Scarred (the Spellbound Series Book 3) (26 page)

As I watch, the black smoke near the ceiling crackles to life, and becomes a flame once more. Lucifer’s soul gathers into a single dense cloud, and quickly flies back into its original body. Around the same time, Nick realizes he’s in control once more, and a mask of cold fury falls over his face. It’s a look I’ve never seen him wear before, and one that I can live without seeing again. He looks down at the sword in his hand, whose flames have died down into nothingness. He takes one look at Lucifer’s body as it shudders to life, and I can almost
see
him make the decision. He crosses the room in a few easy strides, and with a cry of rage, he plunges the blade into Lucifer’s heart.

Lucifer sputters, and looks up at Nick as if he’s offended. “I might have expected this out of Xena over there,” he coughs, “but never from
you
.”

Nick twists the blade inside of Lucifer’s chest, before roughly pulling it out. He glares down at Lucifer, and says, “You should have known better than to push a good man too far.”

The wound in Lucifer’s chest spews out a virtual geyser of white light, and white cracks spread across the surface of his skin. Whatever’s happening, I know we don’t want to be around for it. I grab Nick by the hand, and take one last look at Lucifer’s body as it begins to splinter apart. Then I race for the iron door as quickly as I can. I slam it shut behind us, and we sprint down the passage towards the open portal home just as a tremor rocks the entire building. I turn around just in time to catch slivers of white pouring through cracks in the buckled iron door, and as it fades, a grim satisfaction watches over me. Thanks to Nick, we’ve seen the last of the king of Hell.

28

              When Nick and I cross through the doorway home, we quickly discover that the streets of New York City are in chaos. Slowly congealing pools of black demon blood litter the rain-slicked pavement, while the demons still breathing are winging through the air. I take it the lesser demons were the first to fall; greater demons are stronger, and more difficult to kill. As we watch, one said demon falls from a rooftop right before us, screeching in a voice simultaneously animal and human. White light flashes from behind the demon’s eyes, and its body hisses as it melts down into a puddle of black.

              My earpiece crackles as it comes to life, and Jenna’s voice reaches me across the line. “Welcome back, guys,” she says calmly, as if a war isn’t ripping our city apart. “How was your trip?”

              “Just fine,” Nick replies as he hands me my sword. “Mission accomplished. What do we do now?”

              “Right now you’re in Midtown, where the angels are doing most of the work for us. But Lucas could use some help near the U.N., and Alyssa’s looking a little swamped up near Columbus Circle.”

              “Got it.” Nick turns to me, and says, “Looks like we’ll have to split up.”

              “I don’t know if that’s a great idea,” I mutter as I give Nick a visual once-over. He’s bleeding from a couple of the scratches I gave him while Lucifer was in control, but for the most part, he seems fine. “You’ve just been through an ordeal, and I’m not sure how ready you are for this-“

              “Heather. I’ll be alright. I’m still just as strong as I was ten minutes ago, just without the side effects.”

              “But-“

              “Don’t. I’ve always respected you enough to let you make your own choices. Please do the same for me.”

              “Okay.” I wrap my arms around his middle, and accidentally get a long whiff of his scent. It makes me yearn for a simpler time, when things between us hadn’t been so complex, when we weren’t constantly fighting for our lives. “Be careful,” I whisper into his chest. We may not be what we once were, but all the same, I don’t know if I can handle losing him again.

              “I will be,” Nick whispers back before we release each other. “I love you.”

              I’m not sure if he means romantic love or platonic; it’s more a limitation of our language than any fault on his part. But I tell him, “You too,” before running off in the direction of Columbus Circle. The moment I’ve gathered enough speed, I leap into the air, spread my wings, and fly.

              A couple of demons notice me passing overhead, and chase after me as I fly over to Alyssa. They may not look like it, considering their glittering armor-like skin, but there are still human souls in these bodies. Innocent people. It’s the same dilemma as with Nick and Lucifer; I can’t find it in me to hurt these people. And I can’t just hand them all my sword and hope for the best. I pull out the guns Krystal gave me, spin around to face behind me, and fire at the demons on my trail. After a few tries, I manage to shoot them both before they can pounce on me. They’ll fall unconscious, and probably revert to their human forms, but they’ll live.

