner with candlelight and champagne is the sign of true love. I disagree. In my opinion, if you find a guy who’ll pick valuables off a dead body for you, that’s a keeper.
With quick movements, I put the gauntlets onto my lower arms. The things are enchanted so they fit perfectly without a lot of fuss. That’s good design. Lucifer: bloodthirsty psychopath and yet, talented armor designer. Who knew?
I do that scrunchy thing with my fingers to test the gauntlets out. “This will work. Let’s head for the gate.”
Happy frowns. “I see a problem with that.”
“What?” asks Lincoln.
Happy points to the sky. The Brimstone Legion is now flying in a great loop around Black Wing Manor. The good news is that they aren’t attacking the manor proper. At this point, they’re circling the place in a modified donut-style formation. The bad news is the reason why they’re circling in the first place.
Directly above the manor roof, Obsidian and Inferno are locked in aerial combat. She swoops at him with her magma sword. He tries blasting her with his magic.
“Neither have made a direct hits yet,” says Lincoln. “This fight could last a while.”
“Got it,” I say. “So we can’t rely on Obsidian to get the canopic jar. Time for Plan B.”
“And what’s plan B?” asks Lincoln.
“I’m working on it.”
Lincoln scans the nearby grounds with an expert eye. “We shouldn’t break up. None of us have the battle power of Obsidian. How about we hit the manor, grab the canopic jar, and then rush the gate?”
I nod my head, considering. “I like this plan.”
Happy frowns once more. “I can see a problem with that. Again.”
“And what’s that?” I ask.
“You have two lava angels behind you.”
Spinning about, I find none other than Charro 1 and Charro 2. “Hey,” I say as casually as possible. “Aren’t you two supposed to be flying in formation like Inferno asked?”
Moving in unison, they take out their molten swords.
“So, a few of us are carrying grudges. Noted. For the record, I didn’t realize skewering you through the brain would be an owie.”
Looking to Lincoln, I force a bright note into my voice. “Time for Plan C. We deal with these guys and then go to the manor. Before the angels attack. And Obsidian gets killed.” I groan. “I’m really not liking this plan.”
Happy perks up. “I have an idea. Keep the evil angels busy. I’ll do my thing.”
My father says that a good leader takes advice from people they respect, and I definitely respect Happy. “Let’s do this.”
The lava angels step closer; Lincoln and I ignite our baculum into long swords. The angels attack and we block their blades. Meanwhile, Happy rubs her palms together, kneels down, and sets her hands against the earth.
“I cast my spell,” intones Happy. “Return this ground to when Walker came back to us.”
White light spreads out from Happy’s palms. The world around us changes. Once more, Walker lies on the ground. The same two angels stand off in the distance. This is a vision of the past where Charro 1 and 2 haven’t found Walker yet.
Happy’s face tightens with pain. “I’m making this one physical.”
“Like you did with the rain?” I ask.
Happy nods. “Only doing this hurts like anything. So make it quick. Someone grab that canopic jar.”
“What happens to the real canopic jar?” asks Lincoln.
“Nothing. I’m creating a magical copy. Doing this hurts like a psychic root canal, so can someone get it already?”
Stepping forward, I reach for the canopic jar. Yes! It’s solid in my hands. “I got it.”
Happy exhales. “Thank you.” Her features turn peaceful. “Now the scene is just a vision again.”
I turn over the small jar in my hands. Now, I have Lucifer’s Gauntlets and a canopic jar loaded with Walker power.
Better for our side.
The scene Happy created vanishes with a flash of light. Once more, we’re back on the battlefield before Black Wing Manor. Charro 1 and 2 took off, which is good news. I don’t know what else happened while we were away with Happy’s spell, but it seems like we missed something pretty big. The aerial battle with Obsidian and Inferno is now over. It isn’t clear who won because there’s no sign of either the seraphim or Lucifer’s Champion. That said, all the lava angels in the Brimstone Legion are now flying in attack formation. Their target?
The magical gate surrounding Black Wing Manor.
No question what their plan is here. The Brimstone Legion want to shatter the gate, break into the manor, and free Lucifer. Like dive-bombing planes, the aerial warriors fly at the metal barrier. Once they near the iron, the angels strike the metal with their molten blades. The power of the seraphim repulse their attacks, but that magic won’t last forever.
Already, sections of gate are wobbling under the relentless assault. The angels fly in a complex knot of lines, twisting and diving through each other before slashing the barrier with their swords.
The manor’s defenses won’t last much longer.
Worse for our side.
Chapter 26
Lincoln, Happy, and I race toward the main gate for the Black Wing Manor. Overhead, lava angels continue to fly in their intricate formations. All their paths end with a sword-and-slash maneuver at the manor’s gate. The barrier now shakes so much, the ground beneath trembles as well. Long metallic creaks fill the air.
The angels fly in low so they can slash at the gate. At the entrance a
rchway, there’s about three feet of clearance between the steady barrage of flying warriors and the ground.
Not a lot of room for sneaking in.
Odd things creep into your mind at times like these. For some reason, I think of this old human horror movie, The Birds. In it, a whole mass of you-know-whats swarmed people when they stepped outside. The scene before me is like that, only replace lava angels with birds and have them be super organized in their assault. And there’s also magic, gauntlets, seraphim, and a supernatural preteen.
I take it back.
This is nothing like The Birds.
The three of us pause a short distance from the entrance archway. The heavy mist provides come cover, but the angels could detect us if they tried.
“They aren’t attacking,” says Happy. “Why?”
“It’s how things work in the angelic army,” I explain. “Inferno is their commanding officer. She must have ordered them to attack the gate. They won’t break rank unless they’re close to death or have a personal vendetta.” I glance over my shoulder. Speaking of personal vendettas, Charro 1 and 2 are still missing. Bonus.
Happy scans the skies. “Where’s Inferno?”
“No idea,” replies Lincoln. “And I still don’t see Obsidian, either.”
The gate rattles more violently. We don’t have long.
“Let’s make a run for the archway.” Lincoln focuses on Happy. “Myla and I will keep you between us. When we say down, you go down.”
“Got it,” says Happy.
“On my mark.” As Lincoln speaks, he leans over at the waist. Happy and I do the same.
“3, 2, 1!”
We all take off for the gate. The angels continue their assault. Long cracks form in the iron. Bits of filigree tumble to the ground.
When we’re almost at the entrance archway, Lincoln cries one word. “Down!”
The Dark Lands (Angelbound Origins Book 5) Page 14