by Liz Long
Before I could question him, the Reapers’ argument floated over. We both turned to see them facing off. There was a rage in Tully’s face that shocked me.
“I never asked to be Made!” Tully shouted. “You did this to me!”
My jaw dropped as Tully bellowed and lunged forward. He slammed his body into Alistair’s, taking them both down to the ground.
“You agreed to this life!” Alistair said between blows. He put his arms up by his face.
“You tricked me! I could’ve been with my family in paradise!” Tully roared. His fists met Alistair’s forearms. Tully’s shouts became unintelligible as he finally let his rage fly.
He smashed Alistair’s wrist into the concrete until his hand released the scythe. The hooked metal blade slid across the ground, stopping a few feet away from Moloch’s dinosaur-sized feet. I had to distract him or risk him getting his scaly claws on it.
“Hey, scale-face!” I shouted.
Moloch apparently didn’t know much about insults, however, and kept moving for Tully. I ceased to think, instead jumping forward to slam my foot on Moloch’s slimy tail. He howled, turning to sink his claws into me.
A dark blur hit me with such force we went rolling several feet across the floor. Allison groaned from the impact, her thin arms still around my waist. I untangled myself from her with a quick thanks. Tessa stood a few feet away.
“Tess,” I said, motioning for her to come over. “Brady’s lifted the barrier. Get my sister out of here.”
She nodded and quickly ran over. “Now’s the time if we’re gonna make our getaway.”
“No way,” Allison said, standing up to glare at me. “I’m not leaving—”
“You are definitely leaving,” I said.
“But what if—”
“Nope, sorry, see you later,” I said, trying not to think about the fact I could be lying to her. If we lost or I ascended, she may never know what happened.
Tessa dug into her front pocket to retrieve a piece of blue chalk. She talked to me as she sketched her travel spell on the concrete floor. “You’ll have to distract them.”
I turned to see Brady throw a spell at Moloch. The demon flew backwards into a tunnel, far enough that his roar of anger echoed throughout the room.
“Ally’s boyfriend took care of that for us.”
Allison’s nose wrinkled as she watched Tessa work. “Ex-boyfriend.”
“We’re good,” Tessa said, stuffing the chalk back in her pocket. “Let’s get you somewhere safe.”
A thunder halted all of us, even Tully and Alistair. For a long three seconds, none of us moved. Tessa and I exchanged a confused look. A terrible bolt of lightning cracked in the center of the room, so bright that even the older Reapers stopped fighting to shield their eyes. The ground vibrated beneath my feet. When the light faded, Tessa squawked in surprise.
“You,” Alistair said to the newcomer, anger making him growl like an angry cat.
“Good to see you too, Alistair.”
Tessa was the first to speak. “Rhys?”
Rhys, in all his handsome glory, stood tall and proud. In jeans and a henley shirt, he looked as normal as could be — except this time an enormous pair of black wings clung to his back. They were gorgeous, shiny and soft. I wanted to reach out and caress them, but that would probably be rude. I didn’t want Rhys to smite me.
I gaped at his appearance. “You’re an angel?”
“You couldn’t tell from my sweet disposition?” He tossed Tessa a rakish grin.
“Tully said…”
He grimaced. “I may have misled him.”
“Are all angels that hot?” Allison blurted out.
Rhys gave her a blinding smile. Allison appeared to forget all about her fear, instead dazzled by the angel in front of her. Brady huffed.
Tessa’s arms crossed over her chest as she cast a doubtful look. “You sure you can’t shapeshift those into existence?”
She gestured to the wings on his back and for the first time since I’d met him, he seemed affronted.
“Absolutely not. Have you ever seen me shift?” he asked.
Tessa and I exchanged a look. I shrugged at her and she shook her head. “Guess not.”
“Neither has anyone else. I mean, I can,” Rhys added, as though we’d questioned his angel power. “But obviously being a walking, talking angel isn’t something you share with just anyone.”
“So you aren’t a jackass Shapeshifter,” Tessa said.
“Nope. Just a jackass angel. We can discuss it over dinner.”
