Fury crumpled to her knees when she saw Anya on the Nulterra throne. Reuel had to hold her upright.
Up until that moment, I’d never as much as seen a picture of Fury’s twin, but there was no denying the women were sisters. Same black hair. Same tan skin. Same dangerous curves.
The only way to tell them apart? Anya’s eyes were both solid black. Because of her spirit, I was sure she could recognize other angels, but Anya didn’t have the power to see all that Fury could.
Anya slowly stood. She wore a sleeveless skin-tight black bodysuit made of something that looked like rubber. She had blood-stone cuffs around her wrists, biceps, and throat. Dangling around her neck was a purple stone—the Father’s sanctonite.
“My sister,” she said, hatefully.
All the demons in the room were watching us. Whispering. Waiting.
Fury was crying and shaking in Reuel’s arms. “No,” she whimpered.
Anya looked at me. She wore thick eyeliner and dark lipstick. “Nice to see you again, Warren. How’s the baby?”
My jaw tightened. “What have you done, Anya?”
She spread her arms. “What have I done?” Her smile was wicked as she let energy surge in her hands. “What have I not done?”
Everyone besides us in the great hall cheered. Looking around, it was an odd mix of angels. The majority were guardians, not surprising since this was Abaddon’s palace. There were messengers, Angels of Ministry, and a few prophets, but the rest of the choirs were glaringly absent.
Not surprisingly, there were no Angels of Death. But, Azrael excluded, none of my angels had ever fallen.
What was shocking was the lack of Angels of Life and Angels of Knowledge. After all, the Morning Star—an angel with both those gifts—had created the place.
Anya continued her rallying cry. “I have conquered the Neverworld, united the fallen, and have freed us from the Morning Star!”
The demons cheered again.
“Freed from the Morning Star?” I asked, confused.
She looked at me and smiled. “Of course. The Thousand Year Prophecy wasn’t meant for us. We all weren’t sentenced to die. So when the Morning Star’s plan to destroy the spirit line failed, condemning him to his fate, we secured his place on Earth for his final days.” She turned back toward the crowd. “And we will live happily ever after right here!”
Applause and cheers echoed around the hall again.
I didn’t understand. “What do you mean, you secured his place?”
“An angel can be born to any human of age with a womb. The Morning Star planned to be born to Torman’s daughter, but I presented the option of Azrael’s human instead. After all, what better place for the Morning Star to grow up than with the Daughter of Zion, the exact target he intended to kill?
“At that time, Azrael was still in Eden, welcomed back into the arms of the Father. Little did the Morning Star know that we’d learned of Azrael’s plans to return.”
“How?” Reuel asked, behind me. “Who told you?”
“Oh, Guardian, the only thing that travels faster through the spirit line than spirits is information.”
The other demons laughed.
“Only days before Azrael’s return to Earth, the Morning Star implanted himself into Adrianne. At the very least, I assumed Azrael would imprison him. But now that his son possesses a helkrymite sword”—her eyes flashed to the sword on my hip—“I’m sure the plan is to destroy the Morning Star once and for all!”
As the room exploded in thunderous praise again, Fury erupted into another coughing fit.
Anya slowly descended the steps between us. “And here I have what I’ve always wanted most.” She twisted a button on the front of my shirt. “An Angel of Death. Join me, Warren.”
I smacked her hand away. “You’re as crazy as your father.”
Her eyes flared red. “I am my father,” she hissed.
I took a step back. She’d said it was good to see me again. But I had never met Anya. I’d only met the Destroyer.
“Join me, Warren,” she said. “I’ll teach you about true immortality.”
“The blood stone.” My eyes fell to the cuff around her throat. “When Abaddon was destroyed, Anya was wearing the blood stone.”
“He’s not as dumb as he looks,” Anya said, smiling.
Abaddon had somehow trapped himself inside Fury’s sister.
She? He? took a step toward me again, this time holding out the stone necklace. “I can also give you what you want most in all the worlds.”
My eyes fell to the stone.
“Warren!” Reuel yelled.
I spun and saw that his shirt and arms were covered in blood. Something inside Fury’s chest had clearly ruptured. As he cradled her in his arms on the floor, I could feel death creeping over her like a shadow.
“What justice is this?” Anya cackled like a madwoman and climbed the steps back to her throne. She sat down and watched. “My sister’s soul is about to join us!”
I knelt beside them, putting the sword under my knees in case anyone tried to take it. I pulled Cassiel’s bag around me, opened the flap, and then slid open the zipper. A piercing screech echoed around the room, jarring the demons, and sending them cowering behind each other.
