Page 80 of Wings of Torment
This is nothing like the battle at school, and it’s clear now as I struggle to avoid the death blows coming my way that they’d been holding back before. For whatever reason, during the attack at the school, their goal hadn’t been to maim us. Now I fear we aren’t so lucky.
Fifteen demons against four angels. How are we going to make it out of this one?
As the fight moves on, the space between me and my men grows. If these assholes wanted to get us alone, they’resucceeding. Shit! I try to check on them, to at least make sure everyone is standing, but the beasts don’t give me a chance.
“Were you snooping around where you shouldn’t be, little angel?” a demon says from behind me. I whirl around, ready to fight, but the creature only stands there. He’s covered in scars, but there’s something about them that almost seems purposeful. Rows of them, all neatly lined up on his chest.
I don’t respond, unsure where his line of questioning is going and, frankly, not really caring. As long as I have this reprieve from the fight, I might as well use it to my advantage and edge back toward my friends. The last thing I want is to become another notch on his flesh.
He puts his hands behind his back, tucking them beneath his wings. “I didn’t believe it at first. Doors and locks aren’t really important where I’m from, so it’s not hard to assume one of us forgot.”
I shuffle back a step, then another, cautious not to make it too obvious. An alarm goes off in my head, telling me to hurry and get back to them. But is it for their safety or mine? I’m alone with this chatty demon and, for some reason, that terrifies me.
“But then I heard something else.” His hands drop to his sides, and our eyes lock. “A mention ofpower. We can feel it, you know? Even smell it, if it’s potent enough. It’s part of how our kind survives.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” I ask, confused, but not wanting him to stop.
He grins wickedly, his sharp teeth glinting beneath the pre-dawn light. “Does all that power make you dense, little angel? I’m telling you because I can. Besides, it’s not like the information will leave this lovely field.”
I barely have time to process his words before another demon joins us. He approaches me, sharpening his claws togethergleefully before he lunges. I move a second too late and pain tears through my leg where his claws slashed me.
The pain fuels my adrenaline and spurs me into action. I may not have a sun blade, but I can incapacitate these assholes enough to get my friends and me to safety. And I vow to myself right here and now that when we get out of here, I’ll do whatever it takes to access the power that angels and demons alike seem to think I possess.
I manage to bury my blade in the asshole’s skull, but it doesn’t matter. I get rid of one and two more show up in his place. They don’t give me a moment to collect myself or catch my breath, forcing me to fight for what feels like my very life, despite them not holding the one weapon that could kill us.It will be worse if they haul you back to their boss.
Pain ricochets up my arm, and I look at a demon fuckingbitingme. I yank my arm from between his teeth and tear the skin even more. Blood runs down to my hand, dripping from my fingers onto the ground beneath my feet, but still the creatures don’t stop.
They come at me, again and again, and for every cut I make on them, they make two more on me. It’s futile, our survival. We aren’t equipped to make it out of this alive, either in weapon or skill.
A loud whooshing sound fills the space around me, making my heart race with fear. If more demons show up, we’re more than fucked. But the creatures I’m fighting seem just as confused by the sound as I am.
A spear shoots through a demon’s head a few feet away, and then the angel who threw it drops from the sky and pulls it back out. More angels show up, all of them wearing the Guild uniform and all of them fighting at our side.
The tide shifts in our favor as our backup makes this a proper fight. One we now have a chance of winning. The demons I’dbeen fighting fall back, looking to who I assume is their leader — the scar-covered creature who threatened my life and watched on as his dogs tried to tear me apart — for confirmation. I don’t hear any words, but I can tell something transpired between them because they quickly disperse. They must understand that trained Guild members are clearly the bigger threat.
With a rare moment of freedom, I search for my friends and clench the wound on my arm to staunch the bleeding. Parts of it have healed already, but not fast enough.
Not too far from me, I spot a Guild member with metal-tipped wings exchanging blows with a demon whose horns are the biggest I’ve ever seen. This must be a lieutenant, and I wonder if maybe it’s Azrael, but with his back to me I can’t quite tell.
Beyond them, Zeke is fighting two demons at once and looking far too relaxed while doing so. Raphael and Theo are nearby, fighting their own demons. As if sensing my gaze, Theo looks up at me and I can read so many things in his eyes. Fear. Pain. Loss. But he does his best to bury it and get us out of here. With Raphael there to pull him back if need be, I know they’ll be fine.
We aren’t out of the woods yet, but my confidence is renewed and hope spurs me into action. Taking one final moment to assess my route, I consider sticking to the outskirts of battle and circling back to my friends, but that’s too risky. My best chance is to stay close to the trained Guild members, and what’s better than a lieutenant?
I run straight through the battle, toward the men who hold far more of me than I ever thought I’d give. I’m desperate to be near them and see this battle to the end.
But want and hope never did have much of a place in combat.
I don’t make it very far before something rams into my side and sends me careening through the air, where I land in a heap on the ground. Stars float around me as I try to get my bearings and stand. The ringing in my ears is all I can hear as I lookaround at the battlefield. Angels and demons fight, but why is it taking so long with the Guild here? And how come it feels like there are far more than fifteen demons?
Something tickles my hair and I whirl around to find the scarred demon watching me gleefully yet saying nothing.
I dig deep within myself, searching for the strength I need to clear away the stars from my fall, but when I find it, it’s too late.
Two more demons now stand at my side, all three of them wearing smug smiles. I feel for the dagger but find it no longer gripped in my hand.
Shit. It’s there. Lying on the ground between me and the scarred leader. If I have any chance of getting out of this circle of death, I need a weapon.
But in my cloudy state, he’s faster than me.
