A brunette swam into view and smiled at me.

“Celestial,” Chloe told her by way of explanation.

She smiled. “Welcome to the tunnels.”

“Er, thanks,” I muttered, relieved that I could now see the walls and shapes before me. The walls were made of a burnt red brick, and there were no lights, which I thought odd since lightbulbs didn’t burn Nightbloods. I guessed it kept their night vision sharp or something along those lines.

We made a few more turns and then climbed a flight of stairs until we reached a door that read ‘Magery Wing.’

“This should spit us out right into the hallway that holds Mr. Claymore’s office,” Chloe stated.

I nodded, clutching my phone and the list of herbs.

She pulled out her key again and unlocked the door, swinging it open a few inches, but we stopped when we heard a familiar voice.

“But, sir, last year a student died in the gauntlet,” Lincoln argued.

My whole body froze, and Chloe squeezed my hand.

“Yes, a horrific outcome. Yet, we tell the students of the danger, and give them the option not to participate,” Raphael retorted.

“But, sir, if you could just exclude Brielle. I’m afraid the demons are out for her. The gauntlet could be especially dangerous for her,” Lincoln pleaded.

I angled myself so I could see them. They’d stopped in the hallway, where they were alone. Except for us.

Raphael put a hand on Lincoln’s shoulder. “Son, you already asked and my answer is no. I know it’s hard for you to accept, but you can’t save Brielle from her fate. The Fallen Army is the only thing keeping the demons from taking over Angel City. We need new recruits. We need the upper hand, or the world will fall into darkness. Lucifer creates a hundred new demons a day, unleashing them onto Earth, and they already outnumber us greatly.” Raphael sounded on the verge of tears. He hated his own words, I could sense that.

“I know that.” Lincoln sounded dejected. “But can’t you just pass her into second year?”

Anger flared in me that he thought I couldn’t pass the gauntlet.

Raphael shook his head. “She’s the greatest weapon we have in this war. We must train her like everyone else, or we’ll only be handicapping her.”

Lincoln looked resigned. “Yes, sir,” he answered in a clipped tone, then turned on his heel.

“Lincoln,” Raphael called out after him.

The tall Celestial turned back, and my heart broke at the anguish in his face. He was only trying to protect me.

“Brielle is a lot stronger than you think. Stronger than most of us,” Raphael confessed, and his gaze swept over the door where we stood.

Chloe and I sucked in a breath, and stepped backward, but then came the sound of retreating footsteps, and they were gone.

Chloe grasped my hand. “You okay?”

I stared at the ground, emotions ping-ponging through my body. “I dunno.”

What the hell had I just overheard? Did Raphael know we were standing there? It felt like he had.

The thought of Lucifer creating a hundred new demons a day made me sick. Growing up in Demon City, they didn’t mess with us much, but I knew they were constantly attacking Angel City, and other pockets of civilians.

“My dad says Lucifer won’t stop until we’re all demon-bound slaves,” Chloe whispered.

Like I had been. Like my mom was.

“That’s not going to happen,” I told her through gritted teeth. For the first time since I’d heard the prophecy, I hoped it was real. I would love nothing more than to kill that abomination. Assuming it was possible.

“Come on. Luke’s counting on us,” I murmured.

When we got to Mr. Claymore’s office, it was locked. Of course. But with two strong shoulders into the door, Chloe knocked it right off its hinges. We made quick work of grabbing the herbs, and left a note explaining it was an emergency, and we’d pay for the door.

When we finally made it back to the room, Shea was wincing in front of the door as Luke shouted obscenities.

“I’ll kill her! I’m going to rip all of her hair out, and then strangle her with it!” he screamed.

If Tiffany survived the gauntlet, she definitely had a beatdown coming, that was for sure.

“We’re here,” I called out to him, hoping it was going to work, and he’d be okay in time for the gauntlet. We’d already chosen him as our teammate, and I wasn’t going to let him fail.

Shea spun from the door and inspected our herbs. “Good job.”

Chloe and I both sighed in relief that we’d grabbed the right ones.

My best friend went to work grinding the herbs into a stone bowl, and waving crystal wands over them. Then a bright purple light shot from her hands and a puff of smoke rose up from the bowl. I peered over her shoulder after it cleared, and saw a purple lozenge inside it.

Whoa. Being a Mage was pretty badass.

“He’s not going to poop for a week, but this is the only thing I could think of,” she explained to us.

I nodded. “Just do it. We’ll figure the rest out later.” Maybe we can give him prune juice tomorrow.

Shea went to the door and slid the lozenge underneath. “Eat this. It should stop the spell.”

“Thank God,” his muffled voice replied.

Then we waited. After a few minutes, I heard the sink running and then the door opened. Luke was sweating, looking pale and like he’d lost five pounds.

“I need food. And once I’ve regained my strength, I’m going to find Tiffany.” His voice was shaky and weak.

