“Give me the skull,” a commanding voice said.
I dimly recognized the voice, but the fuzziness clouding my mind made it impossible to tell who it was. A ringing sounded in my head and ears; it rose until it drowned out nearly all other sounds.
A metallic taste filled my mouth, and something warm slid down the back of my throat. The taste and sensation were so familiar, but trying to figure it out was nearly impossible as flashes of memories ran through my mind.
I caught glimpses of myself behind the seal, sitting in the woods with the nymphs, riding Zorn through Hell, relishing Bale’s body as she moved against me. Millions of different images flashed through my mind before they all ceased as a thick cloud of blackness started to overtake me.
“I will destroy it,” the voice said.
What remained of my fingers clung to Death’s head. He had to be destroyed. I couldn’t allow him near Bale.
“He will not survive what I will do to him,” the voice said.
For the first time, Death howled and beat at me with renewed intensity. Death’s reaction to the words caused me to relinquish the skull. If whoever stood beside me terrified Death, then they could do as they promised.
But it didn’t matter; I had no other choice but to trust the voice as the blackness crept further through me.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Bale
I staggeredto my feet as Raphael took Death’s head from Wrath and held it in his hands. Death’s jaw opened and shut as if he were trying to speak or bite Raphael. If he was speaking, I couldn’t hear what he was saying, and Raphael didn’t seem fazed by it.
My gaze fell on Wrath’s battered body and a strangled cry trapped in my throat. The snow hid most of him, but black blood stained the ground around him, and he hadn’t moved since Raphael took Death’s head from him. He wasn’t dead; his head remained attached, but how much damage had he endured?
Beneath him, Death’s body thrashed to break free of Wrath’s weight. I took a wavering step forward, but still weakened from Death’s grip on me, I collapsed into the snow before I made it any further. My head fell forward, and my shoulders heaved as I struggled to shed my remaining weakness.
Lifting my head, I stared at Death’s skull again. Wrath had burned his eyes out of his head until only the empty skull remained, but I had a feeling Death was still aware of what was happening around him. Or at least I hoped he saw his impending doom coming for him.
Golden white light spilled from Raphael’s fingertips, and I held my breath as it spread over Death’s skull. What if the angel’s ability to create life couldn’t stop Death? Unlike every other demon and angel in existence, he could survive decapitation.
What if there was nothing we could do to destroy him? Death was the natural result of all life, including demons. What if he hunted us for the rest of our days? The idea of spending the rest of our lives running from him was exhausting.
Then that golden-white light flared higher, and a wail issued from Death before his skull disintegrated into pieces of fine white bone and ash that settled around Raphael’s feet. The angel rubbed his hands together to rid himself of the last of the ash as Death’s body collapsed and went still.
A sudden hush descended over the woods; nothing moved. In that moment of utter silence, the world rejoiced its freedom from the horsemen.
My eyes closed, and my head tipped back. The sun’s rays warmed my face as somewhere in the distance, a bird released a happy, chirruping call. It was picked up and echoed by another and another until their song filled the day again.
Joy spread through me. It wasn’t entirely over, we still had more battles to wage, but this was the beginning of the end. Lowering my head, I opened my eyes again as sorrow replaced my joy. Wrath remained unmoving in the snow.
I had to get to him.
Corson grunted beside me and staggered to his feet. Wren arrived at his side and draped his good arm around her shoulders when he swayed. As sound and life returned to the woods, the remaining craetons bolted for the trees.
I had no fight left in me to go after them, and when no one else, not even the hounds, chased them, I realized I wasn’t the only one. Besides, I couldn’t leave Wrath alone to hunt them down. No one here would harm him, but I could never leave my Chosen alone while he was in such a vulnerable position.
I slogged through the snow as Zorn ambled over to his side and nudged Wrath with his muzzle before snorting loudly. He prodded at Wrath’s shoulder again, but my Chosen still didn’t move.
I was almost to them when I tripped and fell into the snow. My fingers curled into the cold substance as exhaustion nearly overwhelmed me, but I pushed myself up, stumbled toward Wrath, and fell into the snow beside him.
With his face buried in the snow, I couldn’t see it, but the gouges in his back from Death’s horse were clearly visible. Beneath his clothes and black blood, the black of his flayed-open muscles lay bare. Three fingers were missing from the hand stretched over his head, and jagged pieces of black bone stuck out of his flesh.
A moan of anguish strangled in my throat. I wanted to throw my arms around him and hug him, but I was too afraid I’d hurt him if I did. He was like this because he defended all of us, and now he was suffering.
Zorn pawed impatiently at the snow, and warm air cascaded over my skin when he let out a snort of impatience. Gulping down the lump in my throat, I rested a trembling hand on Wrath’s shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, I steadied my hand and carefully turned him over. Inwardly, I wept for the pain I must have caused him, but I kept going. I had to assess the damage, and he couldn’t stay out here forever.
