Ignite (42 page)

Michael’s breath hitches in a quick gasp and he grabs my hand. “I remember.” His whisper swirls between us quietly. “Pen, I remember
everything
.”

Overhead, the sky is black, except for the steely light of the stars and the eery glow of the moon. A deep, icy chill descends and I can feel my breath spill out from my lips in short puffs. If I could see it, I know my breath would be smoke in this frozen air. Michael shivers once under my hand.

Azael was right. The fire was just the beginning; the world will end in ice. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I can see Michael outlined in front of me. I keep his hand in mine, and I’ll never let go.

“I love you, Michael.”

“I love you, Pen.”

***

Where armies whole have sunk: the parching air

Burns frore, and cold performs th’ effect of fire…

From beds of raging fire to starve in ice

Their soft ethereal warmth, and there to pine

Immovable, infix’d, and frozen round.

—
John Milton,
Paradise Lost

Epilogue

Azael

When he speaks, Lucifer’s voice is low and easy, sounding like the sigh a soul makes when it is lifted from a chest. The last exhale of breath before dying. “You have served me well, Azael.”

He is not dressed in stiff, shining black armor as I am. Instead, he is wearing fitted leather gear that is as elegant as it is lethal. I kneel down in front of the golden throne he sits upon.

This is the first time this throne has not been empty. It is always left untouched, reserved for Him, his Father, God, in hopes that He might one day grace the angels with His presence. But no one’s ever seen him. Apparently we were all too unworthy.

How can anyone be expected to serve and revere a being no one’s even seen? How are we expected to believe that He is even real? The way Lucifer sits in the great throne now, so casually, is sacrilegious, an intentional slap in the face of all angels, all Believers. I smile down at his feet.

There’s a line in the human’s precious Bible that speaks of Lucifer.
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! For you have said… ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.’”
And as it is written, thus it has become. He has become Most High indeed.

Lucifer is real; Lucifer is here. And I will follow and obey.

I place my sword at his feet and bow my head.

“Thank you, sir.”

“I cannot say the same for your sister,” he snarls, gesturing for me to stand. “She has proved herself to be quite disloyal. It’s spectacular that you two can be of the same blood.”

I rise and stand in front of him, sturdy, my chin raised and my shoulders squared. I feel my amulet hanging around my throat, the smooth stone cold and heavy against my chest.

Lucifer smiles at me, baring sharp, dangerous teeth. While I know he is one of the oldest angels, the first demon, the way he is draped over the thick, carved arms of the throne makes him appear extraordinarily young. Maybe a year or so older than Gus.

Nothing about him is ordinary or plain. His face is sharp and exact, his elegant features perfectly symmetrical. His beauty is so severe that the longer you look at him, the more grotesque he becomes. Suddenly his nose appears too pointed, his brows too arched, his cheekbones too high, and the sunken hollows of his cheeks are dark and ghoulish. His hair is a shock of white, and he has the same icy blue eyes as Michael.

They are brothers
, I remind myself.

His eyes hold a sense of overwhelming knowledge. With just a look, he makes you believe that he knows everything about you. In an instant, he can see your deepest desires, your greatest weaknesses, and know just how to exploit them.

My eyes flick over to his archangel sword, a sword he found in a gilded safe after slaughtering a room of angels. After he fell, Heaven mistakenly cast an extra archangel sword, a great weapon meant for Lucifer. It was a secret guarded fiercely by Heaven, but nothing can be kept secret from the spies of Hell. Not for long, anyway.

When he found out, Lucifer killed the spies who knew, ensuring that he was the only one in Hell aware of the sword. As far as anyone outside of this room knows, Michael is in possession of the only archangel sword in existence.

Lucifer’s sword is nearly the same as Michael’s. Golden handle, silver blade, but instead of a ruby, his holds a cold sapphire stone. It rests delicately in his belt. I don’t think he’ll be letting it out of his sight any time soon. He threw down the sword he cast in Hell when he came across his archangel sword and re-holstered this bright weapon in its place.

“She is not my sister any longer,” I say, my voice hard and filled with venom.

A corner of his thin mouth quirks up, amused. He tsks me. “Not so fast now. She is still your sister. A piece of her still lies within you, and a piece of you in her.”

I’m silent, my jaw set.

“We all have siblings we wish we could forget.” He looks away from me, down to his sword as if remembering something. “But somehow they endure, in memory and in life.”

Lucifer’s voice echoes across the bright, marbled room. It is completely empty except for the throne and several thick columns with fat cherubs carved at the top. He lazily pushes himself out of the throne and glides over to me, his face inches from mine.

“There are ways, however,” he says, waving his hand in the air, “that you could get rid of her. It would split you two apart.” He leans nearer and his breath curls around my ear. “Permanently.”

“I would do anything.” A deep burn starts in my abdomen and I recognize it as hatred, disgust. It’s not unfamiliar, but I have never before felt it towards Pen. Never this strongly.

“Anything?” he asks, arching a thin eyebrow.

My sister is a traitor. A weak, foolish traitor. I offered her the world, and she spit in my face, turned her back on me for
Michael
.

“Anything,” I say again, my voice unwavering.

“Good.” Lucifer leans back and smiles sharply. “That’s what I like to hear.”

In a slow circle, he walks around me, appraising me as the tip of his sword drags across the marbled floor behind him, ringing lightly. When he meets my face again, he leans in close and hisses two words.

“
Kill her.
”

“With pleasure,” I answer quickly, my voice thick with anger.

“And if what you’ve shown me is correct, she will be with my brother.” He pauses. “Michael.”

