by Scott Speer
Maddy looked softly into the Angel’s eyes as he finished telling the story of how he had become a traitor in the eyes of Gabriel and the others. How difficult it must have been for Jacks to make that decision and bring these Angels to humanity’s side.
“Sylvester has a theory that something is controlling the demons,” Jacks said. “That there is a leader moving them beyond chaos and destruction into something more calculating and planned. And much more dangerous.”
“He told me about it,” said Maddy. “But what can we do?”
“It just makes it that much harder,” said Jacks. “We won’t be able to predict their moves. They’re not just going to be moving in to kill. If Sylvester’s right, they have some other plans, too.”
Maddy looked at him with questioning eyes.
“Like . . . what?”
“I’m sure we’ll find out,” Jacks said grimly. “We need to flush the head demon out into the open. But how we will do that, I don’t know. We might have to wait until they’re actually attacking. And then we can make our move.”
“But how would you ever find . . . it?” Maddy thought back to the chilling vision from her nightmare this morning, of the Dark Angel that was larger and more terrifying than any she’d ever seen.
“I don’t know yet,” Jacks admitted, looking down the hallway. “But if we can find it and kill it, we could end this whole thing. It might be our only hope. But we will have to hold them off long enough.”
Maddy thought about how hopeless it all sounded. But what other plan did they have? They’d have to pin everything on Sylvester’s theory and try their best to hunt down the head demon. She nodded at Jacks, then looked up the stairs to the bridge, where the captain was commanding the carrier.
“The military won’t need me anymore,” Maddy said. “Not with you and the rest here. They don’t know it yet. But you can see when the demons will attack better than I can.”
Jacks regarded her. “Seriously?” he said. “Maddy, no one has advance premonition vision like you do. Your instructors have told you that.”
“I thought Susan was just saying that to make me feel better,” Maddy said.
“No. You’re our best chance of seeing them before they fully attack,” Jacks said.
“What if this . . . leader is somehow blocking me?” asked Maddy. “My frequencing, I mean. During the first wave I had a vision, but it was only just seconds before. And afterward, almost all I got was static when I tried to focus in on frequencies. What if I don’t see it in time?” Maddy motioned to the door that led into the living quarters. “They’re all counting on me. Their lives are dependent on it.”
“Susan said you’re the most talented she’s seen,” Jacks said. “If you’re somehow getting blocked, you’ll find a way around it. I have faith in you.”
Maddy just nodded. She was going to have to start having some faith in herself, too, she thought.
“I brought something,” Jacks said. “Something for you.”
Maddy eyed the Angel as he reached for a slim package wrapped in cloth.
“We were able to get this before we left,” Jackson said.
“What is it?”
He unrolled the fine textile before her. Suddenly her eyes were lit with the glittering of a gold-hilted sword blazing under the light. It was just like the swords all the other Angels had brought with them.
“Take it,” Jackson said. “It’s yours.”
Maddy eyed the weapon nervously—she’d never even held a sword before. But she was also inexplicably mesmerized by it, and beheld it with a great sense of wonder.
“Jacks, I never got any Battle Angel training. I don’t even know how—”
“Just take it.” Reaching forward, he placed the weapon in her tentative grasp. She felt its weight in her hands; it was heavier than it looked. Jackson watched her.
“When the time comes, it won’t feel heavy at all,” he said.
She examined one side of the blade. Fine engravings had been etched along the dark gray steel, which dazzled under the light.
“Turn it over,” Jacks said.
The golden hilt was engraved with the name GODRIGHT.
Maddy gasped, as if she’d seen a ghost. As she held the sword, she swore she could feel a strange presence.
“Why does it have my name?”
“It was your father’s, Maddy. And his father’s before him. And his before him. This sword goes back generations upon generations. Forged by the finest Angel craftsmen of the ancient times. A Divine Sword to smite evil in the world. The evil of demons. They were made for all the Angel families. For so long now they’ve mostly been used as mere showpieces, beautiful antiques, with the Dark Angels in hiding for so long. But now they are back. And now this sword is yours.”
Maddy could feel the history coursing through the steel, straight into her. She had the uncanny feeling she’d held the sword before, that it was part of her and had been missing her—that they’d been missing each other. They shouldn’t have been parted, but now they were reunited. Suddenly, she realized her Divine Ring and the sword were both glowing. Together, and in harmony.
“Are you okay?” Jacks asked. There were tears in Maddy’s eyes as she held her father’s sword in her grip. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she moved, letting it slip off.
“Jacks . . . thank you,” Maddy said. “After everything I put you through, I—”
“No regrets,” Jacks said.
Before he knew it, he was hugging her—he was just so used to it. They both tensed up, and Maddy shifted away, neither of them entirely sure how to act around each other, now that she was with Tom. Maddy wanted to make sure she wasn’t mean to Jacks, but she also wanted to be fair to Tom. She couldn’t even really tell what she was feeling; the emotions were coming on so fast and so strong. She just wanted to hold it together and, most of all, not make things worse than they already were.
