Page 46 of Wings of Valor (Silver City University #4)

W atching the horde of enemies land is like watching the waves crash against the shore, except the water is toxic waste filled with mutant sharks.

They land in a circle, trapping us in a way that reminds me far too much of the well on campus. I got out of that pinch because of a fluke. My transformation. That won’t happen today.

How the fuck are Remiel and I supposed to get out of this alive and do what we came here to do?

We stand near the stump. The demons and few angels—both Fallen and Pure—accompanying them are antsy, desperate to make a move.

One of the Pure angels rushes toward me, and in a flash, Auriel is there, stabbing him with an angel blade. He pulls it out as easily as one would a splinter. Except, unlike a splinter, the angel doesn’t survive extraction.

Auriel just killed his own follower.

The circle closes in, stepping over the dying angel as if he were nothing more than a branch discarded on the forest floor.

Auriel’s nonchalance doesn’t go unnoticed by the other angels, and for a moment, they seem to realize just how dispensable they are to him.

But with two taps of his scepter, it’s as if a fog descends.

The flicker of realization vanishes, and their anger turns back toward me.

Remiel mutters low under his breath, tracing the pages of his book in a pattern that appears random, but I sense to be intentional. Whatever he’s doing, he doesn’t fill me in.

Whether Auriel notices what Remiel is up to, I can’t tell. That stupid, gleeful look remains on his face, and I want nothing more than to wipe it off.

“Last chance, little seraph. Side with me and my new world by choice, or face the consequences.”

“Bring it.” I draw my imbued short sword and brace for the fight of my life.

No one attacks us, but they do move. The circle grows smaller and smaller as the demons and angels take step after step forward, and just as half of them surge forward, I hear something.

It’s rhythmic, this pounding of footfalls or wings. I can’t tell which.

But are they friends or foes?

I have my answer when Auriel turns toward the sound, but he quickly realizes it’s not just coming from one direction. It’s coming from everywhere.

My mental connections light up and I smile, knowing who it is.

Backup.

They crash into the outer circle like a battering ram, but I can’t focus on who or where or even what because the demons and angels who surged toward me and Remiel are swiping and stabbing, trying to take us out.

I fight with everything I have, doing my best to keep Auriel in my sights.

He’s like a slippery fucking snake though, because he blips in and out of existence, moving around the battlefield with every blink.

I back up into someone and turn, ready to defend myself, only to find Castiel and Isadora instead.

They’re battle-worn, covered in blood and ash, but otherwise unharmed.

Something must have happened at the guild, as we expected, but what are they doing here?

There’s no time to ask. “I need to get to Auriel,” I tell Castiel before a Fallen angel barrels toward me with an angel blade in hand. Fuck!

Fighting demons is one thing, but fighting angels? It makes me queasy. Even though I know they’ve betrayed us, it doesn’t make hurting them any easier.

Going up against the angel when I’ve been attacked by demons is almost a walk in the park.

It helps that he’s behaving strangely. One second he’s ready to strike, and the next he looks almost confused.

Second thoughts, maybe? I take advantage of his next hesitation and knock him out, then Isadora quickly restrains him.

Maybe it isn’t smart to subdue instead of kill, but it’s a choice. One we can live with.

“We’ll take it from here,” Castiel says, his eyes filled with pride. “Go end this.”

I spare him and Isadora one last look before scanning the crowd.

Demons and angels fight all around me. I don’t see Auriel right away, but I find Remiel instead.

He’s on the outskirts of the fight, lips moving like they were before, and I can’t help but wonder what the fuck he’s doing.

But no. It’s not the time for that. I have to trust that whatever he’s doing is helping and just focus on finding Auriel.

It takes two more passes before I find him, cutting through one of the Sanctuary guards.

I teleport closer until I’m standing face-to-face with one pissed off looking Archangel.

I’ve never seen anyone look so unhinged before, and I swear, if he could make it happen, he’d shoot lasers out of his eyes and kill me right here.

Too bad I won’t give him the chance to try.

I twist the weapon in my hand and watch Auriel for any sign of his next move.