Inside the bag was a small glass vial. I pulled it out. Etched into the cork stopper was the word Drink. I unplugged it and tilted it up to Fury’s bloody lips.
I looked at Reuel.
He nodded and pulled Fury’s mouth open.
I poured the few ounces of liquid down her throat.
All the demons were watching. Everyone was silent. Anya leaned forward on her throne.
Then with a violent gasp, Fury bolted upright in Reuel’s arms, and a reverberation like a bullet breaking the sound barrier, sent a shockwave of energy around the room. The windows shattered as the echo shook the fortress.
Fury was panting.
I sniffed the bottle, then recoiled from the powerful smell. My eyes watered. “Crystal water.”
Reuel snatched the bottle from my fingers and smelled it. I bent toward Fury and grabbed her face. “Are you OK?”
She flexed her fingers and held up her hand like it was the first time she’d ever seen it. Upon closer inspection, it almost appeared to be glowing. “I’m better than OK. I’m great. What did you do?”
“Cassiel. She sent crystal water, the life water of Eden. I had no idea. She sneaked it in my man purse.” I lifted the bag.
Another loud pop, like the sound of thick ice cracking underfoot, shook the palace.
Anya bolted off her throne, running to a window. “What have you done?”
I really had no idea. “Oh boy.”
“Guards! Take them back to their cell!” she screamed.
I snatched up my sword before the nearby guardians got their hands on me. A group of them forced the three of us back down the hallway to our cell. This time, they slammed the door.
Even though I knew it wouldn’t work, I tried to use my power to open it. The door glowed purple but did not open.
Fury used a bottle of water to clean her bloody face. I walked over and put my hand to her wet cheek. “The fever’s gone.” I looked at her wrists. “The burns too, it seems. How are the lungs?”
She took a deep breath in. “I feel great.”
Grabbing the back of her head, I rested my forehead against hers. “Thank God.”
“Gratal Cassiel,” Reuel corrected.
“Yes. Thank Cassiel.”
“I feel…” Fury’s bright eyes darted back and forth as she searched for the word. “Like Wonder Woman. We need to get some more of that stuff.”
“Not possible,” I said. “The use of crystal water is absolutely forbidden outside of Eden. Cassiel will be in a lot of trouble for this.”
“What the hell happened out there?” Fury asked.
“Well, you almost died. The crystal water brought you back.” I pointed out the door. “And that woman out there is not your sister, Anya.”
“What?”
“I’m not sure how, but it seems Abaddon has taken up residence in your sister’s body through the blood stone. She was wearing it the day Sloan killed him.”
“I knew she’d never join the fallen. How do we get him out of her?” Fury asked, panicked.
“I have no idea.”
“They really did send the most inept of the inept down here, didn’t they?” the demon in the cell across from us said.
I ran to the door. “Who are you?”
“A prisoner. Same as you, apparently.”
Fury joined me at the door. “What do you mean he’s inept? What does he not know?”
“He obviously doesn’t know that he is the most powerful angel down here.” The demon laughed. “Why do you think no one’s been brave enough to take that sword away?”
I raised the sword and looked at it.
“Send your power through it, you idiot.”
I gripped the hilt with both hands and held it out in front of me. Then I conjured all my killing power into it, and the sword burst into a white and purple flame. I’m pretty sure Reuel, Fury, and myself all said “whoa” at the same time.
“You’re welcome,” the demon said. “Now let them try to stop you.”
“What is it?” I asked, admiring the blazing blade.
“The most powerful forces in all of the realms. The Father’s. And yours.”
Reuel joined us at the door. “Nicely done.”
“Hello, Reuel,” the demon said.
Reuel didn’t smile. “Torman.”
“Torman?” I asked. “We know your daughter.”
“You know Chimera?” He gripped the bars on his door.
“Yes. She helped us get here,” I said.
“Where is she?”
My eyes narrowed. This was still a demon, no matter if he was being helpful or not. A commotion outside helped me dodge his question.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“It seems whatever you did in the great hall has pierced the darkness veil around us.”
“The darkness veil?” Fury asked.
“It’s whatever keeps this place hidden from Eden,” Reuel said. “We’ve never been able to see in or even see the gate. Not from the auranos. Not from Eden. Not from Earth.”
“He’s right,” the demon across from us said.
“What does that mean?” Fury asked him.
“It means things are about to get really interesting,” Torman said.