After a moment Maddy spoke.
“Where did you get it?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“Archangel Archson. She and Sylvester were able to find it and get it out. Don’t ask me how.”
“And how does it . . . work?” Maddy held the sword up higher. Immediately she could again feel its power flowing into her. The light reflecting off it was a brilliant golden hue.
“The evil and chaos of the demons can overwhelm an Angel fast. Their dark powers are often too strong. These Divine Swords were forged as equalizers. The Righteous Blade, they sometimes call it.” Jackson quickly pulled his sword from the sheath on his back. It made a smooth whoosh as he drew it in a flash. He sliced the dazzling blade deftly back and forth in the air in front of him before turning it over to examine it. Maddy noticed that GODSPEED was written distinctly on the hilt in gold, although the edges of the letters had slightly rounded with age. “When wielded by an Angel, a Divine Sword can slay a demon. The Dark Ones will fear them. And then they will fear us. For as long as we last, at least.”
“Jacks . . . ,” Maddy said. But she knew it was no good to try to sugarcoat their situation. Jacks was right. Even with the help of the Angels, they were all facing the end. What could forty Battle Angels do against an army? This was just how they would be facing their end. Everyone either hiding in a hole or coming out into the daylight to do what was right.
“I’ve betrayed the NAS, the Council, my stepfather,” Jackson said.
“It isn’t the first time,” she reminded him, her mind casting back to when Jacks saved her after Ethan McKinley’s party, sparking the whole train of events that led to the Angel hunt and showdown on the library tower. Where she’d saved him from his demon.
“But this is different, Maddy,” Jacks said. “I can feel it. It’s like I’ve taken a step forward in the dark, and my foot hasn’t landed yet. It just keeps going and going. And I don’t know when I will find solid ground. Or if I e
ver will.”
Maddy knew the exact feeling he was describing. It was the feeling she had during the premonition of the first demon attack, when she’d just kept falling, down into the abyss. It was absolutely terrifying.
Suddenly, a voice broke up her reverie. “What are you doing, Godspeed?” It was Tom.
He stood at the end of the hallway, hands on his hips.
“Tom, don’t—” Maddy rushed to step between them.
“Just giving Maddy something she should have had a long time ago,” Jacks said. He walked away without another word, and Tom watched him go.
Maddy glared at Tom. She didn’t need to say anything. And soon the pilot was left there, standing by himself.
• • •
The captain paced like a tiger in the bridge’s combat control room, binoculars hanging around his neck.
“Sorry about our earlier greeting, Godspeed. But there are protocols. I’m sure you understand,” Blake said, spinning around to face Jackson, who’d just joined the captain and a few of the Battle Angels in the combat control room. “Glad to have you and your Angels on board.” He reached forward and firmly shook hands with Jacks, who stood there solidly alongside Mitch.
On the captain’s side was his crew of elite fighter pilots, including Tom, who hung back slightly in the crowd. Maddy, in her flight suit, her hair drawn back into a ponytail, stood off to the side between the two groups. The pilots eyed the Angels warily. They had already been through battles. They were not going to be impressed just because some fancy Angels in black armor showed up.
But as for the Battle Angels, their presence—and intimidating appearance—was not to be taken lightly. Some of the most prestigious Guardians had joined Jacks, as well as a few of the most hardened Angel Disciplinary Council members. Emily Brightchurch was notably absent. The Angels looked squarely back at the pilots. They knew the consequences of leaving the sanctuary. There was no turning back for them.
“How do we know we can trust them?” said Tom, breaking the tense silence, saying what all the pilots were thinking. The air grew thick with unspoken accusations. Mitch started to step forward but held back when Jacks put up a hand.
The captain’s response was quick and to the point.
“Lieutenant Cooper, I know you have some strong opinions here. Some personal scores in the game,” Captain Blake said. “Son, personal grievances have no place in battle. This is war.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Tom said begrudgingly, saluting. “But, sir, if I may, this isn’t personal. I’m thinking of our men. Sir.” He looked at Jackson out of the corner of his eye.
“You’re being borderline insubordinate, Lieutenant,” Captain Blake said, narrowing his eyes at Tom. “However, Lieutenant, just to amuse you and answer your question: there is no way of knowing whether we can trust the Angels.” Maddy watched Jacks take a long look at the line of stern-faced humans opposite him. “But we have no choice, do we? After what happened during the first wave, we’re lucky to still be on our feet. To be able to fight for our lives. And that’s what’s important. Not yesterday’s battles. But today’s.”
“Sir, where were they during the first wave, when Gonzo, Smitty, and Jamison got taken out?” an irate pilot asked. An angry murmur of voices among the pilots backed him up.
“That’ll be enough, Spader! What did I just—”
“Captain, may I speak?” said Jackson, stepping out of his line. Blake’s expression was severe, but he nodded at the Angel. “Thank you, sir. I just want to say that Spader is right. They’re all right. We should have been there. But we weren’t. We can’t bring your friends back. But we can fight now. And we will fight. Together. Humans and Angels.”
