My wings curled around me protectively, and I held the staff high in the air. Then it was gone. Father whispered thanks in my ear as he passed by. When the staff clanked on the ground, an invisible blast of air smacked us, pushing us back.
“Aaron’s staff,” Cyrus breathed.
I had never seen fear on Cyrus’s face until that very moment. “You don’t fight fair, Michael. Angels never do.”
Father slammed his sword on the staff. I thought Father had gone mad and wanted to break it in half. Then light burst out, blinding us at first, and Aaron’s staff became what it did in the story. The simple wooden staff started to rattle, faster and faster. The ground shook and lightning flashed on top of it. The staff turned into a cobra, growing bigger and bigger, taking up most of the chapel’s space.
The black cobra wasted no time. It attacked, breaking the pillar in two and swallowing the demons. The cobra swallowed a Fallen and coiled around a group of vampire teens and crushed them to death. It lunged and struck at anything and everything. It broke all the pews on one side with its massive body and knocked down half the pillars.
Mortem struck at the cobra with his sword, but no blood spilled. Instead, its tail slapped Mortem so hard, he went through the wall. Light poured in through that hole and then others as the cobra used its tail to crush and kill. Mortem no doubt fled, if he made it out alive, and Cyrus was nowhere to be seen.
“Behind me and Davin,” Father hollered. “We need to get out. Run!”
The ceiling started to collapse, the carvings dropping to the ground one section at a time.
I focused toward the back where I’d left Eli buried under the cement debris. He had not gotten out, or had he? Father yanked me away, fighting off the demons, Fallen, and teen vampires with his sword. Even in life-threatening danger, their priority was not their safety but to kill us. They sacrificed themselves for Cyrus. But the teens, under Cyrus’s spell like Eli, had no choice.
When Jack, Hugo, Harper, Brody, and Abel got out safely, we melted through the wall together just in time as half the ceiling collapsed. We expanded our wings and covered our friends. At that moment, pain ripped through my chest, as if someone had driven a sword through my heart. I sucked in air to prepare for what I would find, but nothing. I rubbed my chest to confirm, but I felt Father’s hand on my shoulder tightening as we stood up.
Chapter 28
Lucia
“Lucia.” A faint voice cried inside my head.
The pain twisted, and I cried out. Zach! Zach! Zach!
“No,” Father shot out, his tone raw and scared.
“Zach,” Uncle Davin murmured.
Mortem stood behind Zach by the entrance with a wicked grin spread across his face and a true-cross dagger sticking out of my brother’s chest. Zach stood immobile, no expression on his face, and his wings slumped on the ground. I knew his pain. I’d been there before.
Hold on, Zach. We’ll get you out. I tried to help him ease his mind. So help me God, Mortem better not take my brother. If anything happened to Zach, whatever power lurked inside me would lash out in full force with no control.
“Give me the staff, the ark, and the second page if you want him to live. You, the pretty one.” Mortem pointed at me. “Bring them to me.”
“I need to retrieve the staff,” Father said carefully. “I have to raise my hand.”
“Fine. Do it. Don’t try anything, or you’ll never see your son again.”
Father raised his hand, and with a few whispered words, the staff flew into his hand, like the way Thor retrieved his hammer.
I thought I heard someone murmur behind me. Holy shit that was awesome. It sounded like Hugo’s voice.
“Show me the page.” Mortem scowled.
I took it out from where I’d tucked it under my wings, and raised it. “I have it.”
“No, no, no.” Mortem clicked his tongue.
Uncle Davin had inched closer, closing the gap to Mortem since he was the closest.
“You know Mortem, you’re all by yourself,” Uncle Davin taunted. “Your Boy Scout sissies have all left. Cyrus, a joke, got scared and scrammed. And as for Vince, well, he was a pain in my ass, so I killed him.”
“So proud aren’t we?” Mortem sputtered, his hand sliding along my brother’s shoulder down to the hilt of the dagger. “You did me a favor by killing Vince. I wanted him dead, but Cyrus thought Vince would be useful to us since he was an original Elementa.”
