Page 59 of Wicked Angel
“Get them out of here!” I called to Ezekiel, ducking under a slash from Rhodes's conjured sword.
Ezekiel pushed himself to his feet, his injured wings folded painfully against his back. “Ariella?—”
“Please, Ezekiel.” I blocked another strike from Rhodes, countering with a blast of light that forced him to retreat. “Take them somewhere safe.”
He hesitated, clearly torn between helping me and following my request. “I won't let you down this time,” he finally said, determination hardening his features. He turned to Adriel and my mother. “Come on, we need to move.”
“But Ariella—” my mother protested.
“Will be fine,” Ezekiel assured her, already pulling them toward the exit where Aspen and Boise maintained their barrier. “She has help this time.”
I allowed myself a moment of relief as I saw them reach the exit, Aspen dropping the barrier of a side entrance just long enough to let them through before reinforcing it. One worry eased, but many more remained.
Rhodes and Haines had regrouped, fighting with the ruthless efficiency that had made them legendary among angel warriors. Levi and I pressed our attack, trying to separate them, to create an opening where one of us could disarm Rhodes and take the dagger.
“Getting tired, Ariella?” Rhodes taunted, parrying one of my strikes. “You've been away from Elysium too long. Grown soft among the humans and lesser supernaturals.”
“Funny,” I retorted, feinting left before striking right, “I was about to say the same about you. All that time sitting in council chambers has made you slow.”
His face contorted with rage, and he launched a barrage of attacks that forced me back several steps. But his anger made him predictable, his strikes powerful but lacking finesse. I used his momentum against him, letting him wear himself out while I conserved my energy.
Levi, meanwhile, had managed to push Haines away from Rhodes, engaging him in a separate battle that drew them toward the balcony doors. Darkfire met light magic in explosive bursts that shook the crystal walls of the chamber.
I saw my opening and took it, diving low and sweeping Rhodes's legs out from under him. He fell hard, the dagger nearly slipping from his grasp. I lunged for it, my fingers brushing the hilt?—
A deafening crash from above stopped me in my tracks. The domed ceiling of the chamber shattered as two more angels burst through, sending crystal shards raining down on the battle below.
I recognized them instantly: Sariel and Julien, two of Rhodes's most loyal supporters.
Not long ago, Levi had ripped one of Sariel’s wings, and now she had a fake one made of light tucked behind her back.
“Rhodes!” Sariel called, her voice booming over the sounds of battle. “The lower levels have been breached! The rebels are inside the tower!”
Rebels? My heart leapt. It seemed that other angels in Elysium had heard Rhodes's confession and decided to act.
Rhodes seized the moment of distraction, kicking me away and scrambling to his feet. “Hold them off!” he commanded, already moving toward where Abbie was working to free Adona from her bonds.
The angels didn't hesitate,diving into the fray with terrifying speed. Julien headed straight for me, his sword a blur of light as he attacked. I parried desperately, my own sword materializing in my hand just in time to block a strike that would have taken my head off.
Sariel engaged Levi, forcing him away from Haines, who immediately moved to join Rhodes. The two of them converged on Abbie, who stood protectively in front of the still-dazed Adona.
“Levi!” I shouted, unable to break away from Sariel's relentless assault. “Rhodes is going for Adona!”
Levi tried to disengage from Sariel, but the angel was too skilled, too determined to let him pass. Lacey saw the danger and rushed to help Abbie, her magic ready, but Haines intercepted her with a blast of light that sent her crashing into a pillar.
“Lacey!” I cried, fear for my friend momentarily distracting me.
Julien seized the opportunity, his sword slashing across my arm, drawing blood. I hissed in pain but managed to block his follow-up strike, forcing him back with a surge of light magic that momentarily blinded him.
But it was too late.
Rhodes had reached Adona, shoving Abbie aside with a blast of power that left her dazed on the floor. He grabbed Adona by the throat, lifting her partially off the ground, the dagger raised in his other hand.
“No!” I screamed, fighting to reach them, but Julien was there again, his attacks pushing me back, away from where Rhodes held Adona.
The chamber seemed to slow, sounds fading to distant echoes as I watched Rhodes press the dagger against Adona's chest, right over her heart. The red gem in the hilt pulsed with a sickly light that spread along the blade, seeping into Adona where it touched her.
“With this dagger,” Rhodes intoned, his voice carrying through the chamber despite the chaos of battle, “I reshape your essence, Adona. Not to kill you—no, you're too valuable for that. I change you into what Elysium truly needs: a leader who will follow my will, who will command the loyalty of all angels, but serve only me.”
