Ascension of Evil (Battle for Souls Book 3) (13 page)

Navy light appeared in the darkness below and her heart stuttered. Alexander neared, his bright eyes connecting with hers before he halted in front of her and wrapped his arms around her lower back. He continued to maintain their altitude but pulled her flush against his bare chest. His heat not only warmed her skin, but penetrated deep into her core.

“We’re ready,” he whispered in her ear, his breath caressing her earlobe. “Let’s get some answers so we win this war.”

Grace and Boon joined them. For the first time, inhaling the scents of pine and sea didn’t calm her nerves. A tremor shot through her at the thought of slamming into the barrier over the ocean again. She prayed they’d escape Kemp this time and find the help they needed before it was too late.

Alexander released her, and she flapped toward the east coast to cross the ocean to Europe. The muscles down her back all the way to her thighs tightened and lengthened with each flap of her wings. After thirty minutes, they reached the beach and landed on the soft sand. Each looked at one another. Howls echoed in the darkness, spurring her to continue.

Alexander scanned her from head to toe, as if to make sure no blood trickled from her ears or eyes, although she hadn’t attempted to leave Kemp yet. “I’ll remain by Gabby’s side,” he told the others.

She reached out and ran her palm down his cheek. Then she turned toward the vast, endless ocean and faced the nightmare from the last time she tried to leave. The pain still etched in her brain, warning her not to proceed. But she had to.

Waves pounded against the sand. The first time she entered the ocean after moving to Kemp, she almost drowned at the hand of Forras and his goons. The last time, her skull was pierced with crippling pain. No, as much as she loved it, the ocean hadn’t been kind to her.

“Let’s go.” She forced the words to cross her lips and rose with two long flaps of her wings. Bracing herself for the mind-splitting pain, she leaned forward and flew over the water. The surf was choppy, and she had no desire to plunge beneath the surface, so she steadied herself and proceeded with caution. After a few hundred feet, she dared a quick glance back at Alexander. He reached out and squeezed her calf.

She lost her balance for a moment and snapped her head forward to regain control.

For once, they’d caught a break.

Pulling her shoulders back, she forced her wings to move their entire range of motion and shot across the sky. She had never felt so free. The power, speed, and ability her wings provided made her feel special. Maybe she could get over the ugly blood-red color and just enjoy the awesomeness of it all.

Alexander dropped below her. Unlike her awkward and jolting movements, he maneuvered with ease and agility.

Boon breezed past, maintaining a steady distance ahead. His black wings blended with the surrounding night. Focusing with her newfound angelic abilities, she could still see the variations in color, no matter how slight. The eastern sky over the ocean had seemed a dark void, yet she spotted Boon soaring, his jet-black wings having caught an updraft.

Alexander banked right then past above her. “Stay steady,” he yelled. Dropping down, his hands clutched her waist. His touch sent a soothing pleasure all the way to her soul.

Boon halted and looked to the north. Alexander released her waist and shifted below and right, while Grace hovered above to her left.

For a moment, no one spoke, but she knew they all felt it. The hellacious swarm of death aimed at them. She blinked and tried to will the image away, but hundreds of creatures zoomed toward them. “No, it can’t be. Demons can’t fly.”

“Warrior demons can,” Boon’s words echoed in the night, carrying the news of certain death.

Every muscle and nerve in her body screamed for them to flee. There would be no way of puncturing the blanket of terror hanging in the sky ahead.

****

The world tilted, the line of black shifting into a fighting formation. How did they know?

Forras. It was a trap
. They shouldn’t have trusted him.

Boon turned and faced Gabby. “What should we do?”

Panic etched lines on her face. “You’re the one with all the warrior experience. Don’t you think—”

“You’re the Chosen One, Gabby. Think. What does your instinct tell you to do?” Boon urged her.

Run
, Gabby mouthed the words softly.

Boon leaned in closer.

“We should flee. We need to try to out fly them. Is it possible?”

Boon glanced back then nodded. “It is.”

The distance was closing fast. “Sounds good to me,” Alexander said. “Let’s go.” He signaled Gabby to move.

She nodded to each of them. They turned to flee, but hit a strong headwind that shot her sideways. His pulse thudded against his neck. If she didn’t figure it out quickly, Chosen One or not, he was going to scoop her into his arms and bolt.

She recovered and soared through the night sky, extending the distance from their would-be killers. With a couple of swift downdrafts, he chased after her as misty clouds, smelling of sulfur, scratched at his wings. She broke through the stifling clouds and he grinned. She was still struggling, but man, was she powerful.

He and Grace struggled to catch up and he only relaxed when Boon joined her. Their combined wing mass nearly covered the sky ahead. The power of her wings was mesmerizing.

He’d never witnessed such amazing beauty.

They soared miles high above the ocean, the dark wall of demons slowly fading into the distance. But he knew they wouldn’t give up. He feared they wouldn’t be able to cross onto Herak’s land. He only hoped they’d have time to meet with Herak and find the missing warrior angels.

Halfway across the ocean Gabby started to fade, descending lower and lower. Then her wings buckled and she plummeted toward the water in a flat spin. Alexander’s heart fell as he dove to catch her. Through dark, thick clouds, he lost sight of her. His body hummed, telling him she was near. Like an arrow, he broke through the clouds. His lungs protested with the rapid descent, but he spotted her and plunged to the left.

She flapped feebly, struggling. Boon swooped down from the other side and caught one of her wings.

Her body flailed. The ocean swells crashed, echoing just beneath them.

Alexander swooped in and took her into his arms, his shoes skimming the water. Several dark humps arched out of the waves. Water sprayed high into the air, soaking them, followed by a foghorn-like moan. “Next time you need a rest, or are too tired to continue, let me know,” he murmured in her ear.

