Sweet Reckoning (The Sweet Trilogy, #3)(87)

“This cannot continue,” Sonellion growled. “Playtime is over. This prophecy is a lie, and you’re all about to pay.” He reached behind his back, making my allies and me tense. If he pulled out a gun, the fighting would begin.

The spirit Azael flew down and hovered between our two groups, facing the Dukes. He spoke telepathically to the whole room, who were rapt to hear what Lucifer’s messenger had to say.

The prophecy is real. I myself possessed a human and destroyed the written prophecy at the command of Lucifer. The version given to Rahab was only partial truth. What the girl says is the full truth. We are being offered heaven. Lucifer knows there are those in his army who doubt him, and this prophecy would shrink his ranks even further for the final battle to come. The Nephilim child has proven herself. Let her proceed. I, myself, will choose the Lord of Light.

The Dukes were stunned. Most appeared outraged, while a few looked in awe.

I didn’t know how many of the fallen angels in this room would return to heaven, but I did know most would not, and they wouldn’t go down without a fight. They enjoyed earth and the power they held here. They didn’t want to go back to heaven any more than they wanted to return to hell.

I glanced through my tears at my friends standing at my side. Ready. Outnumbering the Dukes.

“The Maker turned his back on us!” Sonellion shouted. “I will not run back to Him with my tail between my legs!”

“He’s right,” said Shax. “Besides, we can take earth and heaven on our own.”

Pharzuph looked on the verge of panic. “We can’t let the prophecy be fulfilled.”

“Then she has to die,” said Kobal, Duke of Gluttony. “Now.”

“No!” said Alocer, coming to stand in front of me. “You’ll have to pass through me first.”

“Be reasonable, Alocer,” Astaroth argued. “Do you want to spend eternity with angels looking down their noses at you?”

Jezebet stepped to Alocer’s side. “We’ll be treated fairly if we return; we all know it.”

“That’s your damned female hormones talking, Jez.” Sonellion grabbed his crotch. “Grow some balls again.”

She gave him a venomous look. “I have more clarity about the world in this body than I ever had with a set of balls.”

He snarled at her, and Dad piped up.

“Enough. We were a bunch of idiots to think we could overthrow Him back then,” he said. “And y’all are worse fools to think there’s a chance of doing it in the future.”

“Do not listen to these traitors!” Rahab shouted.

Pandemonium ensued. Lines were drawn and sides were taken. My eyes darted around, waiting for someone to pull the first weapon. Suit jackets and ties were flung to the ground. Only three of the ten remaining Dukes, including my father, stood to protect me.

“Work to disarm them,” Dad yelled over his shoulder at the Neph.

Sonellion let out a snarling war cry and ran at Alocer. Behind him I saw Pharzuph and others reaching for their guns and heard shots fired as our Neph allies surged forward. I couldn’t keep track of who went which direction.

Kaidan and my father didn’t leave my side. Another shot was fired and Jezebet, who’d been right in front of me, screamed and grabbed her arm, shooting a murderous glare at Kobal just before he was tackled to the ground by Kopano.

I slashed and stabbed at every spirit that came near us. Everything was happening so fast, and the room was loud with shouts and cries. In my head, I ran through the description of the armor of God. What was left? There had to be a catalyst to send the fallen angels to their permanent places, but what? Of all my weapons, I only saw two of them as actions: faith and prayer. My faith had been put to the test. So that left prayer. Was that all I had to do? Just ask? It felt too simple, and as I’d learned many times over, I didn’t always get what I wanted. But it was the only thing in my arsenal I had left.

One by one the Neph were taking the Dukes down, getting slashed and shot at as they fought, disarming them and holding them captive. Another round of gunfire rang out, and I heard Zania scream.

Kopano lay on his back, Zania pressing her hands against the hole in his chest, which was bright red.

“No!” I screamed. I started to run to him, but Kaidan pulled me back.

“You can’t enter the fighting,” he said.

Kope was lying right in the midst of the chaos.

Like a raging bull, Sonellion charged through the crowd, heading straight for me. I took a lunging stance and prepared myself. Dad and Blake came at him from both sides when he was three feet away. They knocked his legs out from under him, and I stabbed the sword down through his chest. A dark fizzle rose from the wound, and his chest puffed as his soul was extinguished.

I stood again and looked toward Kopano. With a sinking feeling I acknowledged that he wasn’t breathing. Alocer pushed his way past people and dropped to the floor next to his son, across from Zania.

Alocer was shaking his head. “It’s not his time.” And then he surprised us all. Half of the room stopped fighting to watch as Alocer’s spirit left his body. Immediately his former body heaved in on itself, as if having a heart attack, and fell over, lifeless. Alocer’s dark spirit hovered above Kopano’s body, and then slowly settled himself downward, entering his son’s skin.