I hoped it meant that Eden could see that little girl’s soul on the demon’s wheel of destruction. That way, I’d have less explaining to do when I got back.
“Why are you in prison?” Reuel asked.
“Because I’m an Angel of Knowledge. Anyone Abaddon thought might be a threat was imprisoned when he was strong enough to reclaim the throne.”
“Why are you a threat?” Fury asked.
“When Moloch’s plot with the Council was exposed, Abaddon knew he’d been betrayed. He ordered the arrest of all Angels of Knowledge and Life. Even I, one of the chief members of his inner circle. Many of us have already been executed.”
“I’d like to say I feel bad for you, but I don’t,” I said.
“How did you get here if your daughter is on Earth?” Fury asked.
“The Gate. Once Mihan joined the fallen, we began using it again some. Not enough to draw attention, of course.”
When the Nulterra Gate was sealed, two angels had been given keys. Abaddon and Mihan. One angel of the fallen. One of Eden. Only, Mihan had joined the dark side.
“Torman, I’m willing to make you a deal,” I said. “The Father wants me to destroy Nulterra. If you help me do that, then I will set you free and allow you a chance at survival.”
“Can you even free yourself?” the demon asked, skeptically.
“I guess we’re about to find out.” I checked the hallway through the window to see if it was clear. Then I sent my killing power through the sword again.
Swinging with all my might, I slammed the blade into the cell door’s lock. It exploded in a million tiny shards. Everyone, including me, stared at the door in stunned silence.
“All right. You’ve got a deal,” Torman said. “Get me the hell out of here.”
I carefully checked that the hallway was clear before crossing it. There seemed to be turmoil in the great hall, and fortunately, it seemed, we’d been forgotten about. I swung the sword at the lock on Torman’s door. It too shattered all over the hall.
I pulled it open, and he held up his hands. They were chained together, and his feet were shackled to the wall. With a few more powerful swings, I freed him from his restraints. “Start talking. Fast.”
“Come with me.” He rushed out of his cell, his clothes torn and soiled with blood. We followed him down the hallway away from the room. Other demons hissed and begged from their cells. We ignored them.
At the end of the hall, Torman checked around the corner. A few guardians armed with swords raced by, and he shoved us all backward against the wall. We waited for them to pass. Then he checked the outer hallway again. “Let’s go.”
He turned left, away from the way we’d come in. A roar from a crowd at the entrance hall echoed around the chamber. “What’s happening back there?” Fury asked as we ran.
“If the veil is breaking apart, the demons will try to flee Nulterra. They’ll storm the palace because the only way out is through the spirit line. Its entrance is this way!”
The four of us ran to the end of the hall.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” someone yelled behind us.
I glanced back and saw Etred chasing us.
“Go!” Reuel said. “I’ll deal with him.”
“He has a sword,” I said.
“Go!”
With a powerful roar, Reuel charged Etred head-on as Fury and I continued with Torman. He took a hard right through a closed door into a room with a long glass wall that looked outside.
I jogged to it and looked out. Above the palace, light fissured through the orange like electric spiderwebs. Huge chunks broke apart, falling into the burning sea around us, and leaving black holes into the darkness above the Neverworld.
We were on the back side of the palace, opposite the side Etred and the demons had brought us in through.
Demons flooded the courtyard, climbed the walls, and ran toward the lower gates.
Beyond the castle wall, a bridge like the one we’d crossed into the city stretched across the fiery lava. On this one, human souls trudged in a single-file line toward the palace as demons fled past them.
“If you want to bring Nulterra down, you have to destroy the three sanctonite stones,” Torman said, joining us at the window after locking the door behind us.
“The Father’s blood stone?”
“Yes.”
“What does it do exactly?” Fury asked.
“The main stone in the center hall powers the cylinder. When the souls in the capsules are destroyed, the cylinder harnesses the energy and deposits it into Nulterra’s core. If the core stops receiving energy, everything crumbles.”
“Will it crumble on top of us?” Fury asked.
“The places farthest from the power of the stones will crumble first. It should give us time to get out.”
“Where are the other two stones?” I asked.
“One powers the gate to Earth, and the other powers the gate to Eden and the spirit line. To destroy Nulterra, you’ll have to destroy all three.”
He pointed out the window. “Do you see the bridge? At the end of it is the gate to Eden.”
“Those demons are trying to use it to escape?” I asked.
“And they will. While they can’t go to Eden, they can take the spirit line anywhere else. I would destroy that stone first, then the stone over the pit, and finally, the last stone on our way out.”
There was a heavy pounding on the door. “Nakai!”
