We pay our admission fee and roll along the paved road toward the tourist lodge. I can’t wait to set my feet on the multitude of walking paths. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here. I remember my family taking a trip here, maybe when I was around six or seven. Mom held my hand, while Dad led Stella to the falls. My sister and I climbed rocks most of the day then waded through the shallow, cool waters.
Now, I lead my party to the same water pool and watch the water cascade over the multiple-level rock formation.
It’s early in the afternoon, and people are milling about, but they don’t pay attention. Hikers stop and pose for a quick picture before they wander down a new path. Tourists splash the water along the shore, and kids’ giggling fills the area. So many are carefree. I envy them.
Shay nudges my shoulder and then points. Turning, I look in the direction and see eyes staring back at my own. A smattering of wolves came early, probably to scout the area for demons.
We head in their direction, going deeper into the forest, needing to be hidden from prying eyes. Twigs snap beneath my feet, and once again I notice that I’m the only one whose soles make noise. It reminds me when we were in Fairyland tromping through the Mist looking for a porta. That time, too, I was the lone hiker who couldn’t seem to make silent footsteps.
I’m the only sound in the woods, even when the more than two dozen wolves surround us. For a moment, I’m jealous, but then remember the reason we’re here.
Vash steps from behind a tree, holding hands with Cali. They smile at us and we embrace quickly. Keeping his voice low and formal, Vash speaks, “We’re all set. We’ve been patrolling since yesterday afternoon throughout the city and the nearby woods.” He spreads his arms wide. “I had several other Packs meet here early this morning, so we can recon the area. The rest are a couple miles out from the lighthouse.”
“Have you seen many demons?” I ask.
“Some have run into Knights in the city, but most have been out here in the wilderness. Marqs are already floating around, too. I think they are seeing the landscape before the battle.”
“And numbers for them?” Kieran asks.
“Thousands of Knights. Not sure on how many Marqs, but we’ve counted four or five dozen so far.”
“That many. Are we going to have enough on our side?” I ask.
“Numbers will be about equal, I would think.”
“They must be hiding the true Marqs numbers,” Shay says.
“I would think so,” Vash agrees.
“We’ll have more than enough.” Oberon walks through a porta. “Mab is on her way with her subjects.” He wraps his dark green cape tightly around his shoulders. “Good thing the cold weather is in her favor, or else she might not stay.”
I forgot how ancient he is, but he doesn’t look a day over forty. He’s dressed in battle armor over brown breeches and a green tunic. The wooden weaved crown I’ve seen him in previously is missing from his head, letting his dark chocolate locks flow freely.
“Hello, Father,” Sidelle says.
“Daughter.” He nods. “Plan of attack today?” His eyes penetrate mine as if he’s waiting for me to answer.
“We were getting numbers from Vash,” Kieran says. “Thousands of Knights and dozens of Marqs.”
“I assume the angels are coming, too?”
“Yes, Michael is rallying them even as we speak. They’ll open the Void as soon as we’re there and most of the demons have come.”
“Any particular way you want to handle this, Vash?” Oberon asks.
“I think the wolves should focus on the Marqs. We won’t know their true numbers until we get into it. But they’re our best defense without tying up too many of us. That leaves the fairies and Nephilim to deal with all the Knights.”
“Some of the Archangels can also assist with the Marqs,” Kieran says.
“The Knights will bring guns, grenades, and anything else they could get their hands on,” Shay says. “Nephilims and the wolves will be susceptible for any kill shots they make.”
I squeeze Shay’s hand.
“It’s a good plan,” Oberon says. “Remember that, but also know that it’s going to go sideways within a couple of minutes and just go with it.” He looks at the sky as if reading it. “Mab is here.”
And like he has announced, the Winter Queen steps through a glass porta. Her blue skirt is wrapped at the waist securely held with a dark navy bodice. Black boots adorn her feet and travel up to her knees. Her long black hair is tight in a bun on top of her head. Ice cold, cerulean eyes gaze at me, then to the Summer fairies. She is a picture-perfect woman warrior.
