The plan is simple. Inside the bunker, I’ll bring together representatives from angels, thrax, quasis, and ghouls. Then, I’ll force everyone to decide how to defeat Armageddon. Oh yes, and we’ll also make a pact to free Purgatory after the defeating part is over. Lincoln will play thrax representative for the parlay. The Oligarchy represent the ghouls, and I’m covering the quasis. Once Verus shows up, we’ll have a delegate from the angels and we can get started.

The room shakes again. The metal shelves rattle, cans and boxes tumble to the floor. I wince. Armageddon’s getting busy.

A portal opens nearby, its edges blurry. Through it steps Walker, Verus, and Levi, one of the angels who trained my class at school. Was that only weeks ago? It feels like a million years. Walker’s face looks pale again. His mouth creases in pain.

I rise to my feet. “Walker, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He waves his hand. “Please continue.”

My head tilts to one side. “Talk to me. What happened?”

Walker forces a smile. “The Oligarchy are right, there’s some interference in Group Think. I got injured creating the portal, but it’s nothing I can’t self-heal if given some time.”

“Thank you.” My voice cracks when I speak. “Be well.” I watch him step away, my face twisting with a frown.

Lincoln gives my hand a squeeze. “He’ll be fine. We need to focus on the negotiations.”

I nod my head once and retake my seat. “Right.”

“Greetings, everyone.” Verus slides into a chair on my opposite side, carefully straightening her white robes in the process. I feel a weight lift off my body, one I didn’t know I was carrying. After the fight in the Arena, I wasn’t sure Walker would even find Verus alive. I guess I’ve gotten attached, despite her sneakiness.

Levi takes a position behind Verus’s chair, his silver armor gleaming in the dim light. Neither of them are showing their wings.

Verus looks at my eyes for a long time, her face positively beaming. “You’ve now taken your true form as the Great Scala.” Every inch of her seems to scream ‘and isn’t that the greatest thing ever?’

I squirm in my seat. In my book, my Scala powers are bad news. “Yup. I’m the Great Scala.” For now.

Verus nods. “Excellent.” She gestures to the group. “I welcome this opportunity to parlay.” She spots Lincoln and I holding hands. “You two have formed an attachment?”

“We have.” I stare at her through narrowed eyes. “One of these days, I’d like to discuss your skills as matchmaker.”

The lead angel’s smile broadens. “I wasn’t sure you’d noticed.”

Lincoln arches his eyebrow. “Some of us didn’t.”

Another sonic boom shakes the walls as Armageddon tries breaking into the bunker. Time to get negotiating.