The Legion of Lost Souls picks up the blade, weighing it in their hand. And a slow, serpentine smile slithers onto their mouth.
I think I cry out, begging them to stop, but I can’t hear my voice. With my ears still ringing, everything sounds like I’m submerged in water. I’m drowning again. Just like I did as a child at my mother’s hands. Just like I did at that church at my father’s hands.
In the next stutter of my racing heart, Legion whips the blade around to draw a deep gash over Uriel’s chest, just over the space that would contain his angelic heart. Horror contorts his ethereal face as he looks down to witness the first streams of blinding light seeping from his torn flesh. Yet, somehow, he grabs ahold of Selaphiel and they both disappear, leaving no more than a tendril of white smoke in their wake.
But Legion isn’t done. We are surrounded by enemies—enemies that they have set their sights on. Five angels still stand at the perimeter, and before they can flap their white wings and flee, Legion flings out darkness and shadows and hellfire, turning their bodies into ovens. The angels cry in excruciating agony as their blood boils and their internal organs literally cook inside of them. The smell of burning flesh…I have to swallow down bile and press my head to the cool concrete just to stay conscious. I can’t look at them. Even if they were fooled into thinking Uriel was doing God’s work, even if they had come with the intent to kill us all, I can’t look as they are burned alive.
I tell myself I’ll get up once the screaming stops, but it never does. However, it’s not the angels that are shrieking in anguish. I pry open one eye to find that Legion has moved on to the lesser demons, ripping them limb from limb faster than they can realize what’s happening. They are killing them. All of them. Legion is killing the humans.
I struggle to push up on shaky legs; my limbs reduced to Jell-O. Then a warm hand grips my arm to help me upright and pulls me into his chest.
“He has to be stopped,” Lucifer says. And for the first time ever, he looks…scared.
The Se7en, Adriel, Niko, and Crysis are also on their feet, fighting through the pain in their skulls and the stench of death that still permeates the air. Luckily, the Alliance was smart enough to escape while we were all distracted by the Seraph. Thank God. Legion would rip them apart, no matter what side they fought for.
“He’s gone…” Adriel whispers, the prelude to a sob in her throat. “He’s gone for good this time.”
“No, he isn’t,” Cain growls. He looks to his brothers and sister and gives a stiff, authoritative nod. “Surround them. Carefully move in, but no sudden movements.”
“Let me help,” Nikolai offers. There’s blood dripping from his ears.
Cain shakes his head. “You’re not one of us. They’ll kill you on sight.”
“They?” Niko frowns with confusion.
“That isn’t one demon,” Cain explains. “That’s every lost soul Legion has ever collected. They are the legion.”
I look to Lucifer. Maybe—just maybe—they will listen to him. “You have to do something. Please? You have to stop them before they murder all those people. For me…do it for me.”
Lucifer glances across the courtyard, at the carnage and blood that’s smeared all over what used to be the heart of downtown Chicago. He looks reluctant, but thankfully, he nods.
“I’ll do what I can.”
He closes his eyes, centering his power. Compacting all his darkness so he can hurl it out over the pandemonium, covering the chaotic scene with his influence. Every remaining lesser demon falls, forced into a manufactured sleep. And then, one by one, they begin to fade away, carried by a wind of dark magic.
Legion spins around to face us, their face streaked with blood, their hands stained crimson. The Se7en move towards them with slow, measured steps to assure them that they don’t intend to hurt them. However, every gun is drawn, and every blade is unsheathed. Surely, Legion would not hurt them, but they still have The Redeemer. And this isn’t the Legion I know. I don’t know if he’s even in there at all.
But if there’s a chance…if there’s any hope that I can help bring him back, I’ll do it. He would never want this. Even when he had to slay those Alliance members at the gas station, he took no pleasure in that. It fucked with his head. It made him feel like a monster stripped of any chance of redemption.
He may not come back to me, but I owe it to him to help him find his way back to his faith. Before me, all he wanted was to find redemption and gain God’s favor as he had when he was in Heaven. I know he thinks that all hope is lost now; how can a fallen angel find his way back home? But I know his heart, and it is the most beautiful, purest thing I’ve ever had the pleasure to love.
