Chapter 20

My stomach fell, my skin prickled all over, and I suddenly felt exposed. Naked. I was being laughed at, laughter that seemed to come from the very shadows created by the Light shining from between my wings. I couldn't see the people around me, but it sounded like there were hundreds of them.

Abaddon likewise seemed to tighten. He scanned the darkness with narrowed eyes, his wings unfurling and curling around his shoulders as if to protect him from harm. There was a time when he would've wrapped me up as well, but not today.

I heard someone start a slow clap, a sound that seemed to shut up all the laughing and jeering going on around me.

It could only have been him.

"Bravo," Lucifer called out. "Really, bravo. Touching. Wasn't it touching?" I turned around, and there was the first Lightbringer, his hands clasped together, his head cocked slightly to the side. "I have to say, I'm moved. It was all a little cliché—but hey—a cliché is a cliché for a reason, isn't it?"

"What is this?!" I barked at him.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "Entertainment."

"Entertainment? Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"I've been locked up since literally the beginning of time. I'll take a good joke wherever I can find it, and this seemed like a good one to me. Shame he didn't do what he needed to do, though."

"And what was that?"

"Kill you… duh. We've only been preparing for this moment since, well, since we got to this place."

"You're deranged."

Lucifer touched his hand to his heart. "Ouch. That hurts, coming from you. After all we've been through?"

I turned around to look at Abaddon. "We need to get out of here," I said. "We need to get away from this lunatic."

"I think you'll find he's not going anywhere," said Lucifer. "Are you, Abaddon?"

Abaddon hadn't said a word, and his silence was… worrying. He also hadn't looked down at me since Lucifer showed up. His eyes were fixed on the first angel, his gaze lowered, his jaw tight. I wasn't sure whether he wanted to attack him or if he was afraid of him.

"Why did you bring her to me?" he asked, finally breaking his silence.

"Question asked and answered. I brought her here so you could kill her and get this whole business over with. Consolidate your power, your position. That kind of thing."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why extract her from Hell only to have her brought here where she would face almost certain death? I do not understand the logic."

"Ah, right, because I told you I'd bring her back in exchange for your service… yeah, no, I was lying about that. I had no intention of bringing her back. I mean, not directly anyway. But she's tenacious, I'll give her that! She found her way out of that prison quicker than, well, anyone ever. I'll miss her fighting spirit, but she just doesn't fit in this world we're building. You know that."

"Why send those other minions disguised like her into my chambers, then?"

"To make sure you weren't going soft on me. I mean, at first, I wanted to see if I could placate you with a doppelganger of our little Sarakiel here. But you didn't fall for it, and you got so angry. The way you tore that shade to pieces was, oof, like a work of art. After that, well, I just enjoyed watching you kill Sarakiel."

"You have to be the most inconsistent madman I have ever met," I said.

"Sarakiel, my dear, I'm not inconsistent. I am a—say it with me—liar. I lie, and I lie, and I lie. It's what I do. I figured, if you're going to be branded as a liar then you may as well fit into the role and do the thing."

I stared at him, eyes wide, my heart heavy. "You really aren't at all interested in redemption, are you?"

Lucifer shrugged. "What's there to be redeemed for? More importantly, who's there to offer any kind of redemption that I can accept? God is dead, and even if She weren't, I'm sick of trying to get back into Her good graces. It's time I was the one calling the shots for a change."

"You're pathetic," I snarled. "Even Medrion had more redeeming qualities than you do. At least he stood for something. You're only in this for your own selfish gain."

The Morningstar rolled his eyes and pretended to check a watch he didn't have. "Whatever. Look, no offense, but I'm getting really tired of hearing your voice. Abaddon, take care of this, will you? We're on a schedule."

Abaddon's jaw tightened and pulsed. "This is unnecessary," he said.

"Maybe to you," said Lucifer. "Look, I'm seriously done talking, here—and you know me, I love to talk. You've done this literally a hundred times. I've watched you kill this angel in so many different and impressively creative ways, what's one more?"

"A frivolous display of violence. This isn't my way."

"As long as she lives, she's a problem." Lucifer paused. "Wait… are you refusing my command?"

"I am questioning your reasoning."

"You know I don't pay you to question anything."

"Pay me?" asked Abaddon, his eyes narrowing.

"It's a human expression. Point is, just kill her already. That's an order."

I still had that Light shield in my hand, only now I didn't know whether to point it at Lucifer or at Abaddon. Abaddon hadn't moved, but I knew how quick and how deadly he was. If I wasn't ready to defend myself against him, I would've been dead before I knew it. Lucifer, on the other hand, was so insanely powerful I doubted if either of us would know we were dead unless Lucifer wanted us to.

But the moment grew, and deepened, and Abaddon didn't make a move against me.

"Abby…" Lucifer said, putting on a face of mock disappointment. "Come on, now. Be a good boy and consolidate your position as the King of the Ashes. Do it for me."

I frowned. "Is that how you talk to him?" I asked. "Really?"

"Not generally," muttered Abaddon.

"I'm not going to ask you again," said Lucifer. "All I'll say is, I have scores of demons waiting to tear you to pieces and take your place. All I have to do is say the word, and this place becomes your tomb, too."

I could feel the conflict radiating off Abaddon's skin like heat, and I didn't like it. Refusing to kill me should've been a no-brainer, the easiest choice of his life. But that was the Abaddon I knew, the Abaddon who had gone to Heaven with me and tried to right the mess Lucifer had made.