He was so casual and confident about this fact that Tessa’s lips quirked into a smile. Before she could respond, a crunch made us look up; Alistair had thrown Tully against the wall. Tully lay on the ground in a heap. He didn’t get up and I shot Rhys a panicked look.
“‘The help of an angel,’” I said, quoting the Oracle’s prophecy. My eyes widened. “You can help us beat him.”
“Gladly. I’ve been waiting centuries to deal with that arrogant Original,” he said, “ever since I found him trying to take over paradise.”
“You helped punish him,” I said, the pieces clicking into place. “You’re the reason he’s a Reaper.”
“Evidently, I had a hand in starting this fight. Now it’s time to end it,” Rhys said.
Rhys moved quickly to attack Alistair. I couldn’t help but stare at his giant black wings as he glided past me. Tendrils of hair blew around my face in his wake.
That left Allison, Tess, and me to see Moloch stomp back through the tunnel. The reptilian monstrosity busted through the entrance, taking down a chunk of wall with him. He paid no mind, his attention on one thing: Allison, the human in the room. The hunger in his eyes said he’d go straight for her beating heart.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“Get her out of here!” I shouted.
Tessa obliged, slapping her hand on Allison’s wrist. “C’mon, Al.”
Moloch was gaining speed, barreling towards us at a frightening pace. Allison paled at the sight of the beast, not bothering to argue about getting out. Tessa half-dragged my sister into the magic circle. Before she could throw down her potion vial, however, Moloch’s claws snagged her arm.
The vial spun out of her hand and I lunged forward to catch it before it crashed to the ground. At the last second, my hand made it under the small glass, my fingers wrapping around it for safety.
“Son of a bitch!” Tessa shouted, instinct making her turn away from the demon. I could see blood dropping down her arm from where I stood.
Moloch lunged again, but slammed into an invisible barrier. I turned to see Brady, face pinched with concentration as he struggled to keep Allison out of harm’s reach. Tessa realized his save and at her nod, I smashed the potion to the ground. Allison’s brown eyes met mine; before she could say goodbye, she and Tessa disappeared inside her magic circle just as Moloch broke through Brady’s wall.
When Moloch spilled forward, he reached out, grasping air. Enraged at the loss of his next meal, he turned to find the next best substitute: me. I took a step back as his bulging yellow eyes locked onto mine. Cold granite bit my fingertips; I had nowhere to run.
A ball of fire hit Moloch in the shoulder. He grunted at the impact, searching for the culprit. To our mutual surprise, Brady had apparently chosen to save me, too. Moloch growled at Brady, as though to say he thought they’d been on the same team.
“I never wanted you here,” Brady said, his words coming out stilted as he tried to maintain his energy.
I didn’t know if Moloch understood English, but he seemed to know Brady was now his enemy. He reached for Brady; I stood there helplessly, having no clue what to do.
My hair blew around as wings flapped; Rhys came in like a train, his fist straight to Moloch’s head. They went down, a pile of wings and limbs and claws. Rhys delivered a blow to Moloch that filled me with hope. Then Moloch sunk his claws into the angel’s side.
A yelp escaped Rhys, his face contorte
d with pain. I shouted, my feet shuffling forward to grab Moloch. I reached for his arms, his tail, anything without scales so I could hurt him. Moloch released his hold on Rhys; the angel backed away, his hands on the wound. I could already see the strange gold blood that flowed out of his body and between his fingers.
Brady shouted in a language I didn’t know - Latin? - and an orange light danced on his fingertips. My jaw dropped as the light became flame. Brady pulled his arm back, letting a fireball loose just as Moloch’s talons ripped into the witch’s shoulder.
Brady grunted in pain, but his fire spell worked. Giant flames engulfed Moloch, so large even I could feel the heat off him. He roared and stumbled, thundering around in panic. His bellows continued as he burned, but I had no time to watch him die. The smell of chargrilled demon was awful.
“Boy, you’re really into redemption today,” I said to Brady. Despite the injury, he managed an eye roll.
