I stop pushing Megan away and grab her in hopes that I can stop her from being tossed around the cab. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight to my chest. I smell lavender as her hair flies in my face. She struggles for a second and then clutches me hard.
I don’t want to ever let her go. Then the truck smashed into the ground.
* * *
“Fires of Hell,” Eli growled when Nic’s truck sped off the road and dropped down the cliff.
The demons snickered and lunged at the big angel, flying through the air. Eli met their attack with a wave of anger. They had lured him away from the truck so the others could get it off the road.
He blocked their rusty blades and countered with quick strikes to dispatch them to the abyss. Their screams echoed against the mountains. His blade cut through them, and a cloud of sulfur filled the air.
Eli didn’t take time to celebrate. He twisted in the air and shot after the truck, hoping he wasn’t too late. Blaise’s demons were closing the distance. It wouldn’t be too long until they descended on him and the two humans. Eli didn’t often question his prowess in battle, but he wasn’t sure if he could protect them and fight at the same time.
My Lord, please send help! I can’t save these two humans without some sort of assistance.
Eli breathed a quick prayer that the other angels would be alerted and hightail it to help him battle the demons. But first, Eli had to save Nic and Megan before they crashed at the bottom of the deep canyon.
* * *
The truck slams into the earth and rolls down into the canyon. It turns over, and now the demons are flying after us. Glass from the side window hurtles to us, striking us again like tiny bullets.
“Jesus, help us!” Megan screams at the top of her voice.
She clings to me so tightly I can barely breathe.
We keep rolling.
A sharp wave of disappointment fills me. Her prayer does nothing to help us, but she doesn’t stop.
“Jesus! Please save us! Please! Save us, Jesus!”
I almost snap at her to be quiet when the truck slows its rolling and comes to a stop on the driver’s side. We’re close to another drop off, but if we wiggle carefully, just maybe we can get out of the truck.
“Are you okay?” I ask Megan.
She nods. “I see shadows everywhere in the sky. Is that them?”
I nod and twist to look behind us when the sky brightens. Three bolts of light shoot across the blue to where the demons are flying.
When they are closer, I can make out that they aren’t streaks of lightning. Two of them look like men, one lean and dark while the other is short and Asian. The third one looks like a woman with long hair.
They draw glowing swords from their belts. The shorter one drops through the air and swings at the demons approaching them. The demon disappears in a flash of red light.
Angels!
They cut down the winged creatures, but in seconds, the demons surround them.
“Nic! What are they doing?” Megan points to the back of the truck.
The demon that was steering the truck is still with us in the bed of the truck. He barks a command to the other two demons next to him.
They leap from the back and spread their wings, but instead of flying away, they start pushing the truck so it will go over the cliff again. Giant black wings pulse back and forth. The truck lets out an ugly groan.
“Watch out!” Megan yells.
The demon behind me grabs my shoulder. He’s trying to pull me out the window.
“Help me!” I grab the steering wheel. Megan grabs me. The seatbelt cuts into my chest and waist as the demon pulls harder.
I will not be hauled to your master and leave Megan to die!
But I can’t fight back. If I let go, Megan is lost. I do the only thing I can do. I yell for help.
Megan slips a little as the demon continues to tugs on me. It grabs my arm where my wound is and seizes it tightly. The pain makes black spots appear in my eyes.
The truck starts to roll. The roof smashes and bends as the metal crunches. The demon pulls on me harder. My yell of prayer turns into sheer agony. Megan joins in the screams, her voice cracking with panic and terror.
The truck tips. With a jerk, it flips upright, but we’re not on the ledge anymore. We’re falling through the air. In the sky, the bright swords of the angels clashes against the dark weapons of the demons.
The truck smashes into another ledge. A stump erupts through the floorboards on the passenger side, and the truck continues to roll to the edge.
“Get him, Achan, or I’ll send you into the Abyss!” Blaise yells from above us. “Let the girl fall!”
Achan growls and jerks the seatbelt free from its restraints. He braces and pulls my arm even harder. Without the belt holding me in, I don’t have the strength to resist.
The truck keeps rolling. The demon pulls me closer to the window. I cling to Megan by one arm.
“Don’t let go!” I yell. “Hang on to me!”
She clutches harder, but Achan yanks again, and she’s slipping. The truck rolls to the driver’s side again, and all I have of Megan is an awkward hold on her far arm.
I already miss the smell of lavender, the feel of her in my arms, the sound of her heart.
Just one more pull, and I’ll be in the Achan’s clutches. She will fall to her death. She must know because she puts up a final struggle to hold onto me, but it’s not enough.
I look into her dark-blue eyes and wish we could have been friends. I drink in her dark hair, her eyes, and cherry-red lips so I never forget her.
“Nic!” she cries. Her eyes fill up with tears. “Tell my parents I love them!”
I nod, but I don’t know if I can keep that promise. Achan tugs again, and my head is through the window.
“No! No! No!” Megan screams and pulls on me. “Don’t leave me!”