This was a different Abaddon. He was the King of the Ashes, tortured, and scarred, and marked like never before. The things he had gone through, the things he had seen, the things he had done—I had no way of knowing just what this last year had been like for him, but none of it had been good.

"I am an angel of my word," said Abaddon. "You are not an angel of yours."

"You didn't know that already?" asked Lucifer. "That sounds like a you problem at this point."

"You want me to kill this angel. I will not."

Lucifer's eyes darkened. He clearly wasn't someone who appreciated being denied. "Is that so?"

Abaddon nodded. "I am going to take her out of here, and when she is safe, I shall return so we may continue this conversation."

"No. No, I'm afraid that doesn't work for me. I mean, you're ruining everything! You were supposed to kill her, thinking she was just another dumb test. And then I was going to show you her dead face and go nope, she's the real deal, and you killed her. Congrats! Then there'd be nothing stopping you from truly taking your place at my side. Side note, maybe we would've become best friends, but that's neither here nor there."

I could already feel the darkness pressing in around my Light. "Abaddon," I said, "they're getting closer."

"Do not stray," he said. "Stay close."

"Just what are you planning on doing?" asked Lucifer. "And don't tell me you're about to gallantly save her and run off into the night. That would be incredibly dull and boring."

Abaddon took a step towards Lucifer, interposing himself between me and the first angel. "No," said Abaddon. "First, I am going to tear your wings off… then I am going to run off into the night."

"Bold words. Stupid, but bold. You sure I can't get you to reconsider? I'd hate to lose you."

"We are done, here," said Abaddon. "I will not let myself be manipulated any longer."

"It's cute that you think I manipulated you when we both know you've had the time of your life sitting on that throne. I watched you, Abaddon. Very closely. The things you've done? That won't wash off no matter what you do. Trust me, dying here and now would be preferable to the life that's waiting for you outside of these walls."

The darkness around us lunged, surging forward like a wave. I raised my Light shield and made the Light shining from between my wings burn even brighter and hotter. The darkness screeched, but it wasn't deterred. It wasn't long before shapes emerged from within the shadows; vicious shapes with claws, glowing red eyes, and lashing tails.

One damnable creature leapt towards me, its body taking shape into something vaguely humanoid but almost entirely shrouded in shadow. Its claws gleamed against the moonlight. I raised my shield to protect myself, and when the creature made contact with the Light, it hissed and retreated.

With my shield firmly held in one hand, I extended my other hand and manifested a glowing sword made of pure Light. I had hoped the lightshow would give the shadows a moment to really consider what they were about to do, but it didn't. They came nonetheless, and they came screaming.

Before I knew it, I was surrounded. These shadow creatures swirled around me like dark smoke, making it difficult to get a strike in anywhere that would count. Abaddon seemed entirely unfazed by the appearance of these shades. He instead advanced on Lucifer, one bold step after the other like he was on a mission.

I didn't have the time to focus my attention on what Lucifer was doing, though. I had to keep the shades at bay and stay close to Abaddon like he'd asked.

Another shade lashed out at me, and this time it almost managed to make it past my guard. The momentary lapse allowed another shade to reach past my shield and drag its claws along my arm. I screamed from the sudden shot of pain, but with a quick thrust of my sword in return I was able to impale something solid.

The way that creature shrieked as its skin sizzled and burned was satisfying enough to dull the pain I was feeling, but there were too many of these things to count.

"Abaddon!" I yelled. "Whatever you're going to do, do it now!"

"Abaddon isn't going to do anything," said Lucifer. "This big oaf thinks he can hurt me, all of a sudden. He should know by now that he can't."

Abaddon wasn't deterred by Lucifer's confidence. I felt him push away from me, his wings propelling him toward the first angel like a bullet from a gun. I turned around and followed, flaring the Light between my wings to try to keep the shadows at bay while I kept pace with Abaddon.

Lucifer moved out of Abaddon's way, his body swishing to the right to avoid Abaddon's attempt at grabbing him. A powerful light pulsed, flashing into the space between both angels and sending the shadows scurrying into the deepest corners of the chamber we were in.

Light didn't usually affect me, but this was difficult to see through. I heard a scuffle, I could see vague shapes moving, cutting hard lines of shadow into the beacon shining right in front of me. I wanted to help, but I knew this wasn't my fight.

So, I waited with my shield held up and my sword at my side while the two angels in front of me did battle. It was a whirlwind of grunting, of whooshing, of whipping wind and brilliant light, but it didn't last long. When the Light dimmed, only Abaddon remained. I could tell just by looking at him, though, that he was hurt. There were cuts and bruises all over his skin, his lip was bleeding, and he had a gash on the side of his head… but he was alone.

Abaddon fell to his knees, sticking one hand out to stop from collapsing entirely. I rushed up to him, my Light dimming as I reached him. I took his bleeding face in my hands and looked at him. "Abaddon!" I breathed. "Are you alright?"

He looked up at me, if only for a moment. Then he glanced down at his other hand. His nails were sharp, and black—like claws—and in the palm of his hand there was a pool of blood that also coated his fingers.

"Yours?" I asked, hoping he wasn't about to tell me he had been run through with a sword.

But Abaddon shook his head. "His," he said, and I remembered Hekata's words, and my chest filled with something heavy and light at the same time.

If he bleeds, we can kill him.