by C. S. Wilde
Agathe huffed as she took the folder from the marbled stand. “I doubt you because I have proof! Tell us why you maintained private properties for decades on end, or I will scavenge every bit of information in your brain right now.”
He swallowed. “The documents are false.”
“They are not!” She pushed the folder against his chest, making him step back. “Why did you betray us?”
His Archangels moved their hands to the hilts of their swords, their shoulders hunched as they watched the interaction intently. The Virtues and Dominions around Ava, Agathe, and Ezra mirrored their stances.
Talahel observed the space with an expression that was both sorrowful and angry. He took a breath to compose himself, then grabbed the folder.
“I did it, sister,” he said, leaning closer to her. “Because I had to finance my own army.”
The Throne pointed one irate finger at him and turned to her Virtues. “Arrest him at—”
Talahel unsheathed his sword and slashed it across her neck, silencing her mid-sentence.
Agathe’s head fell on the floor, and her body collapsed atop it. Her black wings flashed out of her obliterated essence and twitched one final time before they stilled.
Screams of horror and fury cut through the courtroom.
Time passed slower as Ava watched chaos unfold. Most Virtues and Dominions jolted to the center of the arena with vengeance written on their faces. Their high angel had been murdered, and they needed atonement. Some Warriors, the ones against Talahel, followed them.
Other angels led weaker ones, like Erudites and Guardians, to the doors, guiding them to safety. But most lower angels refused to leave. Many—such as Justine—dodged the ascended who tried to get them out of there and hurried to the center of the arena. Screams ripped through their throats, tears in their eyes.
Foolish bravery.
Talahel’s Archangels and Warriors surrounded him in a protective circle. So did Ezra’s Dominions and Agathe’s Virtues, putting themselves between the enemy and the Messenger.
Tears coated the Virtues’ eyes because they had failed their high angel—Ava could feel their angst and guilt corroding them from inside. But it wasn’t their fault. Ava couldn’t have stopped it, either; Talahel had been too fast.
“Treachery!” An angel with a British accent yelled from a holo-screen on the right.
“Guerre!” Another bellowed from the screen on the left.
Ava couldn’t feel their fury, but it was blatant on their faces. The headquarters of the Order was falling, and there was nothing they could do.
The sound of wings flapping on glass caught her attention, and she looked up. Archangels with black wings and bodysuits peppered the dome from the outside, blocking almost all the sunlight. They punched the glass nonstop.
Ava had never seen those angels before, and she had never seen so many with the same shade of feathers. Almost as if they had been fabricated on a production line.
Liam mentioned a Possessor had tainted human souls to turn them into demons. Could Talahel have done something akin to that?
The Sword shot Ava a wolfish grin just as the dome cracked.
Glass rained upon the courtroom, releasing an army of blood-thirsty creatures upon them.
37
Ava
Ava watched the Order fall.
War cries filled the room as brothers and sisters clashed against each other. Swords were drawn, blasts were shot, and blood was spilled.
Children of the Gods turned to enemies.
Ava stood amidst the madness, shock planting her feet. She had meant to save the Order, but never through violence and bloodshed.
Never like this.
The numbers might’ve been on their side, but that was before those black-winged creatures had crashed upon the room. Their skin was the color of a void, their eyes completely white and matching their sharp teeth.
Even when blades slashed across them, the things kept smiling. Even when life faded from those bright slits, they still grinned.
Ezra flung himself against an Archangel with red and purple wings who attacked a group of Erudites at the far end of the room. Ava should’ve gone after him, but her feet wouldn’t move even if she forced them to.
A pair of Virtues clashed with black-winged creatures not far from her, building a barrier between them and Ava. She couldn’t say how long they would endure.
Most holo-screens had blinked out, though others remained, showing horrified angels on the other side. When a Warrior smashed against a drone up above, another screen disappeared.
A blue display on the right showed the empty South American branch. They were the closest to the headquarters and they must’ve left to help, but they would never arrive in time. A body smashed through another drone, and that screen also blinked out.
Erudites and Guardians fought bravely and fell quickly. Unlike Warriors, they had no experience in battle.
Virtues and Dominions paired with the few Archangels and Warriors who were against Talahel. They tried to fight the fabricated angels, to protect as many third-tiers as they could, but they stood little chance against their former peers and those black-winged things filled with bloodthirst.
Ava heard her name and looked to her left. The Captain was pulling on her arm, her beige wings spread wide behind her.
“Ava!” the Captain yelled as she slammed her sword into a Warrior’s gut. “Snap out of it!”
Only now did the clang of metal against metal penetrate Ava’s ears, reverberating through her bones. Her body jolted awake. She blinked, unsheathed her sword, and fixed her stance.
The Captain gave her a pleased nod before flying to aid a Guardian who faced one of Talahel’s godsless creatures.
Ava’s essence thrummed with a warning. A Warrior approached her from behind with his sword raised high. She barely ducked in time, but with one swift countermove, she slashed across his stomach, revealing his entrails.
The Warrior fell on his knees, his essence fading from behind his irises. As a lower angel, he wouldn’t be able to heal himself.
We murder, her own voice rang in her mind. We avenge.
