The cabin was as she remembered it: warm and dry and smelling like cinnamon. The narrow canvas cot in the corner where she had slept was neatly made. There was the narrow wooden ladder leading up to the small loft that overlooked the main room. The green lamp still hung from a rafter.
How did you know to come here? Daniel asked Cam.
Roland read something in the Announcers this morning. He thought you might be coming back-- and that something else might be developing. Cam eyed Daniel. Something that affects us all.
If what Luce says is true, this is not something any of us can take on alone.
Cam tilted his head at Luce. I know. The others are on their way. I took the liberty of spreading the word.
Just then, in the loft, a window shattered. Daniel and Cam shot to their feet.
Just us! Arriane's voice sang down. We've got Nephilim in tow, so we travel with the grace of a college hockey team.
A great burst of light--gold and silver--from above made the walls of the cabin shudder. Luce jumped to her feet just in time to see Arriane, Roland, Gabbe, Molly, and Annabelle--the girl Luce had realized in Helston was an angel--slowly floating down from the rafters, all with their wings extended. Together they were a myriad of colors: black and gold, white and silver. The colors stood for different sides, but here they were. Together.
A moment later, Shelby and Miles thundered down the wooden ladder. They were still dressed in the clothes--Shelby's green sweater and Miles's jeans and baseball cap--that they'd worn to Thanksgiving dinner, which seemed like an eternity ago.
Luce felt like she was dreaming. It was so wonderful to see these familiar faces right now--faces that she'd truly wondered if she would ever see again. The only people missing were her parents, of course, and Callie, but she would see them soon enough.
Starting with Arriane, the angels and Nephilim all circled Luce and Daniel in another massive hug. Even Annabelle, whom Luce barely knew. Even Molly. Suddenly, everyone was shouting over everyone else--
Annabelle, batting shimmering pink eyelids: When did you get back? We have so much to catch up on! And Gabbe, kissing Luce on the cheek: I hope you were careful ... and I hope you saw what you needed to see. And Arriane: Did you bring us back anything good? And Shelby, out of breath: We were searching for you for, like, ever. Weren't we, Miles? And Roland: Pretty cool to see you made it home in one piece, kid. And Daniel, silencing them all with the gravity of his tone: Who brought the Nephilim?
I did. Molly draped an arm around Shelby and Miles. You got something to say about it?
Daniel cast his eyes over Luce's Shoreline friends. Before she had a chance to stick up for them, the corners of his lips pulled upward into a smile, and he said, Good. We're going to need all the help we can get. Everyone sit down.
Lucifer can't mean it, Cam said, shaking his head, stunned. This is just a desperate last resort. He wouldn't--He was probably just trying to get Luce to--