“Focus,” Uriel and Gideon barked at the same time, and we all straightened to attention. Uriel was no longer my mentor and friend, but my captain. Gideon wasn’t my Committed, but my leader.
“To the rendezvous point,” Uriel ordered, and we filed out.
As we marched through the streets of Utopia, the sky began to boil above us. The ground shook and groaned. The buildings creaked around us.
At the east gate, we stopped. The army was already gathering outside the wall. The reserves waited for the grounds to clear so we could move out.
Gideon turned to face us, and we fell silent in anticipation. Noel stood beside me, his elbow pressed to my arm. Jai was behind me, his body heat searing into my back. Gideon stood before us all, Uriel at his side.
“The day is upon us where we take our final stand,” Gideon said, his deep voice echoing until all the angels in the vicinity stopped to listen. “This is our home, the realm gifted to us by our Maker. Lucifer is here to take it from you. He comes with an army of claw and fang, but we will not be afraid. We will meet him on the battlefield. We will make him rue the day he chose to take from us!
“We stand together and fight as one. For our people. For the good of the realms. For love and freedom and truth. For our Maker.” Gideon thrust his golden sword into the air, eyes blazing. “For Elysium!”
And a great war cry rose from the angels, swords gleaming in the morning sunlight. My throat was scraped raw as I raised my voice, joining in the cry.
“For Elysium!”
The air was filled with the acrid stench of burning things. A dark cloud billowed from deep in the forest of Asphodel. The Thrones’ temple. It was on fire. Lucifer was burning the realm down, and I could almost feel the trees crying out in anguish as they succumbed to the flame.
Heaven’s army stretched out before us, filling the large, empty field, facing the tree line where the Fallen would emerge. I stood on the top of the hill behind the army. My skin thrummed as the drums of war grew louder. They pulsed beneath my flesh like a foreign heartbeat.
Jai and Noel flanked me. Noel’s white hair was pulled back into a tight braid, the end tucked under his shirt. Jai had slicked his hair back to keep it out of his face, but a stubborn strand kept falling forward, curling over his forehead.
We stood with hands clasped, gazing out over the vast army. Like ants, angels moved and shifted amongst themselves, dots with no real details. The archers stood in formation below us, behind the foot soldiers. Most of them were Cherubim and Virtues. Seraphim stood at the front line, followed by the Archangels and their squads behind them.
Uriel and Gideon were speaking to their superiors and discussing strategy with the other captains of the reserves. Isaac and Jael stood to the side near the trees behind us. Their hands were clasped tightly between them. Isaac was pale. Jael’s jaw was set firmly, their eyes determined. Deborah and Obediah stood at attention beside Uriel and Gideon. I recognized the other angels around us by face but not by name.
With a loud crack, Michael appeared at the edge of the sharp decline. His swords glittered at his sides, his golden wings open and sparkling. His dark eyes were unbridled.
“Gideon,” he said in his deep voice, and my golden angel turned.
“Michael?”
“We need you,” he said, and Gideon’s brow furrowed. “Eleazer has betrayed us. He’s leading a revolt on the other side of Utopia. We need you to take reinforcements so we don’t lose the west gate.”
Noel inhaled sharply. Jai ground his teeth. I felt sick. I couldn’t breathe. Like the split second after being submerged in ice water, my lungs spasmed, and my heart froze.
“No,” I said, but no one heard me.
Gideon ran a hand through his hair. “Our unit?”
“Uriel can lead them alone. We need you to lead a squadron to the gate.”
When Gideon’s eyes met mine, our bond twisted. “I can’t leave my team, Michael. My family—”
Michael’s hand swiped through the air, cutting him off. “You’re the only one with the necessary experience.”
My heart exploded with love as Gideon shook his head. “I can’t. I fight with my family. I fight with Riley. That was the agreement.”
“Circumstances have changed. How can you be so selfish?” Michael spat, and Gideon reared back. “Your people need you. We have young soldiers who have never seen war on this scale. They need a strong leader. I need you to lead again!”
With a horrible smile, Gideon laughed. It was biting and harsh. “Yes, you need me. I have been dishonored for millennia. But now, you need me to take my place at your side.”
“Your people—”
“I have given everything for my people! For you.” Gideon’s wings fluttered anxiously. “How can you ask this of me?”
“Fate asks much,” Michael said, expression unreadable. “As do I. Will you fight with me, brother, one last time?”
Even as Gideon shook his head, I felt the battle waging inside him. His sense of duty was strong, almost as strong as his love for me. But I sensed his resignation.
“I promised,” he whispered, and I stepped forward. He watched my every step as I closed the distance between us. His frustration stabbed at me through our bond. “Riley, no.”
I felt numb as I said, “They need you. They need you to lead them, Gideon. It’ll be okay.”
“No!” He cupped my face, his green eyes wide and wild. “We fight together. Remember?”
“If you don’t go, we lose the west gate. They’ll ransack Utopia. They’ll burn the infirmary. We need to hold the gate,” I said, and his jaw ticked. “You’ve always been a leader, Gideon. So lead.”
“Riley.”
“Fight and survive, and when it’s over, you find me. Okay?” I squeezed his wrists. “You find me.”
“Stay with Jai and Noel,” he growled, his fingers digging into my scalp. “You stick to them, okay? Don’t you dare run off with any half-cocked plans. And if I hear that you put yourself in unnecessary danger, I’ll—”
“I know my training. We’ll be okay. When it’s over, we’ll find each other.” I spoke with a confidence I didn’t feel, and Gideon grimaced like he was in physical pain.
Our foreheads met, and his breath hitched. “I can’t leave you.”
“Yes,” I said, my smile wavering. “Yes, Gideon, you can. And you will. Because this is so much bigger than us. It’s almost over. We have to end this.”
“I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” My eyes flashed red, and his grip in my hair tightened. “This is not goodbye.”
Michael cleared his throat. “Gideon.”
Tearing himself from me, Gideon snarled at Michael. “Give me a fucking second!”
He ran a shaking hand through his hair as Michael backed off. Noel stepped around me as Jai set a hand on my shoulder, squeezing in comfort. I fought tears as Noel threw his arms around Gideon’s neck.
“Kick ass, then find us,” he said as Gideon held him close. “Don’t be a hero.”
With a nod, Gideon released Noel. “You stay with him,” he ordered hoarsely.