The air around him seems to shimmer, and then he disappears and reappears to my left.

I watch him once more, sensing something in the air before he blips away—something I think I can use.

On his next attempt, I teleport near the spot I think he’s going to go, and to my surprise—and his—it works.

His shock wears off quickly, replaced by a smirk that chills my bones. If I thought that was enough to win this fight against him, then I’m a fool. He’s had years of practice honing his abilities, while I’ve barely had any time in the grand scheme of things.

We blip in and out, reappearing all over the battlefield.

I try to keep up, I really do, but this power just hasn’t been trained enough.

My limbs shake, my mind feels frazzled, and I start to fall behind.

He appears before I do, and I barely have time for my feet to land on solid ground before I’m finding him again.

Every time he blips back into existence, his staff hits the ground, making this clang of noise that’s really getting under my skin.

On the next blip, he’s waiting for me. “How’s your boy healing up, little seraph?

” he taunts, wrapping a hand around my wrist. I feel his evil presence on the outskirts of my mind, my anger at his words somehow doubling in size.

What is he … But this is it, isn’t it? This is how he’s convinced those angels to do such horrible things.

Instead of purging the wicked thoughts and desires from his followers, he’s igniting them.

That must be why Remiel is chanting. He’s trying to dispel the wicked thoughts that Auriel’s planting.

Like a battering ram, he tries to invade my mind.

The feeling is strange and has me gripping my head, desperately wanting him to leave.

For a moment, I forget about the battlefield and the war raging on around me.

I forget that I should be scared to have him touching me.

He’s an Archangel, after all. The saviors of our city.

Then I remember the sight of my parents in a cage and Zeke’s limp form, his wing cut off, and everything comes tumbling back. Auriel is a monster. An evil, vile creature who needs to die.

Anger sparks my internal sunfire to life, burning away his essence until my mind is clear.

Take that, motherfucker!

But my victory is short-lived because he’s no longer near me.

A muffled cry echoes from somewhere behind me. I recognize the voice, though I’ve never heard him make that noise before. Spinning around, I pray my eyes are playing tricks on me. No, no, no! This can’t be real.

Castiel is on his knees. Isadora screams from somewhere off to the side. And Auriel … he stands at Castiel’s back, twisting the angel blade that protrudes from his chest.

Everything around me fades. Color. Faces. Sound. Until the only thing I hear is my whispered “no” and the burning inferno that’s bubbling in the very depths of my soul.

Not Castiel. He was kind. He was good. A protector. A friend, even. Auriel can’t take him. But I know with that blade, there’s no stopping this. Just like that man I witnessed die all those months ago, there’s nothing I can do.

I refuse to accept that.

As if on instinct, I teleport to Auriel. He tries to blip away but I throw my arm out, a whip of pure sunfire extending as if a part of me and wrapping around his torso. As much as he tries, he can’t teleport, and he can’t break free.

I clench my fist and watch as the band of sunfire curls tighter around him, making him shout in pain. The thought mingles with the raging beat of my heart, and I feel him trying to access my mind, to force his evil intentions on me once more.

For a second, I let him in. The dark, oily stain of his wicked mind makes me want to run, but I stand firm, somehow knowing what needs to be done. Just like Remiel said I would.

I loosen my grip, just enough for him to smile through the blood currently dripping from the corner of his mouth.

He thinks he’s won.

Quicker than I ever thought possible, I open up the core of power in my chest and let it flood through me, aiming it directly toward his vile mental path.

Auriel thought he could take control of my mind and make me submit to his diabolical ways, but all it did was give me the power to destroy him.

I feel his presence in my mind fall away, feel the surge of my power filter down the mental connection and into his mind. The warmth in my chest pulses as he screams, and then, just like that, he’s solidifying. Turning to stone.

Without thinking, I shove his solid form over. When it hits the ground, a blast echoes out around me as it breaks into pieces, and a wash of golden light spreads across the forest. The closest demons die on impact, turning to dust in an instant, just like they did at the well.

We did it.

Auriel is dead.

But that thought is soured by the dying angel at my feet.