“It’s awful, I know, but we just overheard Raphael and Lincoln talking, and the gauntlet sounds really dangerous. Someone died last year. Let’s focus on getting you better, and then we can worry about Tiffany after we pass,” I assured him.

He crossed his arms, jaw clenched, seemingly seething with rage. “Fine,” he said after a beat.

Shea met my eyes, a question in hers, but I didn’t elaborate. The gauntlet sounded like it was preparing us to be in the Fallen Army, and it seemed entirely real. Not like a drill.

I appreciated Lincoln’s attempt to keep me safe, but like Raphael said, I couldn’t be coddled; it would do me no favors in the long run.

It was time to face the gauntlet.

Chapter Twenty-Two

After Luke ate a rack of ribs, and half a dozen dinner rolls he was looking much better. He said his tummy would cramp every so often, but then it passed, which was a good sign.

Now, we were waiting out in the parking lot in a huge white silk tent. There was a small stage, and on it was Archangel Michael. Around the perimeter were over a hundred Fallen Army guards, Lincoln being one of them. He looked so handsome in his black uniform. The winged insignia showcasing his Celestial heritage, with four stars to mark his rank, was proudly displayed on his chest.

There were about a hundred and fifty of us in the entire first year class, all standing around in our specially assigned Fallen Academy suits, loaded with weapons, unsure about what the hell this gauntlet thing was.

Michael stepped up to the edge of the stage and held his arms wide. “Thank you all for coming to the end-of-year graduation test, which has earned the name ‘the gauntlet.’” He spoke without a microphone, yet his voice boomed to all corners of the tent.

We quieted our conversations and stood with rapt attention.

“What we haven’t told you yet, is that the gauntlet is actually an admissions test into the Fallen Army,” he declared.

People started to murmur and cast glances at the soldiers around the room.

Michael waited until everyone quieted before he spoke again. “Over a decade ago, when we first started Fallen Academy, our aim was to teach you to use your powers and then send you out into the world, but that changed as the demons took over more and more territory. Now, we’re in a fight for survival, and the truth is the school was always built as a military academy.”

That earned more murmurs. I didn’t know why the news felt shocking, but it did.

“Graduates were offered jobs in our army, fighting demons, defending humanity,” he continued. “But we can no longer wait four years for you to graduate and join us. So, seven years ago, I came up with the idea for the gauntlet, a real-life military test where if you pass, you will be given a job as an entry-level enlisted soldier in the Fallen Army.”

Whoa. We’re joining the army? Today? At nineteen years old?

He put his hands up. “But of course, this is voluntary. If you don’t want to join the Fallen Army and help curb the overabundance of demons, then you’re free to leave right now. You will be unable to attend second year at the academy, as we don’t have the resources to train civilians anymore, but you will be given temporary housing, and a job placement coordinator. Hopefully, this will make it a smooth transition for you, as you get out into the world with your new powers. We hope the one year of training here, has served you well enough that you can manage your new life with your new skillset.”

Now everyone was full-on talking and looking around the room in shock.

Shea turned to me. “So going through with the gauntlet means we’re joining the Fallen Army?”

I swallowed hard, my eyes meeting Lincoln’s. He just nodded. If he could speak to me, I knew he would say that joining the army was the safest thing to do.

“I guess so,” I replied.

Chloe pulled her hood back, as it was pitch-black out now and we were in the safety of the tent. “I’ve wanted to join the Fallen Army since I was five. I’m totally in.”

Luke nodded. “The army saved my cousin. They used to live on the border. Demons took over their farm, but the army pushed them back. I’m in too.”

Shea’s stern gaze connected with mine. “I’m with you. Whatever you want to do, I’ll follow you.”

I’d never entertained the idea of joining the Fallen Army. I’d always thought I’d be a college student and the rest would just work itself out. I could tell by Shea’s face that she really wanted to join. Fallen Army soldiers were salaried. They had apartments and cars, and it was the smartest thing to do financially. It also felt morally right. Now that I’d lived the past several months in Angel City, I saw the damage the demons did, the way they terrorized the innocent.

“I’m in,” I told them all, and Shea grinned.

Michael cleared his throat. “If you’ve chosen to leave, please walk to the back of the tent, as the rest of this conversation is private. If you choose to stay, know that tonight’s test will be fought with real demons.”

That had more than a few people walking to the back of the tent, where Rose, the school seamstress, escorted them out. To my dismay, I saw that Tiffany had chosen to stay.

After about twenty students left, Michael addressed us all again. “We’re honored to have you brave students here tonight. The gauntlet will be a test of everything you’ve learned here at Fallen Academy. You’ll each be called forward, and assigned a lieutenant to explain it all in detail, and watch over your test. Then you’ll be asked to sign a waiver. This test will weed out the weak from the strong. Godspeed, and grace be with you.”