Like Oberon, she exudes power with deadly precision. She is a woman of few words, but her face says it all. She’s ready to kill, beat, and maim any demon that crosses her path. Retribution for all those she lost when demons overtook her lands.
The Summer King gestures for her to follow and they leave. I guess he will tell her our wobbly plan.
My stomach flips as I realize it’s almost time to leave. Turning back the way we came, I trudge through the trees. I don’t need to look back; I know everyone is following. We stay silent, each of us lost in our own thoughts, doing our own pre-battle pep talk, or whatever.
Taking one last glance at the beautiful waterfall and all the clueless people enjoying their day, I march back on the trail that leads to the car.
The short ride to the lighthouse has me on edge. My legs bounce and I fidget, playing with the radio, the window, and my seat. Anything to keep my fingers moving.
Shay places a calming palm on my thigh, sending all his love my way.
Chapter Forty-Three
Zoe
WHEN WE NEAR THE LIGHTHOUSE, bright colors can be seen. Some I know the names of, others I can’t even describe. Angels’ and fairies’ wings of various shapes, shades, and sizes sprinkle the land and hover above the water. The dazzling hues not only come from their wings, but from angelic light and glamour.
So many have arrived, answered the call, and I can’t help but feel proud and smell victory. The angels are my people. Well, they aren’t people. They’re angels. So they’re my angels.
An array of green and blue tones hover in the woods, staying sheltered in the trees and away from the angels.
Forms emerge from the forest. Howls sound in the distance, adding to the rumbling of the ground. Packs appear and intermingle between the shrubs, foliage, and saplings. Their large bodies tense in anticipation of the upcoming battle.
My friends and I stand on a rock ledge overlooking the lake, the lighthouse to our left.
“Some of the Nephilim are here, too,” Shay says. “Michael found as many as he could and get them here.”
“Do you know them?” I ask.
“Not too many. They tend to stay in the warmer climates, but there are a couple of us in the northern states.”
“Zoe.” Kieran points. “It’s starting.”
Our gaze follows Kieran’s finger.
Lake waves roll backwards, making more sand appear on the shoreline. Water slowly moves into a circular motion, creating a vortex. The sky blackens, and the temperature drops even more. Thankfully, the rain stopped hours ago. An eerie sucking sound draws my attention back to the water. It’s lowering like a whirlpool that we can’t see, the bottom leaving only the top funnel cloud.
Branches break behind us, snapping my awareness to the woods. The wolves’ heads turn, looking deeper into the forest, ears prickling for sounds. Growls erupt.
Shadows materialize from behind trees and bushes. Knights crouch then stand to their full height.
We’re surrounded.
In the short time I watched the Knights appear, I missed the rising, ghostly forms of the Marquises demons. Hundreds rise from the water and are now making their way toward us. With the angels and fairies beside us, and the wolves behind them, the demons have surrounded us.
I remember the words Oberon told us: “within a couple minutes expect the plan to go
sideways.” It just has.
The Marqs are almost upon us; the Knights start their advance on the wolves. The only sounds are feet crunching the brush, and the Packs’ snarls until the DKs brandish their swords. Metal clangs add to my heightened awareness.
Shay brushes him arm against mine as he reaches behind his back and grabs his Nephilim Sword. Taking that as my cue, I summon my own.
Kieran’s body glows with angelic Light, and Sidelle has called forth her green glamour.
We stare at the approaching demon warriors and stoop into our battle stances. The angels remain in the sky, on the ready.
“Hold steady,” Kieran shouts. “Let them come to us.”
My eyes search for the Alpha of the Spiritus Pack, who has managed to stay within the tree line. “Vash!” He glances my way and runs toward me. “We need to draw them out and get the Knights closer to the lake, so the angels can create the Void. Circle around and flank them to drive them forward. I’m the bait. Let them see me.”
He nods in his wolf form. “Got it,” he says through our mental connection. Then he directs the Packs in his mind. I hear him shout the orders.
