Page 105 of Grave Revelations (Prophecies of Angels and Demons #3)

Chapter 104

Sophia

Sophia opened her eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the dark cave, a stark contrast to the bright landscape she’d just left.

Beside her, Vassi and Helena both stirred, opening their eyes. She sat up, looking at Maria. Her face was relaxed, peaceful. Sophia touched her cheek, already cooling, as whatever magic kept the body in stasis while they were gone fell away.

Thalia and Angeliki stepped into the cave, and Angeliki dropped to her knees beside Maria.

“She’s not coming back?” Angeliki asked, laying a hand over her heart.

“No,” Sophia whispered. “She moved on.”

Angeliki’s cheeks dimpled as she smiled at the girl. “She deserves to rest.”

Sophia climbed to her feet, dusting off her pants. “Where have you buried the others? We should give her a proper burial.”

Thalia and Angeliki exchanged glances before they stood.

Thalia said, “We waited for you to return, but the camp has moved. We weren’t expecting to bury anyone here.”

Sophia faced them both. “What’s happened?”

Angeliki took Sophia and Vassi’s hands, and Vassi grabbed Helena’s, leading them out of the cave. They halted abruptly, hovering at the edge of a massive pit in the ground .

Sophia gasped. “Was anyone hurt? Killed?”

“No, Pythia. Zadkiel and several other angels came. They brought the rest of our coven and the humans down to Colorado. It’s no longer safe to be so close to the ocean.”

“Why?” Vassi asked, gaze drifting to Thalia.

“Let us bury our sister and leave this place,” she answered. “It’s not safe. We will tell you everything when we’re far from here.”

When Maria was buried, the group circled freshly dug earth and sang their prayer for her eternal rest. It was different for Sophia. She had seen her soul get on that boat and go to its final rest, but some part of her needed this bit of comfort, one familiar act in a shattered world.

Angeliki climbed on Sophia’s back, and Thalia climbed on Vassi’s.

“We’re going to the Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs.”

Sophia set her mother down beside Vassi, Helena, and Thalia at the entrance to an enormous tunnel on the side of a mountain. Overhead, the words “Cheyenne Mountain Complex” were etched into a steel semi-circle, hovering ominously above the mouth of a deep cave made wider by humans.

“What is this place?” Helena whispered, craning her head to stare at the sheer rock wall swallowing the entrance.

“This is our new temporary home.” Angeliki marched forward.

“Wait.” Sophia grabbed her mother’s arm. “Everyone’s inside there? What’s been happening while we were away?”

Her mother’s mouth turned down, and her forehead wrinkled. “Azrael has been hard at work destroying what remains of our Earth. Zadkiel says his strongest gift is water, and he has used it to wash the land clean of as many humans as he can. ”

Sophia found a lock of hair, twisting and untwisting it around her finger. “Azrael. Who’s that?”

“Come, let's get inside. General Vaughn will show you.” Angeliki continued forward, and the blackness swallowed her.

Sophia grabbed Helena’s hand and strode behind Thalia and Vassi as they followed her mother.

A massive door at the end of their path was cracked open just a fraction, enough for their group to squeeze through. They passed layer upon layer of metal before stepping into a room carved from the very mountain with dim lights winking high overhead.

Metal ground against metal as the door swung closed behind them.

Her stomach dropped as she felt the weight of that oppressive door blocking any escape, and she could only hope her mother wasn’t leading them into more danger.