The Belial Origins (31 page)

CHAPTER 98

L
aney stood at the entrance of a cave. The flickering of light farther in told her that the cave was long and narrow. She glanced over at her mother and gave her a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

Victoria held onto Ralph’s arm tightly, but she kept her voice light. “I know you will.”

“Laney,” Ralph called out.

She turned.

“Whatever you do, you must reach the end of the path. Do not let anything deter you.”

Laney gave him an abrupt nod. Then she stepped inside.

The path was wide, but it narrowed as she moved along. Soon she could touch both sides of the cave simultaneously. A fog seemed to settle over her as she went, but when the path ended at a large cavern, the fog disappeared.

Laney paused at the entrance of the cavern. Giant stalactites reached down from the ceiling forty feet above her. Stalagmites rose from the ground.
Okay, you can do this.

Heart hammering, Laney stepped into the large space.

Nothing happened.

She stepped farther in, her eyes darting about, but still nothing moved. Confused, Laney stared up at the ceiling. What was the test? It couldn’t be—

Movement on the ceiling drew her attention. A dark shape shifted. Squinting, she realized it wasn’t a shape, but
shapes
. Laney’s pulse raced. Hundreds of bats lined the ceiling of the cave. As if realizing they’d been seen, they swooped as one down toward Laney.

Laney sprinted for the other side of the cavern, the bats diving at her from all sides. She tripped and slid onto her stomach. The bats swarmed, nipping at her back and pulling on her hair. Panicked, she flailed her arms and legs, trying to shove them off, but to no avail.

Stop
, she commanded herself. Focusing all her attention on the ring, she called up a wind and slammed the bats into the wall. The attack lessened, but a few still dove at her. Without a thought, Laney called up rain next. It came down in sheets, drenching both the bats and herself.

The bats flew off, and she jumped to her feet. She ran for other side of the cavern. There were three openings in the far wall.

Oh, come on.
She chose the one on the right and sprinted through. Torches sprang to life in the distance.

Twenty feet in, Laney glanced behind her, but none of the bats were giving chase. It was as if they couldn’t move beyond the boundary of the cavern. She stopped. Letting out a breath, she shook out her arms and wrung out both her hair and her shirt.
Okay, apparently this is going to be a test of skill.

Shaking off the panic the bats had caused, Laney continued forward. She had lost her flashlight in the mad dash, but a torch flickered down the tunnel around a bend, providing faint light.

Laney again looked behind her. The bats were now swarming around the entrance of the tunnel, clearly unable to enter.
It’s either go through the bats again or face the unknown around the corner.
For a hysterical moment she felt like she was in some horrible game show.

Ralph’s words came back to her.
You must reach the end of the path.

Squaring her shoulders, Laney headed toward the light. Something glinted on the floor. She knelt down and pushed away the dirt. A dagger. Laney picked it up.
It was serrated, with a wooden handle.

What are you doing here? I thought weapons weren’t allowed.

Pausing for only a second, Laney tucked it into her belt. Weapons might not be allowed to come in, but if one was
already
in here, it seemed stupid to not take advantage of it.

She took another step forward, and immediately a jolt of electricity shot through her. She grabbed onto the wall and gritted her teeth as she waited for the weakness in her legs to pass.
Damned archangels.
But at least now she knew what was around the corner.

As she rounded the bend, a muscular man with dark skin stood waiting twenty feet ahead. Behind him was a rope bridge with a wooden base, not all that different from the ones the Shuar had used.

“Ring bearer,” he said, “I am Gabriel.”

Laney started. Gabriel, the messenger of God.

He stepped away from the bridge and gestured toward it. “You may continue on your journey. The end of the path is just over the bridge.”

Laney studied him.
This is too easy. What am I missing?
She looked to both sides of the bridge. It was too dark to see anything. She stepped forward and heard a sound to her right—a muffled squeak.

Laney stopped. “What’s over there?”

“It’s nothing, ring bearer. Your time is limited. You must cross the bridge to complete your mission.”

Laney stared hard at the spot where she’d heard the noise. Something was swaying there. “I want to see what’s there.”

“Very well.” Gabriel waved his hand, and torches ringing the cavern flared to life.

Laney gasped. A cage was suspended over the empty space next to the bridge. Within were two bound and gagged figures: a woman of Asian descent with dark hair and eyes, and a small girl who was undeniably her daughter.

Laney whirled toward Gabriel. “What is the meaning of this?”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, and his tone was harsh. “Nothing, ring bearer. They are not your concern.”

The little girl’s eyes stared back at Laney, pleading for help.

Laney turned to Gabriel. “Are they being punished for something?”

“No.”

Anger built inside Laney. “Release them.”

“No. And your time is running short.”

Laney glared at Gabriel before turning her attention back to the cage. One of the torches was lit near where the rope was tied to the wall. Smoke drifted from the spot.
Oh my God.

“They’ll be killed.”

Gabriel’s voice was hard. “Remember your mission, ring bearer. They are not your concern. Stay on the path.”

Laney stared helplessly at the mother and child. Everything that was resting on her shoulders ran through her mind. If she crossed the bridge and ignored their suffering, she would pass the test. The world could be saved. If she didn’t, she would be killed, and it would fall to her friends to beat back the Fallen.

The mother’s gaze locked on Laney’s. The fear and desperation the woman felt for her daughter was palpable.

No. If the ring bearer is supposed to let people die, then they’ve got the wrong girl.
Laney ran to the edge of the landing and called on the wind. But nothing came. She stared down at her ring and then at Gabriel. He looked back at her, his face blank.

