[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
As soon as Gabriel said the name, however, the demon went unnaturally still.
Suriel backed up slowly. His soul was taken when Gabriel defeated him.
Ariel shuddered. God help him, she murmured. Even Samael didn t deserve this.
Samael, you have failed your People, Raphael said. His voice was quiet, but the demon
shivered.
Kill me, the creature said in a voice like crushed rocks. It moved restlessly.
Ariel stepped back, wary. Her skin prickled as all her instincts told her to run. Suriel s arm
muscles bunched as he clutched his sword. Ariel wanted to grab him and run away, but the portal
shimmered behind the demon as if more were trying to get through, but couldn t.
Kill me. Hurry, the demon rumbled.
Do it, Ariel said urgently. She watched the blur waver and bow towards them. Hurry.
Suriel glanced at her, then pressed his lips together and lunged. His shoved the sword deep into
the creature s chest. Gabriel was a quick step behind, but his knife went into the remaining eye.
Raphael grabbed Ariel and pushed her back, pulling her with him as he moved away from the
violence.
Raphael, concentrate, she said as an idea sprang full-blown into her mind. If they could
somehow combine their powers, maybe Raphael could heal the portal if she fed him enough energy.
Take my hand.
He obeyed her without question, thankfully. Heal the portal, she said, drawing power. It s a
wound in our reality. You can heal it, Omega.
Raphael flashed her a look and nodded. Right. He raised his free hand and began to work.
Ariel grabbed more power as she felt him pull it from her. She wasn t sure she could keep up. He
drew it out as fast as she could gather it. Sweat ran down her face, but she couldn t stop and wipe it
away. Suriel struggled with the sword, twisting it as the demon roared. Gabriel had to let go of his
knife. The demon s eye burst terribly, like lava pushing through rock, and it slumped to the ground,
tail twitching. Samael may have wanted them to kill him and free his soul from the demon flesh, but
Ariel was positive he hadn t realized how much it would hurt.
Is it working? she asked, clutching Raphael s hand like a lifeline. Gabriel was backing away
from the creature.
He nodded shortly, eyes closing as his face twisted. I need more energy.
She sucked in a deep breath and gritted her teeth, forcing everything she had towards Raphael.
Her vision went blurry, whether from Raphael s work on the portal or her own exhaustion, she wasn t
sure. When Suriel touched her shoulder, she jerked, surprised, then leaned into him gratefully. He d
slipped the sword out of Samael and held it tip down on the stone floor. The metal was black with the
demon s heart blood.
It s working, Gabriel said, moving closer to Raphael. Look at the portal.
It wavered in the air, pulsing almost invisibly. Ariel held her breath as Suriel fed her more
energy. She cast it into Raphael who clenched the fist of his free hand. When he abruptly pulled back,
light flared so bright she cried out, flinching. When she opened her eyes again, spots impaired her
vision, as if she d looked at the sun.
It s done, Raphael said, his voice low with exhaustion.
Ariel sagged and would have fallen if Suriel hadn t been holding her up.
Gabriel steadied Raphael, propping him against the wall. Raphael slid down to sit on the
lowest step. Ariel joined him, completely wiped out. When she could focus again, she stared. The
demon was gone, but the scent of his death lingered. Black stains had sunk into the stone floor, like
some terrible abstract painting.
Where did the demon go? she asked.
I wove Samael s soul into the portal to glue it closed. It won t open again.
She looked at Raphael, shocked.
It was the only way, he said.
She swallowed and nodded, feeling faintly ill. I understand.
Gabriel walked towards the stains and prodded at them with his toe. Samael opened this
portal when he was still alive. He sounded very certain.
Suriel sighed and joined him, holding his hands out over the stained floor. A whisper of power
floated in the air. It s sealed. Samael gave his soul to close this rift.
He chose this as penance. I felt it. Raphael rubbed his face, grimacing tiredly. I d like to go
to sleep now for about three days. He stifled a yawn. Maybe longer.
Me too, Ariel said, leaning against him. The adrenaline from the battle had gone, leaving her
shaky and exhausted.
Raphael put his arm around her and hugged her. Let s not do this again any time soon.
She snorted. Or ever.
Raphael chuckled. Yeah. That too.
Suriel walked over to them and smiled down at her, then offered her a hand up. She took it and
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]