It’s all a chaotic blur from there.
Lucifer bursts into my room, naked from the waist up, eyes wide with disbelief.
“You saw her,” he says, coming over to my bedside. “You saw Gabriella.”
I nod furiously. “You saw her too?”
“Yes. In the cemetery. Dirty, bleeding. She was running, trying to escape.”
“Escape Legion.”
“Yes. He was there.”
I reel back a bit, confused. “How did you see it? Are you saying he gave us both the same dream?”
“I wasn’t dreaming,” he replies, shaking his head. “One moment, I’m reading, and then it was playing out right in front of me. Like I was there.”
“Me too. It was like…I was beside her, running with her.”
We take a beat of stunned silence before we both nearly jump out of our skin when an unfamiliar chime sounds from the living room.
“What the…”
I’m not sure if it’s an alarm or what, but we go rushing towards its origin to find that it’s coming from the jacket I haplessly draped over the loveseat. I rummage through the pockets and retrieve the cell phone Toyol shoved into my hands just before I jumped out of the car.
“Hello?”
“Did you just see that?”
I nod even though I know Toyol can’t see me. “It was Gabriella in the cemetery. You saw it too, right?”
“We all did. We need to get there as soon as possible. We’ll be there in 10.”
He hangs up and I scurry back to my room and pull on my pants from last night. Within the next second, I’m in the bathroom, hurriedly brushing my teeth and throwing my hair into a messy ponytail. Lucifer regards me with a stern yet thoughtful look.
“You need to get dressed. They’ll be here soon.”
“I’m not sure this is a good idea. It could be a trap.”
“Or it could be our only chance to rescue Gabriella, so we have to take it. You saw for yourself—she’s there. Or she was there. Either way, I’m not going to sit around waiting.”
“And you saw who was with her. Meaning, Legion is here. In New Orleans. You aren’t prepared for this.”
“Don’t tell me what I’m prepared for.”
“Eden, just stop and think about this for a moment.”
I slam down my hairbrush in frustration. “We’ve been stopping and thinking for days. This is our chance, Lucifer. I’m taking it.”
He huffs out an aggravated breath. “Fine. If this is what you want.”
I nod. “You need to summon Niko. He and Dorian need to be there.”
“We shouldn’t involve them until we know what we’re up against.”
I stop what I’m doing, and finally turn to face him. He seems obviously shaken—who wouldn’t be? This is the moment we’ve been hoping for, yet we’ve also been dreading it. We’re about to go head to head with Legion. And even at this very second, I’m not certain if we’re running off to kill him or save him.
Still, there’s more than our broken hearts at stake here. Gabriella, the Dark Queen, is not only in danger of being murdered by The Many, but she’s also at risk of being activated as War, the Red Rider. And considering the devastation unintentionally inflicted on Europe, New Orleans will surely be wiped off the map, no doubt taking surrounding cities with it. Millions will die, and they wouldn’t even see it coming.
“If this was the woman you loved,” I begin, hoping to reason with him. “If this was your wife and your unborn child, wouldn’t you want to be there? Wouldn’t you do everything in your power to save her, to encourage her to stay strong, and keep fighting? When everything seems hopeless, we need our family. Gabriella needs her family. And they need her. Don’t take this away from them.”
He blinks, and I can’t even be sure he’s heard me until he responds, “Give me two minutes.”
He exits my room, leaving me to finish getting ready for battle. And in the span of that time, the nerves set in.
We’re going to see him. I’m going to come face to face with the demon I had surrendered my heart and body to, only to have him stolen away from me in the middle of the night. I thought I was prepared for this, but am I? Can I be the one to sink a dagger into his heart? Can I sacrifice myself so that he may live?
As promised, Lucifer returns minutes later with Niko on his heels, both of them fully dressed and ready.
“The Se7en are downstairs,” he states.
“Dorian is down there with Alexander and Lars,” Niko states. His eyes are wild and pale with anticipation. “We’ll take them to the cemetery. We don’t have time to waste in a car.” Then before I can even greet him, he disintegrates into wisps of dark grey smoke.
“Ready?” Lucifer asks me, extending a palm.
I look down at his hand, briefly wondering if I truly am. Then I intertwine my fingers with his.
“Let’s do it.”
Defying space and time and traveling through pockets of darkness with Lucifer is different than it was with Niko or even Gabriella. There’s a warmth in his power that’s almost familiar, and I find that it’s not so much him pulling me, it’s us propelling through invisible tunnels of magic together, as equals.
When we arrive outside the gates of the cemetery, four of the Se7en, Dorian, Niko, Alexander, and the Light Enchanter, Lars, are already there, each of them wearing varied faces of determination and fury. Although I know they must be upset with me, I go up to Lilith and Andras and embrace them.
