The look that comes over the Earl’s piggish face can only be described as gloating. “Glad to hear it.”
I look to Lincoln and lower my voice to a whisper. “You know what I’m thinking?” I shoot a quick glance upward, aka the Heavenly direction.
Lincoln catches on right away. “I do. The clubhouse.”
Boy, do I ever love this guy. He can guess my thoughts like nobody’s business. But he does need to understand the risks here.
“I’ve never pulled physical bodies up to Heaven before, Lincoln. Only souls.” Since I’m part demon, getting me in Heaven will be especially tricky.
“You can do anything, Myla.” Even though he’s whispering, there’s no mistaking the excitement in my guy’s voice.
My heart warms with his confidence. “Be ready to move on my signal.”
“I will.”
Aldred sets his hands on his hips. “Are you two done with your little discussion? Ready to accept reality?”
“Yes.” I make a great show of sniffling. “Lincoln and I will follow your rules. First, you must let Octavia go.”
Aldred waves to his soldiers. “Allow the Queen to exit.”
Octavia scans Lincoln and me carefully for a few seconds. Her mouth slowly winds into a small smile. She’s two steps ahead of us, I’m sure. “I’m glad you’ll do your duty, my son.”
“Always, Mother.”
Octavia leaves the chamber. Once the sound of her footfalls disappears, Aldred refocuses on Lincoln and me. “Now, let’s return to business, shall we?”
Let’s not.
“Hang on, Lincoln.”
Lincoln pulls my back against his chest. “Like this?”
“Perfect.”
“I said enough of your yammering to each other.” The Earl waves to his troops. “Move in. Take them by force if necessary.” The soldiers charge across the darkened floor.
That means it’s time to go.
I raise my arms over my head. From my soul, I call out to my igni.
Help me, little ones. Take me and Lincoln into Heaven.
Music instantly fills my mind. It’s sweet singing that only I can hear. These are the voices of the light igni, the forces that pull souls to the Pearly Gates. Hearing their lovely music instantly calms me.
Suddenly the room fills with the brightness of a dozen suns. Thousands of igni materialize around Lincoln and me. They are small lightning bolts of power, each one no longer than my thumb. The igni whorl and dive around us in a column of light that spans from the floor to the ceiling. Aldred’s troops try to break through, but it’s no use. My igni hold them back with ease. The guards’ shadowy forms are barely visible beyond the wall of tiny, shifting lightning bolts.
“That’s it, Myla,” Lincoln whispers in my ear. “You’re doing it.”
I pull in more igni until the column grows taller than ever before. It starts to bore through the ceiling of the cave, up toward the Earth’s surface. The music of the igni turns deafening. Supernatural energy thrums through my soul. I pump in even more power.
Move us, body and soul, my little ones.
Their childlike voices become even louder. I don’t understand much of what they say, however there are words about Lincoln, love, and the future of the after-realms.
Our feet start to rise from the floor. The shifting lights of the igni column swirl around us. Beyond that, I can see crossbow bolts slam into the rounded wall of light. The projectiles fall harmlessly to the floor. Go igni. Lincoln and I lift higher, then pause. There isn’t enough energy. Panic zooms through me.
It’s as I’d feared. The igni can’t move both body and soul.
I look over my shoulder to my angelbound love. Lincoln’s face contorts with worry. We’ve stopped moving toward the ceiling, but at this rate. In fact, we’ve drifted a few inches lower.
My igni can’t do this. They might very well drop us soon. And based on how the guards are closing in, I don’t think we’ll get another chance at escape.
I inhale a deep breath and scream with all the power in me. “I said, move!”
The igni song grows louder than ever before. Lincoln and I fly upward on a bolt of light. We’re moving. Now it hurts like hell, though. A part-demon chick isn’t meant to go whipping physically into Heaven. At least, not without an escort like my father to cast a million protection spells on me. Pain radiates through every cell in my body. I won’t give up, though. Lincoln’s arms stay tight around my torso. He won’t let go, either. Although the agony is terrible, I know one thing for certain.
We can do this. We can reach Heaven.
Chapter Ten
I hold on to Lincoln as we hurtle upward. A column of igni swirls around us, blocking out any view of the outside world. Although I can’t see a thing, the sense of movement is unmistakable. There’s no doubt about it. My little lightning-bolt buddies are drawing us onto a supernatural plane.