I snatch it up, ignore a glare from Megan, and launch into battle again. This time I go on the attack. Stepping into their ranks, I hack with as much elegance as a woodchopper. It doesn’t matter. The demons are grouped together so closely that no matter where I swing, I hit one.
Behind me, their hands clutch my shirt and yank me closer to them. I spin and send them to Hell. Then I step closer to Megan and return to our small circle of safety.
The smell of Hell floods over me, and Mom is falling in slow motion to the floor, red spills over her chest. She collapses to the floor.
I gasp and fall back against Megan. The jolt of our collision brings me back to the present.
“Are you all right?” she asks and helps me stand again.
“Yes,” I snap, although I’m not mad at her.
What will it take to make this darkness go away, God? Am I forever cursed with it? How do I ignore memories and keep them from surfacing?
Then I see it.
I laugh as another demon starts to come at us. Shocked and confused by my reaction, he pulls back to the crowd surrounding us.
Megan regards me for a second before turning her attention back to the threat in front of us. “Are you losing it?” she asks.
“Nope, just the opposite.” I grin.
It’s strange that where evil is so strong, I see truth more clearly. Although I was always surrounded by angels and demons, I saw the demons because I wasn’t open to what God had to show me.
Now that I’m at the castle gate of demons, I realize that the battle of souls is fought every day, whether we see it or not. Evil is not an abstract thought. I can touch it and see its work. I had to come here to discover what the darkness in me is.
The darkness pounds and replays in my brain because it’s my memories. They don’t have to control me, and I don’t have to be afraid of them. What happened in the past is in the past. It can’t hurt me anymore.
But I can use it.
I grip my sword and remember my rage against evil I felt as Mr. Peterson gunned down my classmates. I smell the plastic of Brandon’s shoes. I let the memory of feeling helpless and hopeless sweep over me until I’m boiling with the emotions of the past.
But this time I’m not taken away from the present to watch the horrors of it replay. This time I see my enemy in front of me.
I roar, not feeling any of the aches and pains from before, and charge the demons. They rush forward but disappear to Hell as my blade cuts through them.
Flashes of red surround the white flame of my blade. I twist and turn to clear the demons away from us.
Demon screeches fill the air, and there’s a cloud of sulfur. I keep an eye on Megan. She is holding her own against the horde. But all at once, she is overcome with too many. In an instant, I am by her side.
“Don’t give up!” I yell. “We just might get out of here.”
She grins slightly.
I shout with fresh energy and attack faster. But as I spin around, I catch a glimpse of Chas at the gates. He’s worked himself up to the very gates, darting up and down the narrow opening, hacking away at the demons as they slip through the gap.
Yet there is a crowd of demons working at the bolts. They are pulling and pushing to open the iron bars wider. If they manage that, all the demons behind the gates will have access to where we are fighting. We will be cut down in a matter of seconds.
Chas also sees the danger. He flies to where they are pulling and reaches through the bars to stop them. He gets a few, but the other demons attack his unprotected arm. He tries harder, but it’s too late.
With a loud creak, the iron-barred gates move. Chas darts back to join us. Mal and Blaise stop in their unending battle. To my surprise, Blaise laughs. His cackle rolls over us as dread creeps into my heart.
Mal spins and smacks Blaise in the side with his blade. Sulfur leaks out of the wound as Blaise blocks the next strike.
“Run!” Eli yells.
But before we can move, the castle gates open, and the demons stream out.
Chapter Seventy-Four
The Singing
Mal dives into the attack with such vigor that it surprises him. He swings his massive white sword at Blaise, who stands strong and blocks it. The clash fills the air as they lock in a battle of strength.
The angel pulls back, willing to lose a bit of ground for a smarter way to fight. The large demon matches him blow for blow, not showing weakness in strength or ability. His enemy is a seasoned warrior, and he knows it.