I nod curtly. “She claims to love him. Absolutely ludicrous.”

“Love is a human emotion, so what she feels is not only false but impossible.” He crosses his arms over his dark chest, cocks his head to the side, and smiles. “But it can be used to your advantage. Have you heard of the story
Romeo and Juliet
?”

“I have.” Pen used to read it to me. I always thought the story was asinine, but she insisted I listen.

“Two teenagers in the throws of young love.” He spins on his heel and collapses dramatically into the seat of the throne again. “Sacrificed themselves for one another in the name of that love. If they could not be together in life, perhaps they could find each other in death. A tragedy, a romance…” A smile creeps across his lips, bending the corners of his mouth into sharp angles. “A story, I believe, that will repeat itself.”

I wait.

“Kill your sister. Kill my brother. Or have them kill themselves.” He steeples his long, slender fingers under his chin. “I couldn’t care less how you do it. As long as they are dead.”

I bow low. “It would be my honor.”

“And after you reap their souls, bring me their hearts,” he adds, as if it’s an after thought.

I hesitate, my eyebrows drawn low. “Pen—” I stop and correct myself. “
Penemuel
has no heart, let alone a soul.”

“You’d be surprised.”

He smiles again, and I see the points of his teeth pinning down his lower lip. He makes no move to explain, so I consider myself dismissed and pick up my sword, turn on my heel, and march out of the room.

“Azael,” Lucifer calls out, his accented voice sharp in warning. “Do not fail me. I wish you the best of luck.”

I don’t need it,
I think, walking out of the room.

Lucifer’s laugh starts slowly, and by the time I reach the two gnarled Greater Demons guarding the door, his laughter has risen higher and louder, splitting through the silence in a shrill, delirious cackle.

I will find you, Pen. You still owe me that fight.

Author’s Note

Literature holds great significance to Pen. As the demon who was responsible for introducing man to the written word, she has a special place in her heart for literature of all kinds—but a special reverence for poetry.

There are several poems referenced throughout the story, and all are available under public domain. Below is a list of the poems and literature quoted throughout the text, for further reading (and I suggest further reading!):

• “Love and Harmony,” by William Blake
  
• “She Walks in Beauty,” by Lord Byron
  
• “In Neglect,” “Fire and Ice,” “The Road Not Taken,” “Stars,” and “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” by Robert Frost.
  
• “Paradise Lost,” by John Milton
  
• “Romeo and Juliet,” “Macbeth,” by William Shakespeare
  
• “Gasta,” (or “The Avenging Demon”) by Percy Bysshe Shelley
  
• “The Second Coming,” by William Butler Yeats
  

To learn more about poetry, visit
http://www.poets.org
.

Acknowledgements

There are so many people I need to thank. I feel like I should be standing at a podium nervously shuffling index cards. Okay, where should I begin? *Clears voice*

Mickey Reed, my charming, encouraging, eagle-eye editor. I am so happy I found you and I want to thank you for helping me put out the cleanest version of my story that I could. Thank you for reigning in my adverbs. I c0uldn”t have dun it without yew!

Kellie Sheridan, my always enthusiastic critique partner who helped me push my characters—even when they were being stubborn—and challenged me as a writer. You helped me through all of the peaks and valleys that come with writing and publishing a book. Without your guidance, I would have been lost and this book would have been incredibly different. Your feedback was invaluable, and I am eternally grateful to the internet for introducing me to you.

The handful of people who gave me early feedback on the early (and rather rough) versions of
Ignite
, especially Alli Kahan and Christine Nelson. Your comments were spot-on and often kept me from losing my mind in an endless cycle of insanity. Which is no small task.

Thank you for Stanislav Istratov for allowing me to use his gorgeous art as the cover for
Ignite
—I could never have dreamed of finding such an awesome image that so accurately represents Pen and her story.
http://flexdreams.com
.

And, as the say in
Gilligan’s Island
, “the rest.” This includes my friends and family (I was asked to mention my sister, JESSICA CROUCH, by name, so there it is) who have supported my writing ever since I can remember. From when I was a kid writing hundreds of poems just so I could use clip art, to when I decided to study creative writing in college… It’s not always easy to live with me, especially when I’m in my
writing mode
, but I appreciate your patience and support. Ja feel?

Thank you to the earlier reviewers and bloggers—especially Giselle Cormier from Xpresso Tours who helped light the match that sparked the interest of readers and bloggers alike. All the book blogs have been fantastic, not only to me and my book, but for the literary community as a whole. You guys rock!

Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank you, the reader, for letting my story into your life for even just a short time. Thank you for stepping into the pages and joining Pen, Az and Michael as their story unfolds. I hope you’ll return for the sequel.

About the author

Erica Crouch is a 20-year-old living on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland. She is pursuing a degree in English & Creative Writing with a specialization in Fiction at Southern New Hampshire University. Currently, she works for a small press in editorial services. She spends what spare time she has reading an overwhelming stack of books, watching an obscene amount of Netflix and procrastinating.
Ignite
is her debut novel and she is currently writing it’s sequel along with other future projects.

Read more about Erica and follow her blog on her website,
http://ericacrouchbooks.weebly.com
. Find her books on GoodReads,
http://goodreads.com/ericacrouch
.

Upcoming titles

Entice
is an e-novella that prequels Pen and Azael’s story in
Ignite,
going back to the final battle of the war and their time in Eden. It will be book 1.5 in the
Ignite
series and is expected to be released November 2013.

The sequel (and final installment of the
Ignite
series) is expected Spring 2014.