Hell's Ascendant (Mantles of Power Book 3) Read online

  “The conduit enters through the ceiling, and goes into that room,” Vinara murmured, glancing at Kitania, worry in her gaze. “It’s… more potent than I thought.”

  “Then let’s go,” Rose said, her gaze fixed on the door ahead, Ember seething with flames.

  “Keep toward the back, I don’t want your sword giving us away,” Kitania told her, smiling as Rose flushed a little, then headed for the doors in the back, taking care to give the table and chairs a wide berth.

  She quickly ascended the steps, reaching a plainer door, and as she did so, she heard a woman snarling venomously in angelic. “How is she still alive? We’ve hit her a dozen times, and she just keeps getting back up!”

  “We’re hitting her in mid-air, so it loses a lot of its force, instead sending her back,” a man replied, strain in his voice. “If we could pin her down, one or two hits and she’d be done, archangel of war or no. But these damnable other deities—”

  “Reinforce the armor!” another woman interrupted, a trace of panic in her voice.

  Swearing ensued, and Kitania blinked, her blood chilling as she slowly pushed the door open to look into the room. Fortunately, whoever maintained the door kept the hinges well-oiled, so it opened silently.

  The room she looked into was darker than the other had been, but she could easily see the five angels around the small table in the room. Three were men, while the other two were women, and they were channeling a veritable river of glowing light into a crystal orb over a foot across, its surface covered in faint symbols. It was the images within the crystal that caused Kitania to freeze for a moment, though.

  She could see a battlefield raging in the sky, and blood was trickling down Anna’s face as the angel fought fiercely alongside Gandar, whose armor was riddled with cracks. She caught glimpses of the other deities, including a grim-looking Alserah, and the battle was raging at a speed she could barely keep up with. Blasts of light ripped through the air, blasting craters into the ground below, and between movements Kitania could see a raging battle on the ground and skies as well.

  “Hellfire. They’re channeling their mantles into it,” Vinara murmured, her eyes widening still more. “Anna and the others… they’re facing the combined power of five archangels in one? Or more?”

  “What?” Karakel demanded, her eyes going wide. “How… Milady, she’s in danger!”

  “Yes, she is. They’re all in danger,” Kitania replied in a whisper, then smiled thinly. “On the other hand… if their mantles are there, they’re not here. What do you think would happen if we stabbed one of them?”

  The others fell silent, and Vinara smiled wryly, almost sounding amused. “I suppose that is the direct solution. I’m all for it.”

  “Then I’m going for the woman nearest the door,” Kitania said, nodding toward the brunette facing away from her, the one who’d been complaining.

  “I’ll take the man on the left,” Karakel said, her eyes narrowing slightly.

  “The woman on the right,” Rose added.

  “I think my bow has little place here, so I’ll join you,” Eziel said, glancing at Isalla as she added, “Shooting past everyone would be difficult. Who do you wish to target, Isalla? I’ll join you, and the guards can go after the other.”

  “The big man in the back,” Isalla whispered, and blanched as she said, “Hurry!”

  Kitania flinched as she saw a blast of light and a sword in the orb, just as Anna went flying backward and hit a tower, which began to teeter, then collapse as the viewpoint rushed after her.

  “Got her! Finish her off before that archer interferes again!” the brunette snarled, and Kitania couldn’t wait any longer. Even if she wasn’t sure how she felt about Anna at this point, she was not going to let them kill her.

  Kitania rushed into the room, barely sparing a glance for the orb, her cloudpiercer snapping out to its full length. She was only two steps into the room when there was a startled gasp from her right, and a female voice exclaimed, “Attackers, Milord!”

  Kitania caught a glimpse of an elderly female elf to her right, the woman in the midst of drawing a dagger, but she didn’t pause. Even if the archangels had a warning, they only had an instant to react, and she was practically in reach.

  Before the brunette could react Kitania swung her cloudpiercer, and the blade cut through half her neck effortlessly before catching on bone, but that was quite enough, and the demoness ripped her weapon free.

