“You see the sort of game we are involved in, Marcus?” Veiron’s tone was cold and dark, and he looked as angry as Marcus felt. More black words rolled out of the pit and Veiron looked over his shoulder and barked a curse back at the Devil. “We are all pawns. They play with us… toy with our memories… twist our fate so we do as they desire of us.”
Marcus moved out of Apollyon’s arms and nodded. He did see the extent of it all now. They had changed Apollyon’s memories of that time, and had cursed Marcus so he would never falter on the path they had chosen for him, driving him ever onwards towards this moment. They used them all cruelly, Amelia most of all. It wasn’t her fault that she had been born this way. It was their fault and they used her as a weapon when they should have been finding a way to undo what they had done, or to let her live in peace and die a natural death.
He wouldn’t let it go on.
He was going to save Amelia even if he had to fight both Heaven and Hell to achieve it.
“You saw her death by my hands… when will it happen?” Marcus glared at Veiron and tried to call his wings. He wasn’t surprised when they didn’t emerge and the curse marks blazed against his back.
“The planetary alignment comes into effect soon. Her blood must be spilt before the planets move out of alignment in seven days time.”
“Seven days.” If he could keep her safe for that length of time, would that mean she would be free of this destiny? The look in Veiron’s eyes said that he wasn’t sure of the particulars around her sacrifice. There was little point in him asking the Devil. He couldn’t trust either Heaven or Hell with this.
“Can you lift this curse?” Marcus said and Veiron hesitated. “What is it?”
“I said that they had gone too far this time and that’s why I don’t want to play this game of theirs anymore. It’s one thing having to remember everything I’ve done in service of the Devil whenever I join his ranks, it’s another for them to use me against you. I placed that curse on you and was there when they erased your memories.”
Marcus’s eyes widened and he tried to recall seeing Veiron in the memories that had come back to him. He couldn’t remember him but Veiron had felt familiar to him back when they had met outside Einar’s home in London.
“I was like you once,” Veiron whispered and the feathers on his wings started to drain of colour and fall again, revealing the dark membrane beneath. “A guardian… we always start out together, you know, reborn into the ranks of the guardians at the same time. And then I fall. They’ve never made me curse you before though or gone so far with altering your memories… but perhaps you were in danger of changing your destiny. I can help you with that curse. I’m tired of you winning all the time. She isn’t the only one who dies when that happens.”
Marcus stared at him. What hideous game were they playing with them all? He had been reborn in a time of peace. He had died shortly after killing her, and from what Veiron was saying, so had he.
Their purpose had been fulfilled. Heaven and Hell had wiped the slate clean and started the game over again.
He cursed and the Devil sent one back at him. Veiron shifted further away from the edge of the plateau when parts of it crumbled into the fiery abyss, sending up showers of vivid orange sparks in an intense wave of heat.
“I think I shall get into trouble for this.” Veiron smiled, revealing sharp red teeth. “He doesn’t like to be disobeyed, and neither does your master.”
“Have we ever worked together against them before?” Marcus looked towards the pit and then up at the ceiling of the cavern.
Veiron moved around him and touched the marks on his back. They burned again. “Never… it has to be worth a shot. I really don’t feel like dying again, not when life was just starting to become good. Just keep your head on straight when you see her again and remember why you’re there. If you can do that, there’s a chance you can beat this.”
Marcus nodded. He would. He would remember that he loved her with all of his heart and that he had come to take her away from that place and make her feel safe again so she would smile at him as she had before.
So they could be together.
The pain in his shoulders faded and his wings burst free.
“You’re going to have to be quick. Heaven will know what I’ve done and they’ll do all in their power to stop you long enough for the planets to align so they can spill her blood and activate the seal.” Veiron drew the sword from the sheath at his waist and looked across at Einar. “We won’t have much time if Marcus fails. I’m not leaving without Taylor and I’m figuring you feel the same.”
Einar nodded and unsheathed his own sword. He met Marcus’s gaze and smiled. “I’m relying on you… don’t you dare get me stuck down here.”
Marcus smiled back at him and Einar turned away before he could say anything, running into the dark distance with Veiron leading the way. Marcus looked back at Apollyon and Lukas and his confidence faltered. What if his love for Amelia wasn’t enough to stop him from following the destiny Heaven had planned for him? Apollyon hadn’t been able to fight his destiny to kill Amelia. If they took control of him, he wouldn’t be strong enough to break free of their command and save her.
He didn’t want to betray her again and kill her. He loved her so much. If he ended up killing her, it would be the death of him too. He couldn’t live knowing what he had done.
“It can be different this time.” Apollyon spread his black wings and flapped them, beating hot air against Marcus’s legs.
The confidence in Apollyon’s blue eyes bolstered his own and he took a deep breath and unfurled his silvery-blue wings. He flapped them and silently begged them not to disappear on him now. If the Devil’s army was attacking Heaven, it could be the chance he had been waiting for. Heaven’s attention would be firmly on the battle. They might not notice that he was free of his curse and was on his way there.
A voice at the back of his mind said that there might be another reason they weren’t revoking his wings. They wanted him to come to them now that the planets were falling into alignment so he could spill Amelia’s blood in Heaven.