              Even without my second sight, I can tell Alyssa is close. I can hear dozens of demons shrieking in pain, and the roar of a motorcycle’s engine. I round a corner, and I can see her riding Lily’s bike around Columbus Circle, with a double bladed sword in one hand. At her command, a section of pavement rises out of the ground, and provides a ramp as she speeds toward it, and flies through the air. The curved blades flash as Alyssa slices through a demon’s chest, and she lands with a hard jolt several dozen feet from where she started.

              I fly right over her, and shout, “Are you
sure
you need any help here?”

              “I got this,” Alyssa shouts back, “but you’re welcome to join the party!”

              “Gladly!” I land near the statue of Columbus in the middle of the rotunda, and open fire on the demons circling us. Concentrated bursts of energy pass through several demons before long, while Alyssa keeps drawing them nearer with Lily’s motorcycle. When she’s close enough to hear me over the engine, I ask, “Where did you get that?”

              “Parked her here before we left for White Plains,” Alyssa shouts back. “Lily said I can hang onto Baby until we all go our separate ways.”

              I shrug, and shoot a few bursts at a demon following close behind Alyssa. It crashes onto the stone steps a few feet away from me, and the hardened skin covering its body dissipates into a black mist. The human underneath peeks through, and bright red curls spill out onto the ground. I watch for a moment as this poor woman’s body returns to normal, then jump straight back into taking out the rest of the demons trying to surround us.

              Alyssa and I are nearly out of opponents when I feel a strange shift in the air. It’s almost as if something is missing, something I hadn’t realized had been there until it vanished. Alyssa pulls to a stop near the statue, and asks, “Did you feel that?”

              “Yeah… what just happened?”

              “No idea.”

              Just under the motorcycle’s engine, I hear the crackle of my earpiece just before Jenna speaks. “Bad news, you guys… I think Lily is down.”

              Alyssa’s panicked expression mirrors my own. Neither of us are Lily’s biggest fans, but I’m sure neither of us wanted this to happen. I press the button on my earpiece, and ask, “What do you mean
down
?”

              “As in dead. Or, gone. I don’t know what Michael did to her, but… she’s off the grid.” I can feel the air shift once more, and I realize it’s my second sight, telling me that someone powerful has fallen. “There goes Joel,” Jenna comments. “This is bad… We need Michael out of the way if we’re gonna win this thing.”

              I can feel Alyssa silently pleading with me not to say anything, but we both know I have to. I’m our only hope of stopping him now. I take a long look into Alyssa’s eyes before saying, “I’m on it.”

              “Good, because I think we just lost Terry. You may wanna hurry.” Jenna falls silent, and I can feel the line go dead. She’s off to help someone else.

              Alyssa watches me with a stony face, and I imagine she’s holding back everything she’s ever wanted to say to me. But there’s nothing she can say to make me stay, and I know she would never try. In a shaky voice, she mutters, “Be safe,” and I can feel the weight of all the unsaid words behind the order.

              “I will,” I assure her. “I’ll be back in a few.” I single out Michael’s power from the rest of the angels, the most powerful being I’ve ever come across. With a deep breath, I launch myself into the air, and fly in his direction.

              The closer I get to my father, the more I begin to doubt myself. I sounded confident when I told Jenna I would take him on, but he’s an archangel, the strongest of the strong. I’m not going to be able to face him head on, like I normally would. I’ll have to focus on his weaknesses, and exploit them… the only problem is
finding
any.

              I land on the roof of the Javitz Center, my feet sliding on the wet glass before I come to a stop. I can see Michael nearby, standing near the edge, staring out at the Hudson River. Without turning to face me, he asks, “Have you come to avenge your fallen friends?”

              “Not quite,” I answer as I carefully step closer. “I’m here for me.”

              “You?” Michael glares at me over his shoulder, and asks, “What have I ever done to
you
, Heather?”

              “You created a monster. You tried to use me as a tool of destruction, so you wouldn’t get your own hands dirty. You asked me to accept that you would kill fifteen million people, just to ensure a victory.”

              “Ah. So it was you who tampered with the sigils?”

              “It was. I couldn’t sit by while you murdered millions of people, you have to have known that.”

              “I suppose you and I just have very different priorities. Your instinct to protect humans especially stems from your limited view of the world. I have the best interests of entire realms in mind.”

