The new writing shone with a bright glow. Lucian’s power thrummed within me, and I nearly shouted in ecstasy.I’ll be able to take on anyone, maybe even God himself.
But I had other priorities.
I flared my wings and turned to my temporary ally. “We’re sticking to the plan still, right?”
“Yes,” Samael said, the smile dropping from his face. “I don’t care who we have to kill, what we have to destroy, or how we have to do it, but it’s imperative to not deviate from my plan and what we discussed.” He pulled his wings behind his back, the hole in the armor where they exited always morphing around the feathers, ensuring no part of his back lay exposed. “I’ll head to the middle level and retrieve...” His gaze slid from mine. “What I came here for. It’ll draw the attention of the Archangels. You head to the top level to deal with your problem. God shouldn’t be there.”
“How do you know this?”
“I might have an informant on the inside.” His white teeth flashed. “She and I used to have a thing back before the war, and she never could say no...to me, at least.” He stretched his neck then twirled his staff a few times. “Nor I to her.”
I nodded, eager to get inside.How long can Phoebe hold out?Panic tightened my chest, but I couldn’t think of her right now, not when I was so close to completion.
“Whichever one of us finishes our task first needs to blink to the other.” Samael’s gaze lasered onto mine. “I can’t leave this place without you. What I wouldn’t give to bring an entire regiment with us, but stealth is our ally this day. If you need help, call”—he tapped his temple—“and I’ll come as soon as I retrieve...” He placed a hand on his chest and grimaced. “What I came for. Understand?”
Nodding, with my sword in one hand, I grasped the door with the other and tugged. Numbing cold passed through my gauntlets as if they were nothing more than thin socks. I hesitated, throwing a narrowed glance over my shoulder. “You don’t turn on me, I won’t turn on you.”
“Agreed, Brother.” A smile split his face, and he slapped me on the back, lifting his sword. “Let’s show these uppity motherfuckers howrealangels fight.”
My heart hammering, I yanked the door and slid inside a bright hallway with a white marble floor, the darker veins relieving the pureness of the stone.
Hanging from the ceiling, lush plants and flowering vines, in a myriad of greens and blues, relieved the sterility of the blinding walls and floors. Runners with long, veiny leaves crawled along the walls toward the floor. The scent of snow lingered, but underneath lay the smell of fresh greenery, clean humidity, and blooming flowers.
Much better than Hell’s fragrance.Something about it disturbed me, though. Why? I sniffed the air once more and froze.
It smells like Phoebe.I ground my teeth together in irritation, surely chipping off the enamel.My guilt at what I’ve done to her is making everything remind me of her sweetness, her purity, her selflessness.
Samael held a finger to his lips then pointed farther ahead, where the hallway opened into an enormous room.“An angel ahead.”
Another hall intersected ours, and we plastered ourselves against the corners to keep out of sight.
He furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his staff, closing his eyes for a second.“I’m not sensing anyone else on this level, not even an archangel protecting it. Odd.”
Strange or not, I didn’t care. Each minute ticking by brought Phoebe’s death. A silent scream built in my chest, but I stuffed it down.Cannot think about her right now.
“You need to handle the lone angel on your own. My path lies this way.”Samael’s staff flamed to life, the fire burning brighter as he stealthily stalked toward the intersecting hall which looked no different than this one.“You have the same power as these bastards, but you’ll have to be smarter. Remember their weaknesses—arrogance and righteousness—and exploit them if need be.”
I nodded and gripped my reassuring Hellsteel with my sweaty palms.“I have no intention of failing.”I’d cut through God’s entire army if it meant finding my father—no,Adam—to wrap up this long-overdue showdown.
With one final breath, I leaned around the corner, ensuring the coast remained clear, then stalked to the open room, sending out a wave of ether, testing the air. Nothing resisted the tendrils, so I pushed it farther out.
As I entered the room, the enormous dome covering the area showed a faint blue sky barging through the cloud cover. Snow continued to fall lightly, but it didn’t accumulate on the clear dome.
I jerked my attention to the room. A wide staircase rose from the middle, leading to another level circling above, but I saw no one else.
Maybe Samael was wrong, or maybe the angel left. At least it’s not an archangel.
I didn’t relish the thought of fighting one-on-one with an archangel. I’d been made a Chosen by the blessing of Lucian, but as a human I’d never been allowed to participate in the elite combat training, which meant my fighting skills would be subpar next to an archangel.
Sword held out in front of me, black power curling around its blade, I jogged to the staircase. As I set my foot on the first step, the hairs on my arms stood straight and rubbed the inside of my armor. A prickling sensation crawled across the back of my neck as if unseen eyes followed my movements.
I spun and blasted the light with shadows, hoping to flush out the hidden quarry. Peering through the visible halls with their hanging gardens, I confirmed everything remained still and quiet. No sign of life.
Heaven is deader than Hell. A trickle of sweat snaked down my forehead into my eye and I blinked it away, keeping my grip tight and my arms limber.
Heaven and Hell existed in the fourth dimension, which allowed the manipulation and warping of space, allowing any being of the plane to punch through the veil to get from point A to point B.Maybe I should’ve thought this plan through a little better, took some lessons on how to use my newfound power.
Yet I knew I couldn’t. Phoebe’s haunted eyes wouldn’t leave my thoughts.Need to see this through, now. There’s no other choice.
