Lincoln: Angelbound Book 2 with bonus novella, Duty Bound

by Bauer, Christina;

  “Great, Myla. You’re doing it.”

  Armageddon’s voice echoes through the air. “I have a surprise for you, Camilla.”

  “What could you possibly do to surprise me?”

  The King of Hell snaps his fingers.

  In the back of my mind, I’m aware that something is flying toward us. Some large flying demons drop off a massive metal box by the bunker’s door. But I push those thoughts aside, only focusing on Myla. She did a great job summoning a few dozen igni.

  That’s all that have appeared, though. Not good.

  More noises sound from the enemy below. A thud sounds as the box opens, followed by the flap of wings. Armageddon tells Camilla, “This is for you.”

  Myla’s igni decrease, from about twenty to ten.

  Then five.

  Then none.

  I grip Myla’s shoulder. “What’s going on? The igni are gone.”

  “That’s my father.”

  It’s part of warrior training to hyper-focus on your task when needed. I’d been so attuned to Myla and her powers, I didn’t really notice what happened below. Now, I really see what Armageddon has done.

  Someone was chained inside the box. Now that person has been revealed. Scars and bruises cover his body. Blood seeps down his shoulders. The archangel Xavier. Armageddon just ripped the man’s wings off and they regrew. Excruciating.

  Back in the bunker, Myla said her father went to hell. IT’s one thing to know someone’s been tortured, but it’s another matter to see so much blood and pain. I wouldn’t blame Myla if she gave up and went back to the bunker.

  That’s not what happens.

  Before me, Myla’s features harden. Anger pours off her soul. She turns to me, ready to explain what she’s about to do. But I’m already there with her. Armageddon must be stopped. Xavier will be freed.

  Myla rises, her tail flicking in a predatory rhythm. I stand by her side.

  Armageddon’s head snaps in our direction. “Look, who we have here. The little arena girl and the thrax High Prince.” His eyes sparkle. “You’re King Connor’s boy.” He rounds on Myla’s mother. “And that girl’s your daughter, isn’t she, Camilla?”

  Xavier slowly lifts his ragged head. His blue eyes glow with a soft light. He looks to Camilla and rasps out one word: “Daughter?”

  Camilla offers him a gentle nod.

  Xavier swallows. “Is she–”

  “Yes, Xavier.” Camilla’s eyes brim with tears. “She’s yours.”

  The archangel strains to twist his head and look upon Myla. “She’s lovely, Camilla.” He forces his broken voice louder. “You’re lovely.”

  “That’s not all I am, father.” Myla raises her hand and calls to igni. A hundred whirl up and down her arm.

  Perfect.

  “So, you’re the true Scala Heir.” Armageddon’s long face twists into a sneer. “Interesting.”

  Myla summons even more igni. “You almost have that right.” Soon a white column of power stands beside her. “I’m not the Scala Heir. I’m the Great Scala.”

  That revelation won’t go over well. I ignite my baculum.

  Armageddon’s eyes flare bright red. “What are you saying? Where’s my son? WHERE IS MY SON?”

  “Killed by his own hand,” I declare. “He died a true thrax warrior.” I toss his blade from hand to hand, sizing up Armageddon. I can’t let him touch me, but that shouldn’t be too hard. It’s all a matter of how fast the demon moves and how long I have to keep him away from Myla.

  King of Hell throws back his head and howls. “My son is dead? MY SON IS DEAD?!” He crouches to Xavier’s side, grips his hair and yanks up his skull. “I want to you watch your daughter closely now, because I’m going to break her bones and drag her to Hell. She will fulfill my vow to torture Maxon Bane.”

  If Armageddon thought that would upset Myla, he was sorely mistaken.

  “Try this on for size.” Myla blasts her column of white lightning straight into the sky, pumping the storm clouds with bright flashes. “How about you get your goddamn hands off my father?” The clouds roll with an ear-splitting peal of thunder. “NOW.”

  With a great leap, Armageddon jumps onto the ridge. His greater demon aura slams into me, but I keep my focus. This isn’t my first time fighting this demonic class. Armageddon goes to attack my girl; I block each strike.

