Fallen Academy: Year Four

by Stone, Leia

  Awkwardly nodding, Mom gave me one last hug before turning, and walking boldly over to Raphael. She looked adorable in her knee-length floral print skirt, colorful ballet flats and a silk top. She’d been taking more care with her appearance lately. After my father died, she’d had only the twelve-hour working days in Demon City to look forward to, while raising three kids. Now she did yoga, took care of herself, and ate healthy. She was much more rested, relaxed and happy.

  “Stay strong down there,” she offered shyly, looking up to meet Raphael’s eyes. He dwarfed her with his gigantic height.

  Mikey and I pretended to be inspecting a map, that I’d had Shea draw up from the parts of Hell and Lucifer’s castle I remembered.

  “Thank you, Kate. I’ll look after Brielle as if she were my own daughter.” His voice was filled with emotion, and while I tried not to eavesdrop, I just couldn’t help myself.

  “I knew you would,” she answered breathless, and I looked up to find that he’d wrapped his arms around her, letting them rest at the small of her back. The hem of her floral skirt fluttered in the breeze as she rested her hands on his broad chest, and I found myself transfixed by the two of them.

  Kiss her, you idiot.

  A grin swept across Raph’s face then and he leaned forward, dipping her back like in the movies, and claimed her mouth in a kiss that would make a Hollywood movie star jealous.

  “Gross,” Mikey whispered.

  “Shut up.” I swatted him.

  One by one, the students noticed what was going on and the catcalls began, which broke up their loved-up display. I’d never seen Raph with redder cheeks in all my life.

  “Right. Safe travels,” my mom mumbled, then walked away. I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.

  “Brielle.” Lincoln’s deep voice caught me off guard, and I spun to find him standing there holding a large brown box.

  Pulling me off to the side, in front of our trailer, he handed me the box. “A little something.”

  We’d both barely slept last night, just holding each other while we tried not to think of losing the other.

  “Lincoln, you’re too good to me.” I caressed the old box. Knowing Lincoln, there would be something priceless inside. He was never one for pretty wrapping.

  “Impossible.”

  I popped off the lid and grinned when I saw the shiny silver chest plate armor. “It’s amazing.” It had braided gold around the edges and leather straps on the sides to hold it in place. Leaning closer, I read a small cursive engraving on the bottom corner.

  Mrs. Atwater-Grey.

  “Lincoln… I love it.” My throat tightened with unbridled emotion.

  Taking out the chest plate, he motioned for me to raise my arms. “Rose had your measurements, and Michael was able to have this forged with a special metal from upstairs.” He pointed to Heaven.

  Whoa.

  ‘Yes, it feels familiar,’ Sera confirmed from her place in a scabbard on my hip.

  Lincoln pulled the chest plate over my head, and fixed it on top of my thin chain mail top. As he tightened the straps on the side, I could see the nervousness in his gestures, his face.

  Grabbing his hand, I stilled him and forced him to look at me.

  “Hey. I got this, trust me. I’m going to succeed. There’s a whole prophecy about it and everything.” I winked.

  Lincoln sighed. “Yeah, that’s what worries me. The prophecy doesn’t say anything about you making it out alive.”

  ‘Damn, that was morbid,’ Sera commented.

  It was. Lincoln was a worst-case scenario kind of person, and that was okay.

  “I guess we’ll just have to have faith.” I couldn’t believe I was the one calling for faith, but it was all I had in that moment.

  “I guess so.” Leaning down, he claimed my mouth in a kiss that made my chest ache. It was a kiss that said goodbye, but also left hope for another one in the same moment. It was so scary, and I didn’t even want to think about it.

  He groaned softly, low in his throat with an urgent need, and I matched his desperation, deepening our embrace. This was the best and saddest kiss of my life.

  Finally, we both pulled away breathless. “I’ve got your back in there,” he promised me.

  Honestly, I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I just nodded. He had his wristband on with the disc that would allow him to enter Hell with me. We were doing this together, for better or worse.

