by Ciara Graves
My brow furrowed in confusion until I saw two abominations dragging General Amriel between them.
“What are you doing?” he shouted, tugging on the chains that bound his hands. “Hadariel, don’t do this. I swore to fight by your side.”
“I know, my friend, but this is necessary. Your blood is the last we need.” Hadariel’s voice was cold as he spoke. “Take him to the center.”
“Hadariel, you bastard! You’ll regret this!”
It seemed normal angel blood wasn’t enough. He’d kept his last general alive so he could use him as a sacrifice with the others. Hadariel walked to the center of the circle again, passing through the archway and veil. The abominations left a chained up Amriel nearby, then exited the circle. The holy light and hellfire flared away from Hadariel, repulsed by his presence. He stuck his hand into the center orb and removed a dark box. I wasn’t sure what that was. He set it directly beneath the smaller orb and stepped back.
Zeraxin hovered just outside the circle, eagerly waiting. Hadariel shut his eyes, spread his arms wide, muttering a chant. The stone box shook, then hovered, remaining just below the middle orb. The moment Hadariel threw his head back, silver, gleaming blades appeared in the wraiths’ hands. The angels cursed and shouted as their throats were slit. Their cries fell to gurgles and choking.
I caught myself rushing forward at the sight, but Travis and Ilran dragged me back a before I burst out of our cover. My eyes remained locked on the dying angels. Their blood didn’t drip down to pool at their feet.
Crimson streams interwoven with the blue holy light that once flowed through their bodies shifted through the air then. shot toward Amriel. They pierced his body as he screamed. The blades of blood joined his blood as it seeped from wounds. They continued their path to the device, traveling through the dying general. As he and the other angels weakened, the rivers of blood grew and blocked the box from sight.
The angels crumpled one after the other, hitting the ground as corpses. Hadariel brought his hands together and the resounding clap sent a shockwave over the land. It knocked us off our feet. By the time we were standing again, a dark red beam of light shot out of the box toward the open area outside the circle and right in the heart of Dakota. It struck the ground hard enough to leave a crater. The earth trembled violently. The few buildings left in Dakota fell to ruin with the rest.
Zeraxin’s forces fled out of the way as the beam of light became wider. A crack shot out from the crater, then split open.
“Is that… is that a freaking rift?” Bobby asked.
“Yeah, one that will never close,” I replied.
Hadariel did it. He managed to open a rift much wider and longer than any I’d ever seen. And if he used that much power to crack open the barrier between Hell’s domain and the surface, I doubted we’d ever get it sealed.
To say we were screwed was a vast understatement.
“We should get back to the others,” I said. The rift was still expanding, but the beam of light had weakened. It was going to be finished soon. I hoped. “They need to know what’s here, and we need to make a plan.”
“A plan to do what?” Bryan scoffed, shaking his head. His bravery wavered.
Not that I blamed him one damned bit. Death was all that awaited us in Dakota now.
“Let’s go,” I said instead of answering his question.
I wasn’t quite sure yet myself what our plan was going to be. There’d be no telling until we returned to the caves and spoke with the others. Killing Hadariel and Zeraxin was at the top of my list, but with the sources of our power exposed and used to open a permanent rift to Hell, I wondered if we shouldn’t shift our focus. The others could go after the sources and find a way to shut that damned magic down.
I’d go after Hadariel and Zeraxin. There was no resting while they still lived, not for me. We turned and started the hike back to the caves. Travis, Ilran, and Bryan, and a few others talked quietly amongst themselves.
With my gaze no longer focused on Dakota, my mind wandered to Lela. When we got back to the caves, she wouldn’t be there to greet me. She’d never greet me again. I tensed, certain I heard her calling my name through the dead forest. I stopped short and stared off into the shadows.
“Mech? You alright?” Bobby asked.
“No.” I scanned for any hint that Lela had miraculously survived and was out there, waiting for me to find her. “I’ll never be alright again.”