I try to shake Achan off, but he’s too strong. The truck rolls to the edge, and a streak of light heads toward us. An angel descends toward us with a giant sword. Achan hesitates like he’s trying to make a decision.
There’s something familiar about the angel. Then I gasp. He’s the hitchhiker that saved Matthew and me.
Blaise drops to delay the angel, but the Asian-looking angel drops out of the sky and engages the demon. Blaise roars in anger and slices at the angel with a giant broadsword. The angel dodges it but pulls back to turn to the other angel.
“I got him, Eli,” he shouts. “This time he’s mine!”
“Thanks, Chasdiel!” Eli yells and swings at Achan.
The winged creature drops my arm and leaps out of the way of Eli’s glowing blade. The demon draws his chipped blade.
The truck rocks on the ledge. I fall back into the cab of the truck where I gather Megan in my arms. I breathe in the scent of lavender, and she squeezes the air out of me.
I twist around to see the angel and demon duel in the air above the truck, exchanging blows that would knock a man out cold.
Eli doesn’t pay any attention to us as he swings time and time again at the demon, but Achan is quick. He dodges each time and retaliates with attacks with his sword.
The truck rolls.
“They were too late,” Megan breathes. “We’re going to fall.”
I don’t have time to protest. The truck slips off the edge. We fly through the air like a plane with no wings.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Lavender Clouds
Eli shouted with joy when Sari, Mal, and Chas appeared. They greeted him with a salute and got to work. But the joy only lasted for a few moments. The demons surged forward to attack them.
“Go!” Sari shouted. “Get Nic!” She easily took out the enormous demon coming at her with a swipe of her sword.
Eli plunged down the canyon after Nic. The truck dropped down the cliff. It hit an embankment and rolled slowly to a stop. But before he could get to them, the demons pushed it off the edge again and set the truck barreling to the bott
om of the cliff.
Blaise was high in the air, circling like a hawk while he watched the battle. Eli closed the distance on the vehicle, but the large demon shot toward him.
“I got him,” Chasdiel shouted. “This time he’s mine!”
“Thanks, Chasdiel!” Eli grinned at the eagerness to fight in Chasdiel’s voice.
The truck continued its drop through the air. The demon in the back noticed Eli’s approach and readied for the fight.
Eli drew his sword. I’m not letting you have them!
Then Eli’s white blade clashed with the demon’s dark sword.
* * *
I grip Megan hard to my chest even though I can’t protect either of us with my seatbelt gone. The truck is now heading straight down. The ground is rapidly getting closer.
With every other flip-flop of the truck I can see Eli locked in a duel with Achan. The angel launches himself at the demon and strikes. The demon rears back and slashes at the angel so fast that I lose sight of the blade. Eli backs up through the air, but he doesn’t move quickly enough.
Eli lets out a cry of agony as Achan’s dark blade slams into his side. Eli flutters, falling down through the air. The angel’s handsome face twists in agony, and he clutches the wound with his free hand.
* * *
Eli ignored the demon shrieking with laughter and victory. The hideous creature’s face looked even more repulsive with the smile stretched across his face and then launched after Eli.
The angel tried to straighten and brace for the next blow. Nic screamed, but the truck twisted in the air before Eli could do anything to help the humans. He had to somehow take care of the demon first.
Eli managed to twist around so he was facing his attacker, but his sword hung listlessly at his side.
Achan cackled with victory. “Getting weak, holy angel?” He poised to strike and dropped closer.
Eli watched but did nothing to block the attack. When the demon was close enough to cut through him with the massive sword, he paused in midair.
“Not how you thought it would end, is it?” Achan’s voice was dripping with hate. “You can’t win. Not here. We’re many and strong.”
Achan swung his sword over his head. The blade dropped dangerously close to the angel, but Eli didn’t do anything.
Nic yelled again. Eli growled. He hated having Megan and Nic in danger. It was time to end this battle.
Achan took the bait. Time for the trap to catch him!
Eli dropped the game of pretending he had a wound. Achan’s blade fell a breath away from him, and then he shot higher into the air.
He attacked Achan from a higher vantage point with the righteous fury that he had been holding back for a long time.
Achan screeched in anger and fear. He tumbled through the air when his sword missed. He tried to turn to face the angel, but he couldn’t get into position.
The demon managed to block the angel’s sword before it hit him. They remained locked together in a test of strength for a few seconds before Eli swiped a death blow across the demon’s neck.
A shriek of agony filled the air. A puff of smoke exploded where the demon was. All that remained was a sickening smell of sulfur.
* * *
I twist around to catch a glimpse of the angel becoming a smooth movement of death. He attacks the demon like a furious tornado.
A flash of fire blinds my eyes. My nostrils fill with a gross smell.
Is it sulfur?
I look back. The demon is gone. A demon, so invincible to me, has vanished.
Could you have saved Mom?
Megan’s screams jerk me back to reality. The ground is rushing toward us.
There’s no time to get an answer. We have ten seconds until the truck smashes into the ground, engulfing us in flames.
I should’ve told Aunt Kate more that I loved her, and I should’ve been nicer to Ryan. Tears prick my eyes when I think about them looking for us.