“I’m so sorry about Jinn,” I murmur, hoping they can feel my sincerity. I turn to Lilith. “Did they tell you? About…Pestilence?”
The beautiful, svelte blonde assassin nods just once, her blue eyes tinged with shame. “They did.” She begins to shake her head. “I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean to do any of it.”
Before I can stop myself, I hug her again. I know we don’t have time for this, nor is this the place, but I want her to know that she’s not alone in this. This isn’t her fault. And if she goes down, she’ll have three sisters holding her hand and pulling her back up.
“You hear that?” Cain asks the group. He’s dressed much like the other members of the Se7en: black leather pants, black jacket, and more weapons than I can count.
I pull away from Lilith and look around, seeing nothing but night surrounding us. “What?”
“Silence. Dead silence,” he answers.
He’s right. There’s no music flitting from the various bars and restaurants. No laughter and jovial singing from their patrons. Not even so much as a car’s engine. The city is sleeping. No. Not sleeping. The city is dying.
“There’s evil here,” Dorian states, stepping up, his blue eyes bright as his mystical gaze cuts through the darkness. He, along with the other warlocks, is dressed in a full-length wool coat and slacks. No weapons. They don’t need them.
“Eyes open,” Lucifer commands, coming to stand beside me. “It’s a trick.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’m the one who taught them how to do it.”
“We’re going in,” Dorian dares. “With or without you.”
“Then you’ll be playing right into their hands.”
“My wife is in there,” he urges. “I can feel her. Her magic is waning and she needs me. I won’t stand out here like a coward when I know she’s in danger.”
“He’s right,” Toyol agrees. There’s some type of scope fixed to his eye. “We don’t go in, she’s as good as dead. I can smell her blood.”
Dorian’s expression crumples to one of agony, but it only lasts a second before he replaces his mask of determined rage.
“Fine. But know that there are dozens of demons beyond this gate,” Lucifer explains. “And they aren’t merely low-level skin walkers. They’re here for a fight.”
Niko takes his brother’s flank. “Then we’ll give them one.”
We all exchange tense glances before Cain signals us forward. Lilith and Andras automatically step up to my right and left. Cain leads with Toyol a step behind. After them, the warlocks approach the gate, each of them crouched in catlike stances that seem almost elegant compared to the demons that rely more on brute strength and firepower. Lilith nudges us forward after them.
“Are you sure you want to do this again?”
I nod then whisper, “You’re not the only one with blood on her hands. I can’t take back what I’ve done and what I’m fated to do, but I can try like hell to make this right.”
We advance forward, weapons drawn. Although I can’t see him, I know Lucifer is right behind me, watching my every step and counting every racing heartbeat. I’m surprised he isn’t taking lead on this, especially since he knows demons better than anyone. But he also isn’t thrilled about this plan. A big part of me is curious as to why. There are ten of us, and most are the deadliest creatures on the planet. There has to be another reason why he’s so hesitant. This is the crack in the case that we’ve been dying for. And while, yes, it’s more sudden than we’d like, we couldn’t exactly expect Legion to send an invitation in the mail.
We decide to stay together versus breaking into teams, which is smart, considering we have no clue what could be waiting for us. We weren’t prepared in Chicago, and we’re even less prepared now, especially since the Se7en have been nearly cut in half. Also, other than Niko and Lucifer, not many of us know the lay of the land when it comes to New Orleans. Add in that this is Voodoo witch territory, and we’re all pretty much going in blind.
Cain silently points into the darkness then turns to nod at Dorian. From there, the warlocks take the lead, and Cain and Toyol fall back.
“They’ve caught her scent,” Andras whispers out of the corner of his mouth, keeping his stare focused ahead.
Her scent.
I haven’t wanted to think about it, but the smell of blood in the air has gotten stronger since we passed the cemetery gates. Which means Gabriella is in serious trouble. Or we’re already too late.
Someone grabs my arm from behind, and in any other situation, I would have shrieked loud enough to wake the dead, or punched first and asked questions later. But I know upon contact that it’s Lucifer, pulling me back.
“Stay calm,” he breathes into my ear.
I turn to face him to find that his eyes are bright, glowing orbs of swirling violet and obsidian. I don’t even have time to ask him what he means by his warning before the first shout sounds from ahead.
A blood-curdling snarl.
A flash of blinding light.
An electric blue current of undiluted magic.
And then…anarchy.
