Tempest’s POV

Everything was happening so quickly around me that I could barley comprehend what was going on. I mean, one minute I was walking through the lobby of Gates’ mansion with everyone bowing down to me and the next I was hanging onto Lumi for dear life as he hovered above the thousands of battling infernal legions. Their dark, decaying flesh and grotesque features may have been the most terrifying thing I had ever seen. To say I was petrified was an understatement. How in Hell did they expect me to rule them? I couldn’t even look at them without shaking!

I shuddered at the thought and pinched my eyes closed as I hid my face against Lumi’s cool luminescent scales, muttering prayers to the Heavens above. Someone had to hear them and look out for us, right? God wouldn’t let evil win. He couldn’t!

“If anything happens, make sure she stays safe,” I heard Gates yell at Lumi and I slowly picked up my head. He was watching me with a deep frown etched across his handsome features and I swallowed thickly. I didn’t want him to worry about me, not when he had the whole battle down below to worry about. Lumi and I had a bond and I knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to me. “Do you understand?”

Lumi let out an ear-piercing shriek and flapped his wings, taking us higher into the dark sky. Lightning flashed somewhere to our right, illuminating Gates for a moment before the darkness consumed us again. In that instant he looked so breathtakingly handsome that I felt a shiver run down my spine. I couldn’t deny the longing feeling in the pit of my stomach There was just something about the way the icy wind blew through his hair and the regal stance on the back of his massive dragon that drew me toward him. I knew right then that I wanted to be with him, and that thought scared me. I was an angel for crying out loud—I couldn’t be with the Devil! That was against everything I had ever learned! But why did the thought feel so right?

“Pandora!” Gates yelled, pulling me from my thoughts. What? What was going on?

I quickly looked around just in time to see Drogo flying toward us. It was about time he showed up! Where had he been hiding anyway? But just as I opened my mouth to ask Gates about it, Drogo opened his mouth, breathing out a stream of fire on our troops.

No… he was attacking the wrong side! I shook my head, covering my mouth with my hand in shock as he obliterated a quarter of Pandora’s legions in seconds. The fire seemed to melt the men, leaving nothing but singed clothing on the rocky battlefield. Why would he do that? Didn’t he know he was attacking the wrong side?

“What’s wrong with him? Why is he attacking us?” I gasped, looking toward Syn for answers as Drogo expelled another wave of flames over our troops.

“I don’t know, but I’ve got to scare him off before he kills all our legions.” Gates looked the palest I had ever seen him and that didn’t sit well with me. Something wasn’t right about this and the look on Syn’s face proved it. “Stay here.” He shot me a warning glance before his dragon launched forward.

I watched as Luci dove down toward Drogo, chasing him off toward the horizon. Within seconds both dragons disappeared, leaving me alone hovering above the icy battlefields. The loud sound of yelling, swords clashing, and footsteps echoed through the valley and I swallowed thickly. I didn’t like this, not at all. Why couldn’t Pandora and Gates have just let me stay on Earth?

I took in a shaky breath and look down at the sea of black, red, and silver. From above the legions, Fallens, and creatures of Hell looked waves washing over each other, crashing down in the most barbaric scene I had ever witnessed. Everywhere I looked, someone was being sliced open with a sword, the life vanishing from thousands of souls in an instant. I just hoped Pandora and Shadows would make it through this fight…

Speaking of Pandora, where was she? I lost track of her when Drogo came charging at us, but she had to be down there somewhere right? I squinted down on the battlefield looking for any sign of her long mane of dark hair, but literally everyone looked the same. Damn it! Why couldn’t she have worn some armor? Then at least I could have found her in the sea of soldiers dressed in black.

“Come on Dora, where are you?” I hissed, leaning around Lumi’s neck as I directed him to fly a little bit lower. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and I didn’t know why. It just felt like something wasn’t right around here and I felt scared.

Suddenly a loud scream erupted through the air and I looked up to see Drogo flying back towards us at full speed. His eyes were blazing as he barreled toward me. “Pull up! Pull up! Pull up!” I screamed in a panic, holding onto Lumi for dear life as he shot straight into the air. As we moved I felt an intense wave of heat behind me but I didn’t dare turn around to look.

