Epilogue

Epilogue 3.30

---She of the Many Shadows---

     I discard the bleeding husk of the terrestrial, gagging on her lifeblood as it trickles down my tongue and sticks to the walls of my throat. The winds slow to a still; this world, like so many others preceding it, is now dead. Though muted, I can sense the familiar chill of my blood as I draw on my ancient powers.

     Perhaps this vessel will serve me well after all. Better that I sever all ties, lest it attempt to thwart me in the future. Not that it could. I emerge from the cloud of ash, and the reek hits me at once. Its human companions have begun to ascend the volcano. I should be able to strike them down with ease.

     And yet, I find that I cannot move. This vessel... does it dare defy me? I will my vessel forward, but my palms split open, blood pooling along the skin in the shape of a crucifix. Insufferable girl.

     So be it. This is the last it'll ever see of them, regardless. Without the presence of a terrestrial to restrain me, I'm free to work my magic. My nails sharpen into talons, with which I scrape the air in front of me. The sky oozes black; the discharge gathers into a puddle. A portal into a world of darkness.

     The vessel tries to resist, but this it cannot stop. Let the humans and the terrestrials play their games; I will take no part. My kingdom awaits.

     I dive into the portal and seal it behind me.

---Comma---

     Selina, Rex, Grayson, and I attack the angel from all sides. Grayson shifts into his black and white–striped tiger form and pounces. The angel skewers him with the claymore, but at the same time, Rex sinks his teeth into her shoulder. She yanks the sword free, but as she does so, Selina slashes her across the chest with her bare nails.

     I've already burned through a lot of the soul energy I've absorbed. I'm going to have to stick to my usual tactics from here on out.

     I toss my chakram, but it's only a distraction; I've already skidded past her, and now I'm charging at her from the other side, snow crunching beneath my feet. If I can grapple the angel from behind, that'll give one of the others an opening to disarm her.

     But the angel lets out a screech, and a shockwave sends all of us, along with my chakram, flying. Grayson digs his nails into the mountaintop, but goes skidding over the ledge anyway. I slam into something and fall into the snow.

     "Nice catch, huh?" says Aiden, squashed beneath me.

     I hop off of him. He and Taryn smile at me—a nervous smile, the kind you'd wear when death is an immediate inevitability, but a smile all the same. They're overconfident; my blood won't have had enough time yet to fully heal their wounds.

     "Stay back," I order. "If you get hit again—"

     "We'll die fighting an angel." Aiden shrugs it off. "Pretty kickass way to go out."

     "Don't be an idiot," says Taryn, grabbing him by the wrist. "Comma's right; let's stay out of this one."

     I can always count on her to be the voice of reason. Too bad she can't talk some sense into me.

     I'll have to make it past the angel again to retrieve my chakram. She's currently dripping blood from her shoulder where Rex tore off a good chunk of it. He crouches in the snow to my left, swallowing the flesh and then wiping the tattered strips that constitute his lips. I shudder; demons truly are revolting.