  “I need to find Shea and ask her something. I’ll meet you at the portal entrance in a few,” I told him.

  We both stood there staring at each other for another lingering moment, and I memorized his face, the lines of his body, his freckles. Finally, he just caressed my cheek and walked away, leaving me to wonder what the future held for us.

  Knowing I couldn’t think that far, I shook my head. I needed to go minute by minute. Angel City and the small pocket that was left of humanity were counting on me. I wouldn’t mess it up.

  I walked across the parking lot, and over to the gates of Fallen Academy, where my best friend was standing with Noah, waiting to make a portal to Hell and lead an entire army through it.

  “Shea, can I talk to you?”

  The Mage looked up from her goodbye with Noah, unshed tears in her eyes, and nodded. While Noah walked away a few feet, to speak to Blake and Darren and give us privacy, I took both of her hands in mine. “I need you to do me the biggest best friend favor in the world,” I begged her.

  Her brows knitted together. “What is it?”

  I swallowed. “I’m going to be busy fighting Lucifer, and Lincoln’s going to be too busy protecting me. Noah will be protecting you. I need someone to save Raksha.”

  Understanding dawned in her eyes. I’d told her how the woman had helped get me out of Hell. Shea didn’t seem to understand how I could care so much for someone who’d drugged and held me captive; it was hard to explain to anyone who didn’t live through it with me.

  “Shea, she’s important to me. Like family. You’re the only one I trust. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to her.” Tears started to flow down my cheeks.

  Shea squeezed my hands. “I won’t leave Hell without her. You have my word, sister.”

  A sob lodged in my throat at her use of the word sister, at her loyalty to what made me happy, even if she didn’t understand it.

  Dropping her hands, I pulled her in for a bone-crushing hug. “I’m so lucky to have had you by my side all these years.”

  She squeezed me harder. “Stop it. We’re not saying goodbye.” Her voice pinched with restrained tears, and we both pulled back to face each other. “I’m getting married next year, and you’re going to be there.”

  I nodded, swallowing down my emotions.

  ‘She’s my favorite person. Out of everyone,’ Sera confessed, sounding emotional too.

  I internally grinned. ‘Even more than Michael?’

  ‘Okay, she’s my second favorite.’

  Footsteps pulled my attention behind us, to the amassing army, a few thousand in all. Some were in buses, some in cars, but most were on foot. This was it. This was our last shot to save Angel City, and it all rested with me.

  I swallowed hard.

  “Shea, I think we’re ready now.” Michael approached with Lincoln and the other archangels.

  Darren and Blake nodded and stood off to the side. They had strict orders in the event we lost, to help evacuate as much of the city as possible. They hadn’t received discs from Metatron, so they wouldn’t be able to sustain life down there. Raphael said it was for the best, that some Celestials needed to be left behind to look after things.

  Shea nodded, squaring her shoulders before looking over at me. “You got this.” She winked.

  My best friend was going to have to open the portal, and stay until every member was through before closing it, so this would be the last I saw of her until it was over.

  I nodded once and that was that.

  The final war for h
umanity had begun.

  ‘I’m still trying to decide if I want to cut Lucy’s balls off first, or pluck out his eyes,’ Sera stated.

  I grinned. I think we all underestimated just how savage my blade could be.

  Lucy, I’m coming for you.

  Twenty-One

  The moment Shea opened the portal and we all stepped inside, a somber mood came over our crew. There were a few demons milling about where we crossed, and we ended their life quickly without issue.

  Our plan was to follow the directions under Demon City, where I’d come through Mathias’s apartment when I escaped, and that would lead us to Lucy’s castle. We estimated it was about a two-hour walk for those on foot, and the longer our large group stayed in Hell, the greater the chance that word would get to Lucifer. I was half hoping he would come right to me—I knew his ego was big enough—but he also might see all four archangels and go into hiding. It was a risk we had to take.

