Empower (26 page)

‘Yeah,’ called
someone from the back. ‘Since when are we letting a Rogue lead us?’

Drenson cast a smug look in my direction.

Oh, hell.

Josephine surprised me by standing up. ‘Because the
Rogue
is the best-equipped to get this job done.’

‘Is it true she can cross into the angel realm any time she wants?’ another voice called out.

‘Is that how she brought Nyla back?’ a girl asked from the upper level.

‘How can we trust her when she doesn’t even want to be one of us?’

‘She has no code!’

‘She abandoned her own partner!’

That one hurt.

I stepped forward, unwilling to let this go any further, and faced the crowd, relieved that I had my emotions in check. ‘I don’t answer to the Assembly or the Academy. That is a choice I was free to make. And I had my reasons. I fought with you all against Lilith’s exiles. I fought until I almost died. I fought with you after the Assembly rejected me and told me I was not good enough. You’re all free to make your own choices as I have done and after this is finished you will never have to see me again, but Spence is one of
my
people. I don’t care who I have to take down on my way, I
will
get him out. That is the reason your Assembly found me unworthy of being one of you. And I’m A-okay with that because I don’t intend on changing. So, if you have a problem with me, or think you are better-suited for the job, take your shot now. I’ve got a few minutes to spare between people trying to kill me, but make sure you have your partner on standby ready to heal you, because I don’t have enough time to be careful.’

I stood tall and looked
back to see Phoenix’s amused grin. Gray was beside him, looking resigned, hanging his head. Clearly he didn’t think I’d done as well as I’d thought.

And, clearly, he was right, since half a dozen Grigori walked towards the sparring area ready to fight. I shrugged, not missing Drenson’s self-satisfied smirk or Josephine’s irritation.

Petty politics.

The five men and one woman who’d stepped up to fight were all well-established warriors. They all fought hard. But my emotions were shut off and the constant judgement was only making me restless.

Lincoln had moved closer to the sparring area, but he kept his distance, watching silently, and I was relieved that he didn’t attempt to control the situation. These Grigori needed this. One by one I took them down, trying, despite my earlier warning, not to hurt any of them too badly. It was a purely selfish decision. I still had no idea what we would face in New Orleans and figured it was best to keep all fighters capable of performing their duties.

Just as I turned around to the now-quiet Grigori I let in enough emotion to feel pretty damn good about myself … then my eyes fixed on a woman standing by the doors. My internal congratulations came to a sudden halt.

Decima, the mightiest and most ancient of all Grigori warriors apart from her partner Seth, strode towards me, panther-like.

I adjusted my stance, preparing for sheer brutality.

She stopped in front
of me. My pulse quickened, knowing that this fight was about to hurt. A lot. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lincoln step forward; I dared to take my eyes off Decima long enough to shoot him a hard look, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

Decima tilted her head as she studied me with interest. ‘I am not here to challenge you. You have grown, I see. It intrigues me and I admit that I do not know if you would better me in combat, but I do not think so.’

That makes two of us.

‘Go on your mission. Bring back your friend,’ she instructed.

‘Then why are you here?’ I asked cautiously.

‘Because I heard a name I have not heard for centuries. I came to tell you that if you come up against Sammael, you will not win.’

Oh, got it. You’re here for a morale boost.

‘You cannot beat him in strength. Not the way I see you fight. Sammael has fought without heart for much longer than you.’

I flinched at her accusation. Was I heartless?

‘If you cannot be human, you cannot defeat him,’ Decima said, her ancient eyes looking through mine as if my ultimate demise were near.

I stared back at her. ‘I know who and
what
I am. I’m a weapon and I’ll be used as such. If Sammael wants a fight I guarantee you, Decima, he will have one.’

Decima laughed, the sound like troubled wind chimes. ‘Still a child in so many ways. Let me keep it simple for you – sometimes one is best understood by the world when the world can first measure the value and power of one’s greatest enemy. You may not know who Sammael is, but I have no doubt you have heard of his nemesis the angel Sammael fought and almost dragged to earth with him?’

I swallowed, a chill
running down my spine. My mouth had gone suddenly dry and my eyes darted to Phoenix, who would not look at me.

‘Who?’ I asked.

Decima did not look happy to be the one to share this information. If anything, she looked resigned. ‘The Viceroy of Heaven. Commander of all the armies. The one to whom our last judgement stands. Sammael’s arch-enemy is the Prince of the Elect, Michael.’

My brow furrowed, processing everything she’d just said. ‘But I … I thought God had the final judgement. Or Jesus.’

Decima tilted her head and then gave an aloof smile. ‘And there are those who would believe that Michael and Jesus are one in the same.’

I shook my head, confused. ‘But isn’t Lucifer supposed to be Michael’s enemy?’

‘Lucifer is Michael’s perfect opposite. As Michael is the Prince of Light, Lucifer is the Prince of Dark. They serve a purpose, their functions at the opposite ends of the spectrum, but they have always remained true, unlike Sammael who believed his purpose entitled him to more than his function.’ Decima pulled her hood over her head and gestured to someone to open the doors for her. ‘I will leave now. Seth waits.’

She began to walk down the aisle, people moving away from her as she did.

‘Wait!’ I called
out. ‘What
was
Sammael’s purpose?’

When she reached the door, she paused, though she did not turn around. ‘Sammael was the angel of death.’

