Aetherial Annihilation Read Online Free Page B

neck. "Basically, she just crippled more than two-thirds of the army that defeated Daelissa