              “We don’t have to do this.” I put away my pistols, and hold up my empty, weaponless hands. “Lucifer is dead, and I doubt the rest of his army will ever show. We can walk away from this on good terms. You can call off your angels, and stop the violence.”

              I knew better than to expect my plea to change anything, but it’s still a shock to hear Michael say, “I’m afraid I can’t do that. Even with Lucifer gone, we must purge every plane of his filth. And if that means the whole planet will burn, then so be it. I will light the flame that saves my subjects.”

              “Then you leave me no choice. I can’t let a man like you replace God.” I grab the hilt of my sword instinctively, and freeze in place. The grip feels the same as ever, but an entirely new sensation washes over me. Heat floods my veins, and I hear several voices simultaneously whisper,
You are not alone
. Then an unseen force tugs at my muscles, and I pull the sword free against my will. The blade ignites as it usually does when free of its sheath, but the flames burn white instead of a reddish-orange. I can feel its heat pulsing through me, and for the first time, the sword and I are one.

              Michael watches me with curious eyes, his brow furrowed in confusion. “What is this?”

              “Your downfall,” I answer in a voice that isn’t my own. “In the name of Zadkiel, Jophiel, Chamuel, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel, you will be punished.”

              “No…” Michael swallows hard, and tries to hold back his fury, but he’s failing miserably. “Not only are you betraying me, but you intend to borrow the strength of my fallen brothers to do so? I have to say, daughter of mine… I expected better of you.”

              Now that I have full control of my body again, I reach up to my neck, and pull at the silver chain. The necklace Michael gave me snaps, and I throw the remnants of his gift off the roof of the Javitz Center. “Sorry, Michael. But you no longer get to call yourself my father.” I break into a run, but Michael won’t let me any closer than I already am. He stamps a foot on the ground, and a fraction of his enormous power flows downward. The glass beneath me splinters, and collapses inward on itself, and both Michael and I tumble through the gaping hole in the roof.

              Two can play at that game. I close my eyes, and I can feel the incredible power of six slain archangels surge through my body. I’m not sure I’m qualified to wield this sort of strength, but they seem to trust me. When I open my eyes again, I can see the world as they do; I can make out the individual building blocks that comprise everything the universe has ever produced. Any spellcaster can rearrange these building blocks. I can bend the universe to my will.

              I reach out a hand, and feel the molecules in the air as they pass around and through me. I feel around me for anything in the building made of metal, and turn it all to dust. All around me, support beams and pipes vaporize, and the entire building caves in upon itself. Before the ground gives out, Michael turns and runs before taking flight. I follow close behind, and fly through the widening hole in the roof just as the Javitz Center truly begins to crumble.

              Once we’re in the open air, I find it hard to keep up with Michael. He’s much more experienced in the air, and his wings don’t tire him out as easily as mine do. But as he flies between buildings, I vaporize the metal supports nearest to the streets. Hundred foot high buildings crumble and topple over into Michael’s path, until he lands atop one of the fallen buildings. He glares up at me, and shouts, “What are you waiting for?”

              “What do you mean?,” I ask as I touch down in the street several yards away.”

              “With the power you now command, you can end my life at any moment,” he points out. “So why make both of us wait?”

              In a way, he’s right. I have the power to finish this. I could break the bonds holding together every molecule in his body, and dissolve him into a fine powder. But that’s his way of handing a situation. “I’m not you,” I respond. “And I never will be. I’ll find a way to stop you without killing you.”

              “You will try.” Michael waves a hand over the street, and an unseen force rips through the ground. I dive out of the way just as a plume of rubble erupts where I once stood. Even with the strength of six archangels available to me, I’m still intimidated by Michael’s prowess. He aims another spell at me, and I roll out of harm’s way, nearly impaling myself on my sword in the process. I sheath it as I stand again, and keep my eyes locked on Michael, mentally preparing for his next attack.

              After Michael’s third attempt at harming me from a distance, I decide to get in closer. I teleport to his side, and aim a punch straight at his face. He catches my fist mid-swing, and shoves me out of striking range with his shoulder. Hand to hand combat may not be his specialty, but he manages to interrupt my every attempt to knock him senseless. Finally, I get in a shot at his abdomen, and it feels like punching a fleshy brick wall. Michael is much more durable than I’d ever expected. And for some reason, I get the feeling that he’s holding back. Is he really so reluctant to hurt his own daughter, even when she’s a threat? Have I judged him wrong?