“Lela wouldn’t want you to lose yourself.”
I sniffed at his words but kept my glare aimed away from my friend. No use taking my anger out on him or anyone else. They’d all suffered, too. “Bobby, just do me a favor. Whatever might happen next, look after the others.”
“If anyone’s going to die soon, we all know it’s going to be the zombie.” He said it with his usual crooked smile, but when I didn’t return it, he sighed. “Mech, no offense but if we attack Dakota, the chances of anyone coming out alive are slim to none.”
“Then maybe I should order you to stay behind.”
“Hate to tell you, big guy, but no one’s following orders. Either they’re going to stand by you and fight ‘til the end, or they’re going to hole up in those caves and pray for a miracle. You’re not going to be able to tell them which path to choose.” He shuffled away.
I stayed at the back of our group for the rest of the hike to the caves. Every rustle of leaves or howl of the wind jerked my head up. Lela’s memory haunted me. A few times, it was like she’d reached out and touched my arm, but that was impossible. There was no soul left for her to come back as a ghost or any other being. Once I could hear the falls, I was more than ready to rush inside and find a quiet alcove to disappear in for a few hours. I needed to ensure I wasn’t losing my sanity, at least not yet.
I’d been walking with my head down, focusing on my boots. I hadn’t noticed the others stopped and ended up walked right into Kexan’s back. Worried the caves had already been overrun, I swung my rifle around. He caught it and stopped me.
“Angels. I think they’re on our side,” he said, staring at the entrance to the caves.
Remiel and Nathaniel were talking to several angels. More lingered further down the path. Twenty… no, thirty. Shit, how many had they brought? Nathaniel noticed us and waved, not smiling, but there was a hint of hope in his eyes. Their armor was freshly polished. Their eyes were bright, not dark and filled with despair. They were here in all their shining glory.
And they were too damned late.
“Mech?” Kexan was staring at me, but I was too focused on the angels to pay him any attention. “You’re growling and your eyes are red.”
“Good,” I snapped.
“They’re here to help us, remember?” Ilran grabbed my arm, but I tore myself away from her. “Don’t you dare do anything stupid.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, go all crazy and kill them,” she replied sharply. “Tonamech, look at me.”
My lip twitched. I snarled when she tried to spin me around to face her. “Get your hand off me right now unless you want to lose it.”
When she didn’t let go, I shoved away from her and stalked toward the angels. She growled after me, but there was no stopping and no trying to control my burning rage. Remiel sent the call for help nearly a week ago. Then, Lela was still alive. We never heard back from them. Now in our darkest hour, they finally decided to show up. And not just the five of them. They brought a decent number of warriors we could’ve used to save those of Dakota.
To save Lela.
“Mech,” Nathaniel said, sounding uncertain. “The generals arrived. We were catching them up on the events of the past few days. They don’t need any convincing of Hadariel’s crimes. They’ve seen them firsthand.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
The angel that stood at my height with short, black hair, golden armor, and olive skin eyed me closely. “You have seen much death. I am sorry we could not come sooner. We’ve been in
hiding with those of our soldiers we were barely able to save.”
“And how long did you plan to stay in hiding?” The rifle was in my hands, but suddenly it wasn’t good enough for these assholes. I let it fall to my side as hellfire burst to life in my palms. “Until Hadariel covered the world in evil? Until there was no one left to save?”
“We did not receive your message until several days ago.”
I choked back the litany of curses I wanted to fling at this angel. “Several days? What the hell took you so long? Do you have any idea how many died in the last few days?”
“Mech,” Nathaniel said sternly. “General Loz came as soon as they were able.”
“Sure he did.”
General Loz stood taller, but I still had a couple of inches on him. “Are you questioning me, demon?”
“Oh, ouch, that one hurt,” I snapped back. I closed the small bit of distance between us and bared my fangs. “You have no idea what we’ve been through. You do not get to stand there and judge me or anyone else here.”
“And you do not get to the do the same to me or mine.”
