“Adair needs the rest of my igni. All of them are required in order to perform an iconigration.”
“Really? And I thought she was exceptionally gullible to sell her soul to me so quickly. No, my sweet ex-Scala, I know how igni work. I’ve seen enough iconigrations with my son to last a lifetime.” A too-wide smile stretches across his long, thin face. “Now, I’d like to introduce you to your new accommodations in Hell. Hope you hate them.” Armageddon closes his eyes and igni appear around his hands.
Hells Bells. Armageddon is about to move us to Hell with my igni. With control of my Scala powers, he’ll easily have all the after-realms at his feet.
Think, Myla, think, think.
Seconds crawl by until the realization finally appears.
This isn’t Armageddon, really. The King of Hell is an immortal greater demon who’s locked away forever. This is Adair. And she’s as mortal as you can get.
My mouth twists with disgust. But destroying the King of Hell means killing Adair. More igni swirl up Armageddon’s arms, preparing to form a Soul Column. A sad fact seeps through my mind.
This isn’t Adair anymore. She’s long gone. It’s Armageddon.
I turn to Lincoln. “This ends, now.”
“Agreed.”
Moving in sync, we ignite our baculum as broadswords and charge at the merged form of Armageddon and Adair. Bringing down our weapons in a coordinated arc, we slice off Armageddon’s altered head, our movements smooth as scissors. The possessed body falls forward onto the ground, lifeless. Still in its Armageddon-like shape, the cadaver lies on its belly, the severed head resting just above its shoulders.
I stare at the prone body, an awful chill crawling across my skin. I killed Adair. Not another evil soul or foul demon. A mortal. Sure, she was merged with Armageddon and about to take over the after-realms, but still. It’s an awful thing to destroy life.
I kneel beside her, folding my hands in my lap. A prickly feeling of guilt slowly winds up my throat. Bit by bit, it climbs until it contorts my mouth with pain and stings my eyes with tears. I never meant to fall in love with Lincoln or become the Great Scala, and it’s all Adair ever wanted. Now, I’ve killed her. How did it come to this?
Lincoln wraps his arm around me, pulling me back up onto my feet. “You need to turn away, Myla.”
“I can’t. Not yet.”
He stands in front of me, blocking my view of Adair. “Whatever happened with you, Adair and your igni, it’s never taken place before in the history of the after-realms. There are no rules or guarantees here, Myla. You need to get your powers back, now.”
My eyes open wide with shock. I always assumed that with Adair gone, my igni would return. The surprised feeling turns into jolts of adrenaline and panic. It’s true. My powers could easily go to a new Scala Heir instead. And I have an iconigration to do first thing tomorrow morning.
I walk away from Adair and find a quiet spot by an old, arching tree. Closing my eyes, I reach out to my igni. “Hey, guys.”
I pause, waiting for the sweet music or cacophonous chatter that means they hear my summons.
There’s nothing. Only silence.
Fresh pangs of panic run through me. Every muscle in my body seems to constrict with worry.
Come on. I still have some igni left. Not many, but enough to give some kind of answer to my call. By now, at least a few igni voices should be echoing inside my head. My stomach twists with anxiety. Unholy Hell, what if when Adair took my igni, she parted them from me forever?
I set my palms onto my eyes and press hard. “Where are you?”
Still, no reply.
I focus deep within me, finding the emptiness and grief where power once saturated my soul. I sense a handful of igni hiding there. Frightened. Lost. Hurt. They’re rarely separated from each other, let alone from their chosen Scala. I’d never thought about it before, but it was a brave and terrible thing for them to leave me for Adair.
The few igni I have left now sing a reedy song to me, telling me how their brothers and sisters are lost in the darkness. Abandoned. Afraid. Separated.
I raise my arms, close my eyes, and begin to speak to them all. “I’m here, my little ones. Find me. My soul is your home.”
The music in my mind grows louder. An electric charge fills the air. My powers are getting closer now, gathering invisibly in the cavern around me. Excitement makes my heart drum faster.
I reach out to my igni with all the love in my heart. “Come back to me and I’ll never let you go again, not while I’ve breath in my body. You are my children. I am your Scala. Hear me.”
This time, they hear my call and how. Both light and dark igni instantly appear, the powers that draw souls to both Heaven and Hell. The dark cavern becomes blindingly bright as millions of tiny lightning bolts hover in the air. Joy pulses through my bloodstream.