Page 136 of Forging Darkness

Something strides into the room. Thumping steps pound in my ears and chest. The ground shivers with each footfall.

Ducking under Steel’s arm, I spot feet wrapped in golden sandals coming toward us.

I suck in a breath as the table above us is thrown in the air. It smashes against the wall of screens.

Screams sound and I’m worried someone is hurt, but all thoughts are knocked out of my mind when I take in the being in front of me.

He towers at least eight feet tall and is covered from neck to toe in gold-plated armor. Three sets of wings trail behind him like a tiered cape, each feather gilded.

A sword is sheathed at his waist and a dagger fused to his right thigh. His form is masculine, but the perfection of his features has no earthly equal. His head is unprotected and a river of white-blond hair flows to just above his shoulders. There’s fire in his gaze as he scans the room.

There’s no mistaking what this being is. An angel.

Wood snaps in the back of the room. I manage to tear my eyes away long enough to watch Malachi stumble to his feet in the rubble.

His eyes betray his fear, even if his voice does not.

“Who are you?” he asks.

The angel’s golden eyes continue to roam until they land on me, and stick.

“Camiel. Her father.”

Epilogue

Thorne

From my perch on top of the London Eye, I watch the city burn. Across the Thames, smoke spirals up from the charred remains of Westminster. Somehow the clock tower at its end—Big Ben—has escaped destruction.

I’ll have to do something about that.

Upriver, the flames that engulf the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral spike high in the morning sky. Dust clouds bloom from boroughs across London as the Fallen wreak havoc on the populace.

I wasn’t convinced she could pull this off, but I should have known better. Events had gone down exactly as we’d planned, and when I received the signal that the orbs’ powers had been combined, I unleashed the Fallen on the mortal world.

The impossible has been achieved. We’ve taken the first step toward rebalancing the world.

Standing on top of the observation wheel’s highest glass carriage, the wind pulls at my wings. The air is scented with smoke and stale water from the river below. I survey the victory unfolding before me with an odd sense of detachment. Years of plotting and planning and hiding and sacrificing have finally come to fruition. But all I feel is . . . nothing.

I thought in this moment, I’d feel something, if even just a sense of achievement, but if anything the yawning emptiness inside only grows a bit more after each monument to human greatness is razed.

Odd.

I wonder if sharing this moment with another—if Emberly had chosen to remain at my side instead of returning to my enemies—would have made this triumph more complete.

A frown pulls at my lips. I honestly don’t know.

I crouch then spring into the air, spread my wings and glide over the Thames toward Buckingham Palace. On my order, it remains untouched. It seemed like a waste to have to build a palace of my own when there’s a perfectly good one already standing.

The blurred forms of Fallen dart back and forth below. They are only smudges of darkness to a mortal eye, but soon they’ll be able to fully manifest in this world.

Touching down in St. James Park, I stride toward the laureled gates of the palace. Human guards with rifles stand three deep in front of the fence. They point their weapons at me as I draw near.

The side of my mouth kicks up in a half-grin. This next part is going to be fun.

I stoke the power running through my veins, casting a sphere of angel-fire between my palms. Fear blooms in the humans’ eyes as the fire grows in shape and intensity.

Someone shouts commands, but before they’re able to get a round fired, I chuck the angel-fire. It explodes against the gates, blowing them wide open and sending people flying in all directions.

Bullets whiz through the air, but I deflect them easily with my wings.

With my gaze fixed on the palace, I force my mind to focus on what comes next. London is only the appetizer. When I’m finished with the meal, I’ll have devoured the whole world.

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