Defying Destiny (Afterword Academy #3) - Katie May Page 0,63
instead of helping one another.
And then…
BOOM!
Shouting pulls me from my memory. And by the look in Auston and Preston’s eyes, I wonder if they were reliving it right along with me. So stupid. All this time, we’ve been angry with each other for no other reason than we were angry with ourselves. Because no one in particular was to blame for that night. We all made bad decisions. But none of that matters, because you can’t change the past. You can only learn from it and move forward. And now I get to do that with the woman I love and my brothers by my side.
“She’s coming!” the voice calls again as a shimmering Ghost glides over the dead grasses through the night. “Lilith! She’s coming!”
A cold chill snakes down my spine.
This is it.
The battle is about to begin.
Chapter 25
Hadley
They crest the hillside, an army of white and black wings, translucent forms, and Reapers adorned in thick black cloaks. My heart hammers in my chest as I stagger back a step, into Braxton’s waiting arms.
“She has an army,” I breathe as Caius materializes beside me, his face set into a hard scowl.
“More than likely, she used her powers on these students to get them to do her bidding,” he growls sharply, and my hatred for Lilith only ratchets up a thousand notches.
Behind me, I hear Auston instructing the other Angels to move to a high rock and level their bows. I don’t see Karston, but I know my Ghost lover will be traveling through the throngs of our makeshift army, warning everyone of what is to come.
We’re not ready—not one fucking bit—but it’s either fight now or die.
“What do you mean?” Preston demands, shifting to face Caius. His voice shakes slightly, though he’s quick to hide it, adorning an impassive mask.
“She’s the Fate of Envy,” Caius reminds us, his voice nearly guttural in his anger. “No doubt, she’s playing on her soldiers’ emotions. Making them envious of something entirely insignificant.”
“Envious enough to kill on her behalf?” I query, just as a male Angel from the opposing side takes to the air, lunging towards an unsuspecting female Reaper.
“I should’ve gotten the better grade on our Demonology assignment! Not you!” the crazed Angel roars, face twisting with anger and jealousy.
I watch in abject horror as he pulls at her hair, and two Demons from our army moves to join the fray.
“Envious enough to kill,” Caius laments, just as the last of Lilith’s army surges forward.
And then…
It’s mayhem.
Chaos.
Complete and utter anarchy as students fight against students and teachers fight against teachers.
The archers from our side remain on the immense rock, firing arrow after arrow into the crowd. Soon, it becomes impossible to tell who is fighting for who. Demons slice with wild abandon, stabbing at anyone who gets too close, while Reapers hold their scythes in the air and shoot at random. Half the fight takes place on the ground, a flurry of limbs and swords and daggers, while a separate battle transpires in the sky.
Angels and Demons clash, a myriad of black, skeletal wings colliding with feathered, white ones, and I swear the sky rumbles with thunder. Streaks of lightning illuminate the now darkened sky, almost as if the Heavens themselves are punishing us for our brawl.
Braxton and Caius remain on either side of me, fighting like men possessed. They seem to anticipate each other’s moves before the other one actually does anything. One second, Braxton is lunging forward with his blade extended, and the next, he ducks, Caius easily swiping the head off of an opposing Angel.
It’s swift and brutal and savage, but I can’t focus on that right now. My eyes drift through the crowd, searching for the one person who can end this all. The one person who can set things right again.
Lilith.
But I don’t see her brown head anywhere in the mass of fighting souls. Not that I’m surprised. Only cowards send armies to do the work that is meant to be theirs. No doubt, the bitch is hiding in the school with the rest of the incapacitated Fates she kidnapped.
“Caius!” I scream, trying to be heard over the shouts, grunts, and cries of pain. “We need to find Lilith!”
He ducks down just before a sword can cut off his head, and Braxton lurches forward, stabbing his own sword through the Demon’s chest. The unfamiliar man drops to the ground, dead.
“She’s not here?” Though it’s phrased as a question, I can see that he already knows the answer.