Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

I grabbed Lisa's arm, my fingers digging into her flesh with urgency. "Don't say it, Lisa. Don't summon Maci." My voice trembled, heavy with the weight of what was at stake.

Lisa's eyes widened as shock and fear flickered across her face. It was the look of someone whose deepest secret had been unexpectedly laid bare. The same expression Judas must have worn when Christ called out his betrayal. "What?" she whispered.

"I know where your phoenix is." The words tumbled out of me, desperate and pleading. My grip on the crown tightened. I wouldn't let go. Not this time.

Lisa hesitated, conflict etched in every line of her face. I could almost see the war raging behind her eyes. Loyalty to her beloved phoenix versus the wrongness of what she was about to do.

I searched her gaze, silently willing her to make the right choice. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst from my chest. "Do you really want to put your trust in Maci?" I pressed. "She'll betray you the first chance she gets."

Justice's voice shattered the tense moment, panic and desperation coloring his tone as it had before. "Sawyer, look out. Behind you!" Though anticipated, the warning still jolted through me like an electric current.

I held my breath, every muscle in my body coiled tight with anticipation. I knew what was supposed to happen next. Maci bursting through the wall Lisa would have opened, seizing the Crown in a moment of chaos and betrayal. The knowledge sat heavy in my stomach.

Lisa's gaze drifted to the wall where shadows seemed to hover and dance as if sensing the imminent breach. The air felt thick, charged with potential energy. The calm before a storm I was desperately trying to prevent.

At that moment, suspended between what was and what could be, I silently pleaded with whatever forces might be listening. Let this be enough. Let us change our fate. The future hung in the balance, teetering on the edge of Lisa's decision.

"I trust you," she finally stated. "I didn't want to betray you."

I grabbed her hand. "Come on. We've got to get you out of here."

The dark shadows on the wall writhed and coalesced, taking shape with terrifying speed. In a matter of heartbeats, Maci's draconic form emerged, her scales gleaming like oil-slick obsidian in the chamber's dim light. Her eyes burned with malevolent amber fire, fixed on the crown in my hands.

But the Aegis serpent was fast. With a movement almost too quick to follow, it uncoiled its massive body and lashed out. Its tail, as thick as an ancient tree trunk and covered in scales that shimmered like living metal, whipped through the air with a sound like a thunderclap.

The blow caught Maci square in the face, sending her reeling backward. The impact echoed through the chamber, and everything seemed to freeze. Maci staggered, her claws scrabbling against the stone floor as she fought to keep her balance. It was the first time I'd ever seen her falter, and the sight sent a thrill of hope through me.

Rage contorted Maci's draconic features. She reared back, her chest swelling as she drew in a massive breath. The air in the chamber suddenly felt hot, charged with imminent danger.

"Everyone, get down!" I screamed, diving for cover.

Maci unleashed a torrent of flames, the fire so intense that it transformed the air into a shimmering, superheated haze. The bright inferno engulfed the Aegis serpent.

For a terrifying moment, I thought it was over. Yet, as the flames died down, I saw something miraculous. The serpent's scales, far from being charred or melted, glowed with an inner light. Each scale shone like a miniature sun, reflecting and amplifying the fire's energy.

The unharmed serpent released a hiss that sounded almost like laughter. It moved, its body flowing like liquid mercury as it circled Maci. The dragon snapped and clawed at it, but the serpent was too quick, always out of reach.

Suddenly, the serpent struck. Its gleaming fangs sank deep into Maci's flank. The sound of tearing scales filled the air, followed by Maci's roar of pain and fury. The cry was so powerful it shook dust from the ceiling and sent vibrations through the stone floor.

Maci's tail lashed out wildly, fueled by pain and rage. It smashed into the ancient pillars surrounding us, sending chunks of stone and debris raining down. I ducked, shielding my head as fragments clattered around me.

The two titanic creatures grappled in a deadly dance. Their battle was a blur of motion, scales glinting, fangs flashing, claws raking. Every impact sent shockwaves through the chamber.

Maci's wings beat furiously, creating a whirlwind that threatened to knock us off our feet. I crouched low, one hand clutching the Crown tightly to my chest, the other grasping the ground for stability. The others crouched as well, their expressions reflecting awe and terror as they watched the clash of mythical beings.

As I observed the battle, realization dawned on me. This fight, this moment, could change everything. The future I knew, the one we'd come back to alter, hung in the balance. For the first time since our return, I dared to hope we might actually succeed in changing our fate.

Then, Maci did something unexpected. In the midst of the chaos, her form shifted. The massive, scaled dragon body melted away, shrinking and transforming until Maci stood in her human form. The abrupt change caught everyone off guard, including the serpent, which immediately released her.

Blood poured from the wound on Maci's side, staining the ground. She swayed slightly but remained standing, her eyes burning with an intensity that sent chills through me. This should have been the moment of her defeat. We should have won.

But the triumphant feeling building in my chest evaporated as Maci's lips curled into a wicked smile. She looked up, her gaze locking onto mine with unsettling focus. "You think you've won, Sawyer?" Her cold, mirthless laugh echoed off the chamber walls. "I've saved the best for last."

The air seemed to thicken, charged with a new and terrifying energy. Maci's voice rang out, clear and commanding, "Wrath, come forth!"

A few feet away from Maci, reality split apart. It started as a thin line of absolute darkness, a crack in the world that shouldn't exist. The fissure widened, edges jagged and pulsing with an otherworldly energy. Wind howled from the opening, carrying the scent of brimstone and despair.

We all stared, transfixed by the nightmarish sight. I clutched the crown tighter, my knuckles white with the effort. Justice tensed and moved closer to me. Damon muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like a prayer.

From the depths of the portal, a figure emerged. At first, it was a silhouette, a man-shaped shadow stepping from the darkness. As he fully entered our world, more details came into focus.

He was impossibly tall, towering over everyone. His skin was pale, almost translucent, with veins of angry red pulsing beneath the surface. He wore a perfectly tailored suit of the deepest black, making him look like he'd stepped from a high-end fashion show rather than a hellish portal.

But it was his face that truly terrified me. Classically handsome features twisted into an expression of barely contained rage. His eyes, pitch black from corner to corner, burned with an inner fire. And his smile… God, his smile. It was wide and predatory, filled with sharp teeth, a grin that promised pain and reveled in the prospect.

Maci's laughter rang out again, triumphant and terrible. "Behold, Wrath!" she cried, her voice filled with a twisted joy.

The man, no, the being that was Wrath turned his horrifying smile on us. When he spoke, his voice was smooth and cultured, a shocking contrast to the fury radiating from him in almost visible waves.

"Well," he purred, his gaze sweeping over us like a physical touch. "Isn't this going to be fun?"

We had faced demons before, but this was something else entirely. This was wrath incarnate, the embodiment of pure, unrestrained fury given human form. And as he stood there, radiating waves of hostility, I realized with growing horror that we had no idea how to fight him.

The crown felt like it was burning, its importance magnified tenfold. Whatever this personification of Wrath was, whatever power he held, the next few moments would determine not only our fate but the fate of the world.