End of Days (Penryn and the End of Day #3) (16 page)

One of them motions for us to follow him to the main entrance.

‘You can either walk or we can drug you and drag you there,’ says Tan Head.

I put my hands up in defeat. They let me go but stand only an inch away, blocking my path in every direction but toward the aerie. We walk along the circular driveway to the main entrance, with every angel posted on the rooftop and balconies watching us.

We stop in front of the double glass doors. One of the guards goes inside. We wait in silence under the predatory gaze of far too many warriors. The cult people rush to the trunk of one of the cars and heft the sword out. It takes two of them to drag it across the driveway toward us.

Then the glass doors open, and several angels come outside. One of the newcomers is Uriel’s footman, the one who helped him get ready for the last party.

The men bow deeply to the angels. ‘We’ve brought the girl as promised, masters.’

The angel lackey nods at the guards who then grab my arms.

When they lay the sword in front of Uriel’s footman, he says, ‘Kneel.’

The men kneel in front of him like prisoners awaiting execution. The angel marks their foreheads with a black smear.

‘This will ensure your safety from angels. None of us shall harm you so long as you have this mark.’

‘And the rest of our loyal group?’ asks Tan Head, looking up at the angel.

‘Bring them to us. We’ll mark the rest of you. Let it be known that we can be generous to those who serve us.’

‘Let it be known that they tore apart their last set of servants,’ I say to the cult members.

The men glance at me fearfully, looking worried. I wonder if they knew about the massacre that happened here.

The angels ignore me. ‘Continue the good work, and perhaps we’ll allow you to serve us in heaven.’

The men try to bow deeper, pressing themselves onto the ground. ‘It is our honor to serve the masters.’

I would make a gagging noise if I wasn’t so scared.

They shove me into the building. My sword scrapes the pavement as an angel drags it behind us.

28

Inside, the lobby is crowded and roaring with noise, every inch of standing space bursting with angels. Either they’ve all come indoors or their numbers have swelled overnight.

They must be gathered for the election. That would explain the angel host we’d seen flying this way.

The crowd parts to let me through.

It must be the sound of the sword dragging behind me that catches everyone’s attention. They all stare as we pass. I feel like a witch being paraded through town. I guess I’m lucky they’re not throwing rotten tomatoes at me.

Instead of going into a room, they take me through the building and out onto the lawn where the massacre happened. They’re putting me on display for all angels to see.

There are still patches of dried blood on the terrace. Apparently, there’s no one left to clean up after them anymore. The place is a mess. Confetti and costumes litter the ground, and for some reason, the grass is churned up like an army had randomly gone through it with shovels.

Signs have sprouted up over the lawn. The last time I was here, there was only one booth, but now there are booths everywhere. They seem to be grouped in threes – red, blue, and green. I can’t read the symbols on the colored banners, but I recognize Uriel’s from when Raffe pointed it out to me. His is the red banner.

The other two banners in each booth cluster are azure blue with symbols that are curved lines and dots and misty green with dashed lines that flow both thick and thin. Even though I can’t read them, I like them better than Uriel’s, which is all angles and screaming in red.

Angels fly all over the sky and walk over the lawn that used to be a golf course. They begin gathering around the colored banners, looking like distinct teams. Many of the angels are chanting, ‘Uriel! Uriel! Uriel!’ near the red-bannered booths like they’re at a football game.

The second largest group gathers around the misty green booths and shouts, ‘Michael! Michael! Michael!’

And a few others collect around the azure blue booths and begin shouting, ‘Raphael! Raphael! Raphael!’

Most of the angels mill around in the sky or between the booths, as if they’re still deciding. But as Raffe’s supporters keep chanting, more soldiers join them and begin shouting his name.

I’m so surprised that I stumble to a stop in the middle of the lawn. My guards have to shove me to get me to go again.

‘Raphael! Raphael! Raphael!’

I hope he’s somewhere nearby, hearing his people shouting his name.

He belongs here.

That thought echoes through my mind because I still have a hard time believing it. Angels are not meant to be alone, and he’s been alone for far too long.

Does he dream about this? To have his wings again and be welcomed back into the host? To lead his soldiers and be part of his tribe again?

‘Raphael! Raphael! Raphael!’

Of course he does. Isn’t that what he’s been telling me all this time? He belongs with them and not with me.

I wonder if he has his angel wings back yet. Is he just on the verge of getting everything he wants? On the verge of going back to his world?

I throw the rest of my thoughts into the vault in my head and lean as hard as I can to close the door. I don’t quite succeed. That’s been happening a lot lately.

A brawl breaks out at the cluster of booths to my right. Some take to the air. Others grapple on the ground. Angels who had been meandering on the lawn fly over to watch the fight.

Four warriors battle against a dozen while spectators cheer. No one uses his sword. This is apparently more of a contest than an angry fight.

The smaller group tosses the other angels around like rag dolls. The brawl is over in seconds.

When the last one is pinned to the ground with another warrior sitting on top of him, the winner shouts, ‘Raphael! First vote goes to Archangel Raphael!’

The four winning warriors jump up with their arms raised in victory and scream into the air. And I realize something. Despite Raffe’s supporters being outnumbered, they are the toughest, fiercest, most skilled fighters.

Then, almost immediately, the spectator angels congregate at another cluster of booths. Another fight is beginning there.

Within seconds, the next round is determined as someone shouts, ‘Michael! Second vote goes to Archangel Michael!’ The crowd cheers.

It’s pure chaos, but somehow everyone seems to know the rules. I’m guessing the winning team of each fight wins a vote for their favorite candidate. The archangel with the most number of winning fights must win the election. So their election isn’t just about the number of people behind you, it’s a matter of having the best fighters behind you.