  Since Lincoln, the archangels, and I could fly, we would. Michael estimated once we took flight, it would be only about twenty minutes before we were at the gates of Lucifer’s castle.

  We passed a few spectral ghost forms, which I knew were tortured souls. Upon seeing us, they hid behind the straw huts that dotted the land.

  “Being here is…” Lincoln swallowed hard, trying to find the words.

  “Incredible,” Michael offered, staring at his own arm band. The technology Metatron had given them, making it possible for them to come down here with me, it was incredible.

  “That’s one way of describing it.” Lincoln looked at a smoking pile of trash, and two Snakeroot demons fighting over a half-eaten apple and shook his head.

  Once we’d walked a few minutes, we spun around to face the army and my jaw dropped. Four armored buses, over a dozen SUVs, and rows and rows of Fallen Army soldiers stood with us. The last of the portal was closing us all in, together.

  Michael flapped his wings and shot up into the air, hovering over the crowd. “Today we fight for freedom! We fight to end a war over fifteen years in the making.” He couldn’t even finish his sentence before the army went wild. Michael placed a fist across his chest. “May you all find peace in your heart, and keep it there always. It’s been a pleasure to lead this army and my greatest life’s work.”

  The silence spread out through the crowd until Raphael kicked up dust, flying straight up to be by Michael’s side.

  “Each and every citizen of Angel City owes you a debt of gratitude. You are the real angels, and it’s been a pleasure to be a part of your education at the academy.”

  When the massive army did one big salute to the two archangels in the sky, I thought I might cry. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, we were all saying goodbye.

  “Shall we?” Lincoln looked over at me. Uriel and Gabriel had taken flight as well. It was our turn now.

  I nodded.

  Lincoln and I flapped our wings and rose above the army, taking one last look at them before flying right into Lucifer’s den.

  “Brielle, lead the way,” Michael encouraged me.

  With the busloads of Fallen Army soldiers making their way to the front to follow us, I set off in the direction I prayed Lucifer’s castle was. The air turned smoky, and I knew visibility was going to shit after only a few minutes of flying. The sharp scent of sulfur burned my nose as smoke mingled with the air.

  “Is something burning?” Michael called over the wind.

  “It’s Hell!” I shouted back. “Something’s always burning!”

  Raphael flipped over and pumped his wings so he was facing us, suspended in mid-air. “Let’s ride on the roof of the buses until visibility clears. We could be flying into a trap or going the wrong way.”

  At his words, the hair on my arms stood up on end. He was right—this was war, and we could totally be flying into a trap. The second we’d entered, one of the demons could have seen us and flown ahead to bring word to Lucifer.

  Lowering ourselves, we landed on one of the armored vehicles. Standing on a moving bus, and not falling over, was harder than you’d think—even with wings. The top hatch popped open after a few moments, and Noah peeked his head out, probably to make sure it was us and not some flying demons.

  “Oh, good. I was—” His words were cut off when the bus slammed on its breaks and his head disappeared as he was thrown into the bus. All of us who were topside lurched forward, but quickly pumped our wings, taking to the sky to keep from becoming roadkill.

  Looking out onto the road to see why we’d stopped, my jaw popped open at the sight of hundreds of skeleton horses with glowing green eyes.

  New demons.

  Oh, Lucy, you’ve been busy.

  Atop some of the skelehorses were Castor demons. I’d barely had time to register that this was a full-scale army, when an energy burst slammed into me from the side, knocking me to the ground, and spraying sand all over my face. Turning my head to follow the direction of the attack, I saw a grinning Castor demon not ten feet from me, building another wave-like energy burst in his hands.

  Effortlessly, I pulled my shield over myself and jumped to my feet, extending it to Lincoln who stood beside me, sword drawn. He’d flown down to the ground the second I’d been thrown off the bus.

  “How far back is our army?” I shouted, trying to crane my head to look behind us.

  “We’ll have to hold them off until they get here,” Lincoln answered through gritted teeth.

