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  Michael reached for her in a low dive. “Ladriam!”

  Dahlia punched the air and sent a wall of ooze at him. The maroon muck splashed across his glowing armor and pushed him aside. His feet touched the ground in the crater. “Where is your lover, Ladriam?”

  “I can deal with you without him.”

  Michael sneered. “Are you going to defend yourself with mud?”

  Dahlia made a fist and the substance squeezed around his body and pulled him down into it. She ripped her scythe out of the ground and cut through the ooze. The material rose over Michael’s head and came down on his body.

  Michael twisted to fling it off, but the substance clung to him. He flapped his wings to no effect. He tugged on his leg, but could barely move the limb.

  Dahlia sent a wave at him, then another, weighing him down.

  He struggled. “This cannot kill me!”

  She grinned. “But it can keep you in place.”

  Michael sliced at the mud with his spear, piercing and cutting it.

  Dahlia swung her scythe and covered him with another layer of fluid. She did not look at the fight around her; she paid no heed to the cries of angels or Lilliam. She focused her attention on him. Every move she made circled the Archangel, wrapping him up in the weighty mess that held him to the earth.

  An angel dove for her, fire at the ready, blade drawn. The angel bared razor-sharp fangs and swiped at her head.

  Lucifer dove out of the snow and smashed his bat into its face, sending the angel up and away. He swung at another, then another, the cracks and percussion drowned out Michael’s curses. Lucifer leapt over Dahlia’s head and brought the bat down on another angel. Between the hits he counted, “Twenty-one.” Smack. “Twenty-two.” He would let nothing reach her.

  Dahlia trusted that he could protect her. She moved the ooze like clay on a potter’s wheel, filling in the holes Michael created with the spear. She kept pace with each move he made to escape.

  Michael screamed in rage and frustration. His pendant kept him from taking harm, but it could not keep the unearthly substance from weighing him down. Above the trio, the battle raged on.

  ***

  Beamers let loose rays of blinding light at the ground below. Ice melted to slush; all in its path fried. Apple flipped back to avoid the blast. “Fuck!” She raised her horn and blew a sharp note. “Medics!” Grendel raced by her, carrying wounded Lilliam away from the fight. Berith threw himself in front of others; the light that hit him was no more than an irritation.

  Apple raised her repeating crossbow and strafed the angels above her. Those with no pendants fell to the ground, impaled and dying. The others, still impervious, flew higher to come around again. One group wheeled in the sky, their wings full of caught starlight and heat. They flicked their wings and sent searing light across the ice.

  Helion slammed into the angels. He used his tower shield like a battering ram. He knocked angels backwards, sending their rays into the sky and each other.

  Helion ducked behind his shield as light shot back at him. He cringed. Radiation singed his black and blonde hair; it set fire to his feathered wings.

  Whitney batted at his wings. She used her mist to snuff-out the flame on her boyfriend’s shoulders. Helion thanked her with a smile.

  She rounded on the attacking beamers and wailed. Her banshee scream sent the angels into a quick retreat. They were unable to stand the high-pitched vibration that ripped through the air. Helion gazed at her lovingly, his ears stopped up with earplugs. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  Firmament arrows clouded the sky with their deadly points. Helion covered Whitney with his shield and dove with her in his arms.

  Lilliam medics trailed the pair. Their team consisted of banshee and wraiths. They collected the wounded and the dead. Banshee dove into clouds and were invisible to angel and Lilliam alike, they waited as their partners, the wraiths, dove to grab the wounded. As angels neared, the banshee let loose a melody of death. Blinded and in pain, the disoriented angels threw weapons and fire into the clouds as they fled.

  Helion and Whitney joined their medics and grabbed for the wounded. They carried their injured comrades and turned towards the rent in the earth. Persephone waited inside the tunnel, healing those that the medics brought to her. Her husband Aita and his father Thanatos converted to the undeath those Lilliam that could not be healed to full life.

  Helion flew past Apple and panted. “There are so many. We are losing Lilliam.” He watched soldiers fall around him.

  Apple shot a stream of bolts into the sky. “And they are losing angels!”

