Scorn of Angels (37 page)

His hands wrapped around her neck at the moment her foot touched down, just inside the Gates of Heaven.

Chapter 18

P
er
sephone raised her
head and blinked in surprise.
How the fuck am
I still
alive?

The Earth around them was on fire. Anything that had been alive was roasted, and the ground itself was scorched so hot that it had become glass, save for a small circle around Persephone and Epiphenia.

“Impressive,” said Persephone. “I thought you were dead.”

“Almost,” whispered Epiphenia. “But not yet.”

“Yeah, well,” said Persephone, watching Tribunal, once more in the flesh, striding toward them with a twisted sneer on his face. “I think that’s all we’re going to get.”

There was silence in Heaven.

Michael’s hands slipped away from Nyx’s throat and fell to his side. It had been his duty to keep her out of Heaven, and he had failed. And now that he had failed, there was no reason to try to stop her anymore. He breathed a sigh of relief. “I will go help Arcana.”

Azrael, Raphael and Gabriel moved through the crowd to stand in front of Nyx. “Welcome,” said Gabriel. “Surprised to see you, though.”

“Me, too,” said Azrael. “God forbade you Heaven.”

“Then God can come down and kick me out,” said Nyx.

“Which is interesting,” said Raphael. “Because God
should
be doing that right now.”

As one, the gathered Angels looked toward God’s mountain. There was no sign of movement.

“Very interesting,” said Azrael. “Now what can we do?”

“Very little,” said Arcana. She stepped back into Heaven, leaning heavily on Michael’s shoulder. “If the Queen of Hell setting foot on Heaven’s soil doesn’t get God’s attention…”

“Nothing is going to,” said Michael.

“Maybe if we were to knock on his door,” said Nyx.

“Tribunal prevents us,” said Michael. “Otherwise, we most certainly would be on the mountain right now.”

“He’s not preventing me,” said Nyx.

“Or me,” said Arcana. “Let’s go.”

“Wait,” said Raphael.

“Creation is at stake!” snapped Nyx. “We can’t wait!”

“We can,” said Raphael. “In fact, we must.” He sent to every Angel in Heaven at once.
“Come to the Gates. Fast.”

“Having them here isn’t going to do me any good,” said Nyx. “Come on, Arcana.”

Raphael laid a hand on Nyx’s shoulder and let all his power flow into her. Her leg, which had been slowly growing back, was suddenly there again. And still the power kept flowing. Azrael laid his hand on Raphael’s shoulder and let his power flow as well. Another Angel stepped up and laid his hand on Azrael’s shoulder, than another. One by one the Angels of Heaven formed a web, reaching out with hands, wings, and occasionally feet to let their power flow from themselves to Nyx. Raphael, God’s healer, stood strong and let all the power flow through him. Michael added his own, a burst of strength so strong it nearly made Nyx dizzy. After a moment’s hesitation, Arcana laid her hand on Nyx’s shoulder as well. “You go to the mountain,” she said. “I’ll wait here with everyone else.”

The sky and ground was soon thick with Angels, and more of them came every second. Still the power poured into Nyx, stronger and stronger.

The first Angel collapsed to the ground, sliding gracefully from standing to lying. Another Angel stepped in and took that one’s place. More Angels collapsed, their power, their very life essence flowing out of their bodies and into Nyx. Nyx felt stronger and more powerful than she had since she created Epiphenia. And still more Angels came.
I hope it’s
enough.

“Oh, it won’t be enough to stop Tribunal,” said Raphael. More power flowed through him and more Angels collapsed to the ground.

“I’m surprised he’s not up here, destroying you, in fact,” said Azrael.

“Let’s just count ourselves lucky on that,” said Michael. He started wavering on his feet and, just before he fell, said, “God be with you, Nyx.”

“That is the point,” said Nyx, smiling at the big Angel. “Sleep well.”

“Oh, they’re not asleep,” said Raphael. “None of them. They’re all drained of all divine energy.”

Nyx’s eyes went wide. “They’re dead?”

Raphael smiled benevolently. “No one dies in Heaven, Nyx. You know that. But until they are once more in the presence of God, they shall be… inert.”

“Which is good,” said Azrael. “If it is the end of everything, I know they would rather have given everything to help, than be left standing to watch it all fail.”

“But to finish my point,” said Raphael. “This won’t stop Tribunal, but it might be enough to break his shield, if done at the right time.”