  Myla pumps more power into the clouds. Below us, small columns of igni appear around each demon. Soul columns. Every swirl of igni flare with brightness and then vanish, taking the monster inside along with it to Hell. Myla conducts all the action from inside her own column of igni. She’s a marvel.

  Yes.

  Within minutes, all the monsters on the grey sea are gone. Only Armageddon remains. He’s preternaturally fast, but not the worst I’ve ever fought. The sneaking feeling comes in that he’s saving his energy.

  And then, Armageddon makes his move.

  He leaps inside Myla’s column of igni. Panic spreads through me, burning my every nerve ending like fire. Inside the column, I can barely see Myla moving. Armageddon looms above her. The color of the column changes from white to red.

  Angel fire to Hellfire.

  Armageddon is winning.

  I slam on the column with my blade. I simply must break through and grab my girl. “Myla!” I scream. “Myla!”

  A great boom shakes the air. It’s thunder clap like none I’ve never heard before. Suddenly, Myla’s column turns white again. I can see through the swirling igni now. A pit has opened before my girl’s feet. Armageddon tumbles into that hole, falling down to hell. The earth closes up before her. The soul column vanishes. One by one, all the igni blink out of existence.

  From below, Camilla calls out. “Word just came from Verus! The demons are gone!”

  Myla stands before me, wobbling and yet grinning. She collapses into my arms. The one woman who saved an entire realm.

  A true warrior queen.

  41

  Hours later, I sit at Myla’s bedside in Purgatory. After the battle with Armageddon, we consulted a long roster of doctors. All agree it’s best for her to be here, sleeping in familiar surroundings with those who love her nearby. Camilla spends much of her time in the master bedroom where Xavier recovers. I’ve made Myla my top priority. Mostly, my role involves watching my girl sleep while experts troop in and out.

  Lucas.

  The royal physicians.

  Quasi doctors.

  Each time, it’s a similar routine. The experts check Myla’s pulse. Run a few tests. They conclude they’ve never seen anything like this before, and there are no records on the Great Scala. Then they grab a brownie from the kitchen and take off.

  Which brings me to Myla’s friend Cissy, who keeps the house well stocked with sugary sweets in case Myla wakes up. I had one of my stewards bring up some demon patrol rations for me. I keep the tins in a pack under my chair. I can’t eat the sugary stuff or it feels like my teeth will vibrate out of my head.

  When no one’s around, I hold Myla’s hand. Kiss her eyes. Whisper to her, saying how she’ll wake up soon. All the while, she stays in a cold sweat. I’m starting to worry when, at last, a pulse of warmth moves across her skin. Myla whispers my name.

  “Lincoln.”

  Then, she smiles.

  One thing I’ll give to Camilla. That woman may be in another room, but she still has the same gifts for extreme maternal hearing as Octavia. A moment after Myla speaks, the bedroom door whips open. Camilla stands there in sweatpants and a long T-shirt. Her eyes widen with excitement.

  “What was that?” she asks.

  “Good news,” I reply. “She’s past the worst of it.”

  Camilla steps to the bedside and touches Myla’s hand. “Oh, she’s warming up.” Camilla leans in to examine Myla’s skin. “Her coloring is coming back as well. I’ll fetch the doctors to confirm.” With that, Camilla leaves the room. Another parade of doctors come through, but since no one knows anything about the Great Scala, they can
say little except agree with our opinion. Myla seems better.

  Hours pass. Perhaps days go by as well. It’s hard to know. At some point, Camilla stands in the doorway again.

  “When was the last time you slept?” she asks me.

  I scrub my hands over my face. “A while.”

  “You should get some rest.”

  “After you,” I say. “I’ve only had one patient to deal with.”

  Camilla yawns. “Xavier is better as well.” She tilts her head, eyeing me carefully. The question is there, is he really fine without sleep?

  “Get some rest, Camilla,” I say gently.

  And so Myla’s mother goes off for a well-needed nap. I stay by my girl’s beside, holding her hand and cherishing the warmth that courses through her once more.

