Chapter Fifty-Nine #3
A bow formed in his hand, light blooming into weight. He spotted an angel drawing a blade against Azriel and let his instincts take over. Faster than thought, he took aim and let the arrow fly. It pierced through the Soldier’s wrist and she shrieked, dropping her weapon to the floor.
Aurelie’s head snapped toward him, eyes wide. “What are you doing?”
“What I should have done ages ago.” He looked to the Guardian shielding Aurelie, still braced in front of her. “Protect her, Azriel.”
The angel blinked, surprise flashing across his face before it settled into a smile. He drew his sword, silver eyes hardening. “Whatever happens, there’s no coming back from this.”
“I know.”
Yuri drew a breath, and for the first time in his life, he acted on his own will. Wild, hurried arrows hissed up from below as he took flight. One passed so close it skimmed his feathers, but he kept climbing, eyes locked on the chaos above.
A glance back showed Azriel anchoring the line below, his own blade singing. Varen was at his back, Aurelie beside them.
He had to trust that they would hold the ground.
For now, Yuri’s place was in the air.
He drove himself into the maelstrom that was Severin and the commander, pushing through a wall of air so hot that it threatened to scorch his lungs. He traded his bow for a fallen sword and forced his way to Severin’s side, heart pounding.
The demon didn’t even look at him. “Get out of here, Pigeon,” he spat, wings blazing with blue-white fire, heat shimmering from every feather. “I don’t want your help.”
“If we’re going to survive, you need it,” Yuri shot back, blade ringing as he deflected an arrow meant for Severin’s head.
Xadriel’s narrowed gaze landed on Yuri. “You forget your place, Soldier,” he warned, voice carrying above the clamor.
Yuri met his stare. “I did for a while, but now I’m exactly where I should be.”
A hush settled between them, the noise of battle fading to a distant echo. Xadriel’s gaze sharpened, and suddenly he struck.
Yuri was ready.
He twisted aside, parrying the blade meant for his throat.
He dropped low just as Severin lunged in from the opposite side, his own sword whistling toward Xadriel’s ribs.
The commander spun, deflecting Severin’s blow with a flare of his wings, but already Yuri was circling, forcing Xadriel to split his attention.
He and Severin began to move in tandem, neither needing to speak or signal to understand the other’s next move.
Severin’s blade swept high, and Yuri filled the gap below; a feint became a real strike and Yuri was already there, catching Xadriel’s counter.
They moved around each other like a single creature, each motion anticipated, every weak spot covered.
They pressed Xadriel hard, the air a shriek of steel as he fought with cornered fury.
Two of his wings slammed into Yuri, knocking the breath from his lungs, but Severin was already there, heat rolling from him as he drove Xadriel back.
The demon lunged, and for a heartbeat, it looked as if he might overwhelm the commander entirely.
Xadriel coughed, a strangled breath escaping him as Severin used his magic to try to choke the air from his lungs. But soon the angel’s body pulsed with Glory, fending off the magic, and he was back on the offensive.
Yuri spun just in time to block Xadriel’s next attack, the jolt of steel numbing his arms to the bone. Severin darted in, sword flashing.
For a heartbeat, the tide shifted. Xadriel faltered, wings beating hard to steady himself.
We can win this, Yuri thought, hope flaring in his chest.
Then a scream sliced through the air, and pain tore through his thigh.
Below, Aurelie collapsed, struck by another arrow. Meanwhile, a second angel was closing in on her, blade raised for the killing blow, but Varen saw it, too. He fought through a tangle of writhing bodies, forcing his way toward her.
It wasn’t clear whether he’d make it in time.
In that instant, Severin’s guard slipped. He turned to her, panicked.
Xadriel seized his opportunity. His blade plunged through Severin’s abdomen, deep and merciless.
A broken cry tore from the demon as black blood spilled from his lips.
The sword slipped from his grasp, spinning through the air as it plummeted to the floor.
His wings spasmed, and the flames that once crowned them vanished, extinguished in an instant.
For one suspended moment, the world held its breath as Yuri watched, frozen.
He wasn’t thinking about how their lives were connected, or what Severin’s death would mean for him. In that moment, Yuri’s only thought was that he couldn’t watch his friend die again.
He lunged after him, fear tearing through his chest.
But Xadriel was faster.
Pain exploded as the commander’s sword tore through Yuri’s left wing. He screamed, the agony stealing every scrap of air from his lungs. The ceiling tilted wildly, and suddenly he was spinning out of control, nerves blazing and feathers scattering as he tumbled after Severin.
Anything, Yuri begged, I’ll do anything. Just keep him alive. Please.
He fell, fingers outstretched and heart racing.
The demon struck the ground hard, coughing blood onto the stone.
And for the second time in his life, Yuri was too late.