She tried again, but still nothing.
So, no powers.

The smoke near the rope had grown thicker. It wouldn’t last much longer.

“Do not be distracted, ring bearer. You know what needs to be done.”

Laney glared at the angel, reading only coldness in his face, no compassion. Then she turned back to the mother and child.
Yes. I do know what needs to be done.

Laney ran back from the edge of the cliff, paused only long enough to take a breath, then sprinted for the edge. She leapt at the last possible second. She flew through the air, her fingers barely catching the edge of the cage.

Heart pounding, forearms straining, she pulled herself up, and threw her right foot around one of the bars. From there she pulled herself to a standing position on the outside of the cage.

The girl and her mother stared at her, tears streaming down both their faces.

“It’s going to be okay,” Laney panted. She climbed around the cage to the door, which was held tight by a thickly knotted rope. Using her dagger, Laney sliced through the rope and climbed inside. She removed the mother’s binds and then the child’s, all the while stealing glances at the smoking rope that held them all aloft.

Laney gestured at the cage bars. “You need to hold on.”

The mother grabbed hold of her daughter, then wrapped her arms around the bars, keeping her daughter in front of her.

Laney climbed back out, positioning herself at the side farthest from the bridge. Using her legs and arms for power, she shoved at the cage, treating it as if it were a giant swing. Slowly, little by little, the cage began to sway. She pushed harder and harder, her gaze shifting between the rope and the bridge.

Gabriel had disappeared. Laney struggled not to think about what that meant.

Come on. Come on.

The cage swung over the bridge. Laney reached out to grab one of the bridge’s anchor ropes, but missed. She swung harder, and she managed to snag one on their next swing. But the cage was too heavy, and her hand slipped.

Pushing harder, she came back around for another swing. This time she wrapped her feet around the bars and reached out to the anchor rope with both hands. She grabbed it and held; but she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold it for long. Already her hands were beginning to slip.

“Get out. Get out!” Laney yelled.

The woman hauled her child toward the doorway. At the edge, she pushed the girl toward the bridge. For one heartbreaking moment, Laney thought the girl would miss. But she grabbed on to the bridge and with her mother’s help from above, she scrambled onto it.

Laney’s fingers began to slip.
No, no.

It was the mother’s turn. She leapt for the bridge. She made it.

Thank God.
But Laney’s fingers had reached the breaking point; she lost her hold. The cage swung backward, Laney hanging on by her feet.

And then the rope snapped.

In horror, Laney watched the darkness rush up to meet her. She closed her eyes, picturing Jake and Henry.
I’m sorry. I failed.

CHAPTER 99

Baltimore, Maryland

P
atrick gazed out the window in the hospital room at Johns Hopkins. Below him, cars zipped by and people walked along the sidewalks chatting on phones, occasionally alone. Patrick examined each of them, trying to pick out the SIA agents and Chandler operatives. He knew they were out in full force, both outside the hospital and within.

Finally he sighed and turned away from the window. The activity hadn’t been as distracting as he had hoped.

Henry was in the room next door. Jen and Danny were with him. Henry was doing as well as could be expected, but it would still be weeks, if not months, before he was back to normal.

Patrick looked at Jake, asleep in the bed next to him. Jake’s recovery would be no quicker.

All the Chandler resources were out in force to keep Henry and Jake safe. And Laney was out there with only Ralph and Victoria against an army of Fallen. Patrick rolled his hands into fists.

Keep her safe.
He’d prayed those same words he didn’t know how many times since this had all begun. But right now, his fear was stronger than he could remember. The closest it had come was when Laney was grabbed by Azazyel and he felt like she was alone. And now with Henry and Jake down, he felt that again.

“Laney?” Jake’s voice was weak.

Patrick hurried to the side of the bed.

Jake blinked up at Patrick. “Patrick?”

Patrick forced a smile to his face as he patted Jake’s shoulder. “Hey, Jake. You’re all right. You’re in the hospital in Baltimore.”

Jake struggled to sit up. “Where’s Laney? Is she all right?”

Patrick pressed Jake’s shoulder gently back down. “She’s fine. She wasn’t hurt. It’s you and Henry we’re all worried about.”

“Henry?”

Patrick quickly explained about Henry’s injuries and why he was healing slowly.

Jake leaned back heavily, closing his eyes. “What about Jorgen?”

“No one’s sure. He was pulled away by the river.”

“So where’s Laney? With Henry?”

Patrick looked at the man whom Laney loved with all her heart. He knew Jake loved her back just as fiercely. And he hated to have to tell him the truth. He thought for a moment about lying—at least until Jake was better—but he knew how angry Jake would be if the truth was kept from him.

“She went after the tree.”

Jake’s jaw tightened. “I’d like to say I’m surprised, but I’m not. How many people did she take with her?”

“Two.”

Jake’s eyes flew open. “What? But the Fallen will be there. Tons of them.”

Patrick nodded, a cold ball of fear expanding in his stomach. “I know. And so did she.”

Jake met Patrick’s eyes and didn’t look away. “She’ll make it back to us. She will.”

Patrick nodded, but tears clogged his throat. And the fear that had been running around his brain in an unending loop sprang to his lips. “But if it comes to a question of saving her life and everyone else’s, what do think she’ll choose?”

Jake’s gaze shifted away from Patrick’s, his jaw tightening. “She’ll come back.”

But this time Jake’s words sounded less like a statement and more like a hope.