What could they have possibly done to end up in here like her? And why were they all jumping off the ledge in an apparent mass suicide?
Alexa rolled her tight shoulders, shaking loose the knot in her chest, and crossed the walkway. Each step brought her too quickly toward the great big gap in Tartarus’ wall where the angels leapt to their deaths.
She swore and hissed at the angels that crashed into her as they came plowing down the corridor towards the light and their death. The last thing she needed was for one of them to accidentally push her off the edge. She wasn’t ready to face her true death. She wasn’t done yet.
As Alexa moved forward, she could feel the heat of the sun against her cheeks, a far cry from the damp, cold, and black cell walls she’d grown accustomed to.
More angels rushed past her shouting, “The Order of the First.” They all jumped in midair and disappeared below Tartarus’ jagged ledge.
On it went until every single angel in Tartarus had barreled past her to end their lives. Perhaps this was what they wanted. Perhaps taking control of their deaths was better than spending eternity in Tartarus. Perhaps if she’d been in here for a hundred years, she too would be jumping off the ledge like the rest of them.
All but one.
By the time she’d made it across the walkway, a single angel stood on the right side of the opening. His skin was the color of oil, a sharp contrast against the bright white of his clothes. A quiver of arrows was strapped across his shoulder, and leather bracers sheathed his arms from wrist to elbow. A long, wicked-looking sword hung from his waist.
But that wasn’t why she reached out and gripped onto the slick black rock.
Five giant eagles, as white as snow, were perched just below the opening, their yellow eyes gleaming in the light of the sun like jewels. They were massive, the same size as the prison guard eagles, but white in color. Somehow it made them seem more mystical to her, more celestial.
And sitting on top of the white birds were eight to ten angels. Together, the great white birds pushed off and glided westward towards the sun, taking the last of the angels with them. Alexa stared until her eyes burned from the sun’s rays.
A harsh wheezing sound caught her attention. Lying far below the edge of the opening was one of the prison guard eagles. Maroon liquid oozed from deep gashes on its back and neck, spilling over its golden feathers and onto the black rock. One of its wings lay open, the long feathers spread out like fingers reaching for help. Its eyes were closed, and Alexa couldn’t tell if it was alive or dead.
“I don’t recognize you amongst our brothers and sisters,” said a deep, but rich and pleasant voice. “You must be a recent addition to the black box. What’s your name, angel?” The stranger had a deceptive smile like a smooth-talking car salesman trying to close a deal.
Alexa watched him carefully. With his eyes narrowed slightly, he stood too straight and stiff to pass as being relaxed. His bearing appeared far more apprehensive as though ready to put an arrow into her chest before she could make the slightest move. She knew he’d waited for her. Not to help escape on one of the eagles, but rather, to figure out who she was. Or maybe even to kill her.
“Alexa,” she said and immediately put her guard up. “You blew this hole in Tartarus, didn’t you? To free your friends.” And me. Thanks for that.
The angel seemed to lose his composure for a half second before becoming all business again. “To free friends that were unjustly imprisoned,” he answered, “and perhaps, new friends. We owe you a great debt, Alexa Dawson. Yes, I know who you are. We all do. You freed our lord. You helped return him to us, and we thank you.”
“It wasn’t exactly my idea,” she said and noticed how fast the smile faded from his face. She didn’t care. “I never wanted to free him. I didn’t even know he was in that damned place. I went to get a weapon to defeat Hades.”
“Hades has been defeated by our lord,” answered the angel. “Even Greater demons as powerful as Hades are no match for our lord.”
“Yes, I know. I was there,” said Alexa, feeling some of that familiar anger returning. “But the weapon was the only reason I went in the first place. I never wanted to free Lucifer. I would never have gone if I’d known he was there.” She paused and then added. “I’d take it back if I could. I wish I’d never gone.” Alexa saw the flicker of anger flash across his features, and she moved ever so slightly away from the ledge and the angel.
“I see you have been misinformed, as virtually every angel in the Legion. It’s not your fault, of course, and so I will not take what you say too seriously. The Legion has taught you falsehoods about our lord. He is not the evil creature you were coached to believe, but a lord of love and devotion, a just lord, the only true lord the angels should serve.
“But when you are as old as I am, you remember the truth. You remember the old ways before everything was changed, the ways that should be. Before the Legion turned its back on the angels and favored the mortals. We do not answer to the Legion, nor shall we abandon our ancient practices.”
The hair along the back of Alexa’s neck was prickling, her every nerve screaming.
“I gave you my name,” she said, keeping the anger from her voice. “How about you return the same curtesy. Who are you?”
“My name is Nathaniel.”
“That explains it.”
Nathaniel frowned. “What does?”
Alexa felt a pressure under his dark stare. “Nothing.” She knew he was an ancient angel and probably leading the deserted angels, which meant he was probably equipped with ancient power or ancient battle moves. Either way, it was not good.
A long silence followed. Alexa could feel Nathaniel’s gaze rolling over her, probably debating whether he should kill her now and toss her over the edge.
The sound of beating wings made her turn just as another great white eagle perched itself on the exterior prison wall. Its golden eyes moved to Nathaniel and waited.