Mal circles in the air, looking for a way past Blaise’s defenses or an error in his skill, but there is none. Blaise strikes, his dark wings flapping as he closes the distance and brings his sword down over his head.
The great white sword blocks the attack, and Mal twists to stab at the opening. Blaise leaps back but not before the sword cuts him a bit on his side. Growling in anger, the demon switches direction in midair and swipes Mal across the chest with his blade. The cut goes deep. He yells and retreats to gain control of the situation. Blaise lets him go with a sneer on his face.
Mal wheels away and gazes below. Nic has become the warrior he was born to be. Mal can’t help smile. He watches the boy cut down demons with a speed few humans have possessed. Megan is holding her own, able to handle a demon or two at a time. Mal’s respect for the two expands as they take care of each other and fight for the Creator.
Eli is close to them, taking out the demons with his giant broadsword. He’s as unmovable and strong as a mature oak tree in a fierce wind storm. He’d probably be taking more out, but he’s keeping an eye on the humans and waiting for the perfect moment to get them out of here.
Chas is a never-ending stream of light battling at the gate. Mal almost feels sorry for the demons while they try to follow Chas or guess where he’s going next. Before the dark monsters know where he is, he slices off their heads and dispatches them to Hell.
But from Mal’s vantage point, he can see what the ones on the ground can’t. The gates are being opened. It won’t be long until they are free from the bolts, and the army of demons behind the iron bars is set free to attack.
In his dismay, Mal stops watching Blaise and tries to signal to Eli or Chas. Neither pay him attention in their efforts to destroy enough demons to clear the escape for Megan and Nic.
A sharp pain streaks down the length of his back. Mal cries out in agony and pulls his attention back to Blaise. His ancient enemy watches with glee while Mal struggles to pull himself out of the anguish.
“Shouldn’t turn your back,” Blaise mocks. “Do you think I’d play by your rules?”
“You should fight by our rules since you were made by the Creator,” Mal responds.
Blaise sneers at the reminder. “And then I made myself much better.”
“Is that what the King of Lies told you?” Mal counters and attacks again.
Blaise flies back a few feet.
Mal follows, pressing his sudden advantage. “Do you think you can beat us?” he says. “We have already won the war! You were there when Jesus walked out of the tomb!”
Blaise roars at the memory and weakly blocks Mal’s strikes that he is raining down on him.
“You saw Lucifer lose all hope that day! You heard the victory cry echo to the deepest depths of Hell,” Mal continues.
The words are giving the angel hope and life, and they undermine the demon’s ability. The dark creature’s face is twisted in agony.
“Why do you fight for someone who is already defeated?” Mal presses as he continues to strike the demon. “What’s the point? You have already lost. Jesus is the victor!”
Blaise snarls like a trapped animal. Mal is almost overcome with a wave of pain and exhaustion, but he forces himself forward. Blaise fumbles backward, trying to keep facing the angel as Mal circles.
“I may still win,” Blaise stammers in defense. “And I’d rather be my own master than a slave like you.”
“What about Goddard?” Mal asks. “Aren’t
you sworn to obey him?”
Blaise snarls. “Not for long.”
Mal doesn’t respond. Blaise has shown his weakness. When the demon swings wide, he leaves an opening. Mal strikes low, setting the trap. Blaise swings madly at the angel’s neck in one last desperate attempt to defeat him.
Mal ducks and takes the opening. As the sword cuts deep into Blaise’s side, Mal says, “Go be your own master in Hell.”
Blaise screeches in pain and horror when the blade plunges deep into him. A massive cloud of sulfur explodes, and the dark angel is pulled from this world. Mal pulls his blade free. The fires of Hell become visible for a breath of a second and disappear.
Blaise’s scream is the only thing that remains of the demon until it, too, dissipates.
Mal closes his eyes in relief and says a quiet prayer of thanks to the Creator for seeing him through one more battle. When he opens them to rejoin the fight, the relief and hope changes to horror.
