Page 29

Across the room, Levi had Haines cornered, darkfire crackling around both hands as he forced the archangel to retreat. “Now would be good,” he called to the witches, never taking his eyes off his opponent.

The air in the library grew heavy, charged with the sisters' magic. Glowing chains of energy began to materialize, snaking toward Rhodes and Haines with purposeful intent.

“No!” Rhodes shouted, his wings flaring as he tried to take flight again, but the magical chains were faster, wrapping around his arms and torso, binding his wings tightly against his back. Beside him, Haines suffered the same fate, the magical bindings forcing him to his knees.

“It won't hold them for long,” Lacey warned, sweat beading on her forehead from the exertion of maintaining such powerful magic. “Their power is too great.”

I looked around frantically, searching for something more permanent than magical bindings. My eyes landed on two Guardian angels who had been hiding behind the toppled bookshelves, clearly having fled there when Adona began her rampage.

“You,” I commanded, pointing my sword at them. “The cuffs. Like the ones they put on me. Now.”

They hesitated, exchanging nervous glances.

“NOW!” Levi roared, his partially transformed state making him even more intimidating than usual.

The Guardians quickly fumbled with their belts, producing two sets of shackles identical to the ones that had bound me earlier. They slid them across the floor toward us, clearly not wanting to approach any closer.

I snatched up the cuffs and moved toward Rhodes, whose face contorted with fury as he struggled against the magical bindings. “You won't get away with this,” he snarled. “Elysium will never follow you.”

“I don't want them to follow me,” I replied, snapping the cuffs around his wrists as Lacey and Abbie's spell began to waver. “I want them to think for themselves, to remember what being an angel truly means.”

Levi secured the second set of cuffs on Haines, who remained silent, his expression one of cold disdain despite his defeat. With both archangels properly restrained, Lacey and Abbie released their spell, sagging slightly from the exertion.

“The dagger,” Lacey reminded me, gesturing toward Rhodes.

“Right.” I walked closer to Rhodes. “Where is it?”

He didn’t say anything, just held my stare, impassive and angry. Levi grabbed hold of Rhodes and started looking for the dagger. Rhodes didn’t make it easy, by jerking and moving away from the prying hands, but ten seconds later, Levi pulled the dagger from a back pocket in Rhodes’ jacket.

Rhodes opened his mouth, but shut it, his eyes full of even more fury than before.

“Here you go.” Levi handed me the dagger.

I took it, the light weight almost painful in my palm. This damn dagger had caused so much trouble.

“We need to reverse whatever he did on Adona,” Abbie said. “Before she creates more damage.”

I looked at Levi. “Can you watch these two while we?—”

“Go,” he said, his eyes still glowing with demonic fire as he stared down at the captured archangels. “I'll make sure they don't go anywhere.”

I hesitated, not entirely comfortable leaving him alone with them, especially in his partially transformed state. But we had to stop Adona.

“I'll stay too,” Lacey offered, sensing my concern. “We'll be fine.”

With a nod of gratitude, I followed Abbie back through the ruined doors of the library.

The corridors of the Celestial Tower bore the marks of fierce battle—scorch marks on the walls, shattered crystal, smears of dark blood on the marble floors.

In the distance, I could hear the echoes of continued fighting, punctuated by the occasional earth-shaking roar from the transformed Adona.

“This way,” I said, leading Abbie up a winding staircase that would take us back to the council chamber where the nightmare had begun.

It would have been faster to fly upstairs, but I was concerned Abbie would get lost in the tower’s winding corridors.

As we started on the first flight of stairs, a scream echoed—Lacey's voice, filled with warning and fear.

Without hesitation, Abbie and I raced back the way we'd come, dread filling my chest with each step.

We burst into the library to find chaos. Levi was struggling with Haines, who had somehow managed to free one hand from his shackles and was fighting desperately to release the other. Lacey lay against a far wall, dazed but conscious, blood trickling from a cut on her forehead.

And Rhodes—Rhodes was free, his shackles shattered on the floor, his Celestial sword gleaming in his hand as he advanced on Levi's unprotected back.

“Levi, behind you!” I shouted, already running, knowing I wouldn't reach him in time.

Levi spun, but he was still grappling with Haines, unable to fully defend himself. Rhodes's sword arced downward in what would surely be a killing blow.

Time seemed to slow. I was too far away to physically intervene, my own sword still sheathed. In desperation, I reached for my magic, hurling a bolt of light toward Rhodes, but I knew it would arrive too late.

Then, at the last possible second, Rhodes changed his target. He pivoted, his sword redirecting toward me as I charged toward him. I saw his face twist into a grimace of hatred, saw the blade glinting as it swept toward me.

I tried to turn, to parry, but I knew I wouldn't be fast enough. The dagger in my hand seemed to pulse once, as if in warning, and then Rhodes's blade descended.