It all happens so fast that I don’t even get a round off before Lucifer spins, positioning me behind him. He flings his power out, and I only hear the sickening sound of bones breaking and tendon ripping. There are screams, but I can’t tell if they’re coming from our group or whatever is out there attacking us. I can’t see. Fuck. Even when I push out my enhanced Nephilim sight, I can’t see where the threat is coming from. It’s as if our attackers are everywhere and nowhere, practically invisible until they’re right on top of us.
I try to maneuver around Lucifer to join the fight, but he pushes me back once again before forcing out another assault of sinister power. The distinct sounds of tearing flesh and gurgling blood quickly follow after, and I catch a glimpse of a dozen or so disemboweled bodies just feet away from us. I turn to look ahead where the Dark are battling a horde of approaching demons and see even more mangled corpses. Gunshots ring out like fireworks, the empty shells and sprays of blood raining down around me like dying metallic sparklers.
The carnage calls out to me, taunting me, seducing me. It slithers over my body and vibrates in my veins, a violent, hypnotic war drum. I am utterly beguiled by its rhythm as it draws me in. The farther I inch towards it, the less of me there is. I am not lost. It’s like the more it engulfs of me, the more I disappear completely, as if I never even existed. Its pulse becomes my pulse, and its limbs become my limbs. We are not just bonded by bloodshed. We are one in it. It is inside me because it is me.
Death.
This is Death.
I am Death.
“Fall back! Now!”
Cain’s gruff command shakes me from Death’s enchantment, and it hurriedly slinks away. However, I can still feel it…can still see it hiding within the dark corners of my very being. Waiting. Watching. Plotting how to lure me to towards it once again.
My back is slammed into a crumbling tomb yards away from where we just were. I look up to find Lucifer’s blood speckled face and bright purple gaze wild with fresh kills.
“What happened to you?” he demands, roughly grasping my shoulders.
He doesn’t wait for my answer before he spins just in time to slam his power into three more approaching demons. Their eyes glowed bright red before Lucifer snuffed the life out of them. Andras, Lilith, and Niko are just feet away, fighting off the horrid beasts that seem to be coming from every direction. They aren’t slowing down. It’s as if they’re charging at us in sacrifice, knowing that they’ll be slaughtered.
“Shit, I think I blacked out. Where…where is everyone?” I stammer.
“We got separated,” Lucifer bites out. He flings out another blow of darkness that takes down five at a time. “We’re outnumbered. By a lot. These motherfuckers just keep multiplying, drawing us deeper into the cemetery.”
My heart stops.
This was all a set up. Legion wanted us here all at the same spot, the burial ground for immense sin. And I know in my gut that he won’t let us walk out of here alive.
“They’re pushing us towards him,” I mutter aloud. “Legion. They’re bringing us to him.”
Lucifer nods then moves in so close that we’re nearly chest-to-chest. “He knows you’re here. You can feel it, can’t you? You can feel it writhing inside you.”
I glance up at him, my eyes wide with horror. “What’s happening to me?”
Even under the dark cover of night, I see him grimace, giving me my answer. “He’s trying to make you turn.”
Lucifer slams his fist into the tomb, in the space right over my head. Concrete cracks and crumbles, raining pebbles down onto my shoulders.
“I knew this would happen. He knew you wouldn’t be able to resist, but you must. Eden, listen to me.” He squeezes my arms even tighter. “You have to fight this. Do not let it take you. Don’t go towards it, even if it pains you to deny its allure. Do you hear me? Fight, Eden. Fucking fight it with everything in you.”
I nod, but the movement seems wrong. How can I fight what’s already inside me? How can I slice open my veins and twist my organs into knots to keep from becoming who I already am?
“There’s too many of them!” Lilith shouts back at us. “We need to find the others before it’s—“
Too late.
Before it’s too late.
That’s what she meant to say, but the words are choked from her throat.
It’s already too late.
Four demons overtake Andras and drag him to the ground. Before anyone can even dash to save him, the demons fall over him and begin to…eat him.
“No!” Lilith cries, emptying her entire clip into them.
Niko hits them with a massive blast of Dark magic, but they barely flinch. Not even Lucifer can make them cease their assault, even after he’s flayed the skin off their bones with a potent burst of rage.
My palms are not my own as I lift them outward towards the harrowing scene before us, and push every ounce of my will, propelling a stream of blinding light that flows from my fingertips like water. The second the light touches the demons hunched over Andras’s writhing body, they disintegrate before our eyes, leaving no trace of them behind other than defined piles of ash. The other enemy demons quickly scurry away, retreating back into the shadows.
Lilith and Niko rush to Andras’s aid, yet I’m left frozen, stunned by what I’ve just managed to do. I look down at my hands and flex my fingers. They still tingle with pulsing power.