* * *
I lose myself in the action of the battle. I spin, swing, and lunge in this deadly dance. I’m aware of Megan’s movements while I push the demons away from her, trying to inch us closer to the opening of the tunnel that leads to Florence.
But for every demon we kill, two more take its place. Over my head, Blaise and Mal are fighting more desperately. Mal is wounded, but Blaise is backing up and not fighting as well as before.
What changed?
There’s no time to figure it out. The press of demons grows deeper. Eli draws closer to us when we are almost overwhelmed by the evil creatures. Side by side, we battle while screams and sulfur fill the air.
I can barely get enough oxygen in my lungs, and my ribs pound with every breath. Sweat pours down my face. My hands slip on the slick hilt.
I want to tell Eli to take Megan and fly away with her, but I know the demons are as capable in flight. If his hands are full with carrying her, he won’t be able to fight. We are trapped.
There’s a roar of victory when the iron bars of the castle gate tear free from the bolts and drop to the rock floor. As Chas darts backward to us, a wave of fifty demons pushes into our space. Behind them, more of the winged creatures claw their way to join the fight.
Chas lands beside Eli. The demons around us pull back instead of attacking their enemy. The two angels regard each other. Words aren’t exchanged, but they nod and take up the fight again, stepping in front of Megan and me. They will not waver while protecting us.
But the press of demons is so great that many slip around the angels and find their way to us. I take up the sword again, although I’m longing for a break. Judging by the horde attacking us, the fight can’t continue much longer now, and I will be dead.
We can’t make it, God. There’s no way we can fight our way out of here. All our hope is lost. What are You doing here?
I swallow. I don’t want to die this way. I don’t want to die at all, even if it means that I’d see Mom again. I still have things to do. And there’s Aunt Kate and Ryan. I still have to save them.
Chas and Eli are two bright beacons of light as they fight off the demons. Now that I can see Chas up close, I marvel at his speed. His slight frame doesn’t look strong, but he’s as fast as lightning. He never stays in one spot, constantly moving to make himself a harder target to hit. If we get out of here, I’m going to have him teach me a few things.
A scream of anguish echoes throughout the cavern. I glance up just in time to see Blaise vanish in a cloud of sulfur. I cheer as Mal defeats the monster. Then he darts toward us.
A demon pushes Megan. She screams and stumbles over some rocks, falling to the ground. The demons pounce on her like starving wolves on a slab of meat.
I cut off the head of one before they devour her. The others back up. I stand over her and wave my sword at them. She grabs her blade from the ground and uses me as a climbing post.
“Twisted my ankle,” she pants. “Can’t put weight on it.”
“Hold on to me for support,” I order.
“No,” she responds with a quick shake of her head. I look into her blue eyes and know that she realizes we don’t have any hope. “I can make it.”
I grin at her inexhaustible feistiness, even though a wave of sadness engulfs me.
It shouldn’t end like this.
I catch a movement in the corner of my eye. Whipping around, a demon’s sword is descending on my head with enough force to split my skull in two. I can’t move fast enough to do anything.
I twist to bring up my sword, pushing Megan to the ground in my haste.
Help, Lord.
I brace for the blow, wondering if death will hurt. A brilliant flash of light explodes in front of me. Through the glare, Chas has darted in between me and the demon’s sword.
I yell. The demon grins bigger and pushes the sword down faster in great anticipation of a kill. Chas twists in a weird angle to reach me in time, but he kicks with his foot, trying to push the blade out of the way.
Chas misses.
I watch in horror. The black blade falls inches away from him. Chas whirls around to get his sword up in time to block, but it’s too late.
The edge of the demon’s sword slashes through Chas’s chest and cuts deep. Chas manages to get his sword into position and thrusts his sword at the demon. The winged creature, in his delight of a kill, has left himself wide open. Chas’s blade cuts the head of the foul creature smoothly. The sulfur explodes. The flames come.