“Poor Mortem.” Uncle Davin gave him a pouty face. “Cyrus found a new pet, and you’ve been pushed aside. Now I know why you’re so sour.”
“That’s enough,” Mortem growled. “Give them to me.”
I turned to Father for his approval. When he gave me a nod and spoke in my mind, I made my way. “Here.”
With one hand on the true-cross dagger, he reached for the items in my hands. After he took them, I stepped aside and held my breath…waiting.
“Let my brother go,” I demanded. My bow begged to be fired.
“Fools. Don’t you know not to bargain with a Fallen? Your father should know better. Your brother is mine, little dove.”
I was about to pounce on him, but Father moved as fast as a thought and caught Mortem by his neck. And somehow in between the movements a dagger speared Mortem’s chest. Not just any dagger, my dagger, the one I threw at Eli.
Eli stood on top of toppled debris, giving him a clear sight of all of us. His eyes were brown and the last remaining sun highlighted him, casting a shadow twice his size. My heart leapt to know he was safe, but it soon shattered to know he was not mine.
“Lucia,” he said, full of sorrow. “I’m so sorry.”
Then he turned to midnight mist, a black beautiful smoke, and vanished into the air, taking Mortem with him.
Father pulled out the true-cross dagger. Zach dropped into Father’s arm. I sighed, feeling grateful. Zach was safe and with us and not in the hands of monsters.
“Will he be all right?” Jack asked.
Hugo and Harper gave us space with wide eyes.
“Yes, thank God,” Uncle Davin sighed. “He’s alive. He’ll just need to rest up.”
“Why isn’t he waking up?” Brody asked.
“They dipped the dagger in sulfur dioxide from the volcano. It slows the healing process,” Abel explained. “It reeks of it. Can’t you smell it?”
Brody nodded.
“Let’s call it a day and go home,” Uncle Davin said. “I’m beat. We’re all beat. We need to rest and think things through.”
Brody glanced around. “Wait. I can’t leave until I find Milani. Eli will kill me. I meant—” His shoulders drooped. “What did he mean he’s sorry, Lucia? Is he himself? Has he turned? I mean, do I need to be afraid of my friend?”
I fought the tears burning my eyes. I thought I’d lost my brother and then Eli…what did he mean he was sorry? “He’s fighting, Brody. He’s fighting to come home, but he won’t come home until he cuts the line with Cyrus. Cyrus can control Eli’s mind. We need to find a way to help him. I have no answers. Maybe…” I stopped. Lana. I could ask her for help.
“Maybe what?” a female voice asked.
A body dropped in front of us.
“Maybe we can beat the answers out of her.” Milani panted like she had run a mile, her chest rising and falling over Clarissa’s limp body. Her clothes had been shredded from claws and dirt smudged her face. Milani’s prim, straight hair looked like she’d put her finger in a socket. Clarissa looked worse. I wondered how they became that way, besides the obvious. I decided I didn’t want to know, and I wouldn’t ask.
“Had a little fun, did ya?” Brody ruffled Milani’s hair.
“A little.” She slumped into his arms.
Abel yanked Clarissa up effortlessly. Her attempt to punch him did not go well. She swung, missed, and fell on her face. Too weak to get up, she lay still.
“Eli?” Milani asked.
Brody shook his head, disappointment and pain on his face. “Soo
n. I promise. We need a little more time and luck. At least we got…Lucia, tell me you memorized the clue to find page three.”
“I did. And don’t worry, I have the original.”
“How?” Harper asked, eyes bemused.
“I kept an extra page just in case in my back pocket. Wait till they read the clue.” I smirked.
“How about the staff?” Hugo drew a cobra on the dirt with his sword.
Father raised his hand, the other hand cradling Zach fast asleep. Something flew to his hand like the last time. The staff. “I gave Mortem a branch. He had no idea.”
Everyone let out a small laugh. It felt good to laugh in the light of the danger.
“How about the ark?” Jack looked worried.
“I told Lucia to hand it to Mortem,” Father explained. “We have no use for it any more. If he opens it, let’s just say, he has a bomb in his hand. The light inside the ark will kill all that is evil.”
