7. Gabby

The sun is low in the sky as Gabby and Colt fly over the sands of the Arabian desert. It creates a sea of gold beneath them, as silent as it is expansive.

Colt told her the history of the Lost City of Omar on the way. Atlantis of the Sands is a legendary lost city thought to have been destroyed by a natural disaster or as a punishment by God. For centuries it was little more than legend, but then a team of archaeologists found it at an excavated site of a Bedouin well. All that's left of it now is a handful of ruins. Gabby wonders what it must've looked like back in Uriel's time.

And why the cult has brought the final piece of the obsidian here.

The piece that can unite all seven shards.

And then, I will be whole.

Your power will be absolute.

Gabby shoves away the insidious hiss. In the glaring light of day, she can see what the obsidian's trying to do, and she won't give into its seductive promises. Not when she knows there would be a cost associated.

One she wouldn't be willing to pay.

"Over there," Colt says, his voice carrying over the wind. He's somber as he points below.

Gabby glances down, registering a faint line through the amber sand. Rows of stones. The ruins of a wall that was no doubt once a mighty protector of the city.

"At least there won't be many places for the cult to hide," she murmurs, scanning their surroundings. There's little more than sand and more sand, punctuated by lines of stone.

"Which doesn't make sense," Colt points out. "The cult will protect this final stone to the death."

If that's what needs to happen…

Gabby draws in a sharp breath, catching Colt's attention. She smiles weakly at him, knowing he's concerned.

And wishing he didn't have a reason to be.

She tenses, resisting the urge to shake her head. Colt doesn't have a reason to be worried. She's stronger than the obsidian. She's part angel, carrying the essence of Light inside of her. The obsidian can whisper its evil till it goes hoarse. She will never give into it.

She can't.

"Gabby?" Colt asks. Although his voice is soft, it slices through the noise of the wind, tugging something deep in her chest.

"I'm fine, Colt. Really," she promises, injecting every ounce of her conviction into those words.

If Colt believes she can't handle this, if she can't handle this, then they have no way to power the Spear of Destiny. The Grigori will win.

It's not an outcome they can afford to entertain. Every life in the three realms depends on it.

Colt nods, moving so his onyx wings brush her alabaster ones. It sends a shiver through Gabby, warming her. Calming her.

Take that, obsidian. You're no match for a love that's transcended Heaven and Hell.

"Let's land here," Colt suggests, pointing below. "We're best approaching on foot."

Gabby agrees. The cult may have access to magic to nullify their cloaking spell. If that's the case, a shiny white angel and a sexy dark demon soaring above will be like beacons.

They descend, feet sinking into the warm sand as the desert descends into twilight. An irregular rock wall stretches south, more sand banked against the weathered stones.

"The city was large," Colt says, his eyes roaming past it. "This was the outer wall, used to protect Ubar."

Gabby slips her hand into his. "Time to do a little searching."

They walk forward, stepping over what's left of the battlements, eyes and ears sharp. If the shard is here, the cult is here.

Suddenly, Colt jerks Gabby back. She crashes into his arms with a gasp, trying to understand what the threat is.

"Merde," Colt whispers, drawing her close, not moving.

She clings to him, doing the same as she sees what he does. There's nowhere to go. Their very surroundings are morphing. Changing.

Behind them, the stone wall soars high, gaining substance as it reaches for the sky. Within a heartbeat, an immovable length stretches as far as Gabby can see. But it's what's happening before them that keeps her entranced. Immobile.

The air shimmers, ripples, then seems to sharpen. As if it's going from blurred to high definition. The vista of an ancient city appears, hazy at first, but then undeniably real. A new horizon forms, punctured by high walls, rounded minarets, and pointed towers. Windows and arches and columns that look like they belong in mythology dot the expanse, creating an architectural panorama that's as ancient as it is impressive.

Gabby blinks. The Lost City of Ubar just resurrected.

"It's the power of the obsidian," Colt says in a low voice. "That's why the cult chose this location."

Without such powerful magic, a person wouldn't be able to see the entire, ancient city stretched over the sand.

Gabby blinks again. And they now have an entire city to search.

"Shite," Colt growls, suddenly running forward. "Guards."

She runs with him, now conscious that sounds have joined the sights that just revealed themselves. Voices, dozens of them, all harsh and guttural.

They slam into a wall and press themselves there, listening. Booted feet stomp high above, someone coughs. A fat globule of spit lands a few feet away from Gabby and Colt, but nothing else.

They haven't been seen.

Gabby rests her cheek against the warm stone that until minutes ago, didn't exist, letting out a slow breath. They have an entire guarded city to search.

Kill them all, the obsidian hisses.

