Force.” The soldier gripped the dagger’s hilt tightly. “We have to keep it safe.”
“You’d better not be planning to use it.”
“Good idea.” There was something wrong about the glow in the soldier’s eyes. It wasn’t silver or gold; it was toxic-waste green. “I can use it to defeat the Dark Force.”
“I said, it’s not for you. Put it down.”
“No.” The soldier pivoted around and started walking toward the door.
The cameraman waved at the two soldiers standing there, and they closed in on the rogue soldier. He slashed out with the dagger, cutting one of his assailants across the stomach. The man fell, his companion kicked the rogue soldier’s hand, and the Sapphire Tear went flying across the room.
A woman with a black braid caught it. The moment her hand closed around the hilt, bright green light flashed in her eyes. She made a run for the door.
Within a matter of minutes, every Legion soldier in the room was fighting the others for control of the immortal dagger. Their feral eyes glowing with alien green light, they slashed and kicked and bit. No blow was too low, no attack too vicious. They’d completely lost control over themselves.
The cameraman fell to the floor. We had to watch the final two soldiers from a canted, broken camera angle. We could see only half of the picture, but the thump of their bodies hitting the wood floor was unmistakable.
About a minute after that, my father entered the cottage. He froze at the threshold, and his stony gaze swept across the bodies on the floor. Then he picked up the Sapphire Tear and left the building.
“That is the last we saw of General Silverstar,” Nyx said as the screen went black. “When we sent a team to the cottage, we found dead Dark Force soldiers outside.”
“And dead Legion soldiers inside,” I said darkly.
“Yes,” she said. “We believe that after General Silverstar left the cabin, he took off in pursuit of the dark angel. We did not find one among the dead.”
“According to what I overheard of the Guardians’ meeting, my father followed the dark angel to the Interchange, a world where the demons have recently set up a stronghold.”
Nyx looked at Damiel. “You are very quiet, General.”
“The Sapphire Tear caused every soldier who touched it to go insane.” His forehead furrowed in thought.
“Apparently, the dagger did not like their magic.”
“When someone with the wrong magic touches an immortal artifact, the artifact does nothing. When someone with the wrong magic touches one of the sixteen immortal daggers, that person goes mad.” I frowned. “The immortal daggers aren’t like other immortal artifacts.”
“The daggers are unusually powerful, even for immortal artifacts,” said Damiel. “Whoever collects all sixteen will become the master of magic. The promise of that kind of ultimate power surely attracts all the wrong kinds of people.”
“Whether the daggers think someone is right or wrong for the gift of ultimate power, only death and destruction can come from this. We cannot allow anyone to have that kind of power. Not demons, not Guardians, and not even the gods,” I finished.
“No, we cannot,” Nyx agreed. “If the gods find out about these daggers, they will send soldiers to the Interchange. I’ll do everything in my power to keep this knowledge from them. From everyone. It’s your job to gather all sixteen daggers before anyone else does—and then you will destroy them.”
“Can an immortal weapon even be destroyed?” I wondered.
“Anything that can be created, can also be destroyed,” she replied. “Now, go. I’m afraid you’re on your own, however. In the interests of keeping the daggers a secret, I can’t assign any soldiers to go with you to the Interchange.”
“A shared secret is no secret at all,” said Damiel.
Nyx nodded. “Precisely. And we cannot allow knowledge of these daggers to spread. The quest for ultimate magic supremacy can consume even the most rational mind.”
“My father did not seem affected. And what about Leila? She’s had the Diamond Tear all these years and it’s not affected her either.”
“Silverstar and Starborn are special,” said Nyx. “They are two of the few angels I don’t have to keep under constant watch. They don’t care about power.”
“Leila cares about bettering herself—and us—to protect the Earth,” I told her. “And everything my father does is to protect the people he loves.”
“That trait seems to run in the family.” Nyx sighed. “You, Damiel, and your father are three very odd angels.” She waved her hand at me and Damiel. “Be gone. And be quick.