Page 159 of Crimson Promises
“What are you doing here?” His voice came out tight and harsh.
“What do you mean?”
“We don’t have time for whatever mind games your puny brain is constructing.”
“Mind games, you wound me.” I held my hand over my heart.
“Do not make me—” Michael surveyed the room behind me. The abandoned musicians, the fancy table linens and place settings, the candlelit dinner. His eyebrows knit together. “What was supposed to be going on here?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. Michael shook his head as if clearing images of what this could mean out of his mind. “Actually, never mind. No time, but we will be discussing this later, Caelum.”
He stared at me with so much hatred I almost puked all over the floor. There weren’t many things left in the world that scared me, but Michael the Archangel was one of them.
“So, what’s with all the urgency?”
“Aurora is missing.” His luminous wings cast an iridescent glow upon the somber scene. “Lucifer wielded demonic magic himself, broaching his agreement with God to take her. I was able to suppress the knowledge from the others. He took her to the infernal depths of Hell.”
A raw, searing ache gripped my chest, suffocating me. The world shattered around me, crumbling into fragments as I sank to my knees. Our bond was silent—no amount of pulling or prodding brought it to life. Did Lucifer give her something to nullify the bond? Even worse, was he somehow able to remove it from her?
“Get. Up.” Michael’s voice was laced with power. A command.
My wings unfurled behind me as I pushed myself off my knees and answered the mandate of Heaven’s General. There was no doubt he had seen through my transparent reaction to the news something had happened to her, but I needed to shove that aside for now.
I stared at Michael blankly. “I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t think he would come get her,” my voice rasped.
“You don’t have time to wallow, Bennett.”
My eyes met his at the sound of my own name. I saw something unexpected—anguish, worry, and pain that cut through the façade he always wore. It was as if a storm raged within them, their emotions swirling like turbulent waves crashing against the shores of their fragile existence.
“I am unable to enter Hell to rescue her. Thus, I have no choice but to rely on you. As a fallen angel, you can enter Hell with much less detection.”
“You need to go. You’re the one with more magic. You’re Heaven’s mightiest defender," I reasoned. "You wear the sword of Iustitia. If anyone could get her back, you could. Lucifer will listen to you. What chance do I have?”
“As the terms of our deal have yet to be fulfilled until Aurora’s twenty-first birthday, I cannot yet grant you the power of the Gifted. But I can provide aid in other ways.”
I nodded, desperate for anything that would increase my chances of bringing her home.
“Earlier, I revealed you are in possession of anilliciumdagger that can easily destroy a demon. While it is not strong enough to defeat Lucifer, it will be sufficient to wound him severely to give you enough time to get Aurora back to the mortal realm.”
I palmed the dagger that was hidden in the inside pocket of my trousers. “And what about Lucifer? Won’t he come right back for her?”
“Leave Lucifer to me—my brother and I have unfinished business to settle.” Michael reached into his cloak and retrieved what looked like a pocket watch. “This watch will take you exactly to Aurora. You will have to fly to a specific point, and from there, the ley lines combined with the watch will act as a transport to Hell, specifically where Aurora is located.”
“Thank you.” I opened my palm to receive it and flicked open its hinged lid. Crafted from burnished brass, intricate gears, springs, and delicate hands spun around the face of the watch.
Michael gave me a brisque nod. “Bring her back, Caelum, in one piece and unharmed. Otherwise, you will pay the price for your failures. And I promise you this: it will not be pretty.” His hand gripped the pommel of his sword. Wrath and fury poured from him. “Go now. Every second counts.”
My wings thrummed behind me, anxious to be in motion. I gave Michael a quick salute and pushed through the double doors into the night.
With newfound determination, I took flight, leaving behind the grand hall and its shattered promises. Lucifer would regret the day that he took what was mine. Prince of Hell or not, he crossed a line.
Fear, like tendrils of smoke, coiled around my heart. My thoughts raced, conjuring harrowing images of her imprisoned, her spirit crushed beneath the weight of Lucifer’s malevolence and greed. But I banished those thoughts, replacing them with an unyielding resolve.
Hold on, Aurora, I’m coming.
I kept the watch cradled between my two palms, unwilling to part with the only object that could grant me immediate access to Aurora. Just as Michael had said, the hands of the clock whizzed from six to twelve. They acted as a compass. My teeth clenched together. It would have helped if he explained that twelve was the proper north direction I had to find. I lost precious minutes flying in circles, trying to locate the exact location amongst the ley lines that would portal me over to Hell.
The compass took me over Arch Cape, past Hug’s Point, all along the freeway down the 101 into Washington’s capital. The Pacific ley lines crisscrossed all over Seattle’s surrounding area like pieces of an irregular jigsaw cut and pasted together. Certain districts lay within the regions of the ley lines, amplifying the use of magic. The Sublime Nocturne was one of those areas. I had expected to set down in the heart of Seattle, but the compass directed me to fly further across the choppy waters of Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island. The island was filled with quiet harbors and homes around the rocky shoreline and densely forested hills.