The Se7en close in, hoping to trap Legion before they can dematerialize and get away. I doubt we’d be able to track them then so there’s a good chance we’ll never get another chance like this again. They’re crouched down, eyes darting around the space like a feral animal. They’re afraid. Disoriented. They don’t know what’s happening any more than we do.
“Hey,” I say softly, my palms raised to show I’m no threat. “Can you hear me?”
Legion’s lifeless gaze falls on me with a look of curiosity and delight. “We do.” Their unified voices will star in my darkest nightmares for the rest of my days. Various tones and pitches, some distorted. Like dragging claws across a chalkboard. Yet, they speak as one.
“Good.” I nod to show my satisfaction. I don’t want to be condescending, but I want them to know that I am not a foe. I accept them. “Will you talk to me?”
“We will.” A dozen spiders crawl up my spine.
“Thank you. I need you to let me help you—all of you. I know you’re all angry and maybe a little afraid. All I want to do is make things better. Will you help me do that?”
Legion pauses for a beat, taking in Lucifer standing behind me, before saying, “We won’t go back. We’re never going back.”
“You don’t have to go back,” I assure them. “I’m not here for that, I promise.”
The Se7en are getting closer. I don’t know what they mean to do, but I’m giving them a welcomed distraction. I can’t imagine Legion would go quietly even if they asked.
“What is it you want then, girl?” they sneer.
“I want to talk to the one that was once called Samael. Can you find him for me?”
“Samael is gone.”
“I don’t believe he is. I think he may be lost. Can you find him for me? Please?”
“We will never go back.”
“I promise—I’ll do whatever I can so you never have to. Just please…let me talk to him. Just once. I just…I want to say goodbye.”
The Se7en are almost in striking distance. This may work. We may be able to save him.
“Ok,” Legion says. “You may speak to him. But he will no longer rule this body. Don’t come back for him.”
I blink back anguished tears and nod, no intention of keeping that promise. A quick glance to my right then my left to ensure everyone is in position.
Legion blinks, and for a moment, I think they’ve dozed off. But when their eyes reopen, I see silver stars and moonlight. I hear the wings of a raven and the scent of jasmine-kissed night air whispering across my skin. I feel fire kindling my skin, warding off the bite of winter winds.
He’s here. My Legion. He’s come back to me.
I rush to him against all my better judgment and throw myself into his arms, despite the blood that cakes his skin and clothes. I don’t care. I need to feel him, smell him. I need to know that he is not lost forever.
Hesitantly, he bands an arm around me and holds me close. The other hand contains The Redeemer, which he keeps off to his side, as if he’s afraid to have it near me.
“Legion…” Big, fat, ugly tears roll down my cheeks.
“It’s ok, baby, I’m here now,” he whispers in my hair between kisses. His voice is his again—gravelly and deep. It’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.
“I thought…I thought I had lost you. You left me.”
“I had to. I didn’t want to hurt you again. I’d rather die than ever lay a hand on you.”
I tear my face from the warmth of his chest and look up at his anguished expression. “But you didn’t. That wasn’t you then. And…and I’m fine—”
“I could have killed you.”
“You wouldn’t have. I trust you.”
He shakes his head before diverting his eyes to the bloodstained ground. “You shouldn’t.”
I reach up to cradle his face in my palms, compelling him to look at me. He needs to see that I’m sincere. He needs to believe in us just as I believe in him.
“You’re stronger than them. I’ve seen it—I’ve felt it. I need you. The Se7en needs you. And believe it or not, this world needs you. You have committed your existence to fighting for the greater good. I’m asking you, begging you, please…fight for us. Fight for you and me. I love you. Do you hear me? I love you, Legion. And I won’t stop fighting. I’ll never stop fighting to bring you back to me.”
I don’t know what happens, but apparently, I’ve said something wrong. Because the earth begins to tremble and the noxious smell of sulfur fills my nostrils. And I hear them…whispers. A thousand voices, many of them speaking in a tongue I don’t understand, and they’re angry. The lost souls have returned, and they want him back.
“No!” I beg, holding on tighter to him.
Legion’s eyes go wide as the silver stars begin to die in his terror-stricken gaze. “Eden. Eden, I have to go.”
In the distance, I hear Cain and the others shouting for me to move back…to get away from him. No. I can’t. I can’t let go. I’ll never let go of him.