“What was that?” I wheeze, unable to contain my confusion.
This wasn’t an orb of holy light that required time and concentration to conjure. It felt…different. I feel different. Energized and powerful when exhaustion should be tugging at my stamina. Yet, I honestly could run a mile right now.
“I…” Lucifer is at my side. He extends a hand over mine but doesn’t make contact. “I don’t know.”
I look up at him and frown. “You don’t think it’s…” Death. I can’t say it, but he knows the word is on the tip of my tongue and shakes his head.
“No. I don’t.”
Lilith calls out for help, breaking me from my ruminations. Andras is down, but he’s alive. I can see that he’s bleeding, but he waves off Lilith’s attempts to aid him, anxious to get back on his feet and rejoin the fight. I walk over to where the three of them are huddled and my eyes nearly water at the sight of his torn, oozing flesh. His beautiful face has been ripped to shreds, and there are chunks of sinew missing from his limbs, exposing bone.
“I’m fine,” he rasps through a pained grimace. “Just help me onto my feet. I’ll get this patched up later.”
“You’ll lose too much blood by then,” Niko chimes in, inspecting his wounds. “We need to get you out of here.”
“There is no way out of here,” Andras grits. “We’re too far from the exit and those red-eyed fuckers will be back any second. We need to move, or one of you will be next.”
Just like before, I don’t know what comes over me. It’s as if someone else is ordering my steps and guiding my movements, and I am merely a marionette for a greater purpose. A vessel for someone else’s will. I crouch to my knees and place my hands on Andras’s ravaged body, and I feel the tingling sensation of light skate across my palms and dance along my fingertips before it leaps off my skin and washes over him. He flinches at first, his expression just as bewildered as everyone else’s. But his face morphs into one of wonder and relief as his body begins to mend itself back together. The blood on his clothes ebbs back into his wounds that mystically close and seal, and his skin smooths to its usual alabaster tone.
“How did you…?” Lilith gasps. She takes a step closer, her wide-eyed gaze darting from me to Andras. “You healed him?”
I look at the blond demon as he takes inventory of his newly mended frame, touching each place where there was once a gaping gash, and shrug stiffly. “I guess I did.”
The other half of our group comes rushing around the corner just as Niko helps Andras to his feet. They stop abruptly as they take in the scene before them: the ground splattered with fresh blood, Andras’s ripped clothes, and four distinct piles of ash coupled with the noxious stench of burned flesh.
“We heard the screams,” Toyol says, obviously flustered. His face is speckled red, but he doesn’t appear to be wounded. “We tried to find you, but there were just too many of them. What happened?”
We glance at each other, the five of us unsure of how to explain the unexplainable. I don’t know what that was. It wasn’t anything like the sensation I felt with wielding holy light. It was purer, more focused. And much more potent than anything I had ever experienced. It’s one thing to completely obliterate demons into ash. But healing Andras? I can’t even wrap my head around that, and I’m way too rattled to try to compose a decent lie.
But, thankfully, Andras saves me from stumbling over the truth.
“We got jumped, but we fought them off and they ran.”
Cain nods. “Yeah. Us too. We thought we could lead them out of the cemetery, but there’s some type of spell on the gates.”
Niko pipes up, a deep frown dimpling his forehead. “What kind of spell?”
“It was like we were going in circles. The entrance is gone. There’s no way out. We couldn’t even jump the fucking fence!” He shakes his head and scrubs a hand caked with grime and dried blood over his buzzed hair. “Luckily, they just…left. Fell back like they were being called or summoned or some shit. There’s something seriously fucked up going on here.”
I can tell Cain is less controlled than usual by his gruff demeanor. Even Dorian and the other warlocks appear disheveled, which is startling considering I’ve never even seen them with even a lock of hair out of place. Something is wrong here. Something sinister and black and terrifying.
“Legion,” I whisper, conjuring my voice and the reality that we’d all been skating around. “He’s here. The demons were just a diversion to trap us. He didn’t send us that dream to save Gabriella. He sent it so we’d come and he could take us all out at once.”
It’s silent as we all digest the revelation that had been clawing its way to the surface all night. I wanted so badly to believe that Legion was still in there, that he was still redeemable. I had hoped that it was him reaching out to us, just as he had done all those times before. Because the alternative would only mean one thing: he isn’t strong enough to fight. And I’m not sure I can battle The Many while also combating my own fate.
The first one to speak is Cain, who steps forward, his glare hardened with unshakable resolve.
“He wants us here?” he sneers, not a touch of sorrow or regret in his voice. “Then let’s go find the motherfucker.”