Caim inhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes. “The ocean,” he murmured. “It reminds me of home.”
“The ocean reminds you of Hell?” Vargas inquired.
Caim smiled at him as he leaned back to spread his wings over the side of the truck. The tips of them almost touched the asphalt. “No, I still consider Heaven my home. Heaven is not only made up of endless clouds and sky, but of rivers and seas so deep a purple they are nearly blue. The angels rose from those waters as surely as the varcolac rose from the fires.”
River’s amethyst eyes widened, and her fresh rain scent intensified. A part of River had also been forged from those Heavenly waters.
“I’ve always felt a special affinity for water and the ocean,” she said.
My hand tightened around hers as I gazed from her to the sea. The powerful current of the water reminded me of her strength; it didn’t waver.
Rising over the top of another hill, River cried out when more broken metal sticking into the air came into view. Hawk stopped near the crumpled remains of a second bridge as he put the truck in park. He gripped the wheel as he gazed at it with a dejected expression.
“I have to get out,” River said.
I opened the truck door and climbed out of the vehicle. Hawk pushed his door open. River scrambled out behind me and ran toward the edge of the hill with Hawk and me at her side. Dirt and rocks kicked up beneath her feet when she skidded to a halt.
Gripping her elbow, I pulled her back a step when she showed no sign of knowing her toes hung over the edge. In the waters below lay another structure with rust creeping over its silver paint. The water surged over the sides of the banks. It poured over rocks, and a pathway, as it sought to find a new way around the bridge blocking its natural course.
“The railroad bridge might still be standing.” River jerked her arm away from me. She ran back to the truck and jumped behind the wheel before anyone could stop her. “Get in!”
I didn’t climb into the cab of the truck again, but lifted myself into the bed. Bracing my legs apart, I rested my hand on the roof and searched for any hint of danger. If something came at us, I would be prepared for it. Around me, the others all rose in the bed and braced themselves as they drew their weapons.
Hawk slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door as River hit the gas. She didn’t stomp on it as I’d expected, but she still drove faster than Hawk had. The jarring impact of the ruts shook the truck and caused it to groan in protest as it bounced over the road.
“This thing’s going to fall apart,” Bale muttered.
My eyes scanned the buildings lining the broken street with their faded signs hanging on the front or lying on the ground. Broken windows marred almost every building, but nothing moved through the shadows within them.
Bending, I spoke through the open window. “Is it always this quiet here?”
“Yes.” Hawk braced his hand against the roof when River hit a bump that nearly sent all of us flying. I planted my heel against the side of the truck to maintain my balance better. “This used to be a tourist area mostly, stores and stuff catering to them. After the war, there was no need for the things sold here and these buildings were too far from residents to be of much use for anything else.”
River pulled into a burnt-out parking lot. The truck lurched and made a grinding noise as she shifted it into park before coming to a stop. Shoving off the side of the truck, I leapt over the edge as she flung open her door. Landing beside her, I stayed close to her side, searching for any hint of danger as she raced toward another metal structure rising into the air. Unlike the other bridges, this one created a pathway across the water.
***
River
I ran down the embankment toward the railroad bridge. The tracks had been lowered to extend across the canal. Against the blue sky, the two turrets of the bridge stood proudly in the air on either side of the canal.
When I was younger, the tracks were usually in the air to allow the passing of boats and ships beneath it, but they would lower when a train came through. After the war, the trains stopped running so the bridge remained raised. I hadn’t seen it down in years.
I went to leap onto the tracks when Kobal pulled me back. “What are you doing?”
I tried to jerk my arm free.
“Slow down.” He scanned the trees on the other side of the canal before looking to the sky. “We have no idea what might be ahead.”
“Kobal—”
“We will not run into a trap,” he said.
“It might not be Lucifer. It might be something else entirely.” I was unable to keep the desperation from my voice. I had to get to Bailey and Gage,now. “How would Lucifer even know to look for me or my brothers here?”
“How do you know things that no other does? You’re not the only one who receives visions.”
“And he is Lucifer,” Caim said as he strolled toward us. “He has his ways and followers with abilities too.”