Another dragon scream echoed through the valley as Lumi headed toward the back line of legions. I looked up to see the pained expression on my dragon’s face and bit down on my bottom lip. I hadn’t seen him look so upset since the day that I saved his life in the cave. What was wrong? Had he been shot by an arrow or hurt by Drogo’s flames?

“What’s wrong, Lumi?” My hand gently rubbed up and down his cold white scales. His head motioned down toward the middle of the battlefield where there was now a large red dragon sprawled on his stomach. “No…” I breathed, my heart constricting painfully in my chest. I shook my head as I looked down at his lifeless form, my chest rapidly rising up and down as I struggled to control my panic. Pandora would be crushed if she found him like that. I had to do something! “Take me down there, Lumi! I can help him!” I ordered, gently kicking his sides.

Lumi looked back at me, his icy blue eyes full of pain. “Come on boy, take me down! I can save him, just like I saved you!” I cried, feeling the tears well in my eyes. I hated to see such a beautiful creature suffer, especially when I knew I could save him. “Let’s go!”

Lumi let out a loud huff before he started toward the middle of the battlefield. Good, it was about time he followed directions. I could feel my heart beat wildly with each passing second as we descended lower and lower. I could feel the healing energy bubbling inside my chest, anxiously waiting for Lumi to touch down to the ground. I had to save Drogo—I had to.

“Almost there,” I muttered before Lumi stopped abruptly, almost knocking me off his back. “What the—”

“You can’t help him, Enepsigos.” There in front of Lumi were Gates and Luci, staring me down to with deep frown. “He’s already gone.”

“No! I can help him! Please just let me go down, I promise I will come right back up,” I argued, shaking my head as the tears welled up in my eyes.

“It’s too dangerous down here as it is. You need to go higher,” he ordered, pointing toward the sky.

“But Pandora—”

“She will be fine.” He cut me off before ordering Lumi back up into the clouds. “Now go! I will be up with you in minute, okay? Just stay out of the crossfire!” I looked back at Syn as we ascended higher into the air. Lucifer took a sharp dive toward the advancing legions, expelling the largest flame I had ever seen.

I still didn’t agree with leaving Drogo to suffer but I didn’t have any other choice. I just hoped Pandora would forgive me for not saving him. God that thought hurt. No creature deserved a fate like that… It was my job to save them and I had failed and all because I was the stupid Queen of Hell. Whose bright idea was this anyway?!

“This is so stupid,” I grumbled, angrily looking down on the battlefield again. My place shouldn’t have been up here watching the battle, it should have been saving those helpless souls like Drogo. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to fight, but just sitting in the clouds made me feel anxious and helpless, especially when my friends were battling for their lives below me.

Speaking of my friends, where were they? I squinted down at the battlefield again just in time to see Gates and Luci take another pass on the opposing general’s army. He was still safe, which eased a little bit of the anxiety in the pit of my stomach, but I was more concerned about Pandora and Shadows.

“Come on, where are they?” I muttered, watching swords and fists clash below me. I scanned the area until I found her small form battling what appeared to be two fallen. I sucked in a shaky breath as I watched her fight, fear flooding through my veins. Those big brutes were at least twice her size, being almost the same stature as Shadows. Please, please let her get through this without getting hurt.

With on quick jab forward she stabbed her sword right through one of the fallen’s chest before turning around to slice the other in half. Wow, Shadows wasn’t lying when he said that Dora was one of the best swordsmen he had ever seen. I personally would have taken a blade through the heart within a second of battling one of those fallen, and she didn’t even bat an eye! Pandora wasn’t the least bit scared of those big brutes, which was one of my biggest downfalls when fighting. I was a petite little angel and I never thought I could go toe-to-toe with a fallen, but there Dora was, beating their asses one by one.

“Pandora!” I yelled just as another fallen lunged at her from behind. I couldn’t see from where I was if she had actually gotten hurt or not, but I couldn’t stay up here waiting to find out. I had to go help her.

