Damnation
Page 27
He took another step backwards and plummeted into the mouth of Hell with Olivia in his arms.
“No!” I screamed
I reached for the Blade of Unmaking at my hip, but it was too late. He was gone, and so was Olivia.
I looked from Trixie and the advancing ranks of the Soulless to the edge of the cliff, helpless with indecision.
There are so many of them, I thought. Too many, even for her.
Heinrich stepped out of the massed ranks of the Soulless with a long blade in his hands.
“Now, Angelus,” he said, “we shall have our reckoning.”
Your choice, the Burned Man said.
Every decision have its consequences, Papa Armand had told me.
Wasn’t that the fucking truth. The Burned Man could make all the difference in this fight, I knew. Between the two of us we might stand a chance, but I knew I had to go after Olivia.
I had to.
Anything in my power to protect you. Anything at all.
Diabolists go to Hell, Don.
I’m sorry, but yes.
It looked like they did.
The flames from Trixie’s sword underlit her face, making her look every inch the Angel of Death.
She raised the burning blade to me in salute.
“Go,” she said. “I’ll hold them here as long as I can.”
She has her own path to follow.
It was no choice at all.
I took a run up and followed Adam into the abyss.
Acknowledgments
You’d think writing a series gets easier the more of them you write, wouldn’t you? You’d be wrong, and so was I.
I owe enormous thanks to my editor, Phil Jourdan, who really did have to make me bleed for this one, and to Paul Simpson for saving me from my own mistakes, and everyone at Angry Robot for helping to make this happen.
Thanks as always to my faithful and long-suffering beta readers, and to Diane for putting up with me when I’m writing.
The most thanks of all are due to you, my readers, for your continued enthusiasm and support. I wouldn’t be here without you.
About the Author
Peter McLean was born near London in 1972, the son of a bank manager and an English teacher. He went to school in the shadow of Norwich Cathedral where he spent most of his time making up stories. By the time he left school this was probably the thing he was best at, alongside the Taoist kung fu he had begun studying since the age of 13. He grew up in the Norwich alternative scene, alternating dingy nightclubs with studying martial arts and practical magic. He has since grown up a bit, if not a lot. He is married to Diane and is still making up stories.
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An Angry Robot paperback original 2017
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Copyright © Peter McLean 2017
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Peter McLean asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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UK ISBN 978 0 85766 663 5
US ISBN 978 0 85766 664 2
EBook ISBN 978 0 85766 665 9
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This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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