Marcus drew another long steadying breath and called his armour so it covered his chest and back. That wasn’t going to happen. He would save her, not kill her.
“You can make it right. History does not have to repeat itself. Believe in your feelings for her and the future you desire, and you will be strong enough to fight,” Apollyon said and a crack appeared in the black ceiling of the enormous cavern.
Lukas lifted off beside him. “I’ll go on ahead and return to Annelie and Serenity to let them know what’s happening.”
Apollyon nodded and Marcus looked at him.
“You are not going with him?” Marcus said as Apollyon beat his broad black wings and his feet left the ground but he made no move to follow Lukas.
Apollyon shook his head this time and smiled. The darkness in it unnerved Marcus.
“I have a score to settle.”
Apollyon shot upwards and the ceiling above them split open, revealing a jagged streak of blue. Marcus beat his wings and followed him, heading for the mortal realm and glad to be leaving Hell behind. He wouldn’t fail Einar or Veiron, or Amelia. With Apollyon at his side, he was sure that he would find the strength to end this once and for all.
He would save her.
CHAPTER 24
Marcus beat his silvery-blue wings, speeding up through the layers of air that turned from warm to cold as the world dropped away below him. Apollyon flew a few metres off to his right, his noble profile turned upwards, fixed on their destination. The clouds parted and Marcus’s pale blue eyes widened when he saw what lay ahead of them.
It was pandemonium.
The gate of Heaven was under siege by hundreds of Veiron’s kind, their black forms swarming against the huge pale walls of the fortress that floated above the clouds.
In amongst them were angels, battling ferociously against the foe that threatened not only to
breach the wall and enter Heaven, but to take that which Heaven had stolen from Marcus.
They were here for Amelia.
“This could prove useful.” Apollyon looked across at him and drew one of the curved golden blades hanging at his waist. He nodded towards the gathered armies.
Marcus didn’t slow his approach. He unsheathed the blade hanging on his right side, clutching the silver and blue engraved grip tightly in his left hand, and narrowed his eyes on their target.
Apollyon was right.
Heaven’s focus was on the demonic intruders waging war ahead of them. It was a chance to get into Heaven unnoticed. All they had to do was get past the battle and slip inside. The first wave of soldiers drew closer and the sound of the fight rang in the air, a symphony of metal on metal chiming out, and the scent of blood reached him.
That was going to be easier said than done.
“You should turn back,” Marcus said and Apollyon offered him a grim look in return. Marcus had tried several times to convince Apollyon to return to the mortal realm so he wouldn’t get into any more trouble with Heaven, but the former angel of death wasn’t listening. He was intent on having vengeance for what Heaven had made him do.
The larger part of Marcus was grateful for his assistance during this battle, but there was still a sliver that felt guilty and wished he would return. He had already dragged his friends into this mess and didn’t want them all to suffer punishment from Heaven for helping him go against their orders.
“Try to keep up.” Apollyon beat his black wings and shot into the fray. A bright light exploded a moment later, sending both angels and demons alike flying in all directions.
Marcus’s heart bolted into action, thundering as adrenaline pounded through him and he geared up for battle.
Another explosion sent a demonic angel hurtling his way. Marcus flicked his left hand out, extending the short handle of his silver blade into a long staff, took hold of it in both hands and swept it up in a fast sharp arc. He caught the demonic angel in between his obsidian breastplate and loincloth, hitting him hard in the black-skinned stomach, and propelled him upwards into the air.
Marcus beat his wings and shot through the next wave of the battle, twisting in and out and spinning to zip through the gaps between the soldiers that swarmed in the cool air.
He spied Apollyon ahead, raining dark fury down on those blocking his path. The light burned a path through them and those quick enough made their escape, leaving a wide gap for Marcus to fly through and take the lead. Apollyon followed him, drawing his other blade, and Marcus did the same. He kept the blade in his right hand short, using it to defend himself as the demonic angels turned their attention to him now.
The edge of a hot blast of white light slammed into him, sending him tumbling upwards through the air, flipping over and over until he felt sick. Marcus spread his wings, stopping himself high above the fray, and glared at Heaven. The heavy artillery blasted into the battle below him, scoring wide tracts of air in it. If it had hit him directly, it would have killed him.
“I think we have been noticed.” Apollyon stopped beside him in the air, beating his broad black wings to keep himself stationary.
Marcus scoured the battle below and then the dazzling white walls that surrounded Heaven. The angels lining it at intervals were some of the most powerful in Heaven, rivalling Apollyon’s strength. It was going to be difficult to break through them to reach the interior of the fortress but it wasn’t impossible.
He watched the few demonic angels that had reached the wall as they tried to fly over it. The force-field created by the angels on the other side was too powerful to penetrate physically. It would take great strength to tear through it and defeat one of the angels responsible for creating it, forming a hole in the dome-like shield.
Apollyon ran his dark blue gaze over the battle, the walls, and then the white fortress ahead of them that spiralled high into the air, tall towers shining golden at their tips as they caught the sunlight.
