Page 42 of Rage of the Fallen

The fire reversed course, a perfect reflection of Maci’s own power turned against her. Her dragon fire, tinged with the mirror’s holy light, struck her full force. She shrieked with anger, the sound sharp enough to crack stone, her wings flaring wide as her own flames engulfed her. The sight was terrifying and beautiful, a dragon burning with fire made holy by the mirror’s power.

Maci flew into the air and spun, extinguishing the flames like a hellish pinwheel. The chapel’s entrance waited behind our battle line as we edged backward. Brody’s voice cut through the chaos. “Form up! Keep the line tight!”

Each scale that had been touched by the sanctified fire smoked, but Maci was far from defeated. Her massive form swooped low, herding us exactly where Rage wanted us. To my left, Lisa and Zara’s voices rose in unison, their spellwork creating bursts of white light that pushed the demons farther into the courtyard. Damon’s blade flashed as he forced another group back, buying us precious feet of ground.

My hands gripped Justice’s shoulders, weak with relief. He was still here, still protecting me, still himself. Every mark the demon had left on him glowed golden in the reflected firelight, areminder that we’d already won one impossible battle today. The courtyard had become a battlefield. Brody’s shield cleared space for our gradual retreat, Zara and Lisa’s magic kept the demons from flanking us, and Damon’s constant motion ensured none slipped past our line.

The mirror in Justice’s hands still hummed with power as he directed it at the other demons. They burst into smoke and sank into the ground, but there were too many of them.

Rage kept fighting the harp, shaking his head. I was able to keep him back but not destroy him.

My team and I backed up onto the chapel steps. My shoulder blades touched the ancient stone. Victory was inches away. The harp’s notes trembled in the air between us and the demons, our only barrier against chaos.

I called over my shoulder, trying to keep my voice steady. “Zara, get the hourglass out.”

If I stopped playing the harp, Rage would charge us. My fingers ached from maintaining the melody, each note a thread in the fragile web holding back our enemies.

Lisa grabbed the door handle, and metal scraped against metal. “Sawyer, it won’t turn. What do we do?”

My heart stopped. The weight of everyone’s lives pressed against my chest, heavier than the harp in my hands.

Rage laughed. “Trapped like rats. You can’t hold us back forever.”

Above us, Maci’s wings cast shadows like prison bars across our faces. Her scales gleamed with unholy fire as she landed on the chapel roof, cutting off our last escape route. The stone beneath our feet trembled with her weight.

We were cornered, and I had one choice left.

Zara pulled out the hourglass. “Here.”

I had to stop playing the harp to use it. As soon as I did, Rage would charge. Every muscle in my body tensed withthe impossible choice. Keep playing and stay trapped, or risk everything on one desperate gamble.

If we couldn’t get into the chapel, we were all dead.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Time seemed to freeze in the space between one heartbeat and the next. The harp hummed in my hands, and the hourglass glinted in Zara’s grip, our last desperate chance. Behind us, the chapel door remained stubbornly locked. Above, Maci’s shadow turned the morning light blood-red.

I had to choose. Keep playing and die slowly, or risk everything on the hourglass’s power.

I met Justice’s gaze. “Ready?”

He gazed at me, those newly restored brown eyes holding a universe of worry and love. Eyes I’d fought so hard to see again without the demon’s taint. “As soon as you stop playing, he’ll charge.”

“I know.” The words emerged steady despite my racing heart hammering against my ribs like it might break free.

“I love you.” He bent his head and brushed his lips over mine like a goodbye kiss. Yet we’d just gotten him back, freed him from possession. I refused to let this be our last moment together, to watch him die when I’d barely found him again.

“Seriously? Now?” Damon’s gruff voice broke through our moment, tension making his sarcasm sharper than usual. “Save the romance novel stuff for when we’re not about to die,preferably when I don’t have to watch my twin sister making out with a vampire.”

A fierce determination burned inside me to protect him and my team. We’d survived too much. Shadow mines, demon possessions, countless battles. We’d fought too hard to die on these chapel steps. The worn stone beneath my feet had weathered centuries. We only needed to survive the next few minutes.

Maci flapped her wings over our heads as if she knew what I had planned, her shadow turning day to dusk. Each beat of her wings sent a hot wind whipping around us, carrying the scent of brimstone and ash. Every muscle in my body coiled tight as I made my choice.

I stopped playing the harp.

The silence lasted less than a heartbeat.

Rage’s roar shattered the dawn air as he charged, his form a blur of darkness and hatred. The sound vibrated in my chest like a bass drum. Behind him, the demon horde surged forward like a tide of nightmares, their twisted forms scrambling over gravestones and each other in their frenzy to reach us. Claws scraped against stone, leaving burning marks in their wake. The air filled with their shrieks as hundreds of voices cried out for our blood, our souls.

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