“Eli?” Milani swallowed.
“He should be fine,” Father murmured. “He still has angel blood in him.”
Milani released a small sigh. I could tell she didn’t believe Father entirely.
“I’m going to take Zach with me to Halo City to recover. I want to make sure the chemical is out of his system. I’ll send Caleb to clean up the mess. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Everyone be safe.”
Uncle Davin patted Father’s shoulder. “You too. See you soon.”
“Who’s Caleb?” Jack asked.
“My other uncle,” I explained.
“Oh.” Jack nodded, but he looked confused.
Light glowed around Father and Zach, like the way gold glitter rained down from the cube. Magnificent.
Eli
I came out of Cyrus’s control in complete darkness with boulders and debris covering me, as if I had been buried under a landslide. In my hand was a dagger, not just any dagger, but Lucia’s dagger. Did I harm her? Oh God…no, no, no. What the hell happened? When I punched my way through the rubble, I gasped at the sight. What happened to the chapel? It had been demolished. No doubt Cyrus had a part in it. When I finally put some missing pieces together, I dashed onto the roof to get a better look.
To my horror, a true-cross dagger was lodged in Zach’s chest, and Mortem had done it. At first I thought it was Lucia when I saw the white wings, and I almost lost it. I would have killed Mortem, especially since Cyrus seemed to be nowhere to be found, but I had to think things through. If I escaped, Cyrus could make me do unthinkable things to my friends, and I couldn’t risk that. I had to show Cyrus my loyalty and make him trust me.
Mortem. How I wanted to stab him with the true-cross dagger and have him watch me shred his body to pieces. But instead, I drove Lucia’s dagger into his chest just as Michael gripped Mortem’s neck. Lucia met my eyes, those beautiful soulful eyes full of love for me, the love holding me tethered, giving me strength and hope.
I dared not look at Brody. I would crumble even more. And I dared not look at Michael, Lucia’s father. But holy shit, he was not one to mess with, though I couldn’t help but admire and respect him. I didn’t know much about him, but just looking at him intimidated me. His presence alone commanded authority. I wondered if he knew a demon was in love with his daughter. What would he think of that? I had to remain strong. Get a grip. Think! Mortem held the ark, staff, and the page in his hand. I only had one choice.
“Lucia,” I said, my heart shattering into pieces for what I was about to do. I hoped she would understand. “I’m so sorry.”
Before Michael could strike, I turned into my demon form and took Mortem with me. I did it solely for two reasons. One, I knew Michael would not hand over those items so easily. Two, I needed Cyrus to trust me.
We landed. Well, I landed, but I threw Mortem inches from the smoldering lava. I should have waited to drop him a few seconds later so he could fall right in. I could have blamed it on his weight. Mortem cursed and drew out the dagger, Lucia’s dagger, and flung it at me. As fast as he threw, I saw it coming at me in slow motion and caught it on the handle.
“Thanks. I was looking for it.” I winked at him.
“You.” He dusted dirt off himself as he got on his feet, and hissed while showing his fangs as if he could scare the crap out of me. “You threw that dagger didn’t you, you idiot?”
I shrugged and crossed my arms, standing next to Cyrus who strode in and sat on his throne. “What can I say? It was meant for Michael, but he was about to kick your ass so I missed. You should pay attention next time.”
“There won’t be a next time,” Cyrus said, his voice calm, but deadly. “You better have something to give me, Mortem, or I’ll throw you in the lava myself.”
Mortem pushed back his shoulders and raised his chin. “I’ve managed to get the ark, the second page, and the staff while this idiot got his ass kicked by a girl and slept under the rocks.”
“You got me there. She was pretty to look at. And by the way, you’re welcome. I saved your ass from Michael.”
“Stop talking and show me the items,” Cyrus barked.
Mortem produced the items in his hands. Cyrus picked up the ark and examined it. His eyes grew approving.
“Are you crazy?” Cyrus slapped Mortem’s hand as he tried to open it. “You will kill everyone in here.”
Mortem took a step back, knitting his eyebrows together. “I don’t understand. It helped Jacques hide the page.”