I moved to help Rhys, but a glint caught my eye: Alistair’s scythe, unnoticed on the ground. My fingers closed around the blade’s silver handle, smooth and cool under my skin. I staggered to my feet, searching for Tully. Alistair had gotten the upper hand; he stood over Tully, his arm pulled back to release a blow.
Darting out of Moloch’s reach, I ran to help my mentor. Before Alistair could let his fist fly, I reached for him. My fingers wrapped around his shirt fabric; without thinking, my arm swung around and pushed the scythe into his throat.
Alistair froze where he stood. “Don’t do anything rash now, Made.”
His insult pissed me off and I pushed the blade in deeper. Alistair winced and I couldn’t help the satisfaction that ran through me.
“Moloch, I require your allegiance,” Alistair said, but I let out a mean laugh.
“Your reptile’s dead and gone, elder, thanks to your frat boy witch. No one to save you now.”
“I’m going to reap you into nothingness,” Alistair threatened.
“You betrayed Tully,” I said to him through gritted teeth. With each word, my hand jerked the blade to his throat a little tighter. “You betrayed the Reapers and the angels, souls, and fate. What do you have to say for yourself?”
Alistair surprised me, grabbing my arm and bending to sling me over his back. The world spun as I flipped, losing my grip on the scythe. I heard it clatter to our feet as Alistair slammed me to the floor. His gold eyes brightened, hundreds of years of anger visible right down to his very being.
“If it gets me off this hell on earth, then it was worth it,” Alistair snarled. His hand curled around my throat and squeezed. My hands slapped helplessly against his face.
“I can arrange that for you,” Tully said behind him.
Alistair didn’t even have time to turn before Tully ripped the scythe across his maker’s throat. Lightning cracked and wind swirled around us as Alistair’s life force left him. My arm went up to shield my eyes against the bright light and I rolled a couple of times to get away from any long-reaching effects. A terrible scream ripped through the room, an echoing howl that rang in my ears. Alistair’s physical form deteriorated, crumbling to nothing. He fell beneath his clothing, leaving the black fabrics shapeless on the ground, covered in gray dirt.
I stayed where I was on the ground, gaping up at Tully. We looked at each other, a little shell-shocked. He glanced back behind him to see Moloch’s blackened body dead on the floor.
“Tessa?” he asked. He offered a hand to help me up.
“Safe with Allison,” I said as I got to my feet.
When Tully’s gaze fell to Brady, he shook the scythe at the half-witch. “You will not be a problem, aye?”
Brady nodded fervently, eyes never leaving the hooked blade. “Nope, I am done with that shit.”
Tessa raced back into the room, brown eyes wide with panic. Relief only lasted a moment when she saw me and then Rhys. He’d slid against the wall to the ground. His hands, coated in gold blood, clutched his middle. Tessa took off to him, sliding to her knees as she pulled a salve out of her bag.
I noticed we had a new problem. I scanned the room, gesturing to the others. “Why aren’t the Reapers waking up?”
Even Brady looked perplexed. When Tully glared at him and shook the scythe again, he held up his hands in protest.
“I don’t know man, I thought the same thing you did. If you beat Alistair, these guys were supposed to wake up or whatever.”
“What about Moloch, what happens now that he’s dead?” I asked.
“Nothing, he’s just dead.” Brady shrugged. “I never liked the guy anyway.”
I almost stamped my foot in frustration. With Alistair and Moloch gone, we’d all apparently assumed everyone would wake up and be good to go. We were so close to saving the Reapers and their souls - now what did we have to do?
I glanced to Tessa, who whispered soothing words as she applied a gel to Rhys’s wound. Brady peered around, though he didn’t stray too far due to Tully’s hold on the scythe. I peeked around the corners to see if anything stood on the outskirts of the room.
I pointed a finger at Brady. “It’s not you, is it? You did help put them down here and all, but I’d feel bad kicking your ass after you ousted Moloch.”
He waved his hands, wincing as he stopped to clamp a hand on his wounded shoulder. “No, I already told you! I thought the spell broke if Alistair died. I don’t know the magic that wakes the Reapers.”
