Shadows in the Silence (32 page)

Cadan watched me cautiously, studying me. As he grew closer, I sensed his demonic energy scratching at my own power like cat claws on a wall, digging through paint and plaster with an ear-splitting screech. I gritted my teeth hard and crushed my nails into my palm to keep myself grounded. I had called this demonic reaper my friend, this demonic reaper who had told me he loved me. The emotions in me now were so stirring, so conflicting, and I did not know what to do with myself. I was an archangel. What had I done to deserve the love of a demonic reaper? It was a strange thing.

“Are you okay?” he asked, watching my fists tighten as hard as they could. He took a step forward, but stopped himself. There was fear in his eyes as he gave Will a panicked look. “What did you mean by ‘sort of’ on the phone?”

“She’s an archangel,” Will confirmed. “But things are…complicated.”

“How complicated? Is she dangerous?”

I glared at both of them. “I am still able to hear you.”

“How do you feel?” Cadan asked. “Stronger?”

“I know I am stronger and I am ready to fight,” I said. “We must gather our forces and meet the armies of Hell on Armageddon. Is Ronan your recruit?”

“I am, among others,” Ronan replied stiffly.

“I have a little army of my own now,” Cadan said. “Those
who have been loyal to me before are no longer afraid to stand against Sammael.”

“Good,” I said. “I’m grateful for your allegiance. I hold no ill will toward those demonic who will fight by my side.”

He gave me an odd look. “Are you sure you’re okay? Ellie, are you in there? You seem…off.”

“She’s still settling in,” Will said pointedly, and crossed his arms.

I met his piercing green gaze. So much was stirring and unsaid in those hidden depths, and I remembered how I once comforted him when he looked like that. I shut my eyes tight. I remembered so much. I was weary with it all.

The hotel room door opened once more. Ethan Stone seemed out of breath and relieved. “You found her. Excellent. That’d be awkward if we handed out ‘lost archangel’ posters all over town. No one would take us seriously, for God’s sake. They’d arrest us!”

“Ethan,” Will mumbled disapprovingly.

“Well, they’d arrest you first,” he continued, pointing at Will. “You’re far more shady-looking than I. The tattoos. That’s what it is.”

I stepped up to him, having to crane my neck to look into his face. “Thank you for assisting in my ascension. You will be rewarded upon our victory.”

His mouth twitched. “
Upon
our victory. of course there’s a catch. My men are willing to meet you on Har Megiddo, but I have no intention of taking command of them, or to stick
around for the battle. I’ve had enough excitement with you to last me several lifetimes.”

“You’re leaving?” Will asked.

“Weep for me if you must,” Ethan said. “
Adieu
, my reaper friends, and currently archangel friend. Look me up if you survive the apocalypse, yeah?”

After Ethan had gone, Cadan gave an update on the state of our army and that of Sammael. “I have a hundred or so recruited under my command. I’ve led in battle before and I’m willing to take more.”

“Have you heard from Ava and Marcus?” Will asked.

Cadan nodded. “They have several thousand soldiers, perhaps enough to fill a legion, who will arrive tomorrow at dusk on the hill. All reapers have been anticipating this battle. They’ve been ready.”

“Sammael knows we’re in Jerusalem,” Ronan said. “The battle on Armageddon has been long foretold. He will have his spies watching the hill.”

“I will not wait for him,” I said, gazing down at the Pentalpha around my finger. “I will call him to me.”

Will watched me with a careful gaze. “Are you sure?”

“I have the power I need,” I said. “It’s time to fight. Do we have an estimation of our enemies’ numbers?”

Cadan looked grim. “Ten thousand. Likely more. We’re still outnumbered two to one, even with an archangel on our side.”

“Do not forget how David defeated Goliath,” I told him.
“Not with skill in warfare or large numbers, but with faith. You must believe that we can win, or we can
not
win. Have faith in me and in yourself.”

“Always.” He offered a small smile that lasted for only a moment and he turned toward the door. “The sun’s coming up. We’ll meet you on the hill at twilight.”

