9. Luc
9
LUC
The shift in reality hits me like a punch to the gut. My Demonic senses scream as Hell is unleashed into the underground chamber. Through the chaos of battle, I lock eyes with Matilda, seeing the same realisation dawning on her face.
“The gateway,” I growl, ducking under Vazna’s wing. “It’s curse-free”
The ground beneath us trembles, but this isn’t from the structural damage or the fight. This is deeper, more primal. The kind of tremor that comes when dimensions bleed into each other. The scent of brimstone seeps through the chamber floor, and I feel the pull of my homeland growing stronger.
“Draven!”
“Little busy here!” Draven shouts, directing his undead horde to form a wall between us and the angels. His power ripples through the air, thick with death magick, but even he must feel the way Hell’s energy is seeping through.
Vex’s runes flare brighter, responding to the dimensional breach. “We’ve got a problem,” he says, his voice tight with strain. “A big fucking problem.”
Laurent’s expression changes from determined to alarmed. The Angels can sense it now. Hell isn’t just knocking anymore. It’s already broken down the door.
Every nightmare given form, every horror set free.
“Xavi!” I roar, and she looks over at me. She is channelling her Hell power into Blackthorn to keep MistHallow from collapsing in on itself.
“Also a little busy here! Trust your mother!”
“Trust her?” I rumble. “That’s all you’ve got?”
“For now. She doesn’t want this mess.” She goes back to focusing on holding what remains of the tons of rock above our heads, and I leave her to it. If they fail, we are all, well, not dead, but wishing we were.
Fiery light spills through the ravines in the ground. Demons of all shapes and sizes claw their way out.
“Fuck!” I snarl, torn between defending Tilly and containing this new threat.
More demons pour through the widening cracks. Lesser ones at first, but I can sense stronger presences stirring below.
“Tilly!” I shout. “Any chance the Praxian will do us all a favour?”
“I can ask nicely.” She nods, her eyes blazing. The Praxian force swirls around her as she steps forward, power coiling at her fingertips.
Before she can react, a grinding sound ricochets through the chamber, and I grin as the lesser Demons are sucked back into the maw. A low growl echoes, and I move in front of Tilly. “Get back.”
She stumbles back under the force of her magick as an enormous Hellhound leaps out of the crevasse, all three heads growling and snarling as pissed off as I’ve ever seen my sister, Gaia.
“What the fuck?” Tilly mutters.
“My sister, Hell’s Guardian,” I remark with a smirk.
“Ooh,” Tilly says, eyes wide. “Wow.”
I return my focus to the Angels, knowing Gaia will round up the escaped Demons and send them packing back to Mom, who will no doubt take great delight in annihilating all of them for treason.
Gaia’s massive form fills the chamber, her three heads snapping and snarling as she rounds up the lesser demons. Her presence shifts the tide of battle, and the Angels suddenly look far less confident.
“About time you showed up, sis,” I call out, ducking under another of Vazna’s attacks.
One of Gaia’s heads turns toward me, baring razor-sharp teeth in what passes for a grin.
With perfected efficiency, she herds the escaped Demons back toward the Hellgate. Those that resist find themselves clamped between her jaws and tossed unceremoniously back into the fiery pit.
Vazna’s face contorts with rage. “This changes nothing,” he snarls, his wings flaring brighter. “The girl comes with us.”
“Like hell she does,” Vex growls, sending a deadly hex towards the Angel. It hits him, and he stumbles back as darkness creeps over him. He recoils from it and shakes it off, but just barely.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Tilly says, clapping her hands together and creating a whirlwind that helps Gaia sweep up the remaining Demons back into the pit.
Gaia finishes rounding up the last of the Demons and, without a look back, dives into the maw, sending up a shower of molten lava, which makes most of the creatures in the cave duck and run. Not me, though. I let it cascade down on me, the burning heat warming my soul.
“Stand down, Vazna,” I shout out. “You being here is causing a more dramatic shift in the energies. If you don’t leave, you will bury us all!”
“She comes with us!” Vazna roars and launches himself at Matilda.
I dive in front of her.
