Phoenix led us into what must have once been a grand ballroom. Now it was more of a shrine. Black carpet ran down the middle towards a hugely elaborate and ugly golden throne, on which sat Lilith.
My senses registered her power and I stumbled, Lincoln’s hand was at my elbow to steady me. I had seen her at the Academy, but hadn’t sensed her like I did now. She sat tall, flanked by two exiles. One was Olivier.
He stepped forward and motioned to two other exiles. ‘Disarm them.’
The exiles were thorough and found all our hidden weapons quickly.
Power emanated from Lilith like a living breathing force that she fed to the world. Her hair was mesmerising, long to her waist and a vibrant orange-gold colour, each strand like precious spun toffee. Her eyes were a soft peach colour but lined in heavy black to look altogether striking. She watched us approach; her unflinching birdlike stare studying every movement. And not just ours. She examined everyone and everything around her with the same intense scrutiny.
She shifted on her throne. Crossing her legs and sitting a little taller. It was an understatement to describe her as beautiful. The fact that she took my breath away only gave me a small indication of what she – Lady Lust – did to the opposite sex. As if sensing this thought, the corner of her lip curled as she looked at me and then Lincoln. Dressed provocatively in a revealing blood-red dress there was no doubt she enjoyed the control she could wield over men.
I glanced at Lincoln, half expecting to see him salivating, but his eyes were not even looking in her direction. I followed his line of sight and had to hold back a gasp.
Human men lay on the floor around her, barely dressed, exhausted and nearing death. They were chained to her throne and looked as if they had been there for weeks with no food or drink and yet each of them watched Lilith with desire. They were smothered in a dense black coating, which I suddenly realised was actually shadow. I was tapping into Lincoln’s shadow-finding abilities.
Lincoln took my hand in his. There was a time I would have shrugged free of such a display, would have thought it weak. But I no longer cared. I didn’t want to stand alone any more, or prove I didn’t need anyone. I did. And what Lincoln and I had went beyond that now.
I didn’t miss Lilith’s look of frustration when she noticed Lincoln’s attention was not on her, but she covered it quickly with a killer smile.
I glanced around quickly. Evelyn was nowhere to be seen.
‘Remarkable really,’ Lilith said, her musical voice and rounded accent timeless. She looked at me. ‘Such a plain girl – nothing striking about you, and yet I find I must compete with you. And most disturbingly,’ she turned a less friendly look on Phoenix, ‘you hold the heart of my offspring, even though you have clearly given yours to another. My, my… well, I suppose I should thank you.’
She turned her smile up another notch and I was almost surprised a choir didn’t start to sing in the background.
‘I must assume that without your actions my son may never have discovered his backbone and brought me back. Unfortunately for you, my gratitude has always been short-lived and your heritage inspires a specifically … passionate response.’ She stood up and I braced myself for her to approach me, but she just looked down on us.
‘We’re here for the children,’ I said, seeing no point in encouraging chitchat.
‘Of course you are. And I am sure that it has been explained to you that I am not without compassion.’ She moved towards one of the men at her feet and patted him on the head. His cheeks were completely sunken in starvation yet he moaned in delight at her touch. ‘I will grant you the chance to win the lives of the children in my captivity. For as many arrows as you endure a child will be released.’
I nodded. ‘I’ve been told. But we will need someone to take the children to safety once they’ve been freed.’
Lilith waved a hand dismissively. ‘You may not bring another of your kind within these walls.’
We were ready for this. ‘What about another that was once one of yours?’ I asked.
She raised her eyebrows.
‘I know an exile who is now only human,’ I explained.
She stepped back with shock and then responded, appalled. ‘He chose this?’
Time to learn a little something about me.
I held her eyes. ‘No. I took his powers from him.’
She tilted her head as if replaying my words, her attention flitting around the room considering them. Eventually, she turned a thoughtful look back to me. ‘And then we will have an agreement?’
‘We will,’ I replied.
She looked at Lincoln and waited. He took a deep breath and hesitated. Lilith’s smile simply broadened.
‘We will,’ Lincoln finally conceded.
Lilith’s eyes shot to Phoenix and she resumed her position on her throne. ‘Make the arrangements,’ she said to him, before dismissing him with a harsh flick of her hand. ‘Take him to the south cell and put the girl below with the children. Let her see the filth she is about to die for.’
Out of the shadows emerged dark exiles. Two dozen of them quickly surrounded us and my instincts screamed Fight! Flight! Anything! Something! But I forced myself to still as they approached, gritting my teeth as they pulled Lincoln and I apart and started to lead us away in different directions.
When one of them elbowed me in the side, Lilith spoke up. ‘No one harms the girl. Let her be at her best for tonight’s festivities. You may, however,’ she paused as if deciding, ‘play with her love, if you must. Just make sure he can still stand by the evening.’
I closed my eyes as the exiles hovering around Lincoln snarled.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
‘There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.’
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
‘Go with Lincoln,’ I snapped under my breath at Phoenix, who had remained by my side. He ignored me.
‘They won’t hurt me. Go.’
His eyes flashed to mine briefly. ‘I’m not leaving you. We agreed to this,’ he whispered back.