The wolves divide themselves, running to the right and left. The Knights charge forward, pushing through the barrier of the trees. The Marqs are nearly upon our group, too.
It’s going to be perfect timing, a double assault as both enemies advance and will arrive at the same time. I look left and then right, not knowing which way I should focus my attention.
“Let’s take on the Knights and leave the Marqs to the Archangels and the Royals,” Shay shouts. I nod and readjust my grip. “The Packs will attack from behind and push them forward. We’ll cut them off from joining the Marqs with the help from the fairies.”
My body trembles, and the sweat from my hands makes me clench the handle even tighter. I don’t have time to rearrange my grip.
A Knight’s sword comes down. My blade meets his. The high-pitched sound of metal rings in the air, signaling the start.
Roars and battle cries explode.
I can’t even describe all that’s happening around me. It’s too much, things happening too fast. My focus is only on the DK in front of me. I raise my sword and meet his again, but then he drops to the ground, dead.
Shay wipes his blade on his jeans and nods to me.
Blasts of Light shoot across the sky, and lake water fizzles as it detonates from the force of glamour.
It’s total chaos.
I don’t have time to check on my friends; the Knights keep coming. Guns fire in the distance. Something zips near my head and I duck. Then a barrage of bullets flies toward us. I extend my palms outward and use Light to stop them short of reaching me, Matrix style.
I didn’t know I could do that. Shay smiles at me, and then we press forward, killing and decapitating any demon in our path.
An earth shattering sound blows, breaking my focus. I quickly glance at my surroundings along with many of us who have paused to take notice of where the blast came from.
Dead Knights litter the ground. Wolves limp injured, but they remain taking on more opponents. Angels and fairies dart across the sky and mix with the black forms of the Marqs.
The atmosphere rocks like a heat wave. An opaque layer blankets the area, engulfing everything in its path, reminding me of a pillowcase swallowing a pillow.
This must be how the Void is created, drastically different than when Kieran created the warehouse Void so many months ago that started this adventure.
As the outer edge of the Void drapes over the woods and lake, the wolves corral the outlying demons, forcing them into the mouth of the Void.
A shimmer passes through me as if I’ve walked under a waterfall; one minute I see the park and the lake, and the next it’s an open field with nowhere to hide. A smattering of trees encircles the field, giving the only protection.
I think the angels created the Void in this way so it forces the demons to fight and not play with us. Confront us head on or leave.
I easily spot the Alphas; they are larger than their pack members. Then I locate Vash’s dark brown form, paired with a snow white one: Cali. They fight side by side, knowing that if one dies, the other will follow.
Raising my sword high, I barrel through another group of Knights heading my way.
“Zoe!” Shay shouts. “To your left.”
I turn my body but can’t block in time. A Knight’s blade slices my arm. My lungs scream in agony as blood pours out from the gash. My free hand covers the wound to stop the red liquid running down my arm. I gather my Light and heal myself. Something pushes against me from behind and I stumble forward.
Demons surround me, creating a barrier between Shay and me. More Knights wedge their way in, trying to separate us.
Calling more of my Light, it glows on my palms, and I send it out, forcing purple orbs into the chests of everyone around me. I spin in a circle, letting it swirl.
I have no idea how long we’ve been fighting, but there seems to be more wolves lying on the ground now than in the woods. They are trying to make their way to the Marqs. And since angels and fairies just cease to exist when they die, I don’t know how many are no longer with us.
“Create a path for the wolves to get through,” I shout and wave my sword in the direction of the path needs to be created.
Shay and I lead teams of Summer fairies and attack from the side. Blue Winter fairies battle from the opposite end, as the wolves continue wrangling from the rear.
Eventually, a narrow path opens and then as Guardian angels come to assist, the trail widens.
We join the Pack, bringing up the rear as they start tearing into the Marqs. Deathly howls add to the melee as the wolves do the job they were created to perform: kill Marquises Demons.
Then a shadow in the tree line moves, grabbing my attention. I pull on Shay’s arm and point. He follows my line of sight. “What is she doing here?” Shay asks.