Chas slumps to the ground. He wrenches the blade out and throws it away. Mal lands beside Chas to protect him. But despite having the advantage, the demons pause as if transfixed by the angel’s plight.
“NO!” Eli yells and spins around to see what has happened.
Chas looks up with a weak grin. “It’s my time to go to the Creator. Fight the good fight. We will be reunited again.”
Tears well up, and I drop to my knees. “Thank you.” It doesn’t seem enough to say to an angel who sacrificed himself for me.
Chas squeezes my hand. “It was my honor to defend you.”
He lets go, and then a brilliant light like the blades of our swords fills the whole room. It expands over Chas until the cavern is filled with it. Darkness steps back, cringing in its presence. Singing accompanies the light and rings through the darkness. It’s the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard.
Mom’s words as she was dying come to me. The singing...the beautiful singing...
I know this is what she heard that day. I know this is what she hears right now.
Oh, Mom, I hear it, too. Have Chas tell you about me.
Sobs shake my body in a bittersweet moment. Tears stream down Megan’s face. Eli and Mal drop to one knee, showing respect to Chas while their companion departs to the Lord’s embrace.
Chas’s body slowly lifts into the air and then disappears, leaving nothing, not even his sword, behind. The light lingers, and the whole cavern is hushed.
The demons begin to stir out of their stupor as the light begins to dissipate, blinking from being blinded by Heaven’s light.
Mal nods to the tunnel that leads back to Florence. “Quick! Chas would not want us to miss our chance of escape. We must go now!”
Chapter Seventy-Five
A Gap
“Come,” Eli repeats and puts a hand on my shoulder. “We must go.”
I blink and realize they are right. I slam my sword into its sheath.
Is the fire on my blade gone forever?
I pull it again. Once it’s clear from the sheath, the flame sparks and dances with white light.
I shove it into the sheath once more and help Megan along. We stumble across the rocky surface of the cave. She moans a bit every time she puts weight on her ankle but does not cry out in pain.
The demons are still stricken by the light, although they are beginning to work up their nerve to attack again.
We make it to the tunnel when a thunderous roar comes from the top level of the castle. It echoes on the cavern walls, and
the demons cringe.
Eli laces his fingers together to create a step for me to climb into the tunnel, but I pause.
“Won’t they follow us?” I ask.
“Hopefully, they will stop pursuing once we are above ground,” Mal says without taking his stare off the demons around us. They stand with their swords in their hands like they don’t know if they should attack. “Hurry. Now’s not the time for questions.”
He’s right, but there’s still one more question I have to ask. The roar from the castle stops suddenly. Demons leave the castle in a chaotic manner. I can’t figure out if they are in a massive hurry to escape from whatever is in the castle, or something is throwing them out. Maybe it’s both.
“What’s in there?” I point to the castle.
“Blaise’s master,” Eli answers. He waits for me to step into his hands and up the tunnel. “Someone who hasn’t shown his face for thousands of years.”
“And someone we can’t afford to meet right now,” Mal responds. “So move.”
I step into Eli’s hands and begin to climb when I glance at the cavern one more time, wondering if it all were a dream. And then I realize that I haven’t seen Liam for a while.
I look for a body, but there is none. Perhaps Liam is too much of a coward to continue fighting. I realize with a grimace that we will probably see him again someday.
I pull myself up into the tunnel, finding a foothold in various places. Once I get to a small ledge, I turn around to help Megan up. She doesn’t say much, but she’s having a hard time.
The glow fades as we journey farther up the tunnel. Dirt and rocks tumble into my face, and my arms ache from pulling Megan through the narrow passageway.
Eli stays close to us, lending a hand when he can. Sometimes we end up using his shoulders or head to stand on when the walls are too smooth to climb. He doesn’t say anything, but I wonder if we can cause him pain or if we’re stepping on his dignity. Mal comes last. Every once in a while, I hear his sword clashing with another blade.
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