  * * *

  When I do rest, I decide to crash on Walker’s floor. No need to get too far from my girl. When I awaken, it’s to Walker’s colorless face looming over mine. “What happened to your baculum?” he asks.

  It’s the classic way for Walker to start a conversation. No hello or why are you asleep on my floor?

  I roll over and stretch. “I left it with Myla. She needs to practice her battle moves.”

  Walker steps back. “You left a weapon with Camilla? She can be a little uptight, you know. The woman may call in a bomb squad.”

  “I explained it all to her. She understands.” I sit upright and check my watch. While I’ve been taking care of Myla, I’ve been in human clothes. Modern conveniences like watches are one perk. The downside is when said watch confirms I need to be on demon patrol in an hour. “I must get to Antrum.” I’ve already asked for three extensions to stay by Myla’s side. The royal physicians just confirmed she’s recovering, and so I’m out of excuses. Aldred is also being a pain in the ass, so I need to focus again on my anti-Acca treaty.

  “You want a portal?” asks Walker.

  “Funny you should ask that. If my guess is right, Nightshade is outside. I can ride back to the old camp and use our temporary transfer station there. That said, I would like some portal help later when I’m on demon patrol.”

  “Who’s on point?”

  “Gurith.” That’s Mother’s house.

  “Let me guess. You want me to sneak you away so you can see Myla.”

  “It’s like you’re my best friend or something, the way you read my mind.”

  Walker grins. “Sure thing. I’ll take you.”

  “Many thanks.” I rise, feeling the creaks in my joints from sleeping on the floor.

  Walker folds his hands into the loopy sleeves of his ghoul robes. “Are you going back to your cabin?”

  “I am.”

  Walker smacks his lips. “I thought you’d gone back to Antrum.”

  “Everyone else has. I’ve been at Myla’s place all this time.” I give Walker the side eye. “What’s up?”

  “If you notice anyone has gone through your personal things, that would be me. I’ve been camping out at your place and working on your puzzle.”

  “So you’re hiding from the ghouls, too.”

  “They know all my other addresses and want constant updates. My people aren’t thrilled to be out of power. They’re very needy.”

  “You can stay there anytime. Knock yourself out.”

  “Much appreciated.”

  The puzzle brings back a memory. “The Tithe.”

  “What about him?” asks Walker.

  “I’ve forgotten all about the guy, what with the drama from Armageddon. He sent minister Jali after me. I’m concerned he’s still interested in Myla for some reason.” I rub my neck, thinking. Nope, no new revelations come to mind. “You haven’t gotten any new ideas on the subject, have you?”

  “I’m afraid not. Although the puzzle is most distracting.”

  “Glad I can help entertain you.”

  And with thoughts of the Tithe still in my head, I leave Walker’s place. As expected, Nightshade awaits me outside. She really is the best.

  42

  An hour later, I stand outside the Eko supermarket in Helsingborg, Sweden. Light snow falls around. Humans stream in and out of a one-story structure.

  Welcome to demon patrol.

  Today, our fighting group consists of myself and three other lady warriors. The House of Gurith is one of the few that encourages women fighters. We’re all in body armor, although we’ve activated charms so the humans don’t see us.

  Helga, the troop leader, is first to speak. “There’s something in the herring section of the supermarket.” She speaks Latin, the universal language of thrax. “We’ve never seen a demon like it before.” Helga’s a short powerhouse of a woman with heavy limbs, a square face, and a no-nonsense attitude. Her long blonde hair is braided down the back.

  “Is it contained?” I ask.

  “For now,” replies Helga. “We placed charms around the creature. Humans who approach the area get confused and walk away. But you know how it is with charms. They only last so long. At some point, it will be suspicious that no one’s buying fish.”

  “All right, plan Rho Sigma.” That plan calls for reconnaissance before any attack.

  Helga nods and turns to her squad. “Fall out.”

  Together, we all march into the grocery store. It looks like human markets everywhere. The big difference here is that the aisles are very slim, heavily packed, and all the writing is in Swedish. And, of course, there’s an extended section here for all kinds of fish. Pickled. Salted. Imported. Roasted. You get the idea.

