Page 28 of Uriel
Despite myself, I lean in, intrigued. “What do you mean? Lucifer said?—”
“Lucifer,” Gabrielle interrupts, “is not as in control as he’d like you to believe. Think about it, Uri. Why would he want the world to end? He’s got a pretty sweet set-up here on Earth. No, this isn’t his doing.”
“Then whose?” I ask, a sense of dread building in my chest.
Gabrielle’s eyes meet mine, deadly serious. “The Riders of Ruin, Uri. Or more specifically, War.”
I feel the blood drain from my face. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are not to be trifled with, even for beings like us. And War... War has always been the most volatile, the most unpredictable.
“But why?” I manage to ask through my shock. “What could War possibly gain from this?”
Gabrielle’s lips twist into a grim smile. “Think about it. Who’s been ruling Earth, more or less, for the past few millennia? Who’s been stoking the fires of human conflict, but always keeping it just shy of total annihilation?”
Understanding dawns on me. “Lucifer.”
She nods. “Exactly. War’s tired of playing second fiddle. He wants to overthrow Lucifer’s earthly rule. He’s been trying to get him out of the game for thousands of years.”
I sink into my chair, my mind reeling with the implications. “But this... this is madness. If War succeeds, if he actually manages to trigger the apocalypse…”
“Then it’s game over,” Gabrielle finishes for me. “For everyone. Humans, demons, angels... all of it, gone. And War gets to reign over the ashes.”
We sit in silence for a long moment, the implications of this revelation settling over us like a shroud. Finally, I look up at my sister, seeing her in a new light.
“Thank you,” I say softly. “For telling me this. For... for coming.”
Gabrielle’s expression softens, and for a moment, I see the sister I used to know, before millennia of disagreements and disappointments came between us.
“That’s what family’s for, isn’t it?” she says, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “Even if we don’t always agree, even if we don’t always understand each other’s choices... we show up when it matters.”
I nod, feeling a lump form in my throat. “Gaby, I?—”
But before I can finish, a scream pierces the air.Emilia’s scream.
In an instant, Gabrielle and I are on our feet, racing towards the parlor. I throw open the door, my heart pounding with fear of what I might find.
The scene before us freezes me in my tracks. The parlor is in chaos, furniture overturned, the remnants of our tea scattered across the floor. And there, in the center of it all, stands a figure that radiates menace and barely contained violence.
He’s tall, easily seven feet, his form encased in burnished bronze armor that ripples like liquid metal with each movement. His eyes glow like embers beneath his helm, and a sword of flame dances in his right hand. A cruel smile plays across his lips.
“Well, well,” he says, his voice a low rumble that seems to shake the very foundations of the house. “The gang’s all here. How convenient.”
My gaze frantically searches the room, finally landing on Emilia. She’s pressed against the far wall, her eyes wide withterror. But she’s alive, unharmed, and the relief that floods through me is almost painful in its intensity.
“War,” Gabrielle hisses beside me, her own celestial power beginning to manifest in a soft golden glow around her.
The being—War—turns his burning gaze on us, his smile widening to reveal fangs sharp as daggers.
“Uriel, Gabrielle,” he says, as casually as if we’ve met for afternoon tea. “So nice of you to join us. I was just getting acquainted with your little human pet.”
Before Gabrielle can react, War’s grin widens. “Away with you, mischief-maker,” he commands, his voice dripping with disdain. And with a flick of his hand, reality warps around her like a swirling vortex, causing her to vanish from the room in an instant.
I take a step forward, every fiber of my being screaming to put myself between this monster and Emilia. “Let her go,” I growl, my own power surging to the surface. “Your quarrel is not with her.”
War laughs, a sound like boulders grinding together. “Oh, but it is. You see, she’s the key to this whole mess, isn’t she? The lynchpin in your little plan to stopmyapocalypse.” His eyes narrow, gleaming with malevolent glee. “Can’t have that, now can we?”
With a speed that belies his massive frame, War lunges towards Emilia. I move to intercept, but I know with a sickening certainty that I won’t be fast enough.
The last thing I see is Emilia’s terrified face, her hand reaching out towards me. Then the world explodes in a blaze of hellfire and fury.
