‘What have you done?’ Uriel flies over to Raffe. ‘Do you know how hard—’

Raffe whips his sword across Uriel with intense fury. Uriel barely manages to get his own sword up to block, but he gets hurled by the force of Raffe’s blow.

Uriel tumbles out of the sky, landing hard on the bridge.

He staggers up, bleeding and holding his shoulder. It looks crushed. Before he can regain balance, a crowd of people rush him.

A woman slaps him, screaming about her children. Then another comes and kicks him. ‘That’s for my Nancy.’ She kicks Uriel harder. ‘That’s for little Joe.’

Another person jumps in and begins wailing on him as a fourth runs up and begins plucking his feathers. After that, Uriel disappears under a mob of angry humans.

Feathers fly. Blood spurts. Knives slash up and down in the spotlights as arms pump, covered in blood.

Everything else has stopped – the music is off, the lights stay on, the angels have stopped fighting, and the Consumed sixers have quieted.

There’s only the eerie glow of the spotlights beaming in every direction and Uriel’s screams.

The angels look confused, unsure of what to do next. Maybe if Uriel’s supporters had actually been loyal and cared about him, as opposed to following him because of what he could do for them, maybe they would risk themselves to save him. But before the uncertain angels can make a move, the crowd over Uriel begins to disband.

Several people hold up grisly parts of him as trophies. Bloody feathers, clumps of hair, a finger, and other parts too bloody to recognize.

Okay, maybe we’re not the most civilized beings in the universe, but then, who is?

Chapter 69

69

‘I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain, Archangel,’ says the Pit lord. His burned wings sweep back and forth lazily in the air. ‘I saved your pitiful Daughter of Man and her family. Now it’s your turn.’

Raffe hovers on his beautiful feathered wings in front of the Pit lord. He nods with a grim expression.

‘No.’ The word slips out of my mouth as I watch, mesmerized.

Two hellions with black axes fly in from the dark outside the spotlights. Their axes are stained with layers of old blood. They position themselves behind either side of Raffe’s wings.

There’s a moment when I think Raffe will come up with a way out of this as he stares down the Pit lord.

Then he gives a single nod.

Without warning, the two hellions simultaneously lift their axes and slice through Raffe’s wing joints.

They lift their axes and slice through Raffe’s wing joints.

They lift their axes and slice through Raffe’s wing joints.

They lift their axes and slice through Raffe’s wing joints.

They . . .

. . . his wings . . .

I don’t know if Raffe yells out in his pain, because all I hear is my own scream.

Raffe falls.