Mated (The Queen's War #1)

Chapter 28

One Month Later...

Perci tried and failed for the third time to concentrate on the huge tome in front of her. Her latest history assignment that Abaddon had set her involved the legendary Blood Wars that took place almost four thousand years ago. A powerful Hellspawn named Axton had led a large rebel group of demons against Lucan and almost succeeded in overthrowing the Citadel. She'd initially been completely enraptured by the horrific stories the survivors had collated into this book, but she was becoming far more interested in the strategy meeting taking place right in front of her.

Lucan, Abaddon, Valefar, Zagan and Lillith had all been arguing about defensive strategies for the past half an hour and were getting nowhere.

"We're losing more territory by the day, they're up to something and whatever it is, it doesn't bode well."

"How many legions remain along the northern border towns?" Lucan frowned.

"Six here, another eight are dispersed in the villages along this road." Zagan pointed to various places on the map they were all hunched over.

Abandoning the huge book, Perci got up from the comfy armchair and slid in beside Lucan who pecked her forehead distractedly. The map was of Undercity and the surrounding areas. In an intermittent ring around the city there were numerous red pins. She assumed them to be indicators of where groups of seraph were now residing.

"Have the Changelings said anything else?"

"No, I believe Nikolas when he says they weren't privy to Michael's greater plans." Lillith sighed.

"How have you obtained inside information about the seraph in the past?" Perci asked.

"Smoke demons and seraph traitors mostly, but whatever seraph has been making portals in recent years has been making them with a magic repellent strong enough that no demon can get close."

"Do we know who this portal seraph is?" She asked.

"No, but we know he or she is being kept in Ascension, otherwise we would have gotten them by now."

"Probably so we don't send one of Valefar's mercenaries after them." Abaddon smiled without humour.

A sharp trilling sound got everyone's attention and one of the computer screens on the wall behind Zagan popped up with an alert.

"It's Orion." Abaddon quickly tapped something on the tablet beside him and the familiar bronze-skinned Hellspawn filled the monitor.

"Good, you are all present." The Seer looked tired and worn out, the bags under his eyes very evident. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I just had a vision that couldn't wait."

"Go on, Orion." Lucan nodded.

"I saw Perci running down a street hand in hand with a seraph woman. Cerberus was with them and they were all being chased by knights."

Perci looked up at Lucan in surprise whose jaw had hardened.

"Did your vision give you any clues as to the when or where this might take place?" He got out, though every instinct he had wanted to lock his mate away in their suite immediately.

"That's the thing." Orion took a deep unsteady breath. "They were in Ascension."

"How can you be sure, Ori? You've never been there." Lillith frowned.

"I felt the energy of the world they were in, trust me, it was Ascension."

Shock kept everyone quiet for a few seconds.

"That's not possible." Abaddon shook his head.

"Isn't it?" Zagan asked. "We know that Perci has retained seraph properties to her blood, it makes sense that she would be immune to the effects of the portals."