We also forgive, the same voice countered.
But not today. Her white bodysuit was sprayed with his blood.
A plea for help caught Ava’s ear. She followed it to find a group of lower angels cornered by an Archangel—a female with baby-blue wings and violence carved on her face.
She was about to strike them, but a bulky Guardian with ebony skin stood in the woman’s way, ready to perish first. He would face his final death with defiance and pride.
A crying Erudite behind him bellowed for help again as she watched the Archangel draw her sword. “Please spare us, sister!”
The Archangel ignored her plea. The blade swung up.
Ava ran and dodged the battling bodies as she held the woman’s blade with her mind. The Archangel frowned at her own sword before finding Ava. She then took momentum, knowing that her enhanced strength might break the telekinetic hold.
Almost there.
The sword went down and toward the Guardian.
Ava’s invisible hold shattered just in time for her blade to meet the Archangel’s with a furious clang. The Guardian jumped back, unscathed.
Her opponent grumbled a curse and charged, but Ava’s golden shield covered her own body just in time. The Archangel’s sword cut a small line across her chest.
It felt like nothing but a paper cut.
Using her telekinesis, Ava threw the woman toward the ceiling and beyond the sky. Her head immediately hurt, and her bones ached. If she were to survive this, she would have to save her strength.
“Follow me,” she told the group.
“It’s you!” The brave Guardian’s face lit up when he realized who she was. “Dominion Lightway, you saved us during the In-Between attacks, and you save us now.”
“Gods be praised,” muttered an Erudite who resembled a scared squirrel.
Ava
frowned at her. “The Gods aren’t here.”
A bitter sensation crawled up her throat. Her waning faith left an empty void inside her. Ava wasn’t ready to let go; not yet.
Gods, guide me.
“Come on!” she ordered as she led them to the exit.
The doors to the courtroom had been blocked. A team of at least ten black-winged creatures guarded the massive wooden planks and slaughtered those who tried to get out.
Ava cursed under her breath, then looked around the room. Corpses wearing white and light-gray piled on the bloodied floor. The number of black bodysuits had begun winning over the rest.
Air closed around her. There was no way out … She glanced up to the broken ceiling.
No way out except up.
Ava exchanged one glance with the Guardian, and he nodded. Her wings flashed behind her as she took the terrified Erudite in her arms. The woman shook so hard she might break.
Regardless, Ava boosted to the sky.
She flew past the metal bones of the broken atrium, dodging ascended angels and creatures who battled in the air. Soon enough, she spotted an empty rooftop and gently landed.
She released the Erudite, who took a moment to find her balance—the woman had probably never flown before.
Ava turned toward the broken dome, but the Erudite grabbed her hand.
“We’re angels, and we’re killing each other,” she croaked. “This doesn’t make sense.”
“I know.” It was all Ava could give her before flying back.
Winged figures zinged and clashed in the sky. Ava dodged the rolling, flying bodies as she tried to get back.
Dominions and Virtues carried lower angels out of the battlefield, and some Archangels helped them—Ava spotted a Virtue with navy-blue wings take the ebony-skinned Guardian to a safe rooftop while an Archangel with amber feathers fought a black-winged enemy that tried to smite them.
Ava’s beasts of light and dark roared, hungry to join the battle. Gold and black lightning swam underneath her skin, then cracked around her in a sphere.
The lightning pierced through eight black-winged creatures and two evil Archangels who jerked wildly in the air, then fell down to the ground unconscious. They wouldn’t wake before hitting the concrete, which meant they would—no, they were—already dead.
Ava shouldn’t rejoice in their gruesome ends, but she couldn’t help it.
They’d deserved it.
She dashed back into the broken atrium to find Ezra fighting Talahel. A mass of battling bodies stood between her and the Messenger. She couldn’t find the Captain or Justine.
Ezra kneeled on the ground as Talahel relentlessly attacked his golden shield until it began sinking back into Ezra’s core. She could already spot the white of the Messenger’s boots.
Despair and anger filled her chest. “Ezra!”
He found her and gave Ava a faint smile that said goodbye. It was all he could do before Talahel slammed his blade into his stomach.
Blood trickled down the edges of the Messenger’s mouth. Talahel lifted his sword and Ezra along with it, his high angel’s strength easing his movements. The bastard flung him against a wall.
Ezra’s limp body slammed into the surface, and when it slid down the white marble, it left a red trail of blood.
Something inside Ava cracked. Fury scorched her and made her see red.
“Talahel!” she screamed as she unsheathed her sword. “You die today!”
He grinned as he stepped toward her, taking the challenge.
A loud boom blasted from beyond the wooden doors, followed by another. The dark surface shook, and the battle in the courtroom halted. The black-winged creatures that guarded the door stared at each other in confusion.
In one violent surge, the doors burst open and vomited an ocean of In-Betweens that easily swallowed the things guarding the entrance.
Figures in loose light-gray clothing followed the werewolves and vampires who charged into the enemies. Priests of the Gray. The Selfless joined them with Kevin leading the way. They shot at every hostile they could find.
