[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

 We just need to hang on until Suriel taps into Castle Archangel s dormant power crystal,
Jeremiel said, dragging his Alpha up the steps. The angel fell heavily, catching himself on the stone.
 I didn t know we had a power crystal until last night, the Alpha said, hand clasped over a
nasty burn on his right thigh.  It should work, though. We just needed some sort of energy shield to
activate it. He grinned up at Charmeine.  I am exceedingly grateful you came.
 Hold still, so I can fix this, the angel with the white wings said, dropping to his knees.
The Alpha brushed him off.  Not now, Raphael.
Charmeine bit her lip, using the pain as a focus to keep the shield stable, as she grew more and
more exhausted. Jeremiel and Haniel had put their hands on her shoulders, and that helped, but she
was the focal point. She had to control the energy and keep the shield working. More angels fought the
demons, retreating to safety, but there weren t very many. That worried her.
 Yes, now, Gabriel, Raphael snapped.  Your femoral artery is damaged. Hold still.
Gabriel fell silent, face going tight with pain as Raphael put his hands over his wound. A white
light shimmered under his hands, then he sat back, looking exhausted.  That was close. His eyes
drifted up to Charmeine, then flicked to the men at her back.  Haniel! Your wings, oh my God, they re
perfect, he breathed. His eyes filled with tears.
Charmeine smiled, even through the strain of holding the shield.
 Yeah, Haniel said, nonchalance personified.  Cool, huh?
What a doofus. Everyone can hear the emotion in his voice, she thought, amused.
 Yes, they are wonderful, Raphael replied, still staring. His eyes shifted to her.  Triple
mating?
She nodded, about to reply, but a crackle of energy surged through the shield, making the
shimmer spark.  God, what is that?
 That s Suriel and Ariel, doing their thing, Gabriel said.
She gasped as heat bled through her blade into her skin. Far across the courtyard, demons began
to scream. The shield wavered, then shattered into a billion points of light that shot out over the
ground. Each tiny spark found a demon and obliterated it. Ash drifted across the landscape.
Charmeine could still feel the shield s energy, but it was somehow augmented. Active, even without
her holding it.
 Do I let go? she wondered.
 I think so, Jeremiel said, letting his hand fall. Haniel squeezed her shoulder gently, then he,
too, stepped back.
 I think our gift helped activate the castle s natural defenses, he said.
 I d read about a shield like that in the archives, Raphael said, sounding awestruck.  But I
could never figure out if it was real or myth. The records don t differentiate when you go back that
far.
 We found the records on it about a year ago, but when we investigated, we discovered the
energy crystal that powered the shield was dormant, Ariel said, walking tiredly up the steps. Her
wings drooped, but the midnight blue of her feathers was still striking.
 We couldn t activate it without your native shield capacity, Suriel added as he came up
behind Ariel. He rubbed his face, wiping ash away.  We were lucky.
 Blessed, Raphael murmured.
The energy surged again, startling Charmeine, then subsided. All the fires went out. The only
light was that of the full moon gleaming softly down over them in the summer s warm night.
 It isn t gone forever, is it? she asked, worried.
Ariel smiled.  No. The castle shield will run all the time now. Your personal shield is under
your control.
 Oh, that s good. Really good, Charmeine said, letting her blade drift down. She looked
across the courtyard.  The demons are all gone?
 Even those damned lords, Gabriel said.  We killed them first, but their dogs kept coming. I
hate boar demons.
 Don t we all, Jeremiel muttered, running a finger down the now healed scratch on his arm.
 I ve never seen so many massed in one place before, Nathaniel said, joining the group.
 We need to find the portal, Zeke said.
 You re not going anywhere, Gabriel told his weapons master.  No more wandering for you.
 How are we going to find it then? Until we do, this is going to keep happening. Zeke didn t
sound happy.
Charmeine shivered. She didn t like the sound of that, either.
 God will show us the way, Raphael said.  He always does. He turned his smile on
Charmeine and her angels.  He brought Haniel and Jeremiel back to us, didn t he? And he gave us our
newest angel, the lovely Charmeine. He held out his hand.
She blinked and looked at Haniel. Was this guy for real? Haniel just shrugged, so she gave
Raphael her hand.
He kissed her fingers lightly.  Welcome to Castle Archangel, Charmeine Haneul Bryzinski.
Thank you for bringing our lost angels home.
Chapter Eleven
Charmeine stared down at the parchment, completely overwhelmed.  That s my name. My full
name. That s how you knew it.
 It is, Raphael moved the sheet of paper closer.  We record the births of all the angels in this
file. He leaned over and tapped his finger on her name.  You can see that Valoel, your grandfather,
faithfully recorded the date and time of your birth. This is his signature. He pointed to a scribble at
the end of the paper. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

zanotowane.pl

doc.pisz.pl

pdf.pisz.pl

ssaver.htw.pl