I kicked Lumi hard in the in the side, directing him down toward the ground. He let out a loud screech but complied nonetheless. “Come on, Dora, get him,” I muttered as we dived closer and closer. By the way she was fighting, she looked like she was hurt and that thought killed me. I had to do something. I had to help her!

Lumi abruptly let out a painful shriek and pulled back harshly, startling me and causing me fall backwards onto his back. I caught myself on his wing and pulled my body back up into a sitting position right as he reared back.

“Tempest! NO!”

I looked around with a bewildered expression, trying to figure out what was going on. Lumi let out another pain-filled cry and I held onto him for dear life as he thrashed in the air, trying to get away from whatever was hurting him. What was going on? Were we under attack?!

I looked to the left to see one of the generals coming towards me on a winged creature and everything seemed to move in slow motion. He had his arrow drawn on me, pulling it back as a dark laugh erupted from his insides. Oh no… this was it. I closed my eyes, as he closed in on me, readying myself for the inevitable strike of the arrow. God please forgive me…

“ENEPSIGOS!”

My eyes burst open just in time to see a large flash of blue streak through the air. In that instant, the general released his arrow and something dove in front of me, taking the arrow straight to the heart.

“NO!” I cried, watching in horror as those haunting dark brown eyes looked back at me as he fell down toward the battlefield. In an instant it felt like someone had ripped my heart out of my chest and smashed it into a million pieces, the pain becoming more and more intense the further Gates fell away from me. I reached out to grab his hand but he had already fallen too far away from.

“GATES!” My heart stopped in my chest and I couldn’t breath. In that instant my heart shattered in a million pieces and I couldn’t believe what had just happened. This couldn’t be true! Syn couldn’t be gone!

“NOOO!” I sobbed, kicking Lumi hard in the sides. But instead him going after Syn, he took off at full speed toward the mountains. “No! No! Turn back! Turn back!” I cried, turning around his back, trying to find some sign of Luci or Gates. Luci had to have caught him right? I had to go back to find out. He couldn’t be gone… he couldn’t be! I refused to believe it.

I kicked and punched my dragon as the tears streamed down my face, but he continued to fly in the opposite direction of the battle.

The next thing I knew, Lumi had landed in a small cave and I stumbled off his back and collapsed into a sobbing heap on the ground.

“No…” I whimpered in shock, covering my mouth with my hand and shaking my head as I lay in the fetal position. “It-It cant be true…” I cried with hot tears running down my cheeks.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything. I was completely consumed by a feeling of loss and guilt that the tears just poured out of me. The feeling could only be described as being shot directly in the heart, which is exactly what should have happened to me… not Gates.

“Oh God… this is all my fault!” I sobbed, pulling at the roots of my silver hair, trying to do anything to distract myself from the aching pain in my chest. I could feel that overwhelming bubbling sensation but I knew it wouldn’t do any good, not when I had no idea where he was or if he was still alive.

“I have to do something,” angrily whipped my tears away from my eyes, standing up and charging over toward Lumi, who was pulling arrows out of his chest. “Take me back! I have to help him!” I ordered, roughly pushing into his side.

He let out a screech and simply opened his wings, knocking me backwards as if to say ‘chill out’. “Take me back!” I jumped up from my position on the stone floor and charged him again. “Take me back! Now!”

This time Lumi gently nudged me away with his head, his icy blue eyes giving me a sad look. I gasped and pulled away from him, not wanting to believe it. No… Gates couldn’t be gone. He had to have made it through. I mean, plenty of fallen’s had survived an arrow to the chest and a thousand foot fall, right?

“He’s not gone!” I argued, shaking me head. Lumi let out a sigh and looked down at the floor of the cave, slowly shaking his massive skull.

“No… he can’t be.” I sunk down the cave wall behind me, my body feeling too heavy and overrun with guilt and grief to stand. Syn had taken an arrow to the heart to save my life and for that I owed him everything. Never in my life had I ever imagined the devil would be so selfless. Did that mean that he legitimately cared enough for me to give his life for mine? I gasped at the thought and looked up at Lumi with pleading eyes.

“Please take me back… I have to find him… We owe him that much!”

Notes

So Gates took the arrow for Teek? Did he fall to his death? Tell us what you think!