“Please stay with me,” I cry into his chest, squeezing him tighter. “I can’t do this without you. I need you. Please.”
“I can’t.” He lifts my chin so I’m forced to see that only a few glimmering stars remain. “I love you. So much. So much that I’d move Heaven and Earth to keep you safe. So much that I’d rather die than subject you to a life of pain and ruin.”
I gasp as he lifts The Redeemer and holds it out to me. “I want you to use it. Kill me. You are half Seraph. If anyone here has a chance of stopping me, it’s you. This is what you were made for, Eden. I need you put an end to this suffering.”
I shake my head and try to step back, but he won’t loosen his hold on me. He’s growing more frantic, more anxious by the second. The voices hiss louder, demanding blood in exchange for our deception.
“Come with us,” I shout over the roar of lost souls. “We can help you. We’ll find another way.”
Legion shakes his head. Another star implodes in his glassy eyes. “There is no other way. I can’t change what I am. And this realm will never be safe as long as I’m alive.” He tries again to push the blade into my hands, desperately pleading, “Do it. Kill me. Please. Kill me.”
Everything around us begins to dim as if we’re being wrapped in a cocoon of darkness. Violent winds howl and whip around us, trying to push us apart. I try to hang on even tighter, but they’re stronger than I’d imagined. I can’t do it alone.
“Get her out of there!” Cain calls out. He’s closer now, but it’s hard to hear through the wailing wind tunnel. I’m not ready yet. I’ll never be ready to say goodbye.
Legion strokes my cheek with the back of his hand. “Eden…” A single tear rolls down his beautifully pained face.
The last star is distinguished. The howling winds still. And darkness falls.
“Now!” Cain roars.
The Se7en close the distance, attacking from all sides. But it’s too late. Too late for them to pull Legion back from the darkness. Too late for me to pry myself out of their clutches.
The demon assassins don’t even get within an inch of them before the lost souls send a blast of scorching energy to propel them back several yards. The Se7en are back on their feet within seconds, racing forward even faster, weapons at the ready. I try to struggle out of Legion’s grasp, but they seem intent on keeping me, probably to punish me for my deceit.
“Please, let me go. I’m sorry.” My palm tingles as a glowing orb is already forming.
“Such a pretty girl,” they sneer in those unnatural, skin-crawling voices.
The sphere grows hotter, radiating with holy light. I don’t want to use it, but I will.
“What do you want from me?” I don’t want to know—hell no. But I need to keep them distracted long enough for the Se7en to find an in. Long enough for them to grab them so I can—
Too late.
It happens inhumanly fast. So fast that I can’t even believe it’s happening at all. But as the Se7en approach, Legion whirls their body around, taking me with them. I didn’t see what they were doing. I couldn’t even detect the movement. But by the time I realize what they’d done, it’s already too late. There’s no coming back from this.
There are screams, violent, agonized cries all around me, yet I’m too stunned to make a sound. No… No…
Jinn’s dark eyes go wide with horror as he looks down to where the hilt of The Redeemer is protruding from his torso. Then, slowly, as if the movement pains him, he lifts his head to face what was once his brother, his leader, his friend. And now, his murderer.
Jinn, his lovely brown skin going ashen as The Redeemer staves the life from his body, parts his pale lips. And in an accented tone that sounds like a beautiful melody, the mute demon utters, “And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. I…forgive you…brother.”
Phenex, face furious and streaked with tears, catches his closest friend from behind, pulling him from further harm. Legion has broken them all. Those wayward souls have permanently fractured the Se7en.
And just the way they came, Legion explodes into plumes of shiny, black feathers, shadows, and smoke.
Legion is gone. My mother is dead. Jinn is down. And the Se7en will never be the same.
I was created for a purpose. And when I met him, I thought my purpose was Legion.
But not to love him. Not even to save him.
My purpose was to kill him.
And I failed.
I look down at Jinn, my friend, drowning in his own blood, while his brothers and sister weep over his still, lifeless body.
Now I understand. Now it’s as clear to me as those stars that once mesmerized me under the midnight moon.
Kill one to save a million.
For the Se7en, for the safety of all mankind, I vow on my life that I will not fail again.