“Don’t I?”
“I understand there were many killed, but we are here now—”
“Better late than never, is that it?” I cut in.
He glanced to Nathaniel, but even he seemed a bit annoyed at Loz’s behavior. Good. He should be. Lela was his closest friend. Bryan appeared at my right shoulder and Bobby to my left. Loz folded his arms, his brow twitching. Clearly, he wasn’t used to be questioned by anyone. Least of all, a demon.
“We might be on the same side of this dreadful war,” he finally said, “but I am still a general.”
“Oh yeah? Good for you. I’m a demon lord. Think that means I outrank you.”
He scoffed. “You are not an angel. You don’t outrank me in anything.”
“Let me make one thing clear, General Loz,” I said with a sneer, “you might’ve come to help us, but we’re in charge here. We make the final decisions. Not you. Got it? You can’t handle that, then get the hell out of here, and you can all fight the evil army on your own once we’re dead.”
“Usually, one is grateful for help and doesn’t scorn it.”
I growled, not sure I needed to explain myself further.
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Hadariel has torn this world apart. I am willing to put our differences aside to assist you in defeating him, but if you insist on acting like a mindless brute of a demon, perhaps we will leave. There is no reason for you to act in such a manner no matter how many you’ve lost.”
I gnashed my jaws as Kexan cursed beside me. “You have no idea who I’ve lost,” I muttered, a sharp pain shooting through my chest.
Loz’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Ah, yes, of course, Commander Lela. I heard of her death. Tragic.”
“Tragic?” I repeated disgusted at his emotionless tone.
“Yes, tragic, as all deaths have been. Then again, from what I hear she could have saved herself much trouble if she had not fallen for a demon—”
“Mech, don’t!” Ilran shouted as several others yelled in alarm.
I had Loz in my grip and swung him into the nearest tree. His head cracked against it. I held him to the trunk, my hands wrapped around his chest plate. I hoisted him off his feet and slammed him into the tree again.
“Don’t you dare talk about her,” I seethed through clenched teeth. “You know nothing of what she went through to save everyone. No idea the pain she endured. She gave her life for them, and you will not insult her in my presence.”
Loz glowered, attempting to get free of my grip. Instead, my hellfire spread closer to his face. He froze. I hadn’t meant to summon it, not wanting to use up what little I might have left, but there was no holding it back. He stared into my eyes, and his face softened as his mouth opened slightly. “God, you really did love her, didn’t you?”
“What do you think?” I whispered harshly, then dropped him.
He hit the ground. “Oof.”
I crouched over him. “I will not let her death be in vain, a death that didn’t have to happen if you had come when we called. She died a day ago. One day,” I said as I held up my finger and Loz hung his head. “She might’ve lived if you would’ve gotten your heads out of your asses and stopped being cowards.”
“We are not cowards,” he shouted after me as I snatched up the rifle then stalked into the cave. “You hear me, demon?”
I halted, Bobby and Kexan at my side, as if ready to grab me if I went too far. I glared at the angel over my shoulder and stormed off. When the others moved to follow, I growled, and they left me alone. I passed humans, demons, and the few angels that had made it out of Dakota. Images of those Hadariel just slaughtered flashed in my mind, and I turned away guiltily. We needed to report what we saw, but talking right now was going to be impossible.
My feet led me where they would, and eventually, I found myself in the very back of the cave and the natural pool of water. The sight of it stilled my heart. I sucked in a painful breath as the rifle clattered to the stone floor at my feet. The bandolier of shotgun shells went next as I yanked it over my head and chucked it aside.
All the pent-up grief I held back since waking up in these damned caves came pouring out of me. Each breath tore through my body, and I fell to my knees then onto my palms. I clamped my eyes shut, but the room didn’t disappear, and neither did I.
This was where I’d held Lela and told her what she meant to me. This was where she stubbornly told me we could act like our emotions weren’t real. It was where I’d kissed her and swore to myself I would protect her from Hadariel and all the horrors he brought with him.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered between gasping breaths. “I’m so damned sorry.”
