Page 280 of Caelum

“…the souls…”

“…of the…”

“…Fallen…”

“to protect…”

“…the living.”

For a second, nothing seemed to happen, and then, the light on Eve’s belly began to pulse. She released a cry that had us jerking in surprise. Just as Reed stepped toward her, she fell to her knees and the light streamed out of her as though she were a lighthouse. If night had fallen, she’d be a beacon for anyone to find their way home, and that was exactly what she was…

We just didn’trealize it.

As she glowed, from her position on her knees and at the center of the four soldiers, they all seemed to be caught in the light she emitted.

If I hadn’t seen it with my eyes, I’d never have believed it, but the lines that made up the carvings on the Toltec warriors began to ooze with a glow of their own.

It was like each thin cavity was a vein, and just as she sagged, the light streaming from her no more, the warriors took on that power, glowing so brightly that it stung my eyes.

For a second, there was silence, and the pulsation of light seemed to run in time to the beat of my heart. As I stared, the veins in the warriors seemed to gleam, turning red like blood, and as we gaped, all of us with our mouths open wide, the soldiers began to move.

Motherfucking move.

The groan of stone grinding against stone was eerie in the silence, and one leg seemed to bend, the knee creaking as it moved to hip-height, before the boot collided with the temple’s roof.

Eve, still on her knees on the floor, began to crawl over to us, her energy spent as we stood there gawking at the miracle or nightmare that was going down before our eyes.

Reed and Stefan rushed forward to haul her up onto her feet and draw her toward us, just as they did it again.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Three loud cracks and around us, the temple began to shake. The single bricks that made up the edifice, almost like a brick-built house on a grander scale, seemed to exude dust as the warriors rattled the entirety of the temple.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

In beats of three, they made their silent anger known.

The sudden sound of wings whooshing free hit our ears, and as we turned to the side, a large crow appeared, seemingly from out of nowhere, but evidently from a secret door hidden within the chambers.

As it stared at us, its black feathers gleaming like night itself under the sun’s heavy rays, the beast seemed to take us all in. The seven of us and Eve, who was sagging against my brothers, then the soldiers, who’d turned to glower at the demon in their presence.

The Ghoul wasn’t stupid.

As it saw us, its wings spread wide and it began to soar, riding on the wind as it moved out, heading away from the temple.

“The next wish!” Eve gasped.

And her words were the trigger. We’d all been stunned speechless at what was going down before us, but we spoke as one after her prompt.

“We wish…

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