In the mess, Ava spotted Lilith with red shining eyes and blood on her lips. Jal zinged past her, accompanied by Archie.
The old man landed close to Ezra and yelled for assistance.
Thank the Gods.
Ava spotted an olive-skinned demon flying toward her, his mighty obsidian and green wings glistening under the sunlight.
Liam landed beside her, and she threw herself at him, feeling as if she hadn’t taken a breath since this madness started.
“Miss me?” he asked as he shot dark flames into someone behind her.
“Always,” she countered as her lightning electrocuted an incoming Warrior. His skin charred, and he jerked violently. When her attack stopped, the Warrior fell dead on the floor.
Had he been ascended, he might’ve survived.
Only three holo-screens remained stamped on the walls, and they displayed befuddled angels who watched an army of In-Betweens save the Order.
Talahel’s men and women stood no chance against the Legion and the Selfless who filled the courtroom. Neither did those strange creatures.
Victory was a matter of time.
The Sword must’ve reached the same conclusion because he boosted up, flying past the broken atrium.
“He’s escaping!” Ava jolted into the sky, chasing after him.
“Wait!” Liam shouted from behind, but she was already gone.
Ava followed Talahel through the city, dodging skyscrapers and the spheres of red lightning he shot at her. Every high angel had a special power, and this was his. Ironic that it was oddly similar to the spheres ascended demons could create.
She evaded four of them, but the fifth slammed into her stomach. Pain blinded her as she plummeted to the ground.
Her left side had become a mess of charred flesh. The fabric of her bodysuit had disintegrated on the spot, and the tips of her ribs poked from the wound. Healing this would take too much energy and time.
She watched Talahel’s shrinking figure on the horizon and gritted her teeth. She couldn’t let him get away.
Instead of retreating to take care of the wound, Ava used her healing to numb her pain centers. Sure enough, the raving ache subdued and she took a deep invigorating breath.
Her wings lifted her up, higher and higher each time, until she was chasing Talahel from above.
The smug bastard had no idea he was still being followed, so when her black lightning struck, Talahel fell from the sky like a dead fly and crashed into a rooftop garden.
Pain stung Ava’s ribcage and stomach as she landed, but she forced her healing toward her pain centers again. The excruciating ache faded.
Sweat coated her skin, and her breathing became ragged. Ava wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long. Not to mention she might go into shock any moment now.
All around her, white flowers grew atop curling vines supported by wooden arbors. Lemon and apple trees lined a stone pathway that cut through the green, leading to a small pond ahead. Beside it, Talahel scrambled to his feet.
Ava inhaled the citric scents as she stepped toward him. Her muscles relaxed if only slightly.
This was the end. It felt right to happen in a peaceful place such as this.
“You,” Talahel snarled, still recovering from her electric currents as he stood. His hands jerked with a fury. “You’ll pay for this.”
A sphere of red lightning crackled on his trembling palm, drenching his face in crimson.
Ava ran to him, even if she didn’t have the advantage. Time was of the essence.
He shot the sphere, and she dodged it by an inch. Talahel gaped in shock as her fist crashed into his jaw, sending him to the ground.
Ava unsheathed her sword and attacked, but Talahel blocked her with his own blade just in time. He pushed her back and jumped to his feet.
They walked in circles.
Two prowling beasts.
“Repent,” she order
ed.
“You’ve come a long way, Guardian.” He clenched his teeth. “Why don’t you use that mighty lightning of yours again? Is it because you’re getting weaker by the second and need to keep functioning?” He nodded to her wound and shrugged. “Smart move, I suppose.”
“I won’t ask again,” she said.
He charged, and their blades crashed so hard that sparks ignited from the impact. Clang, clang, clang. Every strike hit Ava with the power of a wrecking ball, but she stood her ground.
For now.
Talahel was the Sword, leader of all Archangels. His strength remained unmatched in the entire order, his speed, too. Besides, Ava was severely hurt. There was only one way this would end, and it wasn’t favorable to her.
He found an opening in her guard and sucker-punched her wound.
Pain raged from the spot, and blood spilled inside her body. Ava bent over, seeing stars. She’d ruptured an organ, that was certain, but the pain quickly faded as she numbed it with her healing.
Ava didn’t need to see the blade that cut the air toward her neck; she felt it in her essence.
Something mad and starving birthed inside her, and Ava moved faster than she imagined possible. She pivoted out of the blade’s way and slashed across his stomach, then his chest. When she punched Talahel’s right cheek, the strike sent him crashing into the rooftop’s access column, and he dropped his sword.
She walked past it and toward him.
Talahel was panting, and he could barely stand on his own feet. Their fight had weakened him; Ava could still feel the remnants of her black lightning coursing through his body.
“You’re a cancer!” She bellowed as she approached, fury taking over her movements, her thoughts, everything. She raised her sword. “Be quick to make your peace!”
“Ava!” Liam yelled from above and landed between her and Talahel.
“Get out of my way!” she ordered.
“You got him.” Liam turned back to Talahel, and his muscles tightened in the way of a panther about to strike. “This asshole will serve a very long time.”
“Let me finish this, Liam!” Tears stung her eyes. “He needs to pay for what he did!”
