ALEXA FORGOT THE IMMEDIATE DANGER and threw her arms around the white German Shepherd. God, she had missed him. She rubbed her face against his soft fur and fought back her tears.
“I’m all for hugging,” said Lance. “Only the souls know how much I love hugs and belly rubs. But if you don’t let go of me soon, it’ll be Lance chops on the elders’ menu tonight.”
Alexa let him go and jumped up. “How did you find us? Where have you been?”
“I’ll explain later,” said the dog. “Let’s get out of here.”
He turned around and shouted, “Milo!”
Milo head-butted an elder, and the body crumbled to the ground.
Alexa scanned the chamber and could see that all of the elders were either unconscious or injured and bloodied, but still alive. But there was no sign of Elder Nicholas.
“Where’s Elder Nicholas?” she asked as Milo bounded into view. There was not a scratch on him, and he still held his baluster.
“I don’t know.” Milo shook his head. “Probably off to warn the others. We need to get the hell out of here. Now. This was just Elder Nicholas’ personal guard I imagine. We won’t make it if the other hundreds find us here. Come on!”
They picked their way around the fallen elders, sprinted across the chamber, and made for the doors.
Milo pushed open the doors, and he and Lance barreled through, but something moved in the corner of Alexa’s eye.
“Milo. Lance. Wait!”
Alexa halted and turned. Elder Nicholas was cowering in the corner next to a stack of books and using a drape to cover himself.
He pointed his crooked finger at her and said, “You won’t get away with this, angel!”
Alexa closed the distance between them until she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She glowered.
“You’re an asshole.”
She smacked him across the face with her outstretched hand, and he fell back. He held his face and looked both shocked and offended that she had hit him.
She leered at him. “You look much better on your ass and looking scared. It suits you.”
Milo smiled at her, looking both pleased and impressed. Then he turned on his heel and vanished through the door.
“I love me a strong woman,” said Lance. “Let’s go, badass.”
Lance barked and shot after Milo. Alexa smiled proudly and sprinted down the hallway after them both.
The unfamiliar corridors and doors passed in blurs of browns and grays. One of the rooms they passed had high ceilings, chiseled marble floors, and an enormous and ornate golden throne studded with rubies and sapphires. They rushed down more hallways until she hadn’t the slightest chance of finding her way out again. But they met no one, and Alexa thanked the souls that they appeared to be safe.
“Lance, how did you find us?” Alexa’s left arm dangled loosely beside her. “I thought you were on a job—”
She hoped Milo and Lance didn’t hear the emotion in her voice.
Lance kept his head focused straight ahead as he answered. “The archangel Ariel told me where you were. She sent me to look after you.”
Alexa looked at Milo, but he gave no indication that he’d heard what Lance had said.
“How did you get past the ice beasts?”
“Remember when I told you I have many talents?” His nails tore at the stone floor as he galloped along next to her.
“Yes?”
“Well,” said Lance, “outsmarting ice beasts is one of them.”
Alexa rolled her eyes. “So, where were you all this time? No one would tell me.”
“The Legion sent me on a fool’s errand.”
He lowered his ears. “They had me track Ryan and his two minions. I discovered their hideout in New York, but I was found out, and I lost them for a while. When I got back to Horizon, I heard the news about the attacks on Hallow Hall.”
Lance looked at her briefly. “Is Erik all right?”
Alexa’s chest tightened. “Yes. Yes, he’s fine.”
She didn’t speak for a while, and she didn’t even notice they had entered the kitchen. The flower-dusted tables were laden with enough food to feed an army.
“Listen, there’s something I need to tell you,” said Lance.
Alexa and Milo stopped dead in their tracks and turned around to listen.
“What is it, Lance?” said Alexa.
Lance’s ears stood straight up on his head as though he’d heard something.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked.
Milo and Alexa both nodded, but it was Milo who answered, “Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Good,” Lance sounded relieved. “Because the Legion is putting a stop to your mission.”
“What?” Alexa was dumbfounded. “Are you serious? Why would they do that? Don’t they realize that Hades is a real threat?”