  “What in the, where were the—” the other woman began, only to be brutally interrupted.

  Ember blazed with immense flames as it shot across the room, punching a hole through the woman’s chest, the chair behind her, and shattering stone as it embedded itself in the floor. Kitania almost paused in shock, her eyes going wide at the sight, but she didn’t dare, not with the others in the room.

  Karakel was dueling her target as he tried to get out of his chair, and Kitania was quite sure he’d drop quickly. The only question was if it’d be enough, and she rushed to help the soldiers attacking one of the two remaining archangels, ignoring the clatter from Vinara and the elf behind her.

  Vinara could deal with a single elven woman, Kitania was certain.

  Chapter 47

  Alserah cursed as the Lord of Light shot down after Anathiel, fear rushing through her. If he hit the archangel, Alserah sincerely doubted that she’d survive, based on how hard he’d been hitting thus far, and she simply couldn’t seem to hit the figure, which filled her with more fear than she’d felt in centuries.

  It didn’t help that none of her allies were uninjured, save possibly for Ratha, who was mostly out of sight, while Ire, Phillip, and Sidina were doing their best to keep the other archangels out of the fight. It helped that all three opponents had been injured early on, but even so, the Lord of Light was too destructive for any of them to face head-on.

  So Alserah’s heart clenched as she flew to the side, trying to get a good shot on the angelic deity, praying that Anathiel would survive, but there was no time, and—

  At that moment the figure of the Lord of Light suddenly lurched and slowed. Not a little, either, but to the speed of a normal angel. Anathiel managed to drag herself out of the wreckage at that moment, and when she spun her weapon and hit the Lord of Light’s blade, for the first time the glowing golden figure was blown backward. Alserah stared for a long moment, her mouth agape, then took the opening to shoot at him.

  The glowing arrow shot through the air like a lightning bolt, and unlike every other time, where the man had deflected her arrows with blade, magic, or even his gauntlet, this time the arrow hit hard. It exploded violently, marring his armor as the golden glow around him dimmed.

  “What just happened?” Alserah muttered under her breath, but she didn’t pause, instead manifesting an even more powerful arrow as the forces of the Society of Golden Light seemed to pause, almost wavering in shock.

  Anathiel seemed to agree, as the archangel launched herself at the Lord of Light fearlessly, ignoring the multiple wounds she’d taken, and for the first time they began to drive the glowing angelic deity back.

  Alserah just hoped that Gandar would drag himself out of the pit in the side of the hill to help. Getting catapulted there by an attack was no excuse, in her mind.

  Rose extended her hand, willing Ember to return to her grasp, and the sword responded instantly, almost joyfully. Ever since she’d woken again, Rose felt like the connection between her and Ember had grown stronger, and what she’d just done had confirmed that, since the attack she’d just made had previously been enormously draining, but now barely impeded her.

  Karakel buried her sword in the chest of her target, even as the man managed to drive his blade through her shoulder, and Kitania was on the table next to the crystal orb, attacking the man under assault by Estalia’s soldiers. Rose thought she recognized the archangel but refused to think about it.

  The orb had mostly gone dark, she realized belatedly, which made her wonder how the battle was
going, but instead she focused on the last archangel, the one who’d been farthest from the doors initially. The man had managed to get up in time, and he was now wielding his sword expertly as Eziel and Isalla attacked him. Rose started toward him, and it was at that moment that one of the soldiers managed to get past the guard of the other archangel.

  “Alright, that is it!” the archangel growled, his eyes blazing with an orange-brown light. “Enough of you!”

  The angel suddenly radiated the same light, and he grew several feet taller in the process. Rose paled, as suddenly she realized who he was. Ordath, the archangel of strength and endurance. His sword grew with him, and he drew the blade back to swing as Isalla hesitated.

  “No!” Rose screamed as the blade came down like a thunderbolt.

  Blood sprayed through the air, but Rose paused for an instant as she realized it wasn’t Isalla’s blood, that her beloved was bouncing backward across the floor instead. No, the blood sprayed outward from where Eziel had shoved Isalla out of the way, a faint smile on the angel’s lips as she staggered, then fell in two pieces, diagonally bisected by the blow from shoulder to hip.

