We soared high above New York City, and I could hear the commotion below, even through the thick layer of clouds that separated us and the battlefield. Thanatiel had insisted we remain covered in the overcast sky until we reached Lucifer's location, that alerting him to our presence would only solidify Heaven's loss. Even now, I wasn't entirely sure Thanatiel was telling the truth about wanting to help us. I knew I was blindly putting my faith in her, but I felt like I had no other choice. Finding Lucifer on our own could take hours, even days. We were simply out of time. I could feel Grey's power waning through the bond, like a tug on my chest as if to ask for some of mine. I knew he wouldn't consciously ask for that, given what I was heading into, but it didn't make shutting him out any easier. The fact that, subconsciously, he needed it, was enough to make my stomach churn with unease.
I glanced briefly behind me at Siena and Barachiel, whose faces were taut with anxiety. I could feel their fear from here. They doubted my decision was the right one. I didn't blame them. However, I appreciated that despite disagreeing with me, they followed me. I just hoped I wouldn't live to regret that unwavering loyalty.
"Lucifer is on that boat. When we dive, stay close. Do not fall behind, or you will be killed," Thanatiel called back to us, pointing through the clouds towards the earth. I could faintly make out a dark shape floating on the shimmering waves of the bay. He was much closer to the battle than I would've thought. Perhaps he wanted to stay close to deliver the final blow.
The moment Thanatiel's dark wings pulled in to her body, I followed suit, diving down after her. I didn't dare look behind me to see if Siena and Barachiel had done the same, but I prayed that if they didn't, they remained above the clouds. I didn't want either of them to die for the mission that was given to me. This was my fate. Not theirs.
We broke through the clouds and I felt the cold humid air rip at my skin as we went faster and faster towards the dark waves below. The boat was growing larger by the second. Above the clouds, it had appeared to be little more than a sailboat. Now, it had become more apparent that it was nothing of the sort. It was more of a cargo ship, full of stained burgundy and yellow ochre crates. I could faintly make out some small dark figures moving across the deck, unaware of our approach.
I pulled my wings in closer and sped up, reaching Thanatiel's side. Her dark eyes flicked to me for a moment, her sharp lips curling in a smirk. "We're landing on the deck. Brace yourself," she called out and I nodded, hoping that if Barachiel and Siena had followed, they'd also heard. Wind ripped at my hair, screaming in my ears as the ship got larger and larger.
Thanatiel's wings spread and she began to slow, but I kept my wings in close. I was not here to appear graceful and gentle. I was here to destroy.
I heard Thanatiel's voice scream from behind me, but didn't listen. The moment I felt the splash of sea spray against my cheeks, I pulled my wings out beside me, my knees slamming into the steel deck of the ship. I felt the metal give beneath me, groaning and crumbling with the force of my impact. The shudders echoed across the ship in a large boom and I felt the front of the ship dive down in the water and splash a massive wave of water up behind me. Two booms echoed to either side of me, making the ship rock unsteadily back and forth. Then, I heard a final set of feet gently meet the deck of the ship directly behind me.
Slowly, my eyes rose to face my surroundings. Demons. Their eyes were pitch black like Thanatiel's but inside of her sharp canines, they had rows of razor sharp teeth like sharks. Unearthly snarls and howls erupted from their mouths as they began to run towards us.
"Go. Lowest level of the ship. I will follow," I heard Thantiel instruct from behind me. I turned and gave her a quick nod, running forward towards the masses of demons hurdling towards me. They screamed out as they began to attack, but each swing of their limbs, each lurch of their bodies, I dodged. I needed to make it through them, not waste my energy on killing them all. I was only a quarter of the way through the masses when I watched them all crumble into ash around me.
I cautiously turned around to see Thanatiel, her palms facing in front of her. Her eyelids slowly opened and she gave a slow nod. Perhaps I could trust her. My eyes drifted to Siena and Barachiel, their eyes locked on me. They had followed me, after all. I didn't know what I did to deserve such loyalty and courage.
I turned back around and ran towards the metal door that sat ajar on the two story building that jutted out of the deck. Luckily, it lead to a staircase. Our feet clanged against the steel stairs as we ran down them, echoing up the stairwell. More demonic screams echoed from above us, but Thanatiel merely held her palms towards the sky and a few moments later, I felt ashes rain down on us. I tried not to think about the fact that the ashes had been alive only moments before.
"He's in a room at the bottom of the ship. If we come across anymore Demons, just let me take care of them," Thanatiel grumbled.
"Shouldn't you retain your power to help us fight against Lucifer?" Siena questioned, the slight edge of judgement to her voice tainting the air with venom.
"That is her fate. Not mine," Thanatiel shot back, earning a frustrated sigh from Siena.
"If you need only flick your wrists to kill him, then why not let it be your fate?" Siena snapped in response, obviously wanting nothing more than to get out of here. I didn't blame her. If this hadn't been my entire reason for existing, I probably would've left.