Lance sighed. “They do, but right now they’re putting all their resources into finding Ryan and the angels that followed him. And that includes us. I wasn’t supposed to come here, but I sneaked out before anyone except Ariel saw me leave.”
Milo frowned, “We have vital information that I know the Legion will want to hear.”
“I’m sure you do,” said Lance. “But it won’t make a difference. They won’t listen to you. I can promise you that. The Legion has bigger problems.”
“Bigger than a pagan god on the verge of finding a weapon that will make him invisible?” said Alexa.
Lance’s ears flattened over his head. “What weapon?”
Milo quickly told Lance what they’d discovered in the books. “If he gets his hands on the Helm of Darkness, he’ll rip the worlds apart in fire and chaos, and he’ll never stop.”
Lance sat back down on his hind legs. “It’s worse than I thought. We can try to convince Ariel to set up another team—but I’m certain Metatron won’t allow it.”
He hesitated for a moment. “You see, there’s been a new development while you two were gone.”
“What kind of development?” asked Milo.
“The kind that binds Ryan and the Cleansing together,” answered the scout. “It seems that Ryan has been preaching for years about a new Cleansing.”
“The cleansing of the human race,” said Alexa, partly to herself. “I know about the Cleansing. The oracle told me what had happened.”
Alexa shook her head gently. “You know, I’m not surprised that Ryan is involved in this. There was always something about him that felt wrong.”
“Wrong doesn’t even cut it,” said Lance. “The Cleansing is going to be much worse this time. Ryan has convinced thousands of angels to join him, both new angels and those who stayed loyal to Asmodeus. He has promised them a world without humans, where angels will be freed from their duties. He’s gathering an army of fallen angels.”
Milo looked horrified. “An army? Are you sure?”
He sounded as though he already knew the answer.
Lance shook his head. “I can’t say for sure yet, but it looks like it. My guess is that he’s getting ready to strike the Legion. It explains Metatron’s orders, and why he’s got every angel working around the clock on this. And I mean everybody. He’s got all the Scouts working to sniff out any of Ryan’s spies that are still in the Legion. Every single angel in Horizon is on active duty. The mortals won’t stand a chance against the demons unless we can help.”
Lance looked somber. “Metatron’s gone a little paranoid, too. He committed hundreds of angels to Tartarus without any evidence, just because they worked with Ryan in the past.”
“He’s sending innocent angels to prison?” said Alexa, startled. “I thought they had all sworn an oath that protected them.”
“They had. But Metatron issued a new decree that annulled the old one,” said Lance. “I’m sure he knows some are innocent, but he can’t afford to take any chances. Better to protect the Legion now than be sorry later.”
His ears flattened. “Which is why I’m here.”
“Because of me,” said Alexa. She knew exactly why. “He’s sending me to Tartarus because he doesn’t trust me, isn’t he?” She clenched her jaw.
“It’s because of your past history with Ryan,” said Lance, looking uncomfortable.
Alexa raised her voice. “I don’t have a past history with that jerk. I barely know him. How can he even think that!”
“It’s worse than that,” Lance’s eyes began to tear.
Alexa shrugged and shook her head. “What could be worse than Tartarus—”
And then she knew. She knew before Lance had a chance to speak.
“Termination,” Lance’s voice cracked. “Your true death.”
Alexa felt like she’d been slapped across the face. The world spun like a merry-go-round, and she felt sicker and sicker but was unable to jump off.
“This is a mistake,” said Milo suddenly. “You heard wrong, Scout.”
The hair on Lance’s back rose like spikes. “No, I didn’t. I heard it from the mouth of the archangel Ariel herself. She told me.”
He looked at Alexa. “Any angel has the authority to take you into custody and turn you over to Metatron, so that he can…”
He didn’t finish.
Alexa couldn’t look at Lance. “What about Milo?”
She couldn’t help feeling hurt and betrayed. All she had done was kiss a mortal. It was nothing compared to the crimes that Milo had perpetrated.