“Are you feeling up to this?” Apollyon glanced at Marcus. He nodded. His friend didn’t need to worry. Marcus was intent on entering the fortress and saving Amelia, and he was going to use every ounce of his power to achieve that. It wasn’t as much as Apollyon commanded, but it would be enough to get him through the fight ahead. “Then follow me. You will have one chance. As soon as one of them falls, they will shift formation to counteract the breach.”
Marcus nodded again, wondering what Apollyon had planned, and followed him. He tucked his wings back and dove when Apollyon did, cutting through the colder air. His eyes watered from the constant stream of wind over his face but he kept them open and fixed on Apollyon. They reached the battle again and Apollyon blasted another hole in it and then wove through the thickest part of the fight, where the most soldiers were gathered.
A bright white beam shot through the soldiers again and Marcus flapped his wings and rolled to one side to avoid it, zipping around demons and angels, his focus fixed on Apollyon. He was gaining speed and leaving Marcus behind. Marcus tried harder, alternating between cutting at any who got in his way and sweeping his right blade in an arc and sending a wave of power towards them to knock them out of his path.
Demonic angels snarled at him as he passed, too slow to hit him with their attacks. Another beam of light shot towards him and he dove downwards through their ranks, using them as a shield and coming out beneath the main bulk of the fight. A section of the angels that were fighting them broke away and followed him. He flew faster to evade them but they gained on him as he searched for Apollyon. Nothing would stand between him and reaching Amelia before it was too late, not even his own kind. He turned sharply onto his back, swept his blade in their direction, releasing another shockwave, and then dived off to his right.
Where had Apollyon gone?
Marcus turned onto his back again, flying beneath the battlefield, scouring it for Apollyon. The divisions of angels involved were mixed, not only guardians but mediators with their white wings and hunters with their tawny eagle-like ones. There were no angels of death present other than Apollyon, but Marcus couldn’t spot him anywhere.
His tail caught up with him and Marcus turned on a pinpoint and shot upwards through the battle, knocking as many of the angels and demons out of the way by grabbing their legs and dragging them downwards to cover him from the angels following him.
He shot to one side when someone slammed into him and cried out as he hit other soldiers, his wings twisting painfully as he barrelled through them. A broad chest stopped him and he looked up, his eyes widening as they took in the mountainous black form before him. A heavy fist swung towards him with an ungodly snarl and Marcus ducked. It struck the angel behind him and Marcus came around behind the monstrous creature, trying to evade another attack and escape. He wasn’t here to fight the demons. His battle lay with the angels.
The demonic angel turned and grabbed him by his left wing, tugging him back into the fight. Marcus growled and turned, bringing his right blade around at the same time. He slashed down the demon’s thick armour and then twisted his wrist and kept cutting downwards, slicing into his stomach. The demonic angel snarled and hit him with a hard left hook, sending Marcus flying into a group of guardian angels.
Not good.
They took one look at Marcus, paused with a blank expression on their faces that warned Marcus they were receiving orders, and then attacked. Marcus ducked and dodged most of their punches and the jabs that they made with their own spears, but one of the young men landed a solid uppercut on his jaw, snapping his head backwards. Marcus rose with the punch, ending up a few feet higher than the rest of them. He beat his tired wings to gain more height, forced the end of the spear in his left hand against the base of the blade in his right so they merged into a double-ended spear, and darted his gaze over them all, assessing their positions below him. This was not a technique he had ever thought he would use on his own kind, but they were in his way and time was runnin
g out for Amelia.
Marcus spread his wings, took a deep breath so his mind cleared, and reached into the depth of his power. He twirled the spear faster and faster in a circle above his head, barely missing his wings, and then yelled as he sent it hurtling and spinning into the group below them. A bright explosion of light blinded him and screams rang out over the din of battle. Marcus held his hand out, calling his double-ended spear back to him. It snapped into his left hand and he shot upwards, not waiting to see the horrific extent of his attack.
The sun blinded him as he neared the fringe of the battle and he hacked his way through to the open air, heading upwards. A small shadow formed on the sun and his eyes widened again.
Apollyon.
He was far above the battle, the bodies of those foolish enough to follow him falling from the sky and dropping past Marcus before they disappeared.
What was he going to do?
Marcus looked at the wall. He was far closer to it than he had realised. A bright spot behind the shield warned that another devastating beam of light was coming. The shield around the area glimmered in the sunlight and then faded. It was opening to allow the attack through.
Before the angel on the other side could unleash his power, a tremendous burst of golden light blasted down onto that section of wall from high above, tearing through it and sending a shockwave of dust and light out in all directions. Apollyon. It was the same power that Apollyon had used on him during his mission to kill Amelia, only this time it was infinitely stronger. Marcus’s heart exploded into action and he shot upwards, his eyes on the wave of power decimating everything in its path and coming straight at him, and barely avoided it. The heat scorched the soles of his boots and warmed his legs.
A black spot fell from the sky and Marcus could only watch as Apollyon plummeted through the air, his black wings in tatters and streaming feathers in his wake.
“Apollyon!” Marcus went to dive towards him but stopped when he received the message.
Go. Save her.
Her Angel: Eternal Warriors Romance Series Complete Series Box Set (Books 1-5) Page 27