Incendiary by Amy A. Bartol

Author:Amy A. Bartol
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult
ISBN: 9781479207121
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2012-11-27T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

Welcome Home

The cloudy night sky lends little light to the surrounding grounds of Brennus’ estate, but my angel vision is such that I can see everything very well—too well. Spent shell casings litter the ground like acorns from an ancient oak tree, while uprooted pines and torn sod remain like fallen soldiers in the aftermath of a horrible war.

Under my own power, I fly past the cliffs from the ship moored off the Irish coastline. I can still see the fading telltale tire tracks across the lawn, a testament to my desperate escape from this prison. The starry sky had broken open for Reed and me when we had driven over the edge of the rock face and entered the portal leading to London. Now, the same sky that had been a co-conspirator in my quest to be with Reed seems to be coldly disapproving of my presence. The wind, lashing my hair into my face, seems angry with me for returning after it had given its last, best effort to save my life.

Touching down, my feet crunch the gravel on the circular drive in front of the massive gray, stone façade of Brennus’ fortress. Interior lights shine through panes of glass, while the froth of white curtains waft in the open air from the shattered ones. I concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. It’s a simple plan that should require very little effort. Should.

Approaching the imposing stone gargoyles at the illuminated front entrance, I falter for a moment, losing my single-mindedness when the damp chill from one falls upon me. Flanked by Tau on one side of me and Xavier on the other, Xavier wastes no time in smashing his fist into the iniquitous snarl of the gargoyle. Pieces of stone shower the ground at my feet.

“Not a fan of the arts?” I ask him with a wry smile, trying to cover my hesitation.

Xavier flashes me a perfect smile, saying, “No, just not a fan of evil.”

Glancing through the doors of the front entrance, Powers are moving everywhere I look. Recognizing none of them, I hesitate again. All I want to do is find Reed, Russell, and Zee and make sure they’re okay, but I don’t know how these unfamiliar angels will react to my presence, so I start plotting an alternate route.

“Is there a problem?” Tau asks in a gentle voice.

“Do you know them?” I ask him. My gray eyes meet his and my hand gestures in the general direction of the war-like angels inside as they move around the fortress, like a swarm in the nerve-center of a hive.

“The Powers?” Tau asks for clarification, his auburn eyebrow arching in question.

When I nod, he scans the crowd. Some are removing broken furniture, while others are repairing the glass ceiling that had been shattered by Casmir’s army of fallen angels when they had attacked Brennus to get to me. But some, upon sighting us, are already staring with blank expressions.

Tau says patiently, “I recognize several, but I’m not acquainted with the majority.

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