“It’s Reuel.” I ran back to the door and opened it.
Blood was splattered across his face, and he was panting.
“Are you all right?”
He smiled.
“Etred’s dead?”
He held up Etred’s sword and his scabbard.
“Nice work.” I locked the door behind him. Then I filled him in as we rejoined Torman and Fury at the window.
“Once we destroy the last stone, what will happen to the demons left here?” I asked.
“They’ll be consumed by the pit.”
“How do we free my sister?” Fury asked.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know how that’s possible without killing her.”
Fury’s whole body wilted.
“Abaddon’s spirit is locked within the blood stone, which is connected with Anya’s bloodstream. To free her from him, you’ll have to destroy the blood stone, but if you do that inside Nulterra, she won’t survive without it.”
“Even though Anya is an angel?” Fury asked.
“Her body was made to be mortal. Physically, she’s very much a human. Her spirit would survive, but she’d have to go to Eden before she could even think of returning to Earth in any form.”
I looked at Fury. “That’s a better option than leaving her here to die with Abaddon.”
She looked at Reuel with tears in her eyes. He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “He’s right.”
“I need you to be strong, Allison.” I took hold of her arm and ran my hand over the symbol of the Nulterra key. “I’ll need you to get me out of here.”
Her back straightened, and she grasped my arm. “I promise, I’ll get you out.”
I kissed her, then turned back to Torman. “How do I get a soul out of one of these capsules at the pit?”
His head pulled back. “Why would you want to?”
“Because there’s an innocent child in there who belongs in Eden. I’m not leaving her behind.”
He sighed. “Humans. You’re all so sentimental.”
The ground shook beneath us. Reuel grabbed Torman by the arm. “Tell him. You’re wasting time.”
“You’ll have to climb it to free her. It’s dangerous. If you fall…” His lips closed.
“I fall into the pit.” I nodded. “Got it.”
“We need to hurry. That rumble was them shutting the front gates. We need to get out the back before they close them too.”
In the pandemonium of everyone running inside, we made it out of the palace without being seen by anyone who knew who we were. Torman led us downstairs and out the back door where the human souls were slowly walking inside as the demons pushed past us, fighting their way toward the bridge.
“There are so many humans,” I said to Reuel. “We never send this many down at once.”
A huge chunk of the orange sky crumbled and fell, landing like a bombshell about a hundred yards away from us. It blasted apart the rock terrace surrounding the palace.
“If one of those hits us, we’re in trouble,” I said, looking up in the black sky beyond the veil.
Reuel pushed me forward. “Let’s hurry.”
We crossed through the palace wall toward the bridge. Frantic demons slammed into us and each other as they raced to escape. A few were knocked into the boiling fire of the pit, their spirits screaming in agony as they were consumed.
“There’s too much chaos! This isn’t safe!” I shouted over the noise.
“Go! I’ll hold the demons back!” Reuel shouted, raising his sword as he spun around to fight.
I grabbed Fury’s hand, and we ran toward the bridge. Reuel held the fleeing demons back. When we reached the bridge, I threw my arm across Fury to stop her. “Osmium.”
Torman went ahead of us. “She’ll be fine, Archangel! For at least twenty-four hours while the crystal water is still in her system.” He started out across the bridge first. I was still hesitant.
Fury pulled on my hand. “We’ve come this far. Let’s finish it.” She dragged me out onto the bridge.
We weaved through the souls coming toward us. Most of them were crying. Several begged us to help them. Then a man coming toward us stopped me dead on the bridge. Recognition blazed in his eyes as clear as my symbol blazed on his chest.
“Larry Mendez,” I whispered.
“Who?” Fury asked, stopping beside me as Torman went on.
“One of the ring leaders of the human trafficking business Sloan and I took down in San Antonio. He was a child rapist. I killed him well over a year ago before I became the Archangel.”
Another large chunk of the sky landed in the lake, sending a wave of lava toward us. I grabbed Fury and shuffled backward as the wall of fire washed over the bridge. As it spilled back out to the pit, it took the soul of Larry Mendez with it.
“Warren! Hurry!” Torman shouted.
The lava hardened on the osmium, and Fury and I ran across it. Torman was stopped near the end of the bridge. I could see another archway on a stone staircase up ahead. A sanctonite stone gleamed above it.
“What are you waiting for?” I started past them, but Torman grabbed my shirt.
“Stop!”
“What?” I asked.