Thanatiel didn't respond to that. Perhaps she was tired of arguing and simply wanted to focus on the task at hand.
When we reached the bottom of the staircase, we all paused and glanced around. A hallway led to either side of us, with steel walls and eerie fluorescent lights with a cool greenish glow. The moment we'd stopped moving, everything was completely silent. Odd.
"We should be able to hear them, even if they are in a safe room. We should at least be able to hear their hearts if they are alive," Barachiel interjected, looking between Thanatiel and I. I, too, turned to Thanatiel, whose brows were furrowed in confusion, as if she didn't understand either.
"You're right. They must not be here," Thanatiel shook her head, a scowl deepening on her forehead.
My heart sank. This was all a waste of time, then. Lucifer must've known Thanatiel would betray him, and fled to a new location. We'd never find him in time now. Grey would run his powers dry and we'd lose too many forces in order to stand a chance against Hell. I'd made the wrong decision, and now Heaven was going to pay for it. I'd been fated for this, and yet I'd still failed.
"You led us here on purpose, didn't you? To distract us from actually finding him?" Siena hissed, pointing a finger at Thanatiel, who slowly shook her head.
"No, it can't be. He was here. He is here. He has to be," Thanatiel mumbled under her breath, as if in disbelief. Perhaps she'd truly thought she'd outwitted Lucifer, just as I had when I'd saved my soul out from under him. Perhaps we had all thought we'd been steel, when we'd really only been putty in his hands.
"We have to head back to the front lines, do what we can to salvage Heaven's forces," Barachiel suggested, running his hand through his fiery hair.
"No, he's here. He has to be," Thanatiel continued to mumble. I glanced to her briefly, then turned to Barachiel.
"I agree. I can feel Grey weakening. We should go. There's nothing for us here," I sighed, shaking my head in disappointment. Heaven had put it's faith in me, and I'd failed. Totally, and completely failed.
Then, a loud bang echoed down the hallway to our left, as if someone had dropped something. I slowly glanced between Barachiel and Thanatiel, whose eyes had opened wide.
"He is here. That has to be him," she whispered out.
"Jordan," Siena croaked out, her steady voice now shaking.
"I don't have a choice. If you want to leave, please do. I don't want your death on my conscience," my voice turned cold, eyes hardened in determination as I began to walk down the spooky hallway. This was my fate.
"Jordan!" Barachiel hissed out, but I didn't even pause. I was made for this. This was what I was born to do. I would not fail Heaven. I couldn't.
After a moment, my lone footsteps were joined by the echoing of several more and my heart warmed. Once again, they'd chosen to stand by me, even in the face of certain death and Death herself.
The hallway turned and I followed where it led, down another hallway with flickering green lights. I could hear the creaking and groaning of the ship as it swayed back and forth in the waves. At the end of the hallway was a black door, also appearing to be some sort of metal. It was the only door in the hallway, so that had to be where he was. It had to be.
As we approached, I could feel the cool, damp air grow substantially warmer. It was like we'd left the icy bay of New York and had arrived in the Sahara desert. Sweat began to bead on my forehead and I quickly wiped it off.
"Did it get hot in here or-," Siena began, but was cut off by Thanatiel.
"It's the metal. It's not just any metal. It's hardened Hellfire," Thanatiel spoke softly, as if in despair. Hardened hellfire could only be broken by holy water or by Lucifer himself. Slowly, I felt that same despair curl in my chest and constrict my throat.
How on Earth were we supposed to get through?
"So, it's basically as if he weren't here at all. There's no way through," Siena grumbled in frustration, her eyes flaring bronze in anger.
"We should go to the front lines. That way, we can at least make a difference," Barachiel posited with a shift of his weight onto his back foot. Slowly, though, I shook my head.
I could break through. I think. When Michael had placed those hardened Hellfire cuffs on my wrists to prevent my soul from acting out when Grey had broken my Pledge to him, I'd been able to shatter them. They'd been chipped, sure, but I'd still broken them. Maybe that's what I had to do now.
"I can do it. I broke the Hellfire cuffs that Michael had put on me, I can break this door," I shook my head defiantly. All three of them turned to me with bewildered expressions.
"You broke through hardened Hellfire?" Thanatiel breathed out in shock, as if it were unfathomable.
"Jordan, that took a ton of energy out of you, remember? If you break through the door, there's no telling if you'll have enough power to defeat Lucifer once you're through," Siena frowned, her eyes pleading with me not to do it. It was as if she'd already decided my fate.
I glanced at Barachiel, who stared blankly at me. I waited for some reaction from him, but he merely sucked in a deep breath and turned his gaze to the ground. "Do it."
That was all the encouragement I'd needed. I turned around to face the door, radiating heat like an open flame. This was my fate. I had to do this.
I reached deep down inside me, where my soul thrashed inside it's steel cage. Slowly, I opened the gate, letting it loose.
There was a moment of silence, absolutely deafening silence.
Then my vision exploded with light.