“Jordan!”
I opened my eyes to see Gabriel soaring over the edge of the building, his wings spread wide. Michael dangled from his arms, shouting my name. In that exact moment, Belial plunged the spear into the spot a few inches above my heart. Excruciating pain ate through my chest as my blood overflowed the wound, coating both the rest of the spear and Belial’s hands. Agony climbed through my limbs like acid and stole my breath.
Hit too many arteries, I thought sluggishly. I’ll only have a few minutes before I die. When this notion filled my mind, I should have panicked or cried, but I didn’t. All I could think was, I hope I get to say goodbye to Michael.
“Thank you for your sacrifice, Seer. With this life blood, I will usher in the era of the Dark One,” Belial said with an insidious smile. He ripped the blade out of my chest, turning to face the angel and poltergeist that had landed on the roof.
“Filthy creature!” Gabriel shouted, his beautiful golden wings flaring in anger. “Father should have sent you lower than the depths of Hell when he banished you and your wretched leader from the Heavens.”
“On the contrary, archangel. He could not have given us a sweeter reward than to free us of His tyranny. Let me show you how your Lord has blessed me.”
He rushed forward, almost too fast for my eyes to follow. Gabriel darted after him in a graceful arc, drawing the elegant sword from his waist and shouting at Michael over his shoulder.
“Attend to Jordan!”
Gabriel swung downward in a powerful stroke, but Belial met it with the tip of the spear, deflecting the blow. They moved with deadly, liquid grace, scattering gravel this way and that as they fought.
Michael raced around the other side of his body to meet me, his green eyes wide with panic as they fell across the wound.
“Jordan, stay with me. I need you to focus.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me until my handcuffs came free from the hook. Michael sank to his knees and laid me on the ground, his hands hovering over the wound. Each inhale burned like hell. The blood that oozed outward took my strength with it.
I took a deep breath, struggling to speak. “I-It’s not your fault. I know you did the best you could. Please…help Gabriel.”
“I can’t. Jordan, you’ve got a hole in your chest.”
I managed a small smile. “Guess that means I’m not going anywhere. Go.”
He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes momentarily before starting to stand up. “Don’t die. I’d hate to have to miss you.”
I let my head roll backward just in time to catch sight of Michael racing towards the battle between Belial and Gabriel. The angel had managed to drive the demon farther away from the body, but he had a cut on his cheek, arm, and over his left knee from the spear. The demon hadn’t fared much better. Even from here I could see the tears in his suit that had been marred with blood.
Belial reached back to swing, but Michael grabbed his arm, shoving his palm upward at the demon’s elbow. Belial’s arm broke with a sickening crack, and the demon roared with pain. The spear flew from his grasp, landing a few feet away from Michael’s body. Gabriel’s sword flashed as he slashed his blade across Belial’s chest, slicing a gash down his front. The demon let his broken arm go limp at his side and grabbed Michael by the throat with his other hand, throwing him at Gabriel. The angel reacted only a second too slow, moving aside on reflex. Belial ran for the spear, sweeping it up and slamming it into the chest of Michael’s body.
I cried out as something boiled within me, as if my very essence were being torn apart. It burned so badly I couldn’t breathe. I could only writhe on the floor, feeling salty blood well up in the back of my throat.
A light shot up into the sky from Michael’s body, nearly blinding me. I could just barely see Belial’s face, a mask of fiendish glee, as Michael’s body arched upward on its own. He let the weapon clatter to the rooftop and hovered over the blinding light: bruised, bloodied, and ecstatic.
“Master will be so proud,” he said, leaning forward to climb into the light. The demon’s fingertips brushed over the area above the wound when he stopped in mid-motion. His body jerked forward as Michael ran him through with the spear, twisting the end for good measure.
“Go to hell,” Michael spat, stepping back to let Belial’s body fall. The demon hit the roof with a solid sound, painting the gravel black with his blood. He drew in a couple shallow breaths, his voice wet and thick with hatred.
“Savor…your victory now, archangel. I will return and take what is mine.”
With a final gurgle, the demon went still. Gabriel and Michael hurried over to me, kneeling on either side of my trembling form. Gabriel snapped the chain of the handcuffs with ease, but I couldn’t really feel it. The pain had receded and with it came numbness. I could barely breathe anymore. I had lost too much blood.