His words rang inside me, dark and chilling. Though the duke had been one of the first of the Fallen, cast from Heaven, Forcalor had always been a sensitive soul. Loyal to a fault to his brother, he had stood beside Lucifer as they fell to Hell, but he had never cursed the Father for what He’d done. And while a demon in the flesh, he was an angel at his core. His courage lit the fuse of my own.

“Can we not rally the loyal remains of the Choir to strike back?”

He shook his head. “Michael has taken up arms against us as well, and has apparently orchestrated the massacre of those who did not stand against my return to the Kingdom. Most of our brethren have been murdered in their sleep, our numbers a pitiful few against the tide of those who would see Gabriel take the Throne.” His words came out in a growl. “Uriel still holds Eden. It is there where we must make our stand.”

Forcalor’s gaze snapped away as a handful of warriors descended upon us. The duke stepped to meet them. “Stand aside, Scarlett. I could not bear the scorn of your mother’s spirit should these heretics harm you.” He dropped the first of the rebels before he finished speaking. The second fell but an instant later, a reddened geyser spewing up from where his head had only just been.

Valore’s blood still staining my hands, his treason fresh in my mind, I could not bring myself to hold back. Those who would slay the innocent in their sleep were no kindred to me. I darted out from behind the duke and let my blade loose. While named Slayer of Demons, Everto Trucido’s sharpened edge worked just as well on the flesh of angels. The third of the rebels would learn this firsthand.