  Whitney held on to Helion. She did not speak, reserving her strength for the soul-wounding screams needed for their safe retreat.

  ***

  Buried deep in the earth, the Lilliam City was quiet. Dahlia and Lucifer’s eight children waited on the Grand Promenade. Light poured off each and shot upwards. They strained against the heavenly forces, intent as they stared into the rock ceiling that separated them from the surface. Their concentration and power were the only things that kept Gabriel’s weapon from striking the surface of the earth.

  Chronos, Titan, Ouroboros, Leviathan, Nix, Ra, and Ifrit watched their sister, worried and tense. Gaea was life itself, the energy through which all plants and animals thrived. As she tired, all grew tired. Her daughter Ceres and grandson Morgan stood by her side, maintaining her strength by giving her their own. Gaea grimaced as she felt the death of each person above.

  Gabriel’s weapon notched up its intensity. The eight staggered.

  The City shook and cracks appeared in the Grand Promenade. Lilliam rushed forward, they lent their strength to the eight. Millions of Lilliam banded together, forcing the weapon back by their collective will alone.

  ***

  “How is it even possible?” Furcas touched his stomach as he flew. “I mean, it’s not right? I don’t have a…baby in me.”

  Paimon snorted and blasted a squad of angels with his squirt gun, coating them in ice. “Stop thinking so literal.”

  “That’s rich coming from you.” Furcas soared past a jet of fire.

  “I mean it.” Paimon shot at the breathers. “You’re pregnant with the possibility or some esoteric shit like that.”

  “That is not what that word means.” Furcas created a whirlwind to knock angels out of their way as they raced for space. “What did Dahlia say exactly?”

  “It wasn’t so much the words…” Paimon reloaded his shotgun. He caught Furcas’ glare. “Look, I don’t know how it works! But her intimation was pretty clear.”

  “Her intimation?” Furcas threw a lightning bolt at Paimon’s head.

  Paimon ducked. “Maybe creation takes longer since we’re Archangels, like a delayed reaction.” He nodded. “Yeah, that sounds right. The kid’ll pop out of your thoughts like Athena.”

  “That is ridiculous.” Furcas touched his hair.

  Paimon caught up with him and held his hand. “It’s not that ridiculous. We’re not Hell’s angels; we’re the stuff of immaterial light and sound. For all we know, we can create a kid out of our combined thoughts.”

  Furcas glanced at him. “You are so full of shit, but I think you’re right.”

  “See.” Paimon grinned. “I’ll talk to Dahl-Dahl when this is done. We probably just need a little material persuasion from her to finish the job.”

  Furcas sighed and touched his abdomen. “I wish we’d taken care of this before the battle.”

  Paimon tapped Furcas on the head. “No way, babe’s totally safer in your brain than anywhere else.”

  A swarm of beamers switched to metal blades and raced for the pair. Archangel Jegudiel joined them. He was armed with a pike. He called out to the duo, “Stop!”

  Paimon saw him coming. He veered to stay between Furcas and the Archangel. “Hello there.”

  Jegudiel ignored him. He swerved around Paimon and took aim at Furcas.

  “Well fuck you too.” Paimon leveled his squirt g
uns at Jegudiel and opened fire at his back. Mist filled the air, forming ice. The ice leeched the residual heat from the sky, and blocked out the light of the stars and moon, pulling strength away from the Archangel and angels. The drain slowed the angels’ movements and gave Paimon enough time to switch to his shotgun. He fired in Jegudiel’s face.

  Jegudiel shook off the ice and thrust his pike at Paimon. “Give up!”

  Paimon snorted. “To you? Yeah right, pansy ass.” He threw a flak grenade in his face.

  Jegudiel batted the bomb out of the way as an annoyance and climbed in the sky. He threw his pike towards Paimon’s back.

  Furcas flew around Paimon’s side and caught the weapon. He snapped it in half and blasted Jegudiel back with a wall of wind. “Go, Paimon! I will hold him here!”

  “Fuck no!” Paimon grabbed Furcas’ wrist. “We are not splitting up! We go together!”

  Furcas kicked him. “You have to get to the machine! I do not.”