Cyrus’s lips twitched, eyes darting in fire. “Idiot. Its purpose depends on the holder. Something this divine will not act in our favor. Keep that in mind.”
After he placed the ark aside to a table next to his throne, he picked up the staff and broke it in half.
Mortem frowned, lips parted to speak out. “Why did you do that?”
Cyrus gripped the arms of the throne so tightly that the veins thickened along his muscles. “The staff can’t be broken,” he gritted through his teeth. “Apparently you got the wrong one, Mortem.”
Mortem swallowed. I had never seen his face pale before like at that moment. “Michael!” he roared.
Cyrus snatched the paper out of Mortem’s hand and read:
Read well, read with care, read if you dare.
For the page you seek, it’s clearly not there.
Look no further, look no more
The words are gone, forevermore.
But if you look harder,
you might find them in your underwear.
I tried not to laugh and failed miserably. Cackles burst out of my mouth. My sweet, brave, intelligent Lucia. She knew how to make my day. I had to think fast, think of something to say, but it cut short when the paper exploded in flames and disappeared.
Cyrus clenched his jaw, and his whole body shook from rage. The lava exploded, shooting straight up in columns, mimicking his anger. “You failed again, Mortem.” He rolled his shoulders, back muscles rippling, and uncurling his wings higher and higher, a warning. “Go back and don’t come back until you’ve found the items I need. While you’re at it, find what happened to Clarissa. She hasn’t reported back to me.”
“Your pet is probably dead or in the hands of our enemy,” Mortem suggested.
“Perhaps,” Cyrus said, drumming his fingers. “Perhaps not. Perhaps I intended her to be captured. But that is my little secret.”
Cyrus waved a hand as if he were a fly. “Run along now, Mortem, and please don’t fail this time, or you might be replaced.”
Cyrus scrutinized me and curved his lips halfway. “How clever of you to pretend to be on my side.”
I stiffened.
“Don’t be so coy with me, Eli. I know your dirty tricks. You are easily readable, for I would do the same as you. But I have to say, you’re doing a damn good job of it so far. I almost believed you. Don’t tell yourself lies, boy. You’ll never be free from me. I will hunt you down and kill everyone you love, so you will be smart and stay away from them. You got that?” He repeated his promise, and it felt like a shotgun to my
chest. “I will kill everyone you love.”
Blood drained down to my toes. The little hope of escape vanished with his words. But I knew something he would never have guessed I would know. I had been doing my own research and didn’t tell my team about it, but after Mortem told Michael there was someone more to fear, that only confirmed my hunch. So I did a lot of snooping and kept my eyes and ears open. Of course, my gut feeling could be wrong since I had no physical evidence, but what the hell, I decided to blurt it out.
“I know she’s alive,” I stated, and started to walk away.
Cyrus’s shocked expression told me my instinct was correct. I had just flipped his world upside down.
Chapter 29
Lucia
Zach and Father came back after two days from Halo City. Zach looked good as new, as I knew he would. I had offered Milani a place to stay, with us, but she turned me down. She said she didn’t want to be around Clarissa in the same house. I understood. As for me, I had no choice. Uncle Davin wanted to keep an eye on her, and besides, we weren’t going to release her. Our team split up and planned to meet the next day after school to discuss our course of action.
“Do you need to feed her blood?” Jack asked hesitantly, sitting at the dining table, keeping his distance from her. “I mean she hasn’t eaten all day.”
Clarissa hissed, purposely showing her fangs. Father had placed a divine cuff around her wrists. There was no escape for her.
I sat across from her and asked in my nice tone, even though I wanted to drive my dagger into her heart, “Are you hungry?”
She didn’t answer, but glared at me, and then her eyes roamed on my brother’s body appreciatively. “I could eat him,” she said, a bit flirtatiously.
Zach ignored her and opened the shutters, letting what was left of the sun filter in. Dusk neared soon. It was a beautiful day, in contrast to how I felt. Not a cloud blanketed the sky.
Uncle Davin pushed forward from the sofa and rested his elbows on his lap. “Do you know how Eli can break away from Cyrus?”
My ears perked up and turned away from the window.