The two demonic reapers left me alone with my Guardian once more. The stillness between us was eerily quiet and as tense as cracks in glass. Though he sat in a chair at the table and said nothing, Will seemed to be balancing on the edge of screaming at the top of his lungs. I did not know what to do. I was exhausted, not only from the journey and my ascension, but from the battle I waged against myself deep within. My humanity, my human soul, was not lost; it lingered like a stubborn piece of flesh left hanging from the cut of a sword and was just as agonizing. My archangel discipline wanted to yank it off and cast it aside, but I clung to it. I knew I was supposed to let go, but I didn’t want to. I was afraid to. Acknowledging my fear had to be the first step of my undoing.

“Are you prepared?” Will asked. “We should sleep a few hours, eat, and head to the hill.”

I refused to make the mistake of letting my thoughts show. “I have been preparing for this a very long time. I will evoke Azrael, claim the hallowed glaive, and I will defeat Sammael and Lilith.”

He stood and eased toward me, but remained several feet
away. “It’s okay if you’re afraid. I know the angels are not supposed to feel emotion, but I know you do. I can still feel you through the link in my tattoos.”

My heartbeat quickened as he neared me, no matter how calm I struggled to stay. “Emotion is a weakness.”

“That’s not what you’ve said, and believed.”

“I was wrong.”

“You’re wrong now,” he said. “You’re lying about what you really think.”

I glared at him. “How would you know what I think?”

His smile was small and secret. “Because I have loved you for five centuries and I know your heart. You’ve spent a lot of time teaching me to bend the rules and to follow my heart, and you know what? You were right. So there is no way I will ever believe that everything about you has changed in one night.”

“I know better now,” I told him. “Anything but obedience is wrong.”

He shook his head, his gaze hardening. “You don’t believe that.”

“I am an archangel,” I said. “I must obey—”

“And give up happiness?” he asked, cutting me off. “I know you remember what it felt like to be human. You can’t deny that.”

I took a deep breath, summoning my courage. “I don’t deny it. My humanity haunts me.”

“Then come back to me,” he begged. “With every second
that passes I see a little more of Ellie in your eyes.”

I tried not to look at him, words sputtering out of me like water. “We are not supposed to feel. To feel is to disobey.”

“That isn’t you talking,” he said. “I want her back. I want Ellie back.”

“This is who I am, Guardian.”

“No. She’s still in there.” He grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me against him, startling me.

“Let go of me,” I ordered. “What are you doing?”

His firefly eyes, all green flames and shadows, seared into mine. “I’m waking you up.”

I gasped as he dipped his head and kissed me hard, opening his mouth against mine and crushing me into his body. I pressed my hands into his chest, feeling his hot skin beneath my fingertips, and I knew I should push him away, but I didn’t want to. His kiss brought memories raging to the surface of my mind, thoughts I couldn’t experience without…without
feeling
with a part of me that was deeper than my skin, a part of me that ached. I felt happiness and comfort and a wanting for him, every inch of him. I felt this human soul stir and cry out, beating at the walls that had caged it in when I’d become an archangel again. My human soul was the core of this body, my archangel power just an extension—something alien. I had to accept what I was now: an archangel with a human soul. I was happy, and that made me stronger, more determined. I was a puzzle made of pieces that didn’t belong, but when he touched me, those pieces
melded together with perfection, as if they’d always been meant to. As if he’d always been meant to touch me.

He pulled away with a deep breath, his eyes even brighter than they were moments ago. They scattered over every inch of my face and returned to linger on my lips before his gaze met mine, his fingers twining through my hair. “Say my name,” he ordered, his voice low and husky.

I swallowed hard. “Will.”

His jaw tightened and he shook his head. “No. Say my name like you know you love me. Like you remember what it feels like when I touch you. Like you remember what I feel like.”

I shut my eyes and remembered the heat of his skin on mine, the sound of his voice in the darkness, the sound of my own name on his lips whispered into my ear like a prayer.

A human tear rolled down my cheek and I wasn’t ashamed of it. “Will,” I breathed.