  Paimon shook his head. “So you can be a hero and get hurt? I don’t think so!” He tossed Furcas into the air above him. Paimon threw vials at the angels that followed. The glass bottles burst and let loose random gases and acids, clouding the air and obscuring their escape.

  Furcas punched Paimon. “Will you stop and let me do what I need to!”

  Paimon grinned and pulled out a bomb. “Why? I don’t have a track record of getting cut up when I act heroic.”

  Furcas created a tornado of air around them, casting aside attacking angels. “That’s because your track record of being a hero is non-existent.”

  Paimon shrugged. “I’m still the one with both of my eyes and arms.”

  Furcas ducked as arrows flew their way. One stuck in his eye-patch. “Fuck!”

  Paimon wrenched the arrow out for him. “You just attract this shit don’t you?”

  “Oh shut up.”

  Paimon looked past Furcas and swerved. He fired as Jegudiel dove at them.

  Furcas called down hailstones to pelt Jegudiel with ice. He grabbed Paimon with his mechanical arm and sent a torrent of wind to follow up the hail.

  The Archangel dodged. He came around and clawed at the pair. Jegudiel gasped and fell back, his pendant torn from his neck. Jacob materialized briefly and nodded to Paimon. He turned invisible and joined with his force of sylphs. Jegudiel faltered in the sky.

  Paimon and Furcas reoriented and flew off. They had no desire to stay and fight.

  Selaphiel dropped past the pair. He spared them a glance, grimaced, and continued his dive towards his weakened brother. Paimon and Furcas frowned, shrugged, and continued going up.

  ***

  Uriel plowed through ice elementals, tearing through them as if they did not exist. Belial darted between vulnerable angels, her katanas lopping wings and limbs easily. She did not notice his approach. Uriel grinned and leapt.

  Celeste smashed into his face.

  Uriel snarled, caught the berserker by the leg, and flung her away from him. Celeste slammed into the ice and shook it off, unable to feel pain. She ran back at Uriel.

  Prince Tokala grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her back, unwilling to let his girlfriend go solo against an Archangel. Celeste struggled against him. Princes Varen, Soren, and Regis grabbed her other arm and the brothers dragged her away.

  Uriel ignored them; he only had eyes for Belial. Her back was to him. She was so close he could smell her. He grinned and reached for her, savoring the moment.

  Belial whirled around and slashed at his face.

  Uriel grabbed one of her blades and wrenched it out of her grasp. He tossed it away and smiled. “Darling, it is so good to see you again.”

  Belial spit at him. She opened her mouth to let loose a scream.

  He swung a meaty fist towards her face. Uriel saw nothing but a blur and shadow before he went flying.

  Andy left Belial’s side and followed him. He moved at speeds impossible to track; he hit too fast for Uriel to counter and the Archangel tumbled away from the battle. Each blow sent him farther out into the darkness and ice.

  Uriel rolled; he came to a rest on the ice. He smiled and got to his feet unharmed.

  Andy skidded to a stop; they were miles from where they had met seconds before. He stood between Uriel and the far distant battle. His eyes were black. “You will never touch her again!”

  Uriel looked him over. “I see you still love her.”

  Andrealphus raised the morning star, but made no move to attack. His voice was level, “I have and always will.”

  Uriel grinned. “You can never have her.”

  Andrealphus took a step towards Uriel. “She loves me. I have her heart.”

  Uriel laughed. “No, Andrealphus.” He lost his smile. “I do.”

  Dread settled in Andy’s chest. His expression gave nothing away. “What do you mean?”

  “Did she never tell you?”

  Andy gripped the morning star. “Tell me what?”

  Uriel closed his eyes and smiled. “I took her to pieces, Andy, and what I liked I devoured and kept.” He licked his finger and traced it along his neck and down to his chest. “You see I have her even now. Her heart was the first thing I ripped from her and it beats ever so sweetly inside me.” He smiled and beckoned Andy. “Do you want to see her heart?”

  Andy slammed the morning star into Uriel’s face. He did not let the Archangel speak. Andy punched and kicked Uriel, throwing him closer to the shoreline and the ocean.