“You can’t get off this rock without the eagles,” said Nathaniel.
Alexa’s gaze moved to the dead or injured eagle guard, and she felt sorry for it. The massive creature had never harmed her. It had only followed its orders like a good soldier when it brought her here. It didn’t deserve to die like this.
“Even if it lives,” said Nathaniel, noticing her eyes on the giant bird, “it won’t help you. It’s programed to keep all prisoners in Tartarus. It will kill you if it can’t put you back into those cells. It’s a stupid beast. It’s rather big and powerful, but stupid. It talks, but only as well as a four-year-old child.”
Alexa recalled a very developed conversation with the so-called four-year-old vocabulary. “Where’s the other one?”
“Dead,” said Nathaniel impatiently. “Your only chance is if you come with me. Come. And let me open your eyes to the truth, away from the corrupted Legion and their lies. Come with me and meet the others. I’m sure they’ll be very pleased to meet the angel girl who freed our lord. They’ll have many questions for you, I’m sure. We are all very interested in your recent trip to purgatory.”
Alexa dared to look over the ledge and then wished she hadn’t. She could barely make out the tiny specks of land from the clouds that obscured the view. She couldn’t even fathom how high they were.
She pulled back, feeling a little dizzy. “I think I’ll take my chances with the Legion. They’ll probably be here any minute now. You should go.”
“As you wish,” said Nathaniel. “But if they can’t put you in their prison anymore, what do you think they’ll do to you? The one who released Lucifer? Don’t think for one minute that your precious Legion will let you live.”
Alexa scowled. “They wouldn’t do that.”
“They would, and they will. And you know it to be true. I can see it in your eyes. They can’t let you live after what you’ve done. I’m surprised they even bothered to put you up in this place. Goes to show how soft they’ve become and what meddling for generations with mortals did to t
hem. But it matters not. The Legion is full of lies. If you seek the truth, come with me and let me show it to you.”
The white eagle ruffled its feathers, eager to take flight. Alexa surveyed Nathaniel. He was all smiles, but she could see the underlying fakeness of it. It was in his eyes and the way his face twitched whenever he smiled like it pained him to do so. She trusted her instincts, and right now, every part of her screamed no!
“It’s like you said.” Alexa remained as calm as she could. “No offense, but I don’t know you and you don’t know me. And right now, the last thing I need is to get mixed up with another group. You’re part of The Oder of the First, right? I don’t even know what that means. It’s just a lot for me to process right now. I still need time to figure out some stuff on my own.” Which was true. She wasn’t about to leave with a stranger, an ancient angel who she knew despised mortals and the Legion.
“Where will you go?” Nathaniel shook his head, his black eyes flicking back and forth. “You can’t stay here. Surely you want to live? You must know that the days of the Legion are over. Why fight for the losing team when you could stand with us? There is so much you don’t know, so much you can learn. Believe in the order and your future will be bright.”
Alexa’s gaze fell on the injured eagle again, and she felt her temper rise. “Like I said, I’ll take my chances with the Legion.”
Nathaniel watched her for a beat longer, and then he whistled. The great white eagle pushed itself off the stone wall and, with a great beat of its wings, hovered just below the ledge.
Alexa’s hair and clothes flapped in the strong gusts of air from the bird. She watched as Nathaniel leapt effortlessly off the edge and landed on the beast’s back. The great bird gave one last great flap of its wings and banked left, sailing westward and away from the great prison.
“There is a place in The Order of the First for you, Alexa,” called Nathaniel over his shoulder. “Should you ever want it.”
Alexa didn’t know how long she stood there, watching Nathaniel as he and his eagle became smaller and smaller until they were no larger than flies as they flapped westward on the horizon.
The eagles were the only way to and from Tartarus, and now as she watched her only ride disappear into a speck of dust, she wondered if she hadn’t made a mistake.
The Legion would arrive soon, and then what? Would they believe her? Would they think this what her fault? Her doing? That she was involved with this? Her punishment had been swift and harsh. Alexa knew once the Legion saw that all their prisoners had escaped, they would unleash their fury on her.
Maybe even kill her…
“It took courage to refuse the angel Nathaniel,” said a guttural voice.
Alexa flinched, slipped, and had to catch herself before falling over the edge. She gripped the corner of the left wall to steady herself and stared at two large golden eyes.
“You’re alive!”
The eagle guard stretched his right wing, rotating his shoulder as though trying to loosen a stiff joint. “I am.”
“You were pretending to be dead?”
“I was regaining my strength,” said the eagle as he folded his right wing against his body. “I’m not a fool. I am in no condition to fight another eagle.”
Alexa’s eyes traced the amount of blood splattered on the rock and was amazed that the creature was still alive. “It wasn’t courage,” she said finally.
The eagle stretched its neck, and Alexa saw a bit of blood around its beak. “What wasn’t courage?”
Alexa turned back and looked out towards the west again. “Why I refused Nathaniel. It didn’t matter what I had heard about him. There was something off about him, you know. The way he looked at me made my skin crawl.”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
Alexa sighed. “He creeped me out. He felt wrong somehow. And he smiled way too much. Never trust someone who smiles all the time. It’s like my instincts told me this guy was bad news.”
