Page 75 of Faith and Damnation

“We won’t make it!” I yelled. “We need to fly!”

“If we fly, we will be struck down,” Abaddon yelled, and with my hand in his, he picked up the pace.

Already we were running as fast as we could. Weweren’tgoing to make it, and even if we did, the creature chasing after us would make sure we didn’t get very far. I knew I didn’t have much Light left in me, but I had to use it; I had to expend what little I had left.

I conjured a ball of glowing Light into my hand, and I hurled it at the beast chasing after us. It stopped for a moment, anticipating the ball of Light and snapping at it as it came within reach. It took seconds to gulp it down, but that was all we needed.

Abaddon opened his wings wide and leapt forward, with me in tow, as the last few embers of the bridge’s Light burned out. We landed on solid ground on the other side of the bridge, staggering a few steps before stopping.

Behind us, the creature continued to sprint, but it had been greedy; between the Light it was sucking from the bridge and the pause to consume my Light, the bridge was getting too weak to support it. Suddenly it went out, sending the monstrosity plunging into the gaping chasm beneath it. Panting I watched itfade to nothing, its golden eyes snuffing out as if it had fallen into a deep, dark sea.

The Light between my wings faded, leaving me all but empty, but we were alive, at least.

“It’s gone,” I breathed.

“Let us hope it is the only one of its kind,” said Abaddon. He turned to look at me, his brow covered in sweat, the wind flicking at his dark hair. “This time it was you saving me.”

“I wasn’t about to let you fall off the bridge to your doom. Besides, you’re the one who got us over the edge.”

“It would seem Helena was right… our bond makes us strong.”

Helena.

Micah.

They’re dead, now.

They died for us.

My heart squeezed. I swallowed hard and nodded. “It would seem that way…” I said, struggling to smile at him. “Come on, we should go. Let’s see if we can find the Chantry from up here.”

Abaddon nodded, gestured toward the path we had landed on. Ahead of us were ruined buildings which were once part of the Sacred City. I didn’t recognize them; they were crooked, broken, destroyed. But somewhere, in there, was the Chantry. I could feel it, even though I didn’t like the reason why.

I knew what it was like to be close to the Pit.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

SARAKIEL

Before the Fall, only the few unfortunate angels who ventured deep into the Chantry knew what the Pit felt like. We all knew it was there, held over our heads as the ultimate punishment for sinners, but it wasn’t until you were near it that you truly understood the horror it held.

It had called out to me, promising release from the pain and torment Medrion inflicted, but the closer you were to it, the more the nausea and bile rose in your throat; the more hopeless you felt; and the more tempting it became to just let yourself fall in.

Even the humans—the truly evil ones who were not welcome into Heaven—were affected by it, jailed as they were in the Chantry.

That I could feel its pull even up here… what did it mean? Had the seals that kept the Pit locked away from the rest of Heaven broken? Had Medrion already reached it? It felt as close now as it had when I was imprisoned.

I knew Abaddon could feel it too. He was as familiar with it as I was, if not more. How he could bare to guard those cells for so long, so close to the Pit…it would have explained his apathy. And here we both were again.

“Your Light,” said Abaddon, his voice bringing me back to myself.

“What about it?” I asked.

“You expended it?”

“Most of it… I still have some left in me, but not much.”

“Enough to heal yourself should the worst happen?”

---