He pointed to the ground beyond the bridge. There were three-inch holes covering the surface. “Those are helkrymite spikes. If an angel not of Nulterra sets foot on it…” He dragged his finger across his throat. “It’s meant to keep Eden out.”
So Moloch hadn’t lied about everything.
“How do we get across it?” I asked.
“We don’t. Even I have been stripped of my right to pass. The only one who can do it is the girl.” He turned to Fury. “You’ll have to take the sword and destroy the stone.”
Fury looked terrified.
I gripped her chin. “You can do this. I know you can.” I held up the sword, letting my power flow through it. When I handed it to her, the flames didn’t go out.
Her hand steadied as she took it. She started forward, cautiously watching the ground as she passed over the holes.
When she reached the arch, she stretched the sword over her head, but she wasn’t tall enough to reach it.
I held my hands toward Fury, and she flinched as I used my power to lift her. I’d levitated people and objects a thousand times, but this was different.
Everything in me strained against the weight of her small frame against the force of Nulterra. Sweat blistered on my face, and the veins bulged in my neck as I fought to keep her in the air. It was like she weighed a million pounds.
Fury swung the sword at the stone.
Nothing happened.
She swung again.
Nothing.
And again.
Panting, I carefully placed Fury back on the ground and turned to Torman. He was staring slack-jawed at the stone. “I…I don’t know why it isn’t working. The sword should be powerful enough to break the stone.”
A loud buzzer made Fury jump back.
“I know that sound,” I said, staring at the stone as it glowed brighter. “It’s the alarm we use when we send a soul from Eden.”
The archway brightened with energy swirling inside it. Then the light vanished, and a soul stood in its wake.
Flint.
“No!” The sword clanged to the ground as Fury’s knees gave way. Flint’s ghostly form caught her and held her as she cried. “What are you doing here?”
He pulled back to look at her. “I’ve come to help.” Flint picked up the sword and led her back to us.
“How did you get here?” I asked, my heart heavy with dread over the implications. I had no idea if I could get Flint back out.
“I volunteered.” He pressed a stone—a memory stone—into my hand. “Cassiel sent you this.”
I turned the stone over in my hands. “You shouldn’t have come.”
He put his arm around Fury. “Would you leave your little girl stuck down here?”
I stared at him.
“Go on then.” He nodded to the stone. “It must be important.”
A loud crack through the sky drew all of our attention. We looked up as another chunk dropped from the veil. It crashed right on top of the gate, blasting it apart. I spread my wings to shield us as the sanctonite landed in the rubble.
“The memory stone, Warren. Hurry!” Torman shouted.
I closed my fist around the stone, and an image of Cassiel flashed in front of me. She was watching me in the crystal fountain in Zion. “Warren, we don’t have much time. Theta and I have seen inside Nulterra, and she’s had a vision in Celestine of how to get you out.
“You have to destroy the sanctonite stones. The sword alone will not work. Remember what I told you about nuclear energy. The explosive material has to first be made unstable. The stones need heat to weaken them. Then the sword can destroy them.
“You must hurry. You’re already out of time, but there’s one more thing.” Cassiel looked worried. “The final stone, the one at the gate to Earth, must be destroyed from the inside. You must get everyone out safely first, or the portal will be closed.” She broke then and cried. “I’m so sorry.”
The vision faded away. For a moment, I stood there shocked.
“What did she say?” Torman asked, shaking me.
I blinked, then tossed the stone into the lava. I looked at Fury, and my heart broke again. “What did she say?” she asked.
I took a shaky breath. “She said the stones need heat to weaken them.” I pulled her behind me. “Everyone stand back.”
Aiming my hands at the sanctonite stone on the ground, like a human blowtorch, I blasted it over ten feet away with my fire. The remaining pieces of the veil were incinerated. The crumbled stone of the arch melted into the ground. And the sanctonite stone burned, changing from purple to red, then red to orange, orange to yellow, and finally from yellow to blue.
There was a loud hiss, and a puff of steam or smoke twisted from its center. “Now.” I looked at Fury. “Now the sword.”
Flint walked with her. Together, they gripped the hilt, raised the sword above their heads, and drove it through the heart of the stone.
Light detonated from the center, exploding in every direction. It knocked Fury and Flint back into the stairs, and the three of us took a knee to avoid being blown into the lake of fire.
The first stone was destroyed.
Everyone but me cheered. My brain was still spinning on what I’d learned in the memory stone. Fury and Flint had embraced. And when they started back toward us, Flint froze, horrified as he stared behind us.
I turned, and saw Anya facing off with Reuel at the other end of the bridge.