The impact of Vazna’s charge sends us both crashing into the far wall. The wall cracks behind me, but I barely notice as I slam my clawed fist into his face.
“You Angels,” I snarl, following up with a knee to his gut, “always think you’re better than everyone else.” I release a burst of concentrated Hellfire, forcing him to shield himself with his wings. The holy feathers sizzle and smoke. “Always so fucking righteous.”
Vazna retaliates with a blast of divine energy that I sidestep, letting it crash into the wall behind me. I fight dirty because that’s what I do. While he’s focused on grand, showy attacks, I’m already inside his guard, raking my claws across his chest. Golden blood spills onto the chamber floor.
“Abomination,” he spits, swinging those wing-blades at my head. I duck and weave, my movements fluid and precise. Fighting isn’t just about power, it’s about knowing how to use it. I’ve had a lot of practice growing up where I did.
I spin low, sweeping his legs out from under him. As he falls, I grab his wing and slam him face-first into the ground. The impact shakes the chamber, adding to Blackthorn’s problems, but I’m beyond caring.
“That’s right,” I laugh, driving my knee into his back while pulling his arm at an awkward angle. “This abomination is kicking your holy ass.”
He throws his head back, catching me in the face. I taste blood, but don’t let go. Instead, I channel more Hellfire through my grip on his arm. He grunts as his flesh burns.
“Not so high and mighty now, are you?” I taunt. “Want to rethink that ‘halfbreed’ comment?”
Vazna explodes with divine light, throwing me back. I catch myself in mid-air, my wings spreading wide as I laugh. “That the best you’ve got?”
He launches at me again, but this time, I’m ready. I twist away from his attack, grabbing his arm and using his momentum to slam him into the ceiling. More debris rains down, and I hear Blackthorn cursing.
“Sorry!” I call out, not really meaning it as I drive my fist into Vazna’s stomach. Each punch is enhanced with Hellfire, leaving smoking craters in his celestial armour. “Getting tired yet, old man?”
His answering roar is musical in its fury. Angelic energy crackles around us as he manages to grab my throat. “You dare mock Heaven’s justice?”
“Every fucking day,” I choke out, then headbutt him. The crack of our skulls meeting echoes through the chamber. While he’s dazed, I wrap my wings around us both and dive toward the ground, spinning us so he takes the full impact.
The floor caves beneath us, but I don’t let up. I pin him down, raining blows with my enhanced Demonic strength. The fight never felt so good.
He catches one of my fists, trying to channel his energy through the contact. I laugh and let my power rise. Hellfire meets holy light in an explosive clash. “Forgot something, didn’t you?” I lean in close, letting him see the full extent of my Demon form. “Mom made sure I could handle anything Heaven threw at me.”
The collision of our powers creates a blinding flash, the shockwave throwing us both apart. I roll to my feet, wings mantled and ready for his next attack, but Vazna rises slowly, his perfect face now marred with golden blood and burns.
“This isn’t over,” he snarls, but I can see the calculation in his eyes. His forces are depleted; some dead, some fled, and Laurent has disappeared entirely. Draven’s undead army still shuffles menacingly between him and Matilda, while Vex’s power flashes through the air like lightning .
“Looks pretty over to me,” I taunt, flexing my claws. “Unless you want another round?”
His wings flare with light, but it’s dimmer now, less certain. “The girl cannot be allowed to keep that power.”
“The girl,” Matilda calls out, “is standing right here. She’s keeping it, and she’s not going anywhere with you.”
Vazna’s gaze shifts between us, assessing. Finally, his wings snap wide. “Heaven will not forget this defiance.”
“Heaven can get in line,” I growl. “Now fuck off before I really lose my temper.”
With a sound like thunder, Vazna launches upward through the broken ceiling, his remaining Angels following in a streak of golden light. The chamber shudders with their departure, more debris raining down.
“Finally,” Blackthorn grunts, his power straining to hold everything together. “Now, can we please get the hell out of here before this whole place collapses?”
I retract my wings, returning to my human form as I turn to Matilda. Right now, we need to get out of this death trap before Blackthorn and Xavi lose their grip. “Well, that’s up to Matilda,” I call out. “You ready, or do you have more to do down here?”