We? Not he and I … Since when have Phoenix and Lincoln been making deals?
We made it back into the halls and the exiles led me to a set of stone stairs. The exile behind me pushed me down and I almost lost my footing. I righted myself in time to see Phoenix take a step towards him in anger. I sent Phoenix a sharp look. He was supposed to be on their side after all.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs I struggled to control my reaction to what faced me, but I couldn’t stop my despair and had to close my eyes for a moment. The basement was a similar size to the ballroom we had just left, except this room was all concrete. The space had been divided into square cells by floor-to-ceiling metal bars.
There were dozens of children.
Between five and ten per cell. A quick scan told me we had underestimated the number captured. My stomach turned. They’d been herded and locked up like animals. All seemingly alive, though some, like the men upstairs, appeared to be just hanging on. The stench was overwhelming. They’d been left with nothing more than a small bucket in the corner of each cage. There was nothing else – no beds, no blankets – nothing but a cold concrete floor and metal bars for walls.
I felt another jab at my back as I was pushed into an empty cage, then the gate closed behind me with a click and I heard a key secure the lock.
Don’t panic.
I was acutely aware of the numerous pairs of young eyes fixed on me. Some looked as young as four or five, the oldest maybe ten or eleven.
Phoenix stood by the gate, looking over the cells, surprise registering on his face. He covered it quickly and turned to one of the dark exiles.
‘She’s been busy,’ he said, his tone approving.
The exile grinned. ‘Big group came in from Canada and the Antanov flew in yesterday from Russia,’ he reported.
Phoenix nodded. ‘Leave us. Post a guard at the top of the stai
rs. No one in or out,’ he ordered.
Once the exiles had disappeared up the stairs I felt the blood drain from my face and leaned against the bars for support.
‘There are too many,’ I whispered frantically. ‘And what certainty do we have that she won’t just recapture the ones she releases after we’re dead?’ I wanted to take a deep breath to try and clear my head but the smell was overpowering and I was already fighting the urge to gag.
Phoenix shook his head, leaning close to me so the children couldn’t hear. ‘She won’t if you can make her pledge on it. Angels must adhere to a sworn oath. Exiles are hazy on the issue. Some are bound by oaths and others can break them. But Lilith was such a powerful angel, her oaths are still strong. If she makes one, she will not break it. You need to make her swear to the children’s eternal freedom before the ceremony.’
‘Will she?’
‘She’s so confident, she probably will.’
I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my lower back. I grabbed the collar of Phoenix’s shirt and pulled him against the bars. ‘Please, go to Lincoln. They are hurting him.’
Phoenix looked at me sorrowfully, but nodded.
It was a sorry thing, but right then I was comforted by the knowledge that after my death, Lincoln would not have to suffer the pain of seeing me and feeling it – his soul would shatter the moment I died and then even his own death wouldn’t hurt him.
I moved to the back of my cage, the children surrounding it as if I were some kind of magnet. Their eyes were alight with a dangerous emotion. Hope.
My chest tightened and I suddenly felt the weight of so many lives hanging in the balance.
‘Breathe,’ a young voice said.
I spun to see one of the oldest children.
‘Breathe,’ he said again.
I realised I was panting, on the verge of hyperventilating. I tried to calm myself down. I thought it wasn’t going to work, but then I felt him.
Lincoln.
Our bond, our souls. It wasn’t like when Phoenix had infiltrated my emotions, this was more intimate and natural. He was just there, wrapping himself around me and comforting me like afternoon sun seeping into my skin. I crouched and closed my eyes, concentrating on the warmth that was spreading through my body and into my soul.
‘Good,’ said the young voice.
I opened my eyes and watched the boy, amazed. He was maybe eleven and from the way the younger kids watched him, he was a leader.
‘What’s your name?’ I asked.
‘Simon,’ he said, standing tall.
I nodded to him. ‘Thanks, Simon.’
‘That’s okay. Took us all a bit of time to adjust, down here. Cages and stink don’t make happy thoughts.’
I sat down, still buzzing from feeling my connection to Lincoln, regaining strength by the second. I could feel that he had been beaten, but just as he was there for me, I knew he was feeling me too. Together, we had a safe place.
And we needed it.
‘Are you here to save us?’ came a small voice from behind.
I turned to face a tiny blonde girl, no more than six years old. She was stick thin, wearing what looked like a nightie, ripped and dirty, her face bruised and her exposed feet blackened. Her huge brown eyes blinked at me as she waited for my reply. All their eyes were wide and focused on me.
So many. An arrow for each of them. There’s no way …
I swallowed and glanced at Simon, who was watching me carefully. So young, but he seemed to look at me with understanding.
He turned to the others and spoke confidently. ‘Of course she is. Why else do you think God sent her to us?’
The other children began to nod slowly, still watching me. Some were whispering in other languages while others attempted to translate with charade-style sign language. I had to give them something but… I couldn’t lie.
‘I’m here to try.’ My voice shook, because suddenly I was questioning our choice. We had looked at the situation from every possible perspective, but we hadn’t been able to see a way of bringing in forces en masse without risking the lives of the children. Yet like this, with Lincoln and I locked up, separated, unarmed and at their mercy … What had we done?
