Page 30 of Camael
"We’re already coordinating cleanup with the Rowan sisters and the local coven," the sorcerer replied.
“We can leave that to the Dark Warriors.” Jo shook her head. "Our security protocols need a complete overhaul."
"And we need to figure out who's running a celestial arms bazaar for the other side," Mal added.
Amelia moved to Camael's side like she belonged there. Power still danced around her hands as she glared at the spot where one of the Leviathans fell. "Someone with high-levelaccess just armed our enemies with weapons crafted to kill angels," she snarled. "The game just changed."
"Yeah." His wings shifted with barely contained violence as he pulled her closer. "Something tells me this was just a test." Above them, the New Orleans sun continued rising. The city was waking up, completely unaware that their streets had just hosted a preview of the war to come.
CHAPTER 10
The mansion's dining room had transformed into a war council that would've made Heaven's generals proud. The maps and tactical displays now fought for space with takeout containers on the massive table. The scent of Vietnamese food from Lily's – and there was enough ph? and bánh mì to feed three armies - mixed with power that crackled through the air like bottled lightning.
Amelia stabbed her chopsticks into her bowl with more force than necessary as she studied the latest intelligence reports. Her muscles ached from the morning's battle. She wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for twelve hours, but food and strategy took priority over rest. Time wasn't exactly on their side.
"Pass the spring rolls," Malachi called out from across the table. "And someone explain to me how these bastards knew exactly where our defensive lines were set up. Who is giving them information and weapons?" He scowled into his food, showing how pissed off he was.
"Here." Jo tossed him the container with deadly accuracy. "Focus. We've got bigger problems than a potential leakupstairs. Lucifer's evil is spreading faster than kudzu in the summer."
The Angels of Retribution were gathered with the Dark Warriors and the Rowan sisters. Amelia still couldn’t believe she’d been working with the infamous trio of High Priestesses who were leading the witches. The angels’ wings were hidden, but power rolled off them in waves that made the crystal chandeliers dance. Rami was coordinating reports while simultaneously trying to convince Izzy to eat something. The vampire princess had claimed one end of the space with her Dark Warriors and was as angry as everyone else.
"The numbers don't lie," Izzy said as she gestured to her tablet. "We've got confirmed sightings of Class Three demons in areas that should be clean. They're using the sewers to bypass our perimeter checks."
Pema moved her ph? aside as she studied the display. The oldest sister was all business, which explained how she'd kept the witches together through multiple apocalyptic events. Her mate Ronan's huge frame stayed close. His presence grounded her power in ways that made their bond radiate.
"These attack patterns are too precise," she observed while stealing a spring roll from her mate's plate.
Next to her, Isis stabbed her chopsticks into her bánh mì like she was practicing for demon hunting. The ground trembled when those green eyes of hers locked onto enemy positions. The female had never met a problem she couldn't solve with precisely applied violence. Her mate Braeden's hand on her thigh kept that volcanic temper from redecorating the mansion's expensive interior.
And then there was Suvi, who managed to make tactical planning look like a Milan fashion shoot. The youngest sister balanced her designer heels on the chair rungs while she demolished her ph?. The female might be dressed for aVogue cover, but she packed enough magical juice to take out the city. Her mate Cane kept one arm draped across her shoulders. He anchored all that power behind the pretty exterior.
"The infection's spreading faster than we can track it," Suvi reported as she traced energy patterns on one of the maps. Her fingers left trails of silvery magic that mapped Lucifer's progress. "Traditional containment isn't working. He’s managed to blow past all of our spells. Look at these progression rates."
"Because Lucifer's playing a different game," Pema interjected. "He's changing the basic nature of the ley lines and is able to get around our enchantments. We’re basically watching someone rewrite the city's magical DNA in real time."
"Can we counter it?" Braeden asked. "There has to be a way to stop the spread."
Amelia set down her chopsticks as an idea came to her. "His power is acting like a virus rewriting its host's DNA." "We need to do more than just contain it. We need to inoculate the whole system."
"What if we created our own seeds?" Suvi's voice carried excitement as she built on the idea. "Something that could spread through the network and counter his corruption before it takes root?"
"It would need to carry both light and shadow energy," Isis observed as she leaned forward. "Otherwise, it won't be able to affect the deeper currents where the old power runs."
"The question is," Ronan cut in, "how do we deliver it? The network's massive, and we'd need multiple injection points to ensure coverage."
From her position near the warrior angels, Sarah looked up from an ancient text she'd brought from her shop. "I might have something that could help." The bookstoreowner's green eyes lit up with scholarly excitement. "There are references in the older grimoires to relics that were used to maintain balance in the ley lines. Your idea just now made me think of them like spiritual antibodies."
"Show me," Amelia said, moving to look over Sarah's shoulder. The text was written in Latin. "This could work. The Twilight Key could act as a template. We could use it to create seeds that carry the original harmony."
"It's not just about creating the seeds," Cassiel interjected, his seer marks glowing as visions danced behind his eyes. "The timing has to be perfect. The stars remember when balance was first established. They must align again for this to work."
“That’s not vague or anything,” Isis retorted. “I hate decrypting prophecies.”
“It’s not a prophecy, but we do need to know what he’s talking about,” Amelia replied.
The planning session that followed went over everything they’d learned until that point. They mapped injection points while the Rowan sisters worked out spell matrices that could deliver their magical vaccine. Meanwhile, Amelia tried to figure out when the right time would be. This was up to her and the other witches. Unlike the Rowan sisters, she wasn’t used to this much pressure.
"If we hit these nexus points simultaneously," Pema said, marking locations on the map, "we can create a cascade effect that will carry the cure through the entire network."