“I don’t know,” I say. “Let’s go find out.”
We run toward the figure, and it steps out into view.
Morgan.
“What are you doing here?” I ask. “How did you get here?”
“We drove, duh,” she says.
“Who’s we?” Shay asks.
“Aiden and me. We came to Duluth for the weekend on a romantic getaway, to reconnect. But this morning when I woke, a note was left for me to meet Aiden here at the lighthouse. So I came.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Because he asked me to. I don’t need to have a reason. He’s my boyfriend now. He finally saw the light and dumped Quinn. If he wants to meet here for a surprise, then I’ll be here. I was about to leave when I spotted you across the field.”
Boyfriend? I thought Quinn is his girlfriend. I knew he was playing my friend. He could be playing both girls.
“And what do you think is going on here?” I ask.
“Nothing. It’s a nice area. A little creepy without sounds, but whatever. Maybe they know that people are around. Well, not people.” Shay and I look at each other. “Witches, doing evil. Isn’t that what you’re here for? Some sort of séance?”
“I’m not a witch, Morgan.” I turn to watch the battle, checking to make sure that there aren’t any demons in our area. Morgan can’t see them, and I wonder if Aiden did something. “I have no idea where you got that idea from.”
“You don’t remember? When we were in grade school, you brought that bird back to life. No one but a witch could do that.”
“Is that what this is about? Is that why you hate me?”
“Zoe, we have to get going.” Shay nudges me.
“I know, just one more minute.” My head turns to hear a loud explosion and the ground shakes, signaling the battle wages on without us, and I don’t have time for placating Morgan right now. “I’m not a witch, Morgan. I’m an angel.”
Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t say anything as if she’s mulling it over. “And you chose Kieran over me. We were the b
est of friends, Zoe. You hurt me.”
“Morgan, people can have more than one best friend. I’ve known Kieran my entire life. He’s been there for me through thick and thin. And I didn’t choose him over you. You left. You didn’t give me a chance to explain. Instead, you decided to hate me, called me names behind my back, and turned people against me. Morgan, it was your choice to not be my friend.” Shay tugs my hand. “Look, I need to be someplace right now, but when we’re back in the Cities, let’s talk.” I reach out to her but she steps back.
“Okay,” she says as her head drops.
I think she’s going to lift her head and walk away, but she doesn’t. Instead, her body slumps to the ground, multiple arrows jutting from her back.
“Oh, my god,” I screech. “Morgan! Shay, help me roll her over.” We turn her tall frame over. Her eyes roll into the back of her head. I shake her hard. “Morgan. Stay with me.” I force my Light into her, but something is blocking it. I can’t penetrate into her soul. “Please don’t die.”
“I’m sorry, Zoe,” Morgan mumbles. “For everything I’ve done to you.” And then her eyes close, forever.
“Come on,” Shay says. “We can’t mourn her now, we can when the battle is over.”
“How did she get inside the Void?”
“I don’t know, but she must have been inside when the angels created it or someone, Aiden, probably got her here to mess with you. That’s the only plausible explanation I can think of.”
“I guess we’ll never know.”
When we get back into the throes of the fight, I see half of our forces are gone. Hundreds of Pack members are on the ground, limping or dead. Noticeably fewer angels and fairies are flying around, and the Marqs are still rising.
My hope dwindles.
Chapter Forty-Four
Zoe
I SEE QUINN, THE UNKNOWING traitor, sprinting toward me. “Zoe!” I’m not sure if she’s going to kill me or save me. We’ve been friends since grade school; I’m hoping for the latter. It’s not her fault that she got sucked into Aiden’s web of lies. This is his fault and no one else’s. She’s surrounded by demons, but she’s fending them off with her sword, slashing her way to me. “Zoe,” she screams again. I shout to Shay to let him know where I’m heading. He’s fighting multiple attacks and nods. A pathway is cut between my school friend and myself. Shay follows, a few steps behind.
Wars & Wings (Enlighten Series Book 3) Page 22
