And now, somehow, Mrs. Pomplemousse is releasing the very same power at my wedding.
I can do nothing but stare in shock as the black motes of evil energy wrap themselves around me. My muscles turn heavy as my body stops moving. My last thoughts are to my igni. After all, they were what saved me last time.
Find me, my little ones. Please.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I stare across the Chapel floor, my gaze locked with Lincoln’s. And this isn’t in a cute “I’m looking at my future husband” kind of way, either.
It’s more of a “yipes I’m trapped under an evil spell” thing, which really blows.
For Lincoln’s part, he became frozen while he was still running toward me. Now, he’s stopped midstride in the center aisle. My heart sinks. My guy’s only twenty yards away. However, the way things are right now? He might as well be in another realm.
With all my (not insignificant) will, I focus on moving my body. Zip. I can’t even flinch, let alone reach him. Not good. From my peripheral vision, I scan the Chapel. Everyone else is stuck in one spot, too.
Well, almost everyone.
Mrs. Pomplemousse currently waits at the far end of the Chapel floor, alongside Aldred. They’re standing on the very same stage where Lincoln and I are supposed to take our vows. Gross. And after seeing the effects of her black spell? There’s no question in my mind.
Mrs. Pomplemousse is the Lady Daria.
She and Aldred have their backs turned to me, but I’ve no doubt what they’re up to: figuring out how to use Lucifer’s coin to release Hell on Earth. Well, I have one thing to say about that.
No. Freaking. Way.
Inside my soul, my wrath demon roars to life. These clowns have gone way too far. No one releases Armageddon on my wedding day. End of story.
Closing my eyes, I call out to my igni again.
Find me, my little ones.
Sweet, childish voices echo through my mind. These are the sounds of the light igni, the power that sends souls to Heaven. They’re followed by a harsh cacophony of rough tones. That would be the dark igni’s song. Like always, the igni are speaking to me, yet their words sound like gibberish. Even so, they’re here and that’s good news. They can help me start moving again, exactly like they did in the battle with Mourn and Dusk.
The igni’s song grows louder until a few small lightning bolts of power swim around my right palm. My little ones have arrived, which is great. Still, I need them to be cautious. Once again, I speak to my igni in my thoughts.
You must surround me just enough to release the dyad’s magic. After that, I need you to connect me to Lincoln, the same as you did last time. Form a tether of energy between us. Can you do that?
The voices keep babbling—after all, that’s what igni mostly do—but the tone becomes loud and angry. Huh. Actually, I’m not one hundred percent certain what they’re saying here, but I’ll assume they mean “yes, we’ll do that” anyway. It’s not like I have much of a choice.
Wait for my signal. Start in three, two, one.
A few dozen igni appear and swirl around my arms, reminding me of fireflies. The Lady Daria and Aldred face the far wall. However, the moment the igni appear? Those two baddies turn around and stare straight at me.
Fuuuuuuuuuck.
Mrs. Pomplemousse-slash-Lady Daria rounds on Aldred. “Give me the incantation, now.” The Chapel is so quiet, I can hear her every word. “Those little lightning bolts are igni. That one’s the great scala, and she’s using her powers to override my magic. We must activate the coin before the Scala breaks free.” She raises her hand, and yes, she’s still holding Lucifer’s coin. Eek.
Let the record show that Mrs. Pomplemousse definitely stole Lucifer’s coin from me when we hugged outside my thrax suite-o-pink stuff. Not cool.
Aldred sets his fists on his hips. “If I give you the incantation, you can open the portal. I cannot allow that to happen. It would violate the terms of the deal I made with Armageddon.”
What is it with this guy and his magical agreements? Aldred made a deal once before with Armageddon, one that ended up with his daughter Adair being dead. I still can’t believe he went back to the bargaining table for round two.
“Don’t be a fool, Aldred. I can’t hold this many people frozen forever. Hand over the incantation.”
“I must be the one to release the King of Hell. That was our deal; I set free Armageddon. Only then will he kill everyone who’s stopping me from becoming King of Antrum. But once that bloodshed is over? Armageddon has to return to Hell. If the terms of our deal aren’t met to the letter, then Armageddon could end up staying around after he kills off my enemies.”