Gabby shivered. Her wings curled in tight around her body. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it would be so exhausting. My back and shoulders and all the way down to my calves were burning for hours before my wings gave out.” She yawned then rested her head against his shoulder. He knew she was supposed to be tough and a warrior to the core, but relief filled him. He’d missed helping her, carrying her, feeling her against him.

Her eyes fluttered closed as they continued to fly until mountainous islands came into view. The moment he spotted Herak’s land, a chill shot down his back. The sun had peeked above the horizon in the east and shadows fell over the valleys. He only hoped the old man could help them. Alexander glanced back but didn’t spot any demons, though their absence didn’t make him feel at ease. At least when the creatures were in sight they knew exactly where they were. Now, he scanned the sky and prayed they weren’t waiting to ambush them.

Boon directed them closer to the island, but circled the mountains once before landing. Alexander lowered Gabby to the ground and she wiped her eyes. Grace appeared by their side, her warm smile offering encouragement. “You did great.”

“Thanks,” Gabby breathed. “I guess I need to build up some endurance.”

“It will come, dear.”

Eerie silence filled the predawn landscape and Alexander struggled with the feeling of nothingness again. The last time he’d come to the island he was alone. Having refused to set foot on the island, Boon had deserted him. Loneliness and a little bit of fear had plagued him. But not this time. This time he had Gabby with him.

They joined Grace as she shuffled over some rocks to Boon. They’d only walked a few feet when their wings contracted, an invisible force locking them beneath their skin. All of them faded into human form, their abilities sucked from them. From his previous visit, he’d known what to expect. Once inside the barrier they became mortals with no significant abilities, yet it still startled him.

Alexander pulled his t-shirt from his back pocket and slipped it over his head. Boon trudged behind some trees while Grace pulled some clothes from her bag and tossed them to him.

“I feel a great loss,” Gabby mumbled. “It’s so disconcerting to not hear a single sound, as if nothing lives on this island.”

“It’s the curse that holds Herak here.” Boon shouted from behind the shrubbery.

No breeze wafted through the stubby trees or bushes, no crickets chirped, no owl hooted. Only silence. An unnatural feeling of death and solitude invaded his senses. “We need to keep moving,” he urged.

Gabby pulled his arm tight against her side, her other hand wrapping around the inside of his elbow. “It’s been hours since we left. Time’s short. If Forras is right and only days remain, we need to hurry.”

Not even her apple scent wafted to his nose. She had no smell at all. His stomach churned at the thought, as though she didn’t exist in spite of feeling her touch.

“You don’t have to worry about the time,” he said. “It’s slower here. Days here would be minutes to the outside world.”

Gabby squeezed him tighter to her. He knew she was trying to overcome the oppressive feeling of loneliness, but it wouldn’t work. Not while they walked on the land where Herak had agreed for Boon to seal him to his fate at the end of the last war.

Gabby inhaled deeply and pressed her lips to his upper arm. “Still, my dad shouldn’t be left there too long with Forras. Oh, Alex, I can’t believe I left him behind. It’s all I’ve been able to think about since we left. What if he—”

“There was no choice,” Grace reassured her. “Your father was still weak from his illness and would have slowed us down. He also has Sammy for protection. However, if you want to save him then we need to figure out where all the warrior angels are. It makes no sense that your bond summoned all the demons that escaped the open rift when we stopped the master demon in Kemp, yet not one angel has reported.”

“I know, but I can’t help worrying. I hope he’s okay.”

Boon rubbed his temples. “He was when we crossed the barrier. Once we did, I lost the ability to communicate with Sammy.”

Alexander squeezed Gabby’s hand, needing to feel closer to her. “What? At this distance? That’s impossible.”

“It’s not so much dialogue between us, but rather reassuring feelings. When I thought about Bruce, I had a sensation that all was okay. I knew it was Sammy telling me that Forras had kept his promise and they were all safe for the moment. Don’t worry, Gabby. If things turn bad, Sammy will get him out of there.” Boon grabbed the branch of a tree and slid several feet down the side of a ridge.

“Thanks. I know she would never leave my dad behind. It’s just…so hard to make decisions that could harm those you love.”

Alexander’s heart ached at her words. If he could lead the army for her, he would. The burden was so great he couldn’t bear to think of all the trials she would be facing during this war. Something deep inside told him she would lose many during that time. It was logical to believe her dad would be one of them. He may have once been an amazing hunter, but now, with his alcoholism, Alexander wasn’t sure Bruce could hold his own against any demonic threat.

Boon shot a hand up in the air and they all froze. “He’s here.”

Grace joined Boon. “Are you sure, son? I don’t sense his presence.”

“He’s here,” Boon whispered.

Grace’s lips turned downward, almost as if she was disappointed that she couldn’t sense Herak.

Alexander tugged Gabby closer and they all huddled on the side of the ridge, sandwiched between rocks, trees, and each other. “Mom, what is it?”

Grace smoothed the front of her pants. “It’s just that, I’m not sure I should have come with you. Maybe it would have been safer for you to come alone.”

Boon tilted his head and flashed her a warm smile. “You knew you’d have to face him again someday.”

What were they talking about? Yes, they’d battled Herak together during the first war. And Herak would certainly remain angry at Boon, the one who sentenced him to live here with nothing for all eternity. But why was Grace, the most loving angel that ever existed, worried?

“Why do you think Herak will be upset to see you?” Alexander asked. “He knows many angels worked together to stop him.”

“Yes,” Grace said, her face filled with sadness, “but not all angels used the fact he loved them to trap him for eternity.”

Chapter Ten

Mind-numbing silence stretched between them. Gabby squeezed Alexander’s hand and watched his eyes widen as they locked on Grace. Boon lowered his head in obvious guilt.