  It’s always strange to walk around while under an avoidance charm. Invisibility is one thing. You have to be careful not to push someone over or cause a disturbance. Avoidance is far easier. The humans don’t even look you in the eye, they just … get out of your way. Within minutes, we reach the herring area.

  There’s no visible sign of a demon.

  “What’s the damage?” I ask.

  “Two heart attacks in this aisle in the last week. Humans think it’s a coincidence, but there’s a demon around here somewhere.”

  I scan the aisle. “I can tell your problem right now.”

  Helga raises her brows. “Really?”

  “Lobster tank. It’s imported from the Northern Americas. That isn’t water in the tank. You’ve got a full grown dissolus in there.”

  “Dissolus?”

  “Sure. There’s an infestation in North America. Make sure they don’t start one here.”

  Dissolus turn acidic when attacked, but they don’t use acid on their prey. Nope. An active dissolus can suck out a human’s soul in three seconds. The mortals don’t even know it happened. Heart attack is a common post mortem diagnosis.

  Helga steps closer to the tank. “Well, I’ll be. No bubbles in the water. That’s a dissolus, all right.”

  “You know how to kill them?”

  “Certainly,” says Helga.

  If another house said that, I’d worry. But Gurith are top notch. “In that case, do you mind if I leave early?”

  “Officially?”

  “Decidedly not.”

  “May I guess the reasons?” she asks. There’s a knowing gleam in her eyes which makes me curious.

  “Go on.”

  “You’ve a new girl you’re watching over.”

  “True.” I smile. “You said reasons, as in plural.”

  “Aldred is also threatening war.”

  I nod. “That as well. Would you be interested in joining an alliance against him?”

  “Come find me after you see your woman. We’ll discuss it. My people are well trained, but we don’t have enough equipment.”

  I’ve seen the prep reports. Gurith is low on armor and swords. That’s easy enough to fix. “May I ask why you’re so open to the idea?”

  “Aldred gives Octavia no end of trouble. She’s one of our own. We’ve wanted the Earl of Acca dead or neutralized for ages. Patrol ends in four hours. Come back and talk before then?”

  “I will.”

 
; “Good.” Helga turns to her troop and starts planning their dissolus attack.

  A low hum sounds behind me. Ghoul portal. A moment later, Walker steps into my line of vision. He seems positively comical here: a seven foot tall ghoul in long robes, standing the imported fish area of a Swedish grocery store. And he’s invisible to the humans, thankfully.

  “Your portal awaits,” says Walker.

  “I’d ask you how you knew when to arrive, but you always say—”

  “A good ghoul never shares his secrets,” finishes Walker.

  “Yes, that.”

  Walker and I step into the ghoul portal. When we march out once more, I’m back in Myla’s room. It’s the middle of the night here in Purgatory. Myla shivers under her blankets.

  That’s simply not acceptable.

  Once Walker leaves, I slip under the covers, pressing Myla’s back to my chest. My girl stops shivering. A few blissful hours pass before Myla stirs. I can feel the moment she knows I’m here. Her entire body goes rigid. I whisper in her ear. “Hello, Myla.”

  She twists to face me. “Hi, Lincoln.” She gives me a sleepy grin. “How did this awesomeness happen?”

  “Walker brought me here from earth. I’m playing hooky from demon patrol.”

  “Mmm.” She gets back into position, back to my chest, resting her head against my arm. “Walker brought you all the way here to cuddle?”

  “No, this is my idea.” I kiss the tip of her ear. “I decided it has therapeutic value.”

  “It does. Thanks for sneaking away.”

  “I can’t stay long. The Earl of Acca’s threatening war.”

  “That family is hell on toast.” She turns back to face me once more. “Is he still pushing for you and Adair to get married?”

  I nod. “But I’m recruiting more of the lesser Houses to the Alliance. I’ll stop him, Myla.” I exhale. “Actually, I’m supposed to be with the House of Gurith right now, convincing them to join up. I’m afraid I must leave in a few minutes.”