  I realized he didn’t know any more than I did. Walking on foot was much slower than riding or flying, but they couldn’t be too far behind. I hoped.

  The busses’ doors opened, and Fallen Army soldiers poured out onto the cracked red earth, to fight by our side. Yet, our small numbers were nothing against this fleet of horses.

  “Anyone know what special powers the horses have?” I asked nervously.

  Michael and the other archangels were watching the advancing evil soldiers warily. It looked like we were about to discover these demon’s new power together.

  “What’s it doing?” Lincoln pointed, while staring wide-eyed at the nearest skelly.

  Its eyes were really glowing green, like way more than before.

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to kill it,” Michael declared, taking one step in the direction of the bug-eyed skeleton horse. One second Michael was standing there, and the next, the skelly’s eyes had… exploded. A hot lava-like substance shot from its eyes and tried to spray all over Michael, but he blasted into the air to avoid it. We all stumbled backward as I tightened the shield protecting Lincoln and myself. The lava shot across the front of the bus, and the metal and rubber tires melted right before my eyes, in a stinking mass of molten iron.

  Oh shit. This was the stuff of nightmares.

  We were way out of our league here. The Dark Lord had known we were coming, and he’d built a freaking lava-spewing army to protect him.

  ‘Oh, hell no. These anorexic horses aren’t going to stop us.’ Sera pulsed at my hip.

  I’d forgotten she was there. Hell, I’d forgotten what it was like to fight with her, so used to doing it by myself ever since she was taken.

  Pulling her out, I thinned my shield in one spot at the front.

  ‘Watch this,’ she boasted. A thin laser beam of light shot from the tip of Sera’s blade, and cut into the horse nearest us. Where her beam of light hit, the horse lost a limb—technically a bone stump, since it didn’t have flesh.

  “Yes!” Michael roared and advanced forward, cutting the horse’s head right off in one swift move. The green glow that had once lit up its eyes was no more.

  ‘I was just getting started. Watch this.’

  A thicker beam of light shot from my dagger, and I cut my arm across the advancing horses in an arc. Over a dozen of them were sawed in half at once.

  ‘Oh my God!’ She’d been holding out on me. ‘Do that when we see Lucy,’ I told her.

  ‘Oh, I’ll do that and more,’ she promised.

  As a
group, we advanced on the skelehorse army, and took them down one by one. Sera was able to take out the first few in the front lines and make a path for Michael to get to the ones farther back. I dropped my shield so that Sera could shoot her laser of light at will.

  Lincoln was tied up with a Castor demon, while I was advancing deeper into the line of psycho-lava-eye-beam-horses. Sera was just preparing for another burst of light when someone grabbed me by the hair, and yanked hard, until I was flush against their chest.

  “The Dark Prince has been waiting for you,” A silky rich voice cooed in my ear.

  In one swift move, Sera was knocked from my hand, and then I was being pulled upward into the sky by my neck. I couldn’t breathe, and all rationale went out of my head when I realized I was being dragged across Hell by an Abrus demon. He had my wings pinned with his legs, hooking his ankles around my middle, but my throat was taking the brunt of his force.

  ‘Pull me to you!’ Sera screeched.

  I tried to use my magic to pull her from the ground and towards my hand, but I was too panicked. Too focused on breathing. I tried to thrash and get my assailant to loosen his grip, but it was no use.

  “Did you know that the average human can hold their breath about two to three minutes before passing out?” the demon informed me. “But with your Celestial healing, I’ll bet you could go longer.”

  Oh God. He was going to kill me. And suffocating was such a bad way to go too.

  We flew over the skelehorse war, and I was unable to scream or alert Lincoln. I couldn’t calm my mind enough to erect my shield again or call Sera to me. I was majorly screwed and on the verge of passing out. It all happened so fast that, I wasn’t prepared.

  How did I let my infinity weapon get taken from me again?

  “Now, if I let go, you’re not gonna scream, are you?” he asked me as we flew across the smoky sky.

  I shook my head, tears rolling down my cheeks.