My guards shove me forward, but they’re not even looking at me. They’re watching the crazed winged warriors as they perform their version of an election.

Some of the angels have what looks like blood smeared across their faces like war paint. Others snarl as they fly past each other over broken plates and crushed champagne glasses. Those who are still wearing dinner jackets from the last party rip them off their shoulders, tearing the seams along the fabric.

They’ve stopped pretending to be civilized and are letting their inner barbarians out.

No wonder Uriel has to go to such extreme sliminess. Raffe and Michael are warriors with armies of fighters loyal to them. Uriel is just a politician and probably wouldn’t stand a chance unless he offered something like a legendary apocalypse as a treat for crazed, bloodthirsty warriors.

Being the only human in the center of all this violence makes me feel like my fate is sealed. I probably have until the end of the voting before they kill me. I wonder how long that will be.

By the time my guards shove me through the chaos and up onto the raised stage, my insides are trembling and I’m fighting to keep my legs moving. I’m surrounded by a sea of frenzied angels, and I can’t see a way out.

29

So far, it’s a surprisingly close election. Surprising in that Uriel has been campaigning for so long, and Raffe and Michael haven’t even been here.

‘I hate to interrupt the festivities,’ shouts Uriel from up in the air, ‘but this is something worth seeing.’ He floats down to the stage at the edge of the lawn.

My guards drag me up the steps to meet him. Angels climb the steps on the other side, dragging two huge cages crammed full of thumping and screeching hellions.

Another group of angels climbs up with a third cage between them. In among the ugly hellions thrashing behind the bars is Beliel.

I haven’t seen him since Angel Island. It looks like partnering up with the hellions hasn’t worked out for him. The dried-up demon holds on to the bars with his shriveled hands. He looks around, assessing the assembled host.

Uriel faces the crowd. ‘Before you decide which candidate to fight for, I have two pieces of crucial information you may want to consider.’ He sounds as though he’s impartial to this whole affair. ‘First, we have found hellions skulking about far too close to the aerie,’ says Uriel. ‘Certainly we can expect them in a hellhole like earth, but I’d like you to take a close look at these two in particular.’

Two angels step forward, each holding a spotted hellion they’ve extracted from a cage. They are considerably larger, and they fight and thrash more fiercely than the others.

‘These are not one of the local breeds,’ says Uriel. ‘Take a good look at them. These hellions emerged straight from the Pit.’

And so they did. I recognize them as the ones who followed me from Beliel’s hell. The angels fall silent.

‘You may remember that we exterminated this cunning species – wiped them out from every known world to be rid of their intense ferocity and their nasty habit of organizing the others,’ says Uriel. ‘The only place they could still exist is in the Pit.’

His eyes sweep the crowd. ‘We all know that nothing leaves the Pit without being let out. The hellions who infest this world have become puny and stupid. These, however, are fresh from their hellish homeland and are being led by this demon.’ He points to Beliel.

Beliel is still not healed, although he has patches of pink skin beginning to grow on his face. He looks horrible, like he’s been ravaged by a designer disease. His skin is still crusty and withered, but now it’s split by fresh pink strips of new skin. His back is bleeding, as if his body is having particular trouble healing from the severed wings.

‘Somewhere, gates have been opened to the Pit,’ says Uriel. ‘Somewhere, the beast lurks and is letting out his creatures. Somewhere, the apocalypse is starting without us.’ He pauses.

‘As I have promised in the past – and I continue to promise today – elect me now, and by morning, you will be a legendary warrior for the apocalypse. Raphael is absent. Michael is absent. If you elect one of them as Messenger, the glory of the apocalypse might be over by the time they lead you into battle. You might already be dead by then, or worse, perhaps you’ll be saggy, out of shape, and unprepared. You never know. It could happen.’

A dutiful chuckle goes through the crowd.

‘The second thing I’d like to present,’ says Uriel, ‘is the girl.’

My guards shove me onto center stage.

‘If you’ve just arrived, I thank you for traveling such a great distance to participate in the election. Many of you were not present during the fight on the beach when one of ours was slain by this Daughter of Man. But I know you’ve all heard the story by now. I’m here to tell you that it’s all true. This human girl – as puny as she seems – somehow managed to convince an angel sword to allow her to wield it.’ Uriel pauses for effect. ‘Even more astonishingly, she used the sword to kill one of our own.’

He lets that sink in. I notice that he doesn’t say anything about my sword commanding theirs to stand down. If only they knew that the sword that dominated their weapons is called Pooky Bear.

‘I captured her with utmost speed and have brought her to justice. It’s time we avenge our fallen brother.’

The crowd cheers.

30

‘Uriel murdered Archangel Gabriel!’ I point my finger at Uriel. ‘He’s making up a false apocalypse so he can become the new Messenger!’

The crowd quiets down. I don’t for a second think that they believe me. But I’m guessing that I’m entertaining enough for them to listen to, for now anyway. ‘At least investigate if you don’t believe me.’

Uriel chuckles. ‘The Pit is too good a punishment for her. She should be torn apart by hellions. How convenient that we have some.’

‘I don’t even get a sham trial? What kind of justice is that?’ I know this won’t get me very far, but right now, I’m too amped to keep my mouth shut.

Uriel raises his eyebrows. ‘That’s an idea. Shall we give her a trial?’

To my surprise, the angels take up the chant. ‘Trial! Trial! Trial!’

The way they’re saying it makes it sound like Romans at a stadium, demanding the death of a gladiator.

Uriel puts out his hands to quiet the crowd. ‘A trial it is.’