Adam flung up a shield to keep the gore away from Eve and Damali as the clerics disappeared with a satisfied nod. Adam immediately turned to Eve, speaking quickly.
"That just turned the tide of the battle . . . killing Lucifer's wife could unleash anything." Adam's gaze went between Eve and Damali. "There is no time to savor that victory. We need to get the human teams back onto hallowed ground. Archangels have wanted her for years, and they will protect us until we reach sanctuary, but they hunt the Devil himself while he is weak. We must go."
Eve just stared at Adam for a moment. "No congratulations?" He chuckled and bowed, taking up her hand to kiss the back of it. "But of course."
"I also heard what you said." Damali strained to see as far as she could. "I'm out. Gotta tell these folks to fall back."
Fallon Nuit stood at the top of the Tower of David staring out in disbelief. Lilith was gone? His Lucrezia had been murdered? He was stunned beyond grief. All the others were gone but him? Nuit turned to the Ultimate Darkness behind him and allowed the power of his new office to fill him, but was wise enough to quietly enjoy his rich inheritance.
"In all these years," the disembodied voice said. "I would have never believed that they would have gotten to my beloved. Lilith was like none other."
Fallon Nuit remained very, very still.
"Release my Thirteenth!"
A sense of urgency made Damali take a running leap off the roof. Her energy was low, a fold-away would have used the last of it, and somehow she sensed that she would definitely soon need it. The worst part of all, Carlos was nowhere to be found as she began giving the Guardians mental signals to fall back to the church or whatever shrine they were closest to.
As many humans as could be saved had been sent in all directions to find shelter in the churches, temples, synagogues, and mosques, and she could see her team fighting backward to get indoors. But where was Carlos?
One more circle around the area, and she'd come in and do roll call. But a daggerlike pain gripped her stomach as she began to spiral to the ground. To avoid fatal injury she used what reserves of energy she could to propel herself to drop face down on the roof. Her Guardian sisters' screams pierced her consciousness. Damali pushed herself up and dragged herself to the edge of a building.
Jasmine was being led away by Habiba, trailing blood.
"No!" Damali tried to stand, but a gripping, hemorrhaging cramp put her down on her knees.
Inez's SOS to her made her feel faint. All Guardian females were bleeding. This could not be happening!
Yonnie met Carlos on a roof. "I'm going, too, man. I have to! I'm the only one living that can."
"Where's the female squad at?" Carlos never turned to speak to Yonnie, but kept his shaded gaze searching rooftops.
"Big Mike, 'Bazz, and Mar, all the Guardians got 'em in the Sepulcher. Mar found Damali on the roof." Yonnie walked back and forth, dragging his fingers through his Afro. "They're all inside, man. Got clerics sending up prayers . . . maybe angels will come, too, who knows?"
Carlos nodded. "They're all bleeding. You be my eyes. History ain't repeating itself on my watch."
A tiny voice whispered inside her head. Damali limped into the church and then stopped. Awareness made her stand up taller and then run in. She grabbed each Guardian female who was pregnant and shook her, causing males to gather around, bewildered.
"It's illusion!" Damali shouted. "Your worst fear amplified by mine. They can't touch these children--they weren't created to be lost like this . . . what happened to me before happened while Carlos was dead."
Damali pointed to the floor of the church. "What do you see?"
Female Neteru Guardians stood slowly and looked around and then down at their clothes.
"Right. The moment you crossed the threshold, the blood disappeared."
Nuit spun away from the tip of a Neteru blade as it burned a graze mark in his black fatigues at his chest, and then sent a black charge toward Carlos, who deflected it with his shield of Heru. "We go way back, motherfucker -- and this time you have gone too far!" Carlos shouted, still partially blind as he listened for Nuit to land.
"You're so right," Fallen hissed, bearing fangs and battle bulking behind Carlos. "We go very far back, man ami."
"So do me and you," Yonnie said, his hand reaching through Nuit's back to rip out his dead heart. "All the way back to plantation days, bitch."
This time Carlos's blade didn't miss. His only regret when Fallen's head hit the ground was that he couldn't get one last good look into his foul eyes. But he never had time to contemplate the philosophical raisons d'etre. Something so strong and so massive swept his body off the ground and full body slammed him against the rocks. Neteru Kings surrounded it, drawing the colossal beast that was sheer moving darkness away from Carlos's limp form while Yonnie tried to get him up.
Damali came out of a fold-away and Yonnie waved her back.
"No, D! This is the Thirteenth! Get back to hallowed ground!"
"Not without my husband!" she shrieked, running forward, but a huge, clawed hand the size of a semi broke through the earth and snatched her out of the air before she could take flight, crushing her wings.