He smiled that familiar smile that was only ever for me, and I once again understood what beautiful meant.
He
was beautiful. The love I felt for him was beautiful. Will. My Will. Then he kissed me again and I lost myself in him.

I WATCHED THE MOON RISE OVER HAR MEGIDDO from my perch on the hill overlooking an expansive valley of green farmland, rich dark soil, and rock. I sat atop an ancient stone wall built into a ledge, one leg dangling over the edge, and I leaned onto my other knee. The stone was still warm from the day’s sun, and the ruins cast long, clawlike shadows in the silence. The scrub-covered hill was dotted with tall palms and fresh excavations uncovering layers upon layers of human civilization. Soon the hill would be dotted with blood as well.

Will came toward me, hopping over a low stone wall and jogging up a staircase carved into the rock. “They’re here,” he said.

I gazed ahead at a great shadow coming up the hill and I smiled, nodding in approval. Ava, Marcus, and Madeleine
had returned, and with them, a legion of angelic reapers. My three friends came forward with the other angelic reapers serving as my generals, the elite. I recognized the faces of Berengar, Calix, and Evolet. A fiery-haired female staying close to Ava had to be Maeghan, her contact in Brussels.

“Ellie!” Marcus called. He looked tired and, in fact, they all did. “Did it work? Are you an angel?”

I answered by spreading my wings, tearing through the fabric of my shirt. Surprise lit their faces—some showing fear—their gazes running the length of my wings, spilling over the gleam of the feathers in the moonlight. only Madeleine looked upon me with sadness.

“Thank you for joining us,” I said to them.

Evolet flashed me a smile. “What can I say? You inspired me.”

“My lady,” Berengar murmured, and dropped to his knees. “Gabriel.”

The army of angelic reapers knelt to the ground, folding over like a wave breaking the beach. I surveyed them, friends and strangers who’d come here to perhaps die for our cause, and I stood up from my spot on the ledge. We were outnumbered two to one, but I knew that more than ratios and ready swords mattered in this battle. These soldiers had faith in me as their leader, and faith was what we needed to win.

“Rise,” I called out to them, and the sea of reapers returned to their feet, a thousand pairs of eyes like a rainbow of stars across the dark land. “I do not wish for tribute. I
wish only for your faith in me. We have all come a long way to meet on this hill. Some of you may be afraid, and that is all right.”

I looked at Will below me on the ground, whose smile was quiet as he watched me.

“It is natural to feel fear,” I continued, “but tonight I offer you courage. It is all that I can offer you. I cannot guarantee victory or even your lives, but take of me my courage and glory will be yours. I thank you for fighting with me through the eons and for fighting with me tonight for possibly the last time.”

A great energy rolling through the hills made me lift my gaze. I took in the sight of yet another army—this one led by Cadan. He had come through, just as I knew he would. I smiled, because I was no longer afraid of the emotions I felt. Among the demonic reapers who had turned their backs on Hell was a force of at least one hundred heavily armed humans. They had to be Ethan Stone’s promised mercenaries, humans who had trained to combat the demonic reapers—yet tonight they submitted to the command of one.

I heard hissing and spit curses, the shuffling of boots and clinking of metal blades coming from the angelic reapers, who clearly weren’t as accepting of the new arrivals as I was. The humans who had joined the demonic were battle scarred and seemed to be champing at the bit for action in the field. What they lacked in numbers and supernatural strength, they made up for in grit and passion.

“Gabriel,” Cadan said when he stopped at Will’s side and his opalescent eyes met mine.

My smile widened. “My friend.” I lifted my head to address our growing army. “Tonight we are all friends. The world is not so black and white as we have believed for a very long time. once our enemies, these reapers are now our friends, and we are united against a common enemy.”

Ronan came forward, flanked by two demonic reapers, a male and a female. “This is Anders and Adara,” he announced. “They will join Cadan and me in leading the demonic infantry.”

I offered them a warm smile and withdrew my heavy wings. “Come with me,” I said to my generals.

They followed me a little ways higher up the hill covered with the ruins of an ancient city along a path meant for tourists and excavators. I beckoned them to a bit of open ground where I’d been devising our main tactic. They studied my formations etched into the dirt. I marked our location on the hill and down into the valley where Hell’s armies would come.