Milo looked away from Alexa. “Yeah. What about me? Am I to return a prisoner?”
His tone was cold.
Lance gazed up at Milo. “I didn’t hear anything. I don’t think you’re under suspicion.”
Alexa gritted her teeth and tried to calm herself. “When will they arrest me?”
“As soon as you arrive in Horizon,” said Milo. “Knowing Metatron, there will be a team already waiting to take you to Tartarus.”
Alexa wrapped her arms around herself, trying to warm the cold chill she felt in her veins. “What about Hades? We can’t just forget about him.”
“No, we can’t.” Milo straightened. “It’s too important. Besides, I think Hades and Ryan have been working together since the beginning. I don’t think for a minute that the Cleansing and Hades’ escape from the Netherworld is a coincidence.”
He looked at Alexa. “But I’m not about to turn you over to Metatron either.”
Alexa’s voice was low when she spoke. “So, what do we do?”
“We go behind the Legion’s back,” said Milo. His eyes danced conspiratorially, and Alexa felt a surge of warmth in her chest.
Lance’s ears perked up, and he looked as pleased as a dog could look. “I was hoping you’d said that.” He began to talk quickly. “It’s why Ariel sent me to warn you, and it’s why I’ve arranged a secret convoy. I’ve called in a few favors from the angels working at the pools in Operations on level two. We could be in and out of there in a few minutes. We’d be gone by the time they even suspected us of having crossed back.”
Alexa smiled, “Us? In like the three of us?”
She might still get her chance to defeat the pagan god.
“Of course, all three of us,” said Lance, and then he began to scratch behind his ear. “You need me—”
The ground shook, and Alexa heard thousands of feet running towards them. Shouts erupted and were repeated back. The elders had found them.
Milo rushed ahead and yanked open the door at the back of the kitchen.
“Quickly!” he ushered them. And when Alexa and Lance were safely through, Milo pulled the door closed behind them.
They were plunged into complete darkness.
“That should hold them for a while.”
Alexa blinked in the darkness, but even before her eyesight could adjust she heard the sound of glorious rushing water. When her eyes finally adjusted, she saw the steps that descended into the murky darkness.
Milo touched her shoulder and said, “Be careful and watch your step. The rock is slippery and treacherous. Some of the crevices drop for miles. Just move as fast as you can.”
Alexa eased herself slowly down the steps. Lance following close behind her was a comfort.
“I’ll catch you if you fall,” he said. “I might have to bite you, but I’ll save you. Promise.”
Alexa reached out and ruffled his head. “Thanks, Lance.”
They moved down in silence. The air was cold and smelled of winter snow. They were in a giant cave in the bowels of the mountain. She could hear the roar of water rushing and hitting rock. There were rapids or a waterfall nearby—
A boom sounded above them as the door to the kitchen was broken down. Then she heard angry shouts and the slap of feet on slippery rock.
“Hurry!” Milo took her hand in his and pulled her dangerously down the slippery steps.
The stairs suddenly ended on a ledge overlooking the most enormous cavern she’d ever seen. The inky river directly below them flowed towards a waterfall to her left.
Alexa leaned over the ledge. It was a fifty-foot drop. She’d never made such an ambitious jump before.
Something whipped past her cheek, cut her skin, and imbedded itself into the stone wall. Milo held it in the air for her to see. It was a metal star.
“Elder stars,” said Milo, and then he growled. “Dipped in demon poison. Duck!”
Alexa flattened herself on the ledge as a volley of elder stars shot past them. The cavern walls echoed with shouts, and she turned towards the noise.
“Kill them! Kill the demons!” shouted Elder Nicholas. “Don’t let them get into the water!”
An elder star bounced in front of her, and another sliced through her hair as it hissed overhead.
“I think that’s our cue to leave, people,” said Lance. He readied himself for a jump.
Milo pulled Alexa to her feet. “Come on!”
She leaned over the edge, stared down into the icy black waters of the Blátindur River, saw Lance and Milo hurl themselves over the ledge, and jumped.
Her eyes were open the entire way down.