  ***

  Lucifer raced around the crater, jumping, smashing, whirling. His skin burned, his feet melted the snow. His bat had taken its first dent. Lucifer swung and knocked two angels away at once. “Two-forty-five, two-forty-six.” He spared a glance for Dahlia; she remained as focused as he. Lucifer spotted another angel diving and leapt over Dahlia’s head to meet it in the air.

  Dahlia wove to avoid him as he landed. They danced together around Michael. Michael’s shouts of frustration rang across the ice, but she did not smile or taunt him. She could not afford to miss a move or slip.

  Michael stabbed at her with all of his strength. The spear point sliced through the hellish fluid. Dahlia dodged; it passed by her cheek missing by inches. She countered with her weapon and sent a wall of sludge at him, filling the hole he had created.

  Lucifer moved by her in a blur. The percussion of his blows brushed across her skin as he whacked an angel close behind her.

  Michael roared and charged through the mud.

  Dahlia rushed Michael and threw him back towards the center of the crater where the material was deeper. The Archangel sank in up to his knees.

  ***

  Berith charged a line of Uriel’s angels as they touched the ground. He swung two claymores, batting back those who were invulnerable, slicing through those who were not. He ignored their blows against his armored skin, unable to feel the hits.

  Apple ran and leapt onto his back, firing at the angels that dove for his head. Her feet found the stirrups they had added to his armor. She hooked herself in and took shots at anything that moved. “I’m on!”

  Berith grinned up at his fiancée. “How is the ride?”

  “Delightful as always!” She ran out of ammo and smashed her crossbow on the head of an angel. She grabbed for the myriad shiny blades that she had strapped to her armor. Her hands moved in a blur, only aiming at those angels that were free of pendants. No blade went wasted.

  A trio of breathers dove, wings flicked to spray the ground with fire. Berith saw and grabbed Apple from his back. He turned from the angels and shielded her with his body. Fire hit the ground around them. Apple kissed Berith’s metal cheek. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” He rolled in the snow to cool his skin and tossed her to his shoulders.

  ***

  Helion slammed into breathers, breaking their attack formations. Sylphs tore off pendants as they flew by. He pumped his wings and scanned the ground below. His pitch-black eye sought out the wounded, while his white eye trac
ked the angels around them.

  A scream cut through the air above them. Helion looked up and caught a banshee mid-fall, the boy badly burned. Whitney took the boy to her chest so Helion could hold the shield.

  A wounded angel fell out of the clouds, wings slashed to pieces, evidence of Furcas’ weapons. Archangel Raphael dove through the clouds and caught the wounded angel. He faltered in the air. He was exhausted, being the only medic the angels had. He tried to heave the wounded angel over his shoulder and careened into Helion.

  Helion caught Raphael around the waist.

  Raphael stared into Helion’s eyes. He made no move to attack. He was tense and tired.

  Whitney opened her mouth to scream. Helion shook his head at her. He let Raphael go. “He is a healer, a medic like us, let him be.”

  Raphael nodded to them. “My thanks, Helion.” He flew upwards, his hands flashed with golden light as he worked on the angel.

  ***

  Furcas swung his sickles; the weighted balls on the end tangled the glaives and wings of the angels around them. He twisted and cast them aside.

  Paimon flew beside him. “So what name are you picking?”

  Furcas shot higher into the air. “I don’t want to say.”

  “Why not?” Paimon coated an angel in ice, the creature dropped away from them.

  “Because.”

  “I don’t get veto power if you win, dipshit. So why not?”

  Furcas smiled. “I want it to be a surprise.”

  Paimon rolled his eyes and went back to back with Furcas as a mass of angels circled them. Furcas lashed out with wind. Paimon reloaded his squirt gun with chemicals. “Well, I am thinking Gaby if it’s a girl.”

  Furcas paused in his attack. “We are not naming our child after your fucking ass of a brother!”

  Paimon grinned. “I think he’d find it incredibly annoying, that’s enough of a reason to do it.”

  Furcas wrapped his chains around an angel’s neck and threw him into a wall of others. “That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth.”

  Paimon shrugged. “If you just told me—”

  “No.”

  Paimon squinted. “Barachiel’s coming.”