“Where did you learn all of this, Ell?” Cadan asked, marveling, his eyes following the path of our formations.

I frowned at him. “I am the archangel Gabriel, second only to Michael in Heaven. I led our armies to victory over Lucifer and then over the Nephilim. This is not my first battle.”

His mouth twitched. “Oh, right.”

“When the demonic armies come,” I said, “they will
expect us to be defensive, stand our ground, and to defend the hill. I don’t care about this hill. It’s just rock and dirt. We will not wait here while they overwhelm us with their numbers. They will attempt to wrap around us, to charge our front and fold around us like wings on either side until we are crushed. We must do that to them first. We must take an offensive approach.”

“We have to stay spread out,” Will said.

“Yes,” I agreed with a nod. “It will spread us thin and weaken our ranks, but if we surprise Sammael’s armies, then we can even the odds, perhaps even gain the upper hand.”

Madeleine studied the diagram in the sand. “But how? We are at the top of this hill and they can see everything.”

“Not everything,” I said. “They won’t be able to see behind the hill and they won’t expect us to charge at them. This is an infantry battle, but that doesn’t mean we’re limited to the ground. our center—led by Will and Madeleine—will charge down the hill at the enemy center and catch them by surprise. They will certainly not expect that we have demonic reinforcements. Even
I
never expected so many. Thank you, Cadan. As our center charges, I want our wings—each led by Marcus and Ava—to fold around the enemy center, trapping them. I will need you to divide the human soldiers between our wings. our demonic forces will come from overhead. We will trap them in the front, on the left and right, and from above. We will give them nowhere to run and we will annihilate them.”

“And their leaders?” Berengar asked. “Lilith and Sammael?”

“Leave them to me,” I said. “Do not attack them, because you will not survive. Keep the formation, keep driving. Wait for my signals to close the wings and to swarm from above. Does everyone understand? Cadan, Anders, Adara, get your infantry behind the hill. Do not engage until I tell you to. Ava, Marcus, the rest of you, prepare your forces.”

Cadan nodded and took his captains with him to move the demonic troops, while Ava and Marcus went to divide the angelic troops into the wide, thin front with flanks that would—if successful—close on the armies of Sammael and Lilith.

Across the valley, a wall of space began to shimmer like heat rising from the pavement. Shadows moved through the darkness, headed directly for Har Megiddo. Their shapes crawled across the earth like the flames of an inferno licking across the ceiling of a burning room, only these flames were pitch-black in the night. The armies of Sammael began to pour through the Grim—five thousand demonic reapers, maybe ten.

“Madeleine,” I called to her, catching her attention instantly. “Scout the edges of their forces. Find Lilith and Sammael and return to me with their locations.”

She gave a curt nod, spread her wings, and lifted into the air. It was now time for me to summon Azrael and claim the hallowed glaive.

“Stay close to me,” I said to Will and took his hand. “I need your strength now more than ever.”

He shut his eyes and put his forehead to mine. “You have it.”

When he stepped back, I clenched my right fist and spoke to the sky. “I am the Messenger, Gabriel, she who is set over all the powers. I evoke thee, Azrael, the Destroyer, lord of the shepherds of the dead.”

I waited for that brilliant flash of light announcing the arrival of an angel, but there was none. My mouth opened in surprise and fear and I gaped at the ring on my finger. It grew warm when I used its power, but Azrael did not appear. Nothing happened.

“No,
no
,” I moaned. “Why won’t it work? I don’t understand!”

“What’s the matter?” Will asked, eyes bright with worry.

“The ring,” I said. “It won’t work. I did exactly what I did when I called Azrael last time. I don’t understand why it fails now.”

Will looked on toward the dark horizon. “Sammael’s army is coming. What should we do?”

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. “I will fight without Azrael’s glaive.”

Madeleine returned then, touching down from the sky and folding her wings back.

“Is Sammael down there?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Lilith leads them.”

My jaw set and I searched the incoming army of Hellspawn. “Where is Sammael? He’s the one I want.”

