Battle Angel (Immortal City 3)

Suddenly a thought bolted through Maddy’s mind.

Kevin.

In a panic Maddy looked east toward the Angel City neighborhood harboring the shelter. From this distance the area looked fairly unscathed. Maddy breathed out a sigh of relief.

They began making their way down the hill to where the others were waiting. Just before the sanctuary was completely out of sight, Jacks looked up at the ruins of the glass cube.

“The world will know of both the heroism and evil of the Angels today. We won’t hide any longer. No more lies.”

• • •

They reached the meeting spot near the foot of Runyon Canyon, which, ironically, had previously been a hot Angel sighting spot for tourists and paparazzi. Today, the day the Angels were out in droves—the day they had won—there was not a camera or tourist in sight.

Angels were landing all around, many with injuries. Battle commanders were barking orders and screaming at Angel nurses to start triaging patients. Still, the light from the morning sun was streaming across the scene, and in this moment of victory, despite all the sacrifices and casualties, there seemed to be a lightness and hope that Maddy had forgotten could exist.

A hush came over the temporary camp as the Angels realized who had just arrived. They watched in awe as Jackson Godspeed, with limping Maddy Montgomery and Detective Sylvester, emerged from the top of the Hills.

“Gabriel is gone,” Jackson announced. “He was the one who brought the demons. He was a traitor to the Angels and humans alike. And in his death the demons lost their courage and their way. Gabriel has fallen. And from this point forward, no longer under his corrupt hand, Angels will be fallen no longer.”

The crowd regarded their leader with silent pride.

One of the Battle Angels came forward. He looked at Jackson with sadness on his face. Maddy’s stomach tightened, nervous about what he had to say.

“Jackson . . . we lost Archangel Godspeed.”

“Mark?” Jacks’s voice faltered.

Jackson dropped to one knee, holding his head in his left hand in grief. He took in deep, gasping breaths. Time seemed to slow down around Jackson, and the whole world felt like it was underwater. Maddy was speechless.

“Mitch was with him,” the Battle Angel continued. A deadly silence hung in the air, a terrible cloud of expectation. Maddy had to stop herself from turning away, afraid to hear Mitch’s fate.

“He was badly hurt holding off the demons. But he’s going to make it.”

Maddy exhaled, and Jacks nodded.

“I’m glad,” Jackson managed to choke out. “Both of them . . . would have been too much.”

“Your stepfather didn’t die in vain,” the Angel said. “A pack of demons was moving toward an emergency shelter full of citizens. It was as if the Dark Ones knew they were about to go down, and were trying to murder as many as they could before we sent them back to hell. Mark and Mitch managed to hold off ten Dark Ones before they fell. But it was enough time for a civilian militia to evacuate the shelter. Mark’s a hero.”

Still kneeling, Jacks nodded, pressing his fist against his mouth as he tried to process the waves emotion crashing over him. This was a moment he would remember forever, the moment he heard his stepfather—his dad, really—was no longer.

Jackson continued buckling under the news as he remembered what he’d just learned: that his own father had been murdered by Gabriel. He grieved for both of them, father and stepfather, both victims of Gabriel’s treachery. They had sacrificed their lives for the lives of others.

“I’ll never forget him,” Jackson murmured as he struggled with the tears, his throat as he realized he’d never see Mark again.

The freedom fighters in front of him, Angel and human alike, became quiet and circled around Jackson. They looked at him with pity and compassion—and reverence. News had already spread about what he had done. He had vanquished Gabriel, the ultimate traitor and leader of the demon army. Jackson Godspeed slowly stood up and met the eyes of his fellow fighters, those who had withstood the demon attack alongside him. They had put everything on the line to halt the onslaught; they were Angel and mankind’s first defense against annihilation.

“All of you who fought here today are heroes,” said Jackson. “Don’t ever forget that. I’m proud to have been with you. We’re going to have time—too much time—to be sad about our losses. But right now, before we even think about our path to healing, let’s take a moment of silence in honor of those slain.”

Maddy bowed her head in memory along with the rest of the crowd. Her first thought was of Tom, then Mark, and then of what Jacks must be feeling right now, as well. Hot tears ran down her face, dripping into the dirt below.

After a full minute, Jackson lifted his head and looked at everyone. His eyes were rimmed with tears.

“Thank you,” he said.

• • •

Farther down the hill, Maddy found a U.S. military tent. She walked in to a soldier’s salute.