Neither of us needed to say what we both were thinking.With our time and Mercy’s days numbered, time was truly of the essence.As much as I hated to ask, I deflected to the angel.
“And just what, pray tell, do you suggest,Val?”I bit.
Valory tossed some golden hair over her shoulder, her bright blue eyes catching mine like fireflies in the night.She looked at me with conviction, with confidence as she spoke.
“I say we fly—the mortal way.It’s the fastest route, not to mention Mercy can rest if—”
“She has another vision.”I leaned my hand against the wall, mulling over her suggestion.“And what about us?”I asked, darkly.“What if we are pulled into her vision...”
“We’ll take turns being...present.One of us can shield ourselves, keep an eye out for the supernatural threats...that will undoubtedly be drawn to her.”
I hated to admit the angel was right.We’d been so preoccupied with our new powers, with posturing over Mercy, that we hadn’t even discussed the potential of the other threats to Mercy, aside from her not finding her body in time.
Lost souls were rare by demon and angel standards, and were to be preserved at all costs—mostly because the chance of securing an undecided soul was like a golden ticket, but lost souls had an energy that was palatable to other monsters, too.
The light of an impressionable, lost soul was, to put it bluntly, a treasure trove for monsters, ghosts, and even supernatural hunters.A lost soul’s literal soul had the power to create great things, but in the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic.
And like a beacon, she would shine until the soul was returned to its rightful body, drawing the darkness toward it like a flame.
We needed to get out of New York quickly, not just to reunite Mercy and her body, but to avoid a war at all costs.
There wasn’t much angels and demons agreed on, outside of lost soul preservation, but both sides had signed various treaties about staying the fuck out of the monster’s hair.If an angel or a demon evenblinkedin the direction of a vampire, werewolf, or cryptid, we’d be put to trial.
Supernatural bullshit, in my opinion, but it was a law nonetheless.
One we’d have to skirt around.
“Go to sleep, Val,” I said as sleep tugged at the corners of my own psyche.Even with a new jolt of power, I too found the travel, the vision hopping, and the general reality of everything had taken its toll on me.And even though she would not admit it, I suspected it was taking its toll on Valory as well.
She looked at me as if she wanted to protest, but thought better of it, or perhaps she was just too exhausted herself.And for the first time since all this insanity started, I couldn’t help but close my own eyes and let slumber consume me.
* * *
The light wasbright in the distance, golden and warm, that I knew.But the air was thin and cold, and my own warmth was diminishing.The world around me was rainy, the air chilled, and smelling of earth and moss.I was so far from the light, the bright, sustaining energy I needed.
I strived toward the light, like I had in Mercy’s vision, but no matter what I did, it never seemed to move.Or rather, I never seemed to move.
I needed the sun.I needed the warmth to fuel me, to drive me.My wings were sore, and I knew if I could just get close enough, I’d be set.
Mercy needed me.Her lack of presence alarmed me, and I knew she was out there, alone, a lost soul.
But my legs collapsed beneath me, my wings heavy and laden against me.I settled my hand at my hip, pulling it away to find my palm soaked with blood.
Crimson, thick, blood.
Mercy came into view, her body limp on the moist earth before me, surrounded by trees and a car.A car that was smoking, the scent of scorched flesh and smoke, of chemical fluid pungent in the air.But she was not alone.
I knew if I could just reach her, if I could just give her whatever reserves I’d had, she’d be safe.She’d be okay.
My elbows dug into the dirt as I dragged my heavy body through the mud, my lower half going numb as something traversed through my blood.Something wretched, something paralyzing.Poison,I realized.
I reached for the light, until all I was, was frozen.Shadows encompassed me, but I was not alone.No, far from it.I could feel myself being watched.The clatter of heels on tile was ominous, as I awaited the onslaught of my inevitable demise.Bright, white shoes came into my view, attached to long, sleek legs that sparkled with a golden sheen.I didn’t even have to look to know who they belonged to.
“Get up, Endor,” the swift, crisp voice commanded, but there was no bite.It was soft, caring, nurturing, and I hated it.My gaze slid up those divine legs to where they disappeared below a stark, white skirt, but I was remiss to stop there, despite the thirst the sight ignited in my numb, dead bones.
The air smelled oddly of sunshine and funnel cake, though I was certain I’d neverhadfunnel cake, never being on the surface, but somehow I knew what it was.
“I can’t,” I grit out through my teeth.I could feel Mercy just beyond the shadows, calling to me.Needing me...