“Then let’s hope this is the right time,” said Nyx. “Because he’s either going to be up here in a moment, or he’s already destroying Creation.”

“We can’t see beyond the edge of Heaven,” said Raphael. “Can you?”

Nyx tried to reach out with her senses. “No.”

“Unfortunate. I would love to know what is going on down there.”

“That’s two of us.”

Well,
thought Persephone.
Not how I expected to
die.

She lay on the ground, her wings pinned to the Earth by spikes Tribunal had made from her femurs, just after he’d waved a hand and caused her legs to explode from her body. The legs were slowly growing back, but Persephone had no doubt it would not be in time. She had tried pulling the stakes out and Tribunal had made her arms vanish from the elbows down, leaving two stumps that sprayed silver ichor onto the smoking, scorched Earth.

Can’t see what Nyx saw in him,
thought Persephone as she watched the blood flow tapering down from her wrists.
He seems more Ishtar’s style.
She forced her head to come up and found Tribunal standing before Epiphenia’s writhing, screaming form.
Definitely Ishtar’s
style.

“
How does it feel, little aberration?”
Tribunal asked inside Epiphenia’s head.
“How does it feel to be helpless, useless, and in such agony that you wish you could die
?” He pulled back one foot and kicked her in the stomach, sending a burst of power into her body as he did. Epiphenia’s scream choked off in a gasp of wheezing and coughing. Tribunal pulled back and kicked her three more times.
“I remember when I was human,”
he sent.
“I remember watching three men do this to another until he died. And still it was more merciful than the death that was granted
me.”

“Oh big deal,” shouted Persephone. “You got crucified. Suck it up.”

Tribunal stopped kicking Epiphenia. His eyes, when they turned on Persephone were filled with anger and madness. “What?”

“Try a thousand years in the Lake of Fire,” said Persephone. “Then you can whine about how hard it’s been for y—”

Persephone’s tongue ripped from her throat and floated out. Persephone shouted in shock and pain. Tribunal hung her tongue in the air in front of Persephone’s eyes. Persephone let out a wordless bellow and struggled harder against the bones that pinned her. Tribunal smiled and Persephone’s tongue exploded in front of her face.

“Be quiet when your betters are speaking,” he said. “I am glad you are awake, though.” He drove another boot in Epiphenia’s side
.
“I want Epiphenia to have someone to hold her up while Creation dies around her.” Tribunal delivered one more ferocious kick to Epiphenia’s body and stepped away. The femurs holding Persephone in place dissolved, then her wings ripped from her body and flew onto the smoking plain around her. “Now crawl over and hold her up, and I’ll let you die peacefully instead of screaming.”

Persephone crawled. She reached Epiphenia and turned her over. The Earth Angel’s skull was broken and misshapen, her face twisted and unrecognizable. “Fuck,” said Persephone. “She’s not even conscious.”

“Of course she is,” said Tribunal. “I made sure of that.” He turned away, and the earth underneath him rose, driving him high into the sky on a pillar of rock. “Now watch, the pair of you.” He cast his eyes toward Heaven and began laughing. “That silly bitch Nyx thinks she’s going to see God before I end it all.”

Epiphenia moaned in agony. One part of her broken, jagged face slipped back into place.

Persephone winced in sympathy. “This sucks. Sorry we didn’t die.”

Epiphenia’s face twisted again, into what Persephone was pretty sure was a smile.

Above them all, so far away it wouldn’t be seen for a thousand years, a dozen stars went supernova.

“I am sorry you left,” said Raphael as another thousand Angels slipped away from consciousness and onto the ground. “We all were.”

“Yeah, well.” Nyx looked around at the many, many still bodies that now lay stacked around them. “This sure as fuck wasn’t how I wanted to come back.”

“Tsk, tsk,” said Raphael. “You really must do something about your language.”

“You’re worried about this now?”

Raphael smiled. “Not really.”

There was a jolt, as if the entirety of Heaven shifted slightly.

“Oh, dear,” said Raphael. “I do believe Tribunal has started.”

“Fuck! I have to—”

“I know,” said Raphael. “Look around.”

The last of the Angels fell to the earth, leaving a carpet of white wings and robes and armor that stretched for miles in every direction.

“Good luck, Nyx,” said Raphael, and fell to the ground.

Nyx rose into the skies of Heaven and flew to God’s mountain faster than any ever had before.