Page 30 of The River of Hatred

“Hold on to her,” he tells Sariel, voice sharp.

Before I can question him further, a loud snap echoes through the trench, and a sense of déjà vu engulfs me as both angels lunge toward me. The bridge sways wildly under my feet and I pitch forward, the ropes doing nothing to stop my fall. Itha grabs my hand at the last possible moment, but then he starts to follow me over.

“Fuck!” Sariel roars, grabbing onto the other rope with one hand and Itha’s wrist with the other.

I scream as my descent stops violently, my weight pulling on the arm in the angel’s grasp. For three seconds I think we’ll make it out of the situation unscathed. Then Sariel’s depthless eyes widen with panic. Another creak and snap fill my ears as the world spins around me again. The bridge broke completely and our linked bodies are plummeting toward the cliffside.

We descend under a ledge, the wooden planks clanking and snapping at the impact above us. The trench is a blur as we swing wildly and my arm screams in protest of gravity. Through my blind panic, I register Sariel’s anguished, furious roar as we snap still.

No one speaks for half a minute. I can’t believe we’re alive. Well, that I’m alive. The angels would probably just reform.

“Are you able to pull us up?” Itha speaks first.

I look up and glimpse Sariel’s face, twisted into a pained sneer.

He hisses. “No. My shoulder’s dislocated.”

“Oh my God,” I whisper. He’s holding all three of us on a dislocated arm? “Can you teleport us with the ether, Sariel?” I ask louder.

He shakes his head. “Not all three of us.”

“You are the only one that matters, Jessica,” Ithuriel decides. “I will reform once I swim out.”

The Fallen shakes his head again. “You’ll be weakened and fuck knows what’s ahead.”

“Then what?” the angel growls, finally shaken. “We cannot fly.”

“You’ll have to transport yourself. I’ll blink to Jess and we’ll meet you on the other side.” Sariel speaks calmly and clearly, despite the agony painted on his face.

Ithuriel’s features twist. “I cannot travel with the ether yet! I never succeeded.” He looks down at me with something like devastation. “Just… take care of Jessica, I will be alright.”

“No,” Sariel growls through clenched teeth. “Look at me. I said,look at me, Starlight.” Ithuriel breaks eye contact with me and looks up at the Fallen. “Good. Now, close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Just close your eyes, for fuck’s sake.” Sariel manages to look exasperated through the pain. “Take stock of your body. Feel every inch of yourself, every molecule. Gather your ether in your chest… then funnel it out to your extremities, to the ends of your toes, your fingertips, that ridiculously soft, pansy-ass hair.”

I’d laugh if I were capable. The angel’s hairdoeslook ridiculously soft. And now he feels like he’s vibrating, static electricity zapping my arm where he holds it. Either that or I lost all sensation in it forever.

“Got it?” Sariel asks softly.

The angel nods once. “Yes,” he murmurs.

“That’s it. Think of the other side of the bridge. We were almost there. You saw it clearly. A few more steps and you’d be on solid ground.”

“I see it,” Itha breathes.

“Perfect. Focus on every bit of ether coursing through you. Let go of Jess and take that last step to land.”

The angel shakes his head. “I can’t!”

“You can, Ithuriel. Just let go.” Sariel’s voice is so full of assurance that I want to let go.

“What if you don’t reach her in time?” the angel cries.

“Trust me, Starlight. I got her. I got both of you.” My stupid heart swells at the Fallen’s words. Like I’m not hanging above bubbling tar a long, long way down, like the possibility of a painful death isn’t very, very real.

“Jessica?” Ithuriel’s asking for my permission and I have to swallow three times before I’m brave enough to give it to him.

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