Tears splattered against the stones by my hands. I couldn’t make them stop as my heart shredded. It should’ve been me who died. She was stronger than me, always was. Without her, how the hell was I supposed to keep going?
I shut my eyes and crawled toward the pool. The water sloshed against the sides as I dipped my hand in it. Cold. Thinking it might help me get some semblance of a grip, I slipped into it, clothes and all. Teeth chattering, I held my breath and ducked under.
When I broke the surface, I jumped.
There sitting across from me in the pool was Lela.
“You… you’re not real,” I muttered, wiping water from my eyes.
She didn’t reply, only looked sadly at me. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Her hand stretched across the pool, and then she faded away like smoke.
Great, now I was hallucinating. I stayed in the freezing cold pool until my hands and feet went numb. Leaving a trail of water, I exited the cavern with the pool only pausing when a whisper of a breeze ruffled my hair. A cool hand cupped my cheek, sending a jolt down my spine.
“Lela.” I glanced around the room one more time as I whispered, “I’ll join you in oblivion soon enough. Promise.” Then I walked down the winding stone tunnel to find dry clothes and get some sleep.
Chapter 10
Mech
“Are you going to scowl at me the entire time?” Loz asked me hotly.
I shrugged, tapping my fingers on the stone table in the main cavern. “Are you going to keep acting like this is going to be a simple assassination attempt?”
“It is.”
I snorted.
He scowled. “All we have to do is kill Hadariel and Zeraxin. The angels will surrender, and the evil will—”
“Will what, huh?” I interrupted, slapping my open palm on the table. “Will miraculously return to the pits of Hell? And the rift he created, what do you think will happen with that? Or the fact that the sources of our power are not only exposed, but also currently veiled and shrinking? Have you even tried to use your holy light to its full extent lately? You tell me one more time how simple this mission is going to be, and I’m going to shove my fist down your throat.” I was on my feet and growling by the end of my rant
.
Kexan rolled his eyes.
Bobby smirked. “Bit overdramatic, Mech,” he said quietly.
It was, but I hadn’t slept. I couldn’t. Each time I closed my eyes, Lela was there. Not that being awake was much better, but it was tolerable. If I didn’t stare too long into the shadows, I was fine. My mind told me it was impossible for her to be here. Her soul was gone as well as her body. There was no bringing her back.
A whisper of a touch brushed across my cheek. I bit my tongue to stop myself from reacting and waited for Loz to say something else idiotic. He screwed his mouth to the side, glanced at the four other generals behind him, and motioned for me to talk.
“What’s your plan then?”
“My plan is to take the threat of evil in Dakota seriously.” I resumed my seat and scratched at the thick scruff on my cheek. “You’re right. Hadariel and Zeraxin need to die, but that abomination can cut off our hellfire. And Hadariel is damned strong.”
“Yes, we know.”
“Do you? With his holy light corrupted, he’s more of a threat than ever before. Their combined power is immense, and their army numbers in the hundreds of thousands by now. This right here? This is our fighting force.”
“Then we gather more fighters,” Loz suggested.
“Right, and where are you going to get them from?” I asked with a shrug. “Hell was overrun, and most of those demons fled to Dakota or other human compounds. Most of which are nothing but burning piles of ash. This is it, General Loz. This is our army. If you don’t want to fight, then I suggest you high tail it out of here because tomorrow, we’re marching right into the jaws of death.”
He rested his elbows on the table as he studied me intently. “You have no hope of surviving this fight?”
“No, I don’t.”
“But you’re going to go anyway. All of you are?” he asked, glancing around the room.
I didn’t have to look up to sense the resolve of those gathered. Bryan, Kexan, and Bobby nodded. Ilran sat to my right and gave a firm bob of her head. Nathaniel and Remiel also bowed in agreement with the others. From the way Loz straightened and squared his shoulders, he was impressed by whatever he saw.