Gabby pretends the voice didn't just infect her mind, even as she wonders how easy that will be when the obsidian's seven shards are reunited. She follows Colt as he creeps along the wall, pushing that thought away along with the voice. They have to get the seventh shard before any of that's an issue, which makes it a ‘cross that bridge when she gets to it' issue.

A hand lands on her shoulder, sending her heart shooting straight for the stratosphere. Gabby spins around, celestial fire already flaring around her hands. Colt is by her side in a blink, but they both stop.

"Kenna!" Gabby gasps.

The leader of the Order of the Knightly rose cocks a hip as she angles a brow. "Sorry, couldn't help myself."

Gabby quickly realizes Kenna isn't alone. A young man with unruly blonde curls is next to her. He smiles congenially, as if they aren't in a lost city, surrounded by enemies, and Kenna didn't just defibrillate Gabby's heart. "Good evening."

"What are you doing here?" Colt hisses.

Kenna glances around. "Not here." She spins on her heel and hurries away, the young man following her.

With a quick glance at each other, Gabby and Colt aren't far behind. The vampire huntress was the last person they expected so see out here, in the middle of the Arabian desert.

Kenna takes a sharp right and disappears into an alcove tucked into the stone wall, and Gabby and Colt follow. The moment they're tucked inside, a pale light flares. The young man smiles at them again as he positions the gently pulsing ball of white above them. Whomever he is, he's supernatural.

"What are you doing here, Kenna?" Colt repeats, keeping his voice low.

The leader of the Knights shrugs. "Rescue mission."

For a brief second, Gabby wonders if Kenna's talking about the final shard of the obsidian. Anger, black and hot, flashes through her.

No one will have that shard but her!

Yes, you are destined to wield the power.

As quickly as it flares, Gabby dampens it. She locks every muscle in her body. She can't lose control.

"A rescue mission?" Colt asks, glancing up as if he can see through the thick stone. "We thought all the guards were because of the obsidian."

"It is," the young man with the blond curls says. "The obsidian shard is here. The cult is using its power to keep a prisoner contained."

Surprise shoots through Gabby. Whomever this prisoner is, they must have powerful magic to need the obsidian to contain them.

Colt crosses his arms, his gaze settling on the young man. "And who are you?"

He grins, the motion quick and easy, as if it comes naturally to him. "Marlowe. Nice to meet you."

Gabby gasps. She knows that name!

"You're nephilim! More than that, you're the General's son!"

Memories of the time they hiked through the jungle to find a magical, futuristic city hidden deep within rise in her mind. The General had given them the golden plates so they could decode the locations of the shards in exchange for finding his son, Marlowe. Without him, they wouldn't be here.

And now Marlowe's standing right in front of her.

He inclines his head. "Yes, that's me."

Gabby plants her hands on her hips. "Your father's looking for you. He wants you back home."

Marlowe shakes his head. "The nephilim have hidden themselves for far too long. We have a duty to help, not hide." His gaze settles on Gabby. "The Archangel Gabriel contacted me. He's the one who encouraged me to seek my destiny beyond our secret city. He knew it was time the nephilim joined the war on evil."

"Of course that meddlesome archangel did," Colt mutters.

Gabby doesn't say anything, even as she wonders what her father was up to. He's been meddling in these affairs for far longer than she realized, and far wider.

"Have you tried talking to your father?" she asks, deciding to focus on questions she's far more likely to get answers to.

Marlowe looks away. "My destiny lies with the Order now."

Gabby doesn't push any more. She understands how complicated relationships between fathers and their children can be better than anyone. Instead, she softens her voice. "Can you at least contact him? Tell him you're okay?"

Marlowe nods, letting out a sigh. For some reason, the somber expression looks out of place on his handsome face. "Yes, I can do that."

Colt clears his throat. "So, you're here to rescue this prisoner?" he asks, clearly keen to get the conversation back on track.

"Yep," Kenna says. "Flew here the moment we heard this guy, Asher, had been taken."

"Although I'll be returning to Mercy City," Marlowe adds. "My role here was to use my magic to help Kenna and some of the Knights enter the Lost City."

Kenna nods. "We have reason to believe Vladimir is in Mercy City."

Unease slithers up Gabby's spine. Her family and friends are in Mercy City.

Marlowe steps past them, his face settling into a determined expression. "I left my home to help keep humanity safe, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Be safe," Kenna says, giving his hand a squeeze.

Marlowe shoots her a smile, then faces the stone wall at the entrance of the alcove. With a wave of his hand, he opens a swirling portal, steps through, and disappears. The portal closes, the wall as blank and innocuous as it was a moment ago.

Colt turns back to Kenna. "So, do you know who this prisoner is?" he asks, dogged as always. Gabby's chest warms. Her demon is just as determined to save humanity, he just isn't one to broadcast it.

Kenna shakes her head. "We're not exactly sure. All we know is Asher's not of this world." The lines around her mouth tighten. "And he's clearly important."