Maddy had never seen this side of Jackson before. It was a part of him she hadn’t even known had existed. A strange, foreign feeling swirled inside her.
“Now, let’s stop fighting and start planning,” Jackson said. “While we still have time.”
Maddy looked nervously toward the pilots. She saw a few heads nodding.
The captain spoke up again.
“That’s right. And when they attack again you can be guaranteed we will be hammering the demons from every angle, with our fighter jets in the air and with missiles and artillery from the ships. My boys want revenge,” the captain said. “We only made a few dents the first time around, but at least we slowed the bastards down a little bit.”
“That’s what we’ll need. There’s going to be too many demons for us to take them all on at once,” Jacks said. “But if you can keep them off balance and slowed down, we can come in range and strike gradually. And we’ve got this on our side.” Jackson drew his sword and held it in front of the captain and pilots. “It looks old-fashioned, but it’s the only thing that can put fear in the heart of a Dark Angel.”
In a flash, Mitch pulled his sword out, too. He smiled at the navy officers gaping at the blade. “Mine’s almost crying out for demon blood, it’s been so long. I think my great-great-great-great-uncle was the last to get to use it. It’s about time a Steeples Guardian got to cut into some Dark Angels.”
“With Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Godright helping out on the preparation side, we can coordinate our defense,” Captain Blake said.
Maddy allowed herself a small internal smile, glancing over at Jacks, and as if Blake’s words were a rehearsed cue, she stepped up to the luminous green screens displaying the radar position of all the ships and carriers in their battle group, along with the location and size of the sinkhole.
“The demons are ten miles away from us,” she said. “I can’t guarantee how much time I can give you—these demons are doing everything they can to block my vision. But I can give you some time, enough to coordinate our strike with the Battle Angels. You’re going to need to cooperate as much as possible if we want this to work.”
Maddy pointedly looked first at Tom, then at Jacks. The pilots and Angels looked at each other and nodded.
“This briefing is over,” Captain Blake said. “Go get some chow and some rest. Boys, you show the Angels where the mess is and start introducing each other. You’re going to be relying on one another soon enough.”
Slowly, cautiously, the Angels and the pilots began talking to each other, shaking hands, speaking quietly as they left the briefing. The captain had ordered them to, and an order’s an order.
Only Tom and Jackson stayed at a sizable distance. They eyed each other from across the room.
Sighing deeply, Maddy slipped away down the side stairs from the briefing room, away from them both.
• • •
Maddy was in her cabin later when she heard a light rapping on the door.
“Come in,” she said warily.
It was Tom. He opened the door slowly, and she met his gaze with a look of soft disappointment.
“I’m sorry,” Tom said, putting on his best puppy-dog face. “It’s just that after all we’ve been through—we humans, I mean. And after what he put you through. Then he just shows up here like nothing happened. You know how I can get, Maddy.”
“Jackson being here doesn’t change anything between us, Tom,” Maddy said. “And you’re kind of being a jerk.”
Tom sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just . . . difficult for me. Do you want to take a walk and get some air?” Tom asked. “I promise I’ll be good,” he tried to joke. He put his hand out and reached for hers. She let him grasp her pinkie and ring finger as they walked up to the deck.
The fresh air felt good in her lungs. Crisp and clarifying. They looked out at the ocean for a while, not saying anything.
“You know,” Tom said, “I can’t tell you how many sunsets I’ve seen here on the deck of the carrier. Looking out to wherever we may be at the time. Thinking if maybe someone out there was looking back at me. Someone special.”
Tom reached over and squeezed her hand and smiled. “Wh
o knew it was going to be an Angel who ended up here with me?” He paused and his smile turned a little slyer. “I mean, of course, being an Angel, she was spoiled and high maintenance and all that. . . .”
Maddy mock-pushed him, laughing. “I could have you court-martialed, you know.”
“As long as they lock us in the brig together, I’m fine with that,” Tom responded with another laugh.
Silence fell over them again as the expansive orange-black sunset filled the horizon behind them as they stood on the deck of the carrier. They let the evening wind whip them. Maddy had her oversize navy-issued crewneck sweatshirt on, and Tom wore his trademark leather jacket even though he wasn’t supposed to wear it on deck.
Suddenly, Maddy saw a familiar figure, silhouetted against the last of the sunset, walking on the deck, heading straight toward them.
“Oh no . . . ,” she said.
Maddy could see the muscles tensing in Tom’s face as Jacks approached. He reached them, stopping a little too close to Tom for Maddy’s comfort.
“I just want you to know this isn’t about Maddy anymore,” Jacks said to Tom. “It’s about something that’s bigger than all of us.”
“I agree with you, one hundred percent,” Tom said. “By the way, I liked your performance with the captain today. If only I thought we could really count on you and the Angels when the chips are down. Instead of just when it’s convenient and makes for a good photo op.”
“You should be grateful—”
“Grateful that you’re doing something that is obviously your duty? If you think the demons would have just stopped at destroying humans without turning to the Angels next, you’re a fool.”