Instinct still told me we could trust Phoenix. I prayed that I was right. If he turned on us now, it would all have been for nothing.
I moved to stand up, but my legs shook and my vision blurred. I fell back down to my knees before everything went black.
I breathed in deeply. The air was stifling, instantly cooking my throat from the inside. I gagged and sat up, my eyes blinking into the bright light and trying to focus.
I was in the desert.
Goddamn desert, again!
I coughed uncontrollably, squinting into the light. One of them was there, I just couldn’t tell which one.
‘Is this it?’ I asked, still struggling with each breath as I tried to get to my knees. I didn’t care who it was, I just couldn’t let my guard down. ‘Is this the freaking “bright light” everyone talks about? Because if it is, let me tell you, your customer service desk is going to be overflowing with unhappy clients.’
‘We don’t provide service beyond expiry.’
Nox.
My eyes began to adjust and confirm just that, then they widened. ‘You look ridiculous!’ I said. I couldn’t stop staring. He was dressed in full leathers, very different from his usual suave and sophisticated wardrobe. I wasn’t about to admit it to him, but he looked hot. Like some kind of fantastical creature painted in a shade of honey to match his shoulder-length hair – that was currently blowing freely despite the still air.
‘You could make a fortune as a portable wind machine,’ I quipped.
Nox smiled knowingly.
‘I thought you might like this. I believe I spy a tinge of pink in those cheeks.’
‘If you’re going to ask me out on a date, the answer is no,’ I snapped, getting to my feet.
He threw his head back and laughed. ‘I’d sooner throw myself into the pits of Hell.’
I blinked. ‘That was harsh.’
‘That was honest. Though… I will admit that of all humans you do… intrigue me at times.’ He looked me up and down as if he could see Lincoln’s and my bond. ‘I see you’ve made your choice then,’ but his smile was secretive and unnerving.
I put my hands on my hips. ‘What is this, anyway? Where are we?’
‘A dream.’
‘You put me under? You can do that?’ I questioned, alarmed.
He shrugged, looking his outfit over. ‘If necessary.’
‘Why? Why didn’t you just cross the realms?’
‘The Hag might’ve sensed my presence. We thought that unwise.’
‘Do you think the colour is right?’
‘What?’ I asked, increasingly confused with his left-field comments.
‘The outfit. Do you think I should’ve gone with the more predictable black?’
I huffed. ‘Nox, there are children here. At least a hundred of them. Lilith is going to sacrifice them and I can’t save them all! And you’re worried about the colour of your stupid outfit? What’s wrong with you?’
His eyes narrowed, his usual off-hand attitude gone. ‘I’m eternal. I have time to ponder when it suits me. Do not group us as like beings.’ The desert fell into darkness. Shadows, impossibly thick and opaque closed in around me, rising from the ground and falling from the sky. My throat started to constrict with fear.
‘You think you know me?’ Nox bellowed. ‘Can you feel me?’
The shadows increased, moving through me, tearing at the very fabric of my existence, and somehow I knew that if left to their own devices they would happily hold me for all eternity.
‘I am everywhere. I am not one, not many! I am Malign!’ He roared, his voice surrounding me, his menacing power reverberating through every particle of air.
Suddenly, he was in front of me. I gasped. It would take barely a thought for him to kill me.
But
just as quickly as it had fallen, the darkness receded into daylight. The searing sun returned and he moved in closer than usual, his hair blowing once more in the non-existent breeze.
He regarded me patiently.
I swallowed, careful not to make a sudden movement. ‘I like the colour,’ I said.
He nodded and stepped back to his place. ‘I think you’re right. It stands out. Says I’m a leader, not a follower.’
Silence rang loud until Nox chose to speak again. A chair appeared from out of nowhere. He sat. ‘You should sit, too.’
I looked around, not wanting to upset him again. ‘There are no more chairs,’ I said.
He looked at me like I was an idiot. ‘This is a dream. Create one.’
I shook my head. ‘I’ll stand.’
He shrugged. ‘Are you confident in your choice?’
‘Well, I don’t know how to make a chair,’ I argued.
He snapped a wrist at me. ‘Keep up! Not the chair. You are locked in a cage. You are at the Hag’s mercy. Your mother captured. Your love imprisoned.’
‘We’re trying to save the children.’
‘Where is your army?’
I shook my head. ‘I don’t have an army. I… We had to come alone.’
A slow smile spread across his face. ‘Come now, young one, tell me what we both know.’
I didn’t respond.
His smile broadened. ‘You have not come alone at all. You came with the dark.’
I stood tall, despite the fear in the pit of my stomach. ‘Yes. We came with Phoenix. He’s helping us.’
‘Indeed. Darkness can achieve much. But are you ready to travel the road that it must take you on?’
‘What do you mean?’
He stood. ‘The playing field is soon to be evened. I do hope you survive Lilith. Perhaps you can be the power that they believe you already are.’
‘Who? What power? What are you talking about?’
He gave me a smug look and I knew he would say no more, so I pushed on.