Page 123 of Gray

“Okay,” Mason said. “That was cool.”

“Literally.”

“This way,” Lazarus said, and we followed him down a path littered with dead angels—the ones who had tried stopping Asa probably. He tried to hide it, but I saw the sadness in his eyes as they fell on his fallen comrades. His brothers and sisters.

The celestial vaults lied deep underground beneath the palace and housed the most dangerous artifacts to ever exist. Some of them we had recovered: a cursed amulet used by an enchantress in the Middle Ages that had spread plague, a talisman used for mind control—only worked on humans—ancient texts used to summon powerful demons, rituals that could raise the dead—no more zombies, thanks—time-travel stones, and Excalibur. Yeah, the same one from myth.

“I sense them,” Lazarus said as we entered through a narrow doorway and ran down a flight of stairs. “They’re at the vault entrance.”

“If Phoenix is with them, can’t they just blink inside?” I asked.

“No. There’s an anti-transportation barrier.”

“Is it like Indiana Jones?” Raiden asked. “Filled with booby traps and all that awesome shit?”

“All that’s needed is celestial blood.”

“So a fallen angel can open the vault,” Alastair said.

“Yes. Unfortunately.” Lazarus glowered as he moved quicker down the passageway. Though the walls were made of stone and a stream ran nearby, the underground tunnel lacked the mildewy stench of a cave. Shiny crystals and gems were embedded in the stone, sparkling in the light of the sconces. Some gave off light of their own, glowing purple and blue.

“Keep running,”Alastair said, glaring at Castor. “Don’t even think about stealing them.”

“One couldn’t hurt, right?”

“Help stop Asa from getting Light Bringer, and I’ll give you all the crystals and fancy gems you want, Greed.” Lazarus slowed his pace as we neared a corner. His hand went to his side, and when it lifted again, I saw blood seeping through the wrapping. He had reopened the wound from fighting.

Alastair frowned at him but said nothing.

“Deal.” Castor grinned.

As I ran, heaviness touched my muscles, and I lost a bit of momentum. “Oh no. Not now.”

“Yes, now,”Sloth said.

“You’re a butthole. Can’t you wait until after we save the world?”

“Are you okay?” Mason asked, noticing me falter in step. He placed a hand at my lower back.

“Yeah.” I forced myself to keep going. “Totally fine.”

My strength wavered even more when we reached the vault and found the door ajar. I prayed I would have enough energy to face whatever came next.

“We’re too late,” Lazarus said, eyes widening. “Creator help us all.”

“You should realize by now,brother,” my dad said, exiting the vault. Malice shone in his eyes, so different than he’d been when I confronted him in his library. “The Creator helps no one. They created life, then abandoned us, leaving us without direction.”

“They gave us free will.”

“Free will?” The hatred in my dad’s eyes deepened. “Yet, you, Uriel, Gabriel, and Raphael stripped us ofourfree will. When Azazel taught mortals how to forge weapons to help them progress in their society, Raphael chained him and threw him into a pit of sharp rocks, leaving him there for weeks. When Caim taught humans to communicate with animals instead of merely hunting them, he was imprisoned for a year. Every choice we made that wasn’t in line with your way of thinking was seen as rebellion. So please tell me, Lazarus, what kind of free will you speak of.”

“Azazel and Caim interfered with human lives, which is forbidden,” Lazarus said, voice rising. “Thus, they were punished accordingly. Free will doesn’t mean you can do as you please, Belphegor. Certain rules must still be followed.”

“And you follow them blindly.” He glanced at me, and the anger in his eyes dissipated, if only a little. “You turned my own son against me. He was only a boy when you stole him and poisoned his mind.”

Lazarus’ whip snaked down his arm and circled his wrist before he grabbed it. “The only one who poisoned him was you.” And then he struck.

My dad dodged the attack and summoned his sword of fire. Lazarus lashed out again and caught him around the arm, the whip burning into his bicep before my dad used the fiery sword to break the hold. As they fought, demons rushed from the vault. Upper-level ones that had accompanied them as shields, no doubt, should a fight ensue.