Fallen Academy: Year Two (Fallen Academy #2)(29)

I shivered a little, thinking about what she’d looked like, especially those sunken pits for eyes.

Before I knew it, we’d pulled into a parallel parking spot at the front curb. My mind went back to that night, and what I’d learned recently in my history class.

“Hey, Lincoln,” I whispered.

My lover was in a conversation with Donnie. After looking over at me, he wrapped it up, then came to sit by me. “What’s up? You ready? Feeling okay?”

I nodded, tightening the steel cuffs that he’d given me around my arms. “I was just thinking. If Sera was thrown into the portal on the second floor, and the underworld is directly underneath us, then should we open the portal on the bottom floor? So I can search the ground in Hell?”

Yes, I just had a normal conversation about opening a portal to Hell.

Lincoln nodded, thinking. “That’s actually a good plan, but it gives us a higher chance of something coming through since we’ll be at their ground level. That Succubus could have dropped Sera in the middle of a Demon City in hell for all we know.”

There were Demon Cities in hell! Of course there were. Then she’d probably been stolen. All I’d seen before that portal closed was a hazy red sky, and then Sera was gone.

“I think it’s our best shot,” I told him.

He stared at his hand a moment and then nodded. “All right. Let’s do it.”

After relaying the slight change in plans, our team embarked on the journey.

Nerves were tightly grabbing hold of me as we walked over to the apartment door directly below the one I’d lost Sera in that night.

Lincoln banged on the door loudly and it creaked open, the handle missing.

He stepped inside, lighting the way with the scope on top of his weapon. “Fallen Army, anyone here?” he shouted.

Noah went in behind him and they both did a quick sweep. When they returned, they beckoned us inside.

“Abandoned. Looks like Snakeroot demons used to live here. Everything is acid charred, so watch your step,” Lincoln called out into the hallway where we stood on standby.

As I stepped forward, I felt total and complete hope that I would find Sera, and that scared me. If I didn’t, I was going to be crushed.

Nora, the Light Mage, approached Shea as we stepped into the living room. “You’ve opened a Hell portal before?” she asked skeptically, no doubt eyeing my second-year best friend like a newbie.

Shea was anything but humble. That’s where she and Noah were perfect for each other.

“I’ve mastered it. Trust me, I can open and close this thing in sixty seconds if need be.” Shea propped one hand on her hip for snarky emphasis.

The Light Mage held her hands up defensively. “All right. I’ll ready the spell to amplify your connection to the weapon, Brielle, and then we can do the retrieval spell. But first, I need some of your blood to tap into the energy you share with the weapon.”

My eyes bugged a little. What was it with these people and wanting blood samples?

“The retrieval spell might not be necessary. I’ve learned how to call my weapon from far away from Archangel Michael,” I told her.

She nodded. “We can try it, but just know that down there, everything is different. Trust me.” The expression in her face told me she’d been through something, and I should trust her.

I simply nodded, handing her my finger.

Lincoln was right beside me the entire time as the rest of our group fanned out to protect us. Half were ordered to focus on outside threats here in Inferno, while the other half of our team had to protect us from anything that might try to come out of the portal.

The sound of cracking bones pulled my attention but I didn’t even bother to look over, knowing it was Luke shifting back to human form.

As Nora sliced my finger, my blood dripped onto a purple crystal. “Is it true you can talk to the weapon? Like a true mental connection?” she asked. Up close, her face had fine lines around the eyes, and I thought she might be a bit older than she looked. I also wondered what had turned her hair white, or if she’d been born with that unique shade.

I nodded in response to her question, and she started to move her hands in an intricate pattern. Purple shafts of light shot out, wrapping around the crystal.

“This should restore that. You might be able to speak to her again, if she’s close by,” the Light Mage declared.

I nearly wept at her words. I knew everyone there had a soul weapon, and they were all bound to it, so they should know how I felt, but I also didn’t think anyone had a connection quite like Sera and I did.

The purple light intensified, and Nora looked at my necklace. “That thing reeks of magic. You’ll need to take it off, or it’ll interfere with my spell.”

“Sure.” I started to unclasp it, but Lincoln thrust a hand out to stop me.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he added softly.

“Why not?” I pressed him.

His hand pushed through his hair. “Because…”

“Your light energy has the upper hand right now,” Noah said what Lincoln clearly couldn’t. “If you take it off, you might allow your… dark gifts to emerge even stronger, and push the light back even further,”

“What!” I shouted.

“Guys, this spell has a time stamp!” Nora growled, holding the purple crystal out to me. It was glowing and swirling, and in that moment, I couldn’t even process what the boys had said.