Page 24 of Camael
"We need to reach the master nexus!" Amelia called out as she turned two demons to ash. "It's under the Buckner Mansion!"
“We’re heading there now,” he told his men. “You tackle yours after this.” He held Amelia tighter and took off for their target. It wasn’t far.
The Buckner Mansion was the Garden District's crown jewel. It was a structure that had seen more history than most countries. Its white columns rose against the darkening sky like bones. Power rolled off it in waves that confused Camael. It was like it couldn’t decide which way to go.
He landed and set Amelia down. They fought their way up First Street, each step bringing them closer to the mansion. The corrupted ley lines turned the manicured gardens into something from Dante's sketchbook. Flowers twisted into shapes that shouldn't exist. The air was thick with evil that made it hard to breathe. Amelia was casting spells and throwing them into the ground, trying to clear the evil from the energy pathways.
"Incoming!" Jo's warning came seconds before something massive crashed through a row of crepe myrtles. The creature looked like someone had grabbed parts of bigfoot and a sperm whale, then welded them together with hellfire.
"I've got this!" Mal called out as he engaged the beast. His blade left trails of fire through the air. "Get to the nexus!"
Camael wanted to stay and help, but there wasn't time. Lucifer’s power was spreading with every second they delayed. They reached the Buckner Mansion's gates just as the sun disappeared completely. Night fell like a hammer. It brought with it demons that moved with hungry purpose. The historic home's white columns were now streaked with darkness that writhed like living ink.
"The nexus is in the basement," Amelia said as she channeled power through the Key. "Apparently, Lucifer's got a thing for dramatic real estate."
"Jo, Az - secure the perimeter!" Camael ordered as they approached the front steps. "Rami, you're with us. The rest of you keep these bastards off our backs while we deal with whatever's waiting inside."
The mansion's double doors exploded inward like they'd been hit with a supernatural battering ram. The sound of splintering wood echoed through the night like a gunshot. Camael shot the witch a look that could've melted steel. One dark eyebrow lifted toward his hairline. "Really, Amelia?"
Her smirk? Pure attitude with a side of 'yeah, I just did that’. She shrugged those shoulders of hers while her green eyes danced with enough mischief to make a demon blush. "What can I say? If we're gonna crash Lucifer's party, might as well make an entrance that doesn't suck." That right there was why she got to him. The female had enough brass to match her power, and neither one gave a shit about proper protocol.
"Next time," he growled as he fought back a smile that would've ruined his warrior cred, "try not to announce our arrival to every ugly in a five-mile radius."
Inside, the grand foyer had become something out of a horror movie. Shadows danced across walls that had witnessed centuries of history. They moved through the house like the warriors they were. They followed the pull of evil energy toward the basement stairs. Each step down felt like descending into Hell itself. The Prince of Lies’ power was strongest there. It pulsed through the foundation like a diseased heartbeat.
"Well, well." The voice that greeted them made Camael's wings bristle. "The prodigal brother comes to call." Crocell emerged from the shadows like she'd been born from them.
Camael stepped in front of Amelia to shield her from Crocell. “I’m here to end this,sister.”
The fallen angel's wings were something straight out of Hell's trophy room. Electric blue feathers. The kind that would make a peacock jealous, covered leathery flesh that looked like it had been dipped in sapphire poison. And those wing tips? They weren't playing. Each one ended in a curved talon sharp enough to gut a rhinoceros.
This bitch was built for maximum carnage. Those razor claws on her wings could slice you into bite-sized pieces. While her fingernails - more like surgical steel scalpels - turned your insides into your outsides faster than you could say ‘holy shit’. The whole package was a walking advertisement for why falling from grace was bad for your complexion. And worse for anyone who got within striking distance.
Those eyes of hers? Pure crazy town where the population was one fallen angel and hundreds of her minions. She had the kind of madness that made Lucifer look like he was running a mental health seminar. When she smiled, it was all fang and no fun.
Crocell ignored him and closed the distance while focusing on Amelia, who was trying to get around him. "What are you hiding?" Her voice scraped through the air like nails on Hell's chalkboard. "The big bad archangel brought his pet witch to play." That laugh of hers could've stripped paint. "How absolutely precious."
"The only thing sweet about this is going to be watching you burn," Amelia snarled as she gathered power in her hands. Light and shadow wove together into something that made even Crocell take a step back.
The fallen angel's laugh sliced through the sanctuary like liquid obsidian. "You think your parlor tricks can stop what's coming? Lucifer is going to win this, you idiots. He's using the ley lines to finish waking the Oldest Ones."
Understanding hit Camael like a physical blow. "He's using the city's power grid to fuel their awakening."
"Give the angel a prize!" Crocell spread her corrupted wings wide. "And there's nothing you can do to stop it. The process has already begun."
Camael wasn't looking at her anymore. His eyes were fixed on Amelia. She had moved to the center of the basement. The Key around her neck was blazing with power that made the air vibrate. "Want to bet?" Amelia countered. Her voice carried ancient weight as she drove both hands into the floor. Light and shadow exploded from her palms and then raced through the ley lines faster than thought.
The power surge lit up the spiritual landscape like a nuclear bomb. Camael felt it sweep through the city. It cleansed a lot of what Lucifer had corrupted and reinforced barriers. Crocell's scream of rage turned to fear as the magic reached for her.
"This isn't over!" she snarled before disappearing in a burst of dark energy.
Camael caught Amelia as her knees buckled. The display of power had taken its toll. He was ready to call one of the healers when her clear, determined eyes met his. "Did it work?"
He reached out with his celestial senses, checking the ley lines that ran beneath the city. Where there had been corruption, there was now balance. Light and shadow were working together like they were meant to.
"It worked." He pulled her closer, uncaring of their audience. "You did it."
"We did it," she corrected before pressing her lips to his.