Splendid.

‘… in Heaven and in Earth, are a double Nature; in Heaven they are unchangeable and incorruptible; but on Earth they are changeable and corruptible.’

Hermes Trismegistus

D
ecima’s brief appearance
and inspiring speech left even fewer Academy Grigori pleased about my presence. I wanted to point out to them that while she might have stated that I couldn’t win, she didn’t suggest any of them could either, but it was probably time to keep quiet.

I waited for whatever was coming. Drenson was smiling, which meant he had more cards to play. But before he had a chance to speak, Lincoln walked towards me and stopped at my side, turning his attention back to the Assembly.

If it were possible, the tension in the room immediately went up a notch. I sent him a sideways glance. ‘You don’t have to do this,’ I said under my breath.

He didn’t respond, but I knew he’d heard.

Lincoln was making a stand. By my side. And it felt like a knife wound to my heart. Even after I’d walked away and left him, he was still willing to stay beside me as my partner. He was loved and respected within the Academy and he was a tool of the Assembly. His support could not go unnoticed.

‘I can speak for
myself,’ I insisted.

He sighed, but only handed me a piece of paper.

I glanced down to see the list of names of the proposed team. It showed almost everyone I would have wanted, including Phoenix. I wondered why Mia’s name was missing then put it together that it must be because she was partnerless. There were also a few names I didn’t recognise.

As if reading my mind, Lincoln said, ‘Shadu and his partner are tech experts. You met the conductors on Santorini, and the others you don’t know are unquestionably loyal to the cause and strong fighters. They will follow you as much as me.’

I believed him.

‘What about Chloe?’ She had a right to go after her partner.

Lincoln smiled softly. ‘She’s a given, Violet.’

I nodded, absorbing this. ‘I have three Rogues who will meet us at the airport. They won’t answer to you and they don’t answer to me either. But they have their own set of skills and Gray will probably be able to keep them in line.’

‘Probably?’ he echoed, eyebrow raised.

‘They’re good fighters, Lincoln.’

He nodded, taking the list from me and handing it to Josephine. ‘This is the lead team we will take, plus three others who will meet us at the airport. I’d also ask that those who are not assigned to other duties be ready to step in. We have planes on standby worldwide to transport Grigori at short notice once we have a pinpoint on Sammael’s whereabouts and have Spence in our possession.’

‘Are you requesting an
army, Lincoln? A little much, don’t you think?’

I glanced in Phoenix’s direction while Lincoln considered the question. It was clear by the intent glare Phoenix had fixed on Josephine and the hard set of his jaw that he didn’t think an army was too much at all. As I watched, he took a few sly steps closer to where the Assembly members sat.

We wanted to get into New Orleans on our own terms, which was why we weren’t taking more people, but after everything we’d just heard from Decima I was starting to think it wouldn’t be long before reinforcements would be necessary.

‘Yes, Josephine. I’m requesting that we be fully mobilised in the event that aid is needed,’ Lincoln answered.

Josephine held his look for a moment, her gaze curiously drifting in Phoenix’s direction before settling on me as she responded. ‘If that is your standing, you have our support.’

After leaving Josephine to dish out the orders and Drenson to sulk, Lincoln and I left the hall, followed by Steph, Phoenix, Gray and Mia.

‘I’ll have to stop by Ascension and get my things,’ I said.

‘Let me grab my bag and I’ll go with you,’ Steph said. ‘I want to pick up some books and talk to Dapper. I’m going to stay in Manhattan for now and see what else I can find out about Sammael. I’ll catch a later plane,’ she added.

Lincoln nodded, looking at Steph briefly. ‘Thank you, Steph. Sal and Zoe will keep you up to date, no doubt.’ He took a breath. ‘Feel free to contact me with any new information.’

Steph’s eyes widened.

‘What?’ he
asked cautiously.

She bit back a smile. ‘Nothing. It’s just been so long since you’ve looked at me, I’d forgotten how green your eyes are.’

When Lincoln looked like he’d rather take a knife to himself than be stuck in that conversation, Gray saved him.

‘I’ll head to the airport to meet the other Rogues and we’ll join you there. Escort me out of the building, love, so no one tries to lock me up?’ he asked Steph.

Steph nodded, her eyes sparkling with humour. As soon as they turned the corner, Lincoln let out a breath and Mia, who’d been standing by quietly with her head down, offered to show Phoenix where he could get some fresh clothes and supplies.

As they turned to leave, I grabbed Phoenix’s arm. ‘You influenced Josephine, didn’t you?’ When he just stared at me blankly, I pushed. ‘When she asked about needing an army, I saw you move closer to her. What did you do to her emotions?’

His chocolate eyes bored into mine. ‘I gave her a touch of insight into a possible future for this world and what that would feel like.’

I swallowed, suddenly unsure. ‘And what was that?’

‘Fear,’ he said, stepping back and away from me. He gave Lincoln a curt nod before turning on his heel to follow Mia.

‘He knows more than he’s saying,’ Lincoln said, watching them walk around the corner.

‘Yeah. But he’ll tell us when he’s ready,’ I said, knowing it was true. Then, suddenly aware that Lincoln and I were now alone, I added, ‘I should get going, too.’

Lincoln stepped into
my space, and despite every intention of doing so I failed to move away.