“The spell should’ve broken with the caster’s death,” Tessa said. “Remember what I found in my book?”
I turned to see her walk up to us, cleaning Rhys’s golden blood off her hands with a few wipes from her bag. At my worried glance, she nodded. “He’ll be okay, just caught him off guard. It’s probably been a few years since someone got the upper hand on him.”
I sighed with relief, glad we’d thwarted yet one more thing in Alistair’s plans. “What kind of magic are we talking since they’re still not awake?”
“Some seriously bad mojo,” Tessa admitted, looking around the room. “He’s made it so they can’t wake unless he allows it. Now he’s dead, so everybody’s still stuck here.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Rhys said, walking up behind her. He looked good as new, despite his bloody shirt. It was hard to miss his respectful glance down at Tessa. “I can help your souls move on.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
I took a deep breath out of habit. “Let’s get these souls outta here then.”
Tully hesitated. “According to the prophecy, you will depart with them. Are you ready to say goodbye?”
The question caught me off guard. I took a look around, forgetting that Tessa had magicked Allison out of the tunnels and away from danger. I wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to my sister. Tully seemed to read the question on my face.
“There is no time,” he said, regret clear in his tone, “we must help them before too many of them are stuck here.”
“I know," I said thickly. “Tell her goodbye for me.”
His lips pressed together, but he nodded. That reminded me — Brady still stood there, covered in blood and slack-jawed at what had just happened. I cocked my head at him, wondering what Tully would do with him. My mentor raised an eyebrow at the half-witch.
“You should be going,” Tully told him. Brady gazed at him, wide-eyed with shock at the reprieve.
“That’s it?” Brady asked.
“You should assume I’ll be keeping an eye on you at all times.” Even Tully’s Irish inflection couldn’t disguise the danger in the threat.
Brady nodded, hands coming palm up in truce. “Like I said, done with all of that. I’ve had enough of it to last a lifetime.”
“Sure you can handle being a half-witch?” I asked him.
“I don’t even want to be that anymore, not if it means demons and Reapers.”
“First thing you should do is throw out all your tricks and tools,” Tessa said, referring to all the witchy materials in his room. He nodded fervently; despite all the problem
s we’d had with him, I believed him.
“You saved Allison,” I reminded him. “There’s hope for your soul yet.”
“Think she’ll ever forgive me?” he asked, eyes going down to the floor in shame.
“She’s pretty pissed,” I said, unsure of what to tell him. “If it were up to me, you’d be gone from her life. She might want that, too. But you saved her from Moloch and she won’t forget it.”
I couldn’t answer his question for sure. It wasn’t my place to make decisions for Allison and only she would know if Brady was someone she wanted in her life. Despite his actions, I knew he loved her. He’d proven it the moment we’d come back down, when he’d made sure Alistair wouldn’t go anywhere near her. Even though he’d brought her here, I knew he hadn’t wanted to involve her. He’d never wanted to win, not really - I’d probably known that ever since he’d given us a way out of the musty tunnels when we first discovered Alistair’s plan.
We quickly bid Brady farewell; he magicked himself out of the tunnels without another glance back. I didn’t know where he would go, but at least I knew Tully would keep him in his sights. I straightened, remembering that it was time for me to go.
“You already know what I want to say,” Tessa said to me. She came in for a tight hug instead. “I’ll miss you.”
“Thank you for everything.” My own whisper came out choked up despite the fact I couldn’t cry.
Rhys simply nodded at me; I returned the motion, glad he’d helped me prove a stereotype wrong. At least we had one angel on our side. The angel, according to the fortune cookie prophecy.
Tully looked to the souls, many of them relieved they would soon be free to pass over. His gaze flicked over to those who would remain behind as spirits. His sad smile made me feel even worse about ascending. I didn’t want to leave Tully behind; if anything, he should’ve been going instead of me.
“Is there nothing we can do?” I whispered to him. I half hoped he’d misunderstand my question.
He paused to consider the options. “We may be able to grant them ability to leave this forsaken place.”