How long will it take you to look here? Will you ever know what happened to us?
I squeeze Megan tighter until my arms scream in agony as lavender drifts to my nose. The ground looms in front of us.
One.
Two.
Three.
Megan stops screaming to plead. “God, please save us. Please, please, please save us.”
Six.
Seven.
A boulder is right in our path. I can make out the moss on its rough surface.
“Please, God, save us, save us, save us.”
I join in with Megan in the prayer, our voices harmonizing as we hurtle toward our death.
Nine.
The truck jerks. We are thrown forward. Megan lets out a huge breath of air as she’s pushed against the steering wheel. I try to push back so I don’t crush her more, but the force is too strong, and I’m shoved into her. She yells, and I hear a clash of metal.
I guessed wrong. We didn’t have ten seconds. We had nine.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Nine and a Half
The haze becomes a field of purple lavender that reaches my waist. The sun warms my face as I walk through the plants, running my hands over the purple flowers. My thoughts run wildly, despite the peaceful scene.
Is this death?
I think back to my last memories. There was that jolt and then the crunch of metal.
But where’s Megan?
She can’t be alive still! She was in front of me and had already hit the steering wheel. Surely the rock would have collided with her first.
“Megan!” I wait for an answer. “Megan! Where are you?”
She doesn’t respond. I turn in a circle, but all I see is endless fields of lavender.
What happened? Where am I?
The sun grows dark. A large demon soars through the air at me, blocking the light.
I should run and hide, but I don’t. I stand still watching him grow larger. Strangely, I’m not scared. My heart doesn’t pound out of control, and deep inside of me, the darkness isn’t trying to escape.
As he approaches with slow beats of his long wings, I realize it’s the same demon I saw at the mammoth bones.
Blaise.
He lands not far from me. The wind from his wings hits my face, stirring up more lavender. I brace for an attack. Blaise notices and smirks as he strides toward me.
I force myself not to move or give way, but it’s all I can do to keep my feet still and not flinch. Blaise stops within a few feet of me and raises his eyebrows.
“You have nerve, young one,” he begins. “You’ll fit my plans nicely.”
“Your plans?” I repeat, shocked. “I’m not doing anything with you.”
Blaise laughs. “Once you see what power you have, you’ll follow me to become more powerful. You are far stronger than you know. You have potential for a greatness the world has rarely seen, and I can take you there.”
I shift on my feet. This is not what I was expecting. He is different than the violent, bloodthirsty demon I saw before.
Blaise doesn’t seem to really notice anything about me. It’s like he’s looking right through me. “You’ve felt it, haven’t you? You’re not like the rest. You can see us. That alone suggests power. Now imagine what you can do with it. You don’t have to be bullied.”
“Where are we?” My voice sounds weak and shaky, not at all a reflection of the strength Blaise suggests I have.
“Does it matter?” Blaise shrugs. “What matters the most is you. Where do you want this to be? What do you want?”
No one ever asks me what I want. I want Mom to be alive. But I don’t think of that. But that’s pointless. There has to be something I want that I can actually get.
“What about the girl, Catherine?” Blaise grins. “Too bad you’re...” He pauses and looks me up and down. “Well, too bad you’re not worthy of her.”
“What do you know about anything?” I snap.
“Oh, Nic, I know so much more than you do. If you use your gift right, you could h
ave the world with all its riches and women far more beautiful than Catherine.”
But before I can say or do anything, a voice calls my name. It’s faint and weak, but there’s urgency in it.
“Nic.”
The voice comes from far away. I can barely hear it.
Blaise steps closer. “Just swear allegiance to me. That’s all you have to do, and then it’s all yours.”
“Nic!” The girl’s voice is louder.
The words slip out of my head. I can’t think with the voice calling my name.
“Nic!”
Megan! She’s alive!
I turn in a circle around the lavender plants that no longer seem beautiful.
“NIC!”
A sharp burst of pain spreads across my cheek. I put my hand on it.
Did I just get slapped?
I glare at Blaise, searching for answers, but he had retreated a few feet although I didn’t see him move.
Megan calls again. Her voice gets louder. The lavender plants fade. I can’t smell them anymore. I look back at the demon, but Blaise is getting smaller and smaller as the field becomes blacker.
The pain on my cheek returns sharper and harder. I wince and gasp. When I open my eyes, I’m back in the truck.
The truck is inches away from a boulder that’s the size of the engine. I can see the details of the moss, the tiny insects that crawl around on it, and the rough surface.
Are we frozen in time? Will time resume its normal speed and smash us into the rock?
Megan is still in between me and the steering wheel. There’s a cut on her cheek with blood oozing from it. And based on the swelling, she’s going to have two killer black eyes. But she doesn’t seem to care as she stops clutching me and grins slightly. “Sorry about that, but you don’t want to miss this.”
She points behind us. I twist, and she pushes away from me. The smell of lavender dissipates.
I gasp when I see Eli is holding the truck in the air. He pulls the truck farther into the air away from the rock. He sees us watching him and grins.
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