Raphael drew her into his arms and gently glided his hand over her back. She immediately felt the pain turn into a dull ache.
Raphael leaned against the cave wall, gasping for air. “Jeremy, I am sorry. I won’t be able to heal you right now. Give me a moment.”
“Save your strength for Lash.” Jeremy patted him on the shoulder. “I can take the pain.”
Naomi ran down the tunnel as fast as she could, struggling to keep up with Raphael and Jeremy. The dull ache on her wings and back was nothing compared to the searing pain that swept through her lungs with each breath of the ice-cold air. Jeremy sprinted far ahead of them. She heard his groans echoing through the cave every couple of minutes. But he kept his pace, never slowing down.
Her feet were growing numb, and she barely felt the ground beneath her. She tripped, and Raphael caught her. “We are almost there, Naomi.”
She nodded, gasping. She couldn’t breathe. She needed air. But with each gasp, it was like she was swallowing a thousand knives, each one piercing her chest.
She expanded her wings and tried to take flight, hoping to get to Lash faster. Her wings felt like dead weights on her shoulders, and she could barely lift herself off the ground.
“Lash!” Jeremy’s yell echoed down the corridor.
She felt her stomach drop at the despair in his voice, and with every ounce of strength she had, she propelled herself forward. Raphael followed close behind.
They entered into the vast chamber, and a wave of heat slammed into her, blurring her vision. She blinked until her eyes cleared. Across the lake of lava, tied against a cracking wall and charred almost beyond recognition was Lash.
“No!” She screamed hysterically and fell to the ground. Her hands clawed the cave floor as she wailed in agony. “No! No! No!”
It’s too late. We’re too late.
Her Lash, her beautiful Lash, hung limp and motionless against the stone wall. Chains around his wrists, waist, and feet were the only things that seemed to hold him up. Lava oozed from the cracks in the wall above him, dripping down onto his charred wings and body.
“Lash! Lash!” He can’t be dead. He can’t be dead. I won’t believe it!
Her heart leapt into her throat as his head lifted slightly.
“Naomi,” he croaked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m coming!” she cried as she struggled to get to her feet. She’d gotten as far as the edge of the lake when lava shot through the air and splashed on her foot, making her stumble and fall to the ground, crying out in pain.
“Naomi,” Lash’s voice rasped. “Don’t.”
“Jeremy will get him.” Raphael carried her away from the edge of the lake.
Naomi watched as Jeremy flew over the bubbling lava, his wings flapping heavily, his strained face growing red with the effort. She gasped as he dipped down, inches from the lava below. He grunted and pushed himself harder until finally he was at Lash’s side.
“I have you, Brother.” Taking hold of the chains, Jeremy winced in pain.
“Jeremy,” Lash’s voice whispered. “Forgive me.”
“Don’t talk like that. I’m getting you out of here so you can kick my ass again. You hear me? Hang on.” Jeremy took a deep breath and let out a feral growl as he ripped the chains off the wall.
Naomi cried while she watched Jeremy’s hands turn black as the chains burned into him.
“They will be fine,” Raphael said, trying to comfort her. “I will see to their healing as soon as we are away from here. I promise.”
She sighed with relief as the last chain was removed and Lash fell into Jeremy’s arms. He grunted, and his wings flapped wildly as he tried to take flight.
“I can’t fly with him!” Jeremy yelled to them from across the lake. “I’ll have to walk the path.”
She nervously eyed the narrow strip of rock. There was more lava than rock. It splashed against the path, washing over it.
Jeremy hitched Lash higher up into his arms and took a careful step onto the narrow sliver of stone. Molten liquid splashed onto his feet, and he gritted his teeth. Without a sound, he moved forward, one step at a time.
“Careful, my son.” Raphael said.
Jeremy was half-way across when Naomi heard a sound coming from the tunnels behind them. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. It was the fluttering of wings.
“Jeremy, they’re coming! They’re—” Iron hands gripped her by the throat and hurled her body into the air, slamming her against the wall of the cave.
Air rushed out of her, and she wheezed, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes widened as Sal approached her, his hulking body towering over hers, cold eyes ravishing her body.
“After I’m done with the others, we have some business to take care of.” He smirked.
“Run, Naomi!” Raphael lunged at Sal.
She gasped as Sal punched Raphael, making him fall to the ground.
She scrambled to her feet, letting out her wings as far as they would go. She was chosen to be an archangel. She was trained to fight. Fight she would!
She screeched as she jumped on top of Sal’s back. His wings flapped wildly as she dug her nails in, ripping into them.
With a roar, Sal reached out behind him and latched onto her hair. With a swift jerk, he threw her off him.
She panted on the rough ground of the cave and was about to attack again, when there was a loud clapping.
Lucifer stood at the chamber entrance, his eyes filled with amusement. “Impressive. I didn’t know you had it in you, my dear Naomi. Pity that you and your family”—he sneered the word— “won’t be around long enough to see what you would have become.”
He held out his hand. The cave trembled, and the fiery liquid in the lake started to rise. She watched in horror as the lava drew closer to Jeremy and Lash.
She turned to Raphael, and their eyes locked in silent agreement. Then he let out a feral roar, and they both ran to attack Lucifer.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Sal growled as he tackled her, sending her body slamming against his chest. One of his hulking arms wrapped around her waist and the other around her throat. She clawed his arm as she felt herself being turned.
“You need to see this,” he snarled. “Watch and learn the power of Lucifer, little girl.”
With each blow, thunder reverberated through the chamber as Lucifer beat Raphael within an inch of his life. She shut her eyes in despair. She couldn’t bear to watch him being savagely beaten.
Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, she heard Jeremy’s sweet baritone voice, calm and soft. The words echoed in her ears, shattering her heart into a million pieces when she realized what the words meant.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”
Naomi’s eyes flashed open, and she let out an agonizing cry. Jeremy’s feet were slowly disappearing into the lava as he walked down the lava-covered path toward them. He held Lash tightly against his chest, protecting him from the splashes of the burning liquid.
He took another step, and his foot sank ankle deep into the lava. His beautiful face contorted. He paused, taking short and shallow breaths. Then he looked down at Lash, his face returning to a serene calm.
Tucking Lash closer to him, he kissed his charred forehead, and repeated the psalm under his breath as he moved onward.
When Jeremy’s eyes found hers, she felt a surge of love from that simple look, his love for her, for Lash, for Raphael. He knew he was dying. He was doing it for his brother, and for her.
Sal’s laughter echoed in the chamber, and hate boiled deep within her. A blinding rage filled her, and she clawed at Sal’s arm. He growled in pain, throwing her down on the ground.