“You can’t defeat him without the hallowed glaive,” Madeleine warned.

I gave her a sharp look. “Whether I have Azrael’s glaive or not, I must fight. I have returned to Armageddon and now I must meet my brother in combat.”

“Ellie,” Will pleaded. “Sammael’s armies are here. We can fight them first, then figure out why Azrael won’t be summoned.”

“No,” I said firmly. “We must kill their leader and the demonic will scatter, confused and without orders. We must cut the head off the serpent and then deal with the rest. This is our best chance. Madeleine, take control of the front. When the demonic reach the edge of the hill, charge.”

She left and I climbed to the crest of the stone wall once more. “God give me strength,” I whispered to the stars.

The armies of Hell flooded into the valley to clash with the angelic and demonic reapers who fought for Heaven. Soon my ears would fill with battle cries, dying screams, and the clash of metal.

“I am the Messenger, Gabriel, she who is set over all the powers,” I called out. “I evoke thee, Sammael, the Lord of Souls and Fallen angel of death. I am the Will of God and you shall come forth, incubus, the serpent with the lion’s face, the venom of God—”

“That is enough name calling,” came a voice that sent
snakes through my belly. “I heard you the first time, little sister.”

The sky flashed with blackness, impossibly darkening the night for an instant, and lightning cracked across the clouds. The blade of the scythe ripped through the sky first, encrusted with the eyes of the humans whose souls he’d devoured as if the dead eyes were jewels. Trophies dangled from the staff of the scythe—human and animal hair, bones, and teeth—and I stared into the face of the grinning skull mounted atop the enormous blade. Sammael, boasting his true Fallen form, emerged from the shadows, his charred, skeletal wings spread to a pitiful width, the joints cracking and burned tendons tearing. His armor gleamed like oil slicks in the moonlight, and the horns on his head cut through the failing light like spires twisting toward the heavens.

He touched the ground, settling light as a feather. Flanking him was his pair of pet leonine reapers that had come through the void when he was released from the sarcophagus. Their dark slate coats rippled over sleek, sinewy bodies, and when their eyes—as golden as Sammael’s and mine—found my face, they snapped their powerful jaws and the bone spikes in their manes prickled. Will stepped close to me, shielding me as they circled us both.

“Gabriel, Gabriel,” Sammael crooned. “Look at you, all grown up and come to Armageddon to sound your horn. I warned you what would happen if you stood against me.”

I summoned my Khopesh swords and angelfire swallowed
them, the white light devouring the darkness. My wings burst free and I launched myself off the ground at him with a fierce cry. I lifted a sword—and then teeth clamped around my ankle and yanked me back to the earth. I fell onto my hands and knees, grinding rock into my skin, and before I could turn to see what had hold of me, it dragged me backward across stone. I whipped around, beating my wings to break free. one of the leonine reapers stepped in front of me and I turned my head to see the other had been the thing to chomp down on my ankle. I swore as the leonine in front of me moved in for the kill. A figure blurred above it and it looked up, hissing like a crocodile, as Will swung his sword through its neck. The leonine’s head went spiraling through the air, its quilled mane scattering spikes across the ground.

With that threat gone, I shoved my free boot into the dirt and kicked off. I spun in the air, sweeping an angelfire-drenched sword toward the remaining leonine reaper’s face. It was smarter than its brother; it dropped me and opened its jaws to roar as it backed off. My boots found the earth again and I stomped toward the reaper, wings wide and swords swinging. It sank onto its haunches, skeletal tail swaying left and right, talons kneading the rock, carving gouges into the surface. Then it sprang, claws questing for me, but exposing its unprotected chest. I stepped aside and slashed a sword, cutting deep into the leonine reaper’s chest. It loosed a scream that was almost humanlike and it hit the ground, shredding earth with its claws as it slid to a stop. It whirled and came
at me again. This time I stood firm and didn’t give in as I slashed my sword again. My blade cut through the hard cage of bone and tore the tender organs within. The reaper’s body burst into angelfire and ash, vaporizing around me.