“Then your instincts were right to warn you about him.” The great bird stretched to its full height and beat its wings, as though testing them for the first time. It turned its eyes on Alexa. “Do you know what was locked up in here… for centuries?”
“I’m guessing very bad angels.”
“The very worst. Angels gone rogue, angels who spilled each other’s blood. Some I cannot say for sure if there is even angel left in them. They are corrupted to the core, twisted, not demons, but something else, something more vile. And this Nathaniel just let them all out.”
“To join his crazy cause.” Alexa bit her lip. “Who were the two archangels?”
The eagle’s eyes lowered into slits. “The archangels Barakiel and Sorath. Once upon a time, they were Lucifer’s lieutenants. They helped him as he tried to overthrow the Legion. But when Lucifer was finally vanquished and sent to purgatory, the Legion sent them here.”
“But not Lucifer,” guessed Alexa, “because he could have easily blown his way out as soon as he got here.”
“Exactly.”
Alexa thought of Milo and her spirits sank. “What happens now?” She wondered if the eagle would lock her up in one of the cells that wasn’t damaged by the blast.
The eagle cocked its head to the side, and a gust of wind ruffled the feathers above its eyes in tiny ripples like waves. “I must inform the Legion of what happened here. They must know the angel Nathaniel was responsible for the breakouts. I will fly to the High Council and speak to Jeremiel. There will be sky raids. The other guards and I will search Horizon for the escapees before they have a chance to escape to the mortal world. Then we cannot help them.”
Alexa swallowed, her throat tightening as though hands were pressing around it. “And me? What happens to me?” She doubted she could fight off the creature. Even though it was injured, it was massive with a razor-sharp beak and talons the size of long swords.
The eagle was silent for a long while. “What do you want to happen?”
“To put Lucifer back in his cage.” The words came out before she could stop herself. When she looked at the bird, its eyes seemed to pierce through her, into her mind. It reminded her of Metatron for a moment.
“Then I will help you.”
Alexa’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t believe her luck. “You will? You won’t put me back in one of those cells? Why would you do that? I thought you had to obey the Legion? I’m a prisoner—I was tried and convicted—same as all the others.”
“As far as I’m concerned, the prison is gone. I’m a guard of Tartarus, not a minister on your council. I won’t meddle in those affairs.” Its golden eyes gleamed. “I know what you’ve done, but I can also see that you’re sorry for it. I’m loyal to the Legion. Your refusal to leave with Nathaniel and the others is proof to me that you’re still loyal to the Legion. But without a prison, I see no reason why you must stay here.”
“You must have graduated top of your class,” smiled Alexa.
The eagle chuckled, and it sparked something bold inside Alexa’s chest.
“I will take you back to the Legion. Level six, preferably,” it said. “You won’t be noticed there. After that, you’re on your own, angel.”
Alexa kept her face blank, though her insides were bouncing around like rubber balls.
The eagle crawled up the side of the wall and pressed itself right next to the opening, so close its feathers brushed her legs.
“Sorry, but, what do I call you?” asked Alexa, realizing that she wanted to thank it properly. Yet it didn’t sound decent without the creature’s name.
“Albatross,” said the eagle proudly, and Alexa could feel the honored smile in its voice.
“Albatross,” whispered Alexa, her excitement mounting.
And with a grin that matched her exhilaration, she leaped off the edge.
CHAPTER 3
“THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS to attain the levels, but you know of only one way. That’s with the elevators,” Albatross had told her just bef
ore he’d landed on the platform on level six. The small platform was surrounded by clouds, propped with a single elevator. “We need to be able to access them, like you. But not through elevators. We wouldn’t fit.”
Alexa had never known there was a back door to the different levels in Horizon. She’d always thought the only way to access the levels was through the internal elevators.
After Alexa had said her goodbyes and thanks, she climbed down the eagle’s back and stepped into the waiting elevator. She saw a flash of golden wings flapping in the blue sky before the elevator doors slammed shut.
It took a second for her to realize something was wrong.
The elevator looked exactly as it always did—elegant handcrafted cherry panels decorated with golden-wing crests, a brass control panel to her left, and all seven buttons to the seven levels. It even had the familiar smell of mothballs. Everything seemed in order, and yet something was missing…
There was no operator.
Alexa whirled on the spot, expecting one of the operators to be hiding behind her. The operators were unpleasant little creatures, and she wouldn’t be surprised if one was waiting for the perfect opportunity to pester her.
But there were only walls, air and her. She was utterly alone.
Alexa had never been in any of the Horizon elevators without the company of an arrogant primate. They were the operators, but they were also the keepers in a way, making sure only the right kind of angel or supernatural being stepped into the elevators.
However, it now dawned on Alexa that the breakouts from Tartarus she had witnessed had something to do with the disappearance of the operator.
Staring at the panel, Alexa rolled her eyes from the brass number seven to the number one. She couldn’t return to the Counter Demon Division on level five, not unless she wanted the archangel Ariel or any of the angels to arrest her.
Was Nathaniel right? Without an angel prison, would they kill her?
The Lord of Darkness Page 2
