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A flash of powerful Light erupted, and the sky behind Hekata tore itself apart. As the portal grew, so did the image I saw on the other side of it. A courtyard, walls, a tower—and Micah. He was standing there, his arms raised, his palms glowing gold and blue.
“What are you waiting for?” Micah asked. “A personal invitation? Get over here, already!”
Hope.
It filled me, surged through me, invigorating my muscles and allowing me to give one final, desperate push to get both Abaddon and me through the portal and to the other side. Though we were in the air, the portal had appeared in front of us and it was anchored to the ground. As soon as I was through, my wings gave way, and gravity did the rest.
We dropped a couple of feet, Abaddon and I thudding to the cold, hard ground. I was panting, gasping for air. Abaddon, however, was unconscious. Instantly we were swarmed by angels, and while at first I was relieved, it wasn’t long before I realized they were wielding Light swords and aiming them at me and at Abaddon.
I rolled onto my back and put my hands up. “What is this?” I asked.
“For you, just a precaution,” said Azrael, landing not far from where Micah was standing. “For him… an arrest.”
“Arrest? He’s hurt! He needs healing, and food, and water.”
“That monster has killed more angels and humans than…” she stopped herself from finishing that sentence. She lowered her tone; anger stained with disappointment. “He is under arrest,” she snarled, “and he can consider himself lucky that we haven’t run him through with swords already.”
“Micah,” I said, “please, stop this.”
Micah shook his head. “I’m sorry, Sarakiel. You’ve been gone a long time, and he has done some terrible things.”
“Because Lucifer made him!”
“Maybe so, but this is Azrael’s bastion. Her authority and her word are final.”
Azrael nodded at some of the angels around her, and together they swarmed Abaddon, picked him up, and carried him away. He was too weak to put up a fight, too weak to resist. The Abaddon I knew would’ve made short work of these angels. This Abaddon… he couldn’t even stand on his own.
I watched them take him, choosing to defer to Azrael’s leadership. Micah was right. This was her bastion, and I had no right to make demands. With Abaddon gone I was left with Hekata, Azrael, and Micah, the four of us standing in the courtyard in the shadow of the collapsing portal.
Micah sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I was starting to think we’d lost you for good,” he said.
“If you hadn’t found me, I would’ve been,” I said. Then I turned my gaze over to Hekata. “You saved my life. Again.”
She shrugged. “Having a Lightbringer owe you favors can’t be a bad thing.”
Azrael didn’t enjoy the sentiment, or the implication. “Are you hurt?” she asked me.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m not hurt, but he is—and badly. I don’t know what Lucifer did to him, but he’s been fading ever since their battle.”
“Battle?” she asked, angling her head.
I nodded. “Lucifer was going to kill me. Abaddon stepped in and protected me, took Lucifer on in one-on-one combat. I don’t know how he survived.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Maybe he didn’t.”
“Didn’t?”
“Maybe they planned this as a way to infiltrate my bastion, and we’ve just let him in through the back door.”
“It’s not like that. I know it’s not.”
“Because you believe in him? Sarakiel, the things he’s done—the angels he’s killed. Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with, here?”
“I know he’s done awful things, but Lucifer is?—”
“—your denial will be the death of you,” she snapped. “If that’s what you want to do with your life, then fine. But don’t try to convince me that the things he’s done don’t matter, or that he’s somehow absolved. I don’t care who made him do the things that he did. He’s dangerous. The sooner you understand that, the better it’ll be for all of us.”
Micah stepped in between us. “I think that’s enough arguing for one day, don’t you?” he asked.
