“I’m pretty strong, and I think we can both agree I have more than enough character to go around.”

We slowed, growing silent as we crouched down and looked at the piles of rocks that littered the street from here to the entrance into the underground city. Every patch of ground that wasn’t occupied by rocks was occupied by Legion soldiers moving rocks, either by hand or magic. There were too many of them. We’d never be able to sneak in unnoticed, not without a pretty sizable distraction.

The Lost City delivered, as though it had heard my prayer. Wolflike monsters streamed across the ruined city, flooding down the streets, pouring down the building. The Legion soldiers stopped moving rocks and turned to fight the monsters. Even Colonel Fireswift moved off his spot beside the growing hole to attack the swarm of monsters.

With the Legion soldier busy, Nero and I slipped around behind them and jumped unseen into the hole. We ran down streets and tunnels not yet completely cleared of debris. The whole place looked about as stable as tissue paper house, and it might come down at each moment.

We came up on the little house. I touched the pulsing angel mark. Just like in my vision, the wall split to reveal the gateway. Warm streams of magic rippled across my skin, drawing me forward.

Magic slammed into me from behind, hurling me through the opening. I landed in a pool of gold coins. Nero shot over my head and hit the back wall. He jumped up, magic exploding out of him. The telekinetic wave shot toward a hooded figure, but it dissipated before it ever made it there, absorbed by the dome of magic that had blossomed out to protect him. Nero stood frozen, as though he couldn’t believe his eyes, as though he’d never seen anything like it before.

That moment of surprise cost him. The hooded angel’s telekinetic blast was bigger than Nero’s. It hammered into Nero, throwing him against a stone column so hard that the column snapped. The ceiling caved in and collapsed on top of him.

I ran toward the rocky waterfall burying Nero. I could feel him in there, being slowly crushed under the weight. Panic surged in me. I had to get him out.

“Leda,” a cold voice bit at my skin, chilling me to the bone. “I’ve been waiting for you for two hundred years.”

That cold phantom hand of magic closed around my throat, squeezing. Something hard slammed into the side of my head, and the world wen black.

16

Rogue Angel

A woke to a slow, steady drip in my head. Water? Blood? Everything was blurry. I blinked trying to clear my eyes. My whole body hurt, especially my head. Someone hit me hard there. My balance was off, distorted. Sickness churned in my stomach, and I felt cold. My skin shivered against the icy breath of the rocks I was lying on. These thin clothes definitely weren’t suited to the cold darkness of these underground ruins.

I looked around, but my could barely focus behind the throbbing swell of my head injury. Everything looked distorted, like the ground was moving, tipping like on a boat caught in a tempest. Sitting up made me feel like I was going to throw up.

I wasn’t alone. The angel was there, speaking to two men. He was wearing a dark brown leather suit. He wore a sword, a bow, and two guns—which was more than a little overkill, especially considering the magic spells he’d throwing around and his enormous size. His hood was down, revealing a face framed by messy dark hair. The shadow of a beard covered his face, just enough to make him look rugged. I recognized the rogue angel from the picture, the recently fallen angel.

“Osiris Wardbreaker,” I said, my voice croaking. “We’ve been looking for you.”

A smile twisted his lips. “And I’ve been looking for you, the one who can open the door.” He lifted his hand, and lights flared up across the chamber.

I blinked, shielding my eyes against the blinding twinkle of treasure. I was everywhere—sparkling, glistening, glittering. Gold. Tapestries. Weapons. Armor. Urns. Jewels. Treasure boxes. It was like a pirate’s dream. The treasure in this treasury must have been worth millions.

“If I’d known you were coming, I would have slammed the door in your face,” I said to the angel.

Osiris laughed and looked at the two men. “She’s cheeky, isn’t she?”

“Just get what we need from her,” one of them said gruffly.

It seemed the balance of power wasn’t what I’d thought. This angel was working with them? Or for them? They sure weren’t his men, and not only that, they weren’t even afraid of him. What was the matter with them? Even I had the sense to be afraid of him.

“All in good time,” the angel told him.

He looked relaxed, unrushed. Immortality, and being one of the oldest angels in the world, must have done that to you. He was comfortably confidence, like he always got what he wanted.

“We will get results,” he assured the men. “And you’re going to help us, aren’t you, pretty?” His hand caught my face, clamping down on my jaw much as Colonel Fireswift had once done.

The relics of heaven and hell were too dangerous to be in the hands of a powerful, corrupt angel like this one. I was almost choking from the darkness dripping off of him. I had to escape from here. I had to stop these fiends.

I must have muttered some of that aloud because Osiris laughed and said, “You need to worry about helping yourself.”

I realized I was chained to the floor. The chains were long enough that I could stand, but I wouldn’t get far. And then there was the small matter of the very big bump on my head. I still couldn’t focus my eyes properly.