  “Eziel?” Isalla’s voice was surprisingly audible in the room, as almost everything seemed to have come to a stop.

  “One down, many more to go,” Ordath said coldly, glowering at them as he flicked the blood from his weapon. “You’ve ruined centuries of work, and for that you’ll pay with your lives.”

  Suddenly Rose was incredibly aware of the fact they were in the room with an archangel in full command of his powers… and she didn’t think any of them could stop him.

  Estalia winced as an arrow struck the Lord of Light above them, the shriek of rent metal echoing across the battlefield, but she smiled viciously as well. He’d done damage to her army simply by attacking near them, and the renewed fervor of their opponents had been terrible. She feared that a quarter of her army was down and hoped there hadn’t been too many deaths.

  The sudden weakness of the seemingly invincible attacker had caught her off guard, though the reactions of their opponents had been telling, as their improved morale suddenly turned to shock and fear, something she and the army had taken advantage of. They had little other choice if they wanted to survive against the zealots, though she did see what she hoped were reinforcements in the distance. Hopefully not for the society, but there was no way to know, not under the circumstances.

  Gandar yelled loudly as the battered dwarf hit the Lord of Light from above, and this time the angelic god came crashing down in the middle of the Society of Golden Dawn’s army. For a moment the world seemed to have gone still as he and Anathiel chased after the figure, and Estalia paused, hoping that they might have defeated the Lord of Light at last.

  The sound of ripping metal split the air again, and Estalia heard Gandar curse, then the dwarf bellowed loudly, ascending into the air as he held something over his head. “Alright, you deluded featherbrains, have a look at what you thought was a god! You’re not just fools, but damned fools!”

  Estalia looked more closely at what was in his hand, and shock rushed through her, enough that she almost dropped her guard. What was in Gandar’s hand was a head, but it wasn’t the head of any angel, demon, or mortal. The skin was like polished brass, while the glowing eyes looked like they’d been inlaid with topaz gemstones, and gears and wires extended from the neck where Gandar had torn the head free. If she hadn’t been able to see the gearing, Estalia might not have realized the head wasn’t from a living creature, which meant someone had spent an immense amount of effort making the construct as realistic as possible.

  “Retreat!” one of the archangels above them snapped out, and the woman immediately began trying to fall back with the others. The deities quickly moved to obstruct their paths, slowing the archangels down as the society army wavered, then broke and began to run.

  “We can’t let them regroup to do this again! All soldiers, advance!” Estalia snapped out, extending her rapier over her head, then quickly pursued the retreating soldiers.

  Anna and Gandar quickly joined the attack on the three remaining enemy archangels, and as they did so Estalia looked up and blinked. The reinforcements she’d seen were approaching far more quickly than she’d expected, and why was readily apparent. The angels flying in formation wore the colors of the Order of the Eagle as well as the Order of the Phoenix, and at their head were the three deities of Uthren. She only recognized Cyclone personally, but his power would certainly make it easier to speed up the flight of a thousand angels.

  As Estalia drove into the retreating angels, many of the members of the Society of Golden Dawn began throwing down their arms in surrender. The approaching deities seemed to hesitate, but then they moved to support Anna and the others above, something which Estalia was certain would seal the fates of the three archangels.

  With the battle well in hand, Estalia spared a moment to worry about Kitania and her friends. Mostly about Isalla, Rose, and Vinara, if Estalia was being honest, though she also hoped her soldiers were alright as well. Kitania would be fine… probably.

  The haft of Kitania’s cloudpiercer bent like a bow and she went flying sideways almost like she was launched from a catapult from the sheer force of Ordath’s attack, and Rose cursed under her breath as she charged forward desperately. Fortunately, Kitania’s magical wings snapped out and brought her to a stop an instant before she hit the wall, but it was a near thing.

  “You’ve ruined everything,” Ordath growled, backhanding a soldier into the wall, and the man screamed as his wings snapped like twigs, much like Karakel’s arms had a few moments earlier. Unlike Eziel’s armor, Karakel’s had held, if only just. “Seven centuries of preparations, all down the drain because of you.”

  “Maybe that should be a clue that you were wrong to do this!” Rose snapped, channeling mana into Ember as she tensed, then swung her sword just outside of his reach. The flames around Ember raged, emitting a razor-sharp crescent of flame that shot toward the archangel.

  Ordath’s body glowed still more brightly as the attack struck, and Rose’s eyes went wide. His armor was barely marred by the flames, and he didn’t seem to even care about the heat it’d carried, either. Her shock didn’t stop her from dodging when he attacked, though. The results of what had happened to Eziel and Kitania told her that trying to simply block his attacks was a losing proposition.

  “No, it’s merely evidence that I have to try harder,” Ordath said bluntly, shrugging off a blast of lightning from Vinara, then kicked the table across the room at her and the angel mage, and Rose barely ducked in time to avoid the hurtling object. “I’ll kill you all, retreat, and bide my time. Eventually I will destroy the hells, I promise that.”

  “I don’t think so,” Kitania’s voice was soft as she stared at Ordath, her eyes narrowing. “You people are heartlessly cruel, and I won’t let you do that.”

  “Oh? And how do you think you’re going to stop me? None of you can so much as injure me,” Ordath replied, laughing as his eyes narrowed. “You’ve killed my servant and my companions, so I see no reason not to rip you all apart.”

  “You think you’re invincible? That we have no chance against you?” Isalla interrupted, her voice quiet, but Rose could hear her anger, and she blinked as she saw that her friend was next to Eziel’s body and had put down her sword and shield. Instead she was holding Eziel’s bow, which confused Rose, since Isalla had never been a good archer.

  “Of course not! You’re no archangel, and none of you are demon lords. You can’t stop—” Ordath sneered, but was interrupted as Kitania suddenly launched toward him, and her movement was so quick that he couldn’t react in time, at least not fully.

  Kitania’s cloudpiercer lashed out, and Ordath jerked back as he tried to counter, but even at his size Kitania’s reach was just a bit longer than his. A line of blood appeared on his throat, and Ordath’s eyes went wide, while he reached up to wipe it away and stare at it.

  “That’s
where you’re wrong,” Kitania said, a trace of anger seething in her voice, while her words shocked Rose. “I am the child of Anathiel and Estalia, and I bear the mantle of an archangel. I’m Kitania, immortal daughter of the heavens and hells, and nothing you can do today will keep me from tracking you down and stopping you, even if you escape.”

  “Impossible. That harlot consorted with hellspawn? She fell even more than I believed possible!” Ordath exclaimed, his face darkening as he turned to face Kitania. “I’ll just have to destroy you first.”

  Ordath charged toward Kitania and swore loudly as Isalla fired an arrow at him. Unlike the blade of flames, the glowing white arrow punched through his armor, making Rose wonder what Eziel had been doing with arrows like that. Just as Rose was about to charge into Ordath’s back, she was interrupted by a male voice whispering in her mind.

  “Daughter of Ember, receive a tithe of my power, that you may vanquish the corruption which lies before you,” the deep, powerful voice said, and Rose felt a wave of heat strike her, and she only had an instant to choose whether to accept it or not.

  The sight of Kitania dodging sword-blows, and barely avoiding attacks which could cut her in half, along with Isalla fumbling to pull arrows out of Eziel’s blood-soaked quiver made the decision for her, though. Rose would not allow Ordath to harm them, and she let the heat rage into her, as the fires surrounding Ember grew brighter and brighter, expanding to envelop her in a corona of blue-white flames that illuminated the room.

  Heat surged through Rose’s veins, and she could feel her joints pop, her muscles strengthen, and her mana… Rose’s mana core had always been like a small, gentle fire, but now it surged to life with far more power than she’d ever felt before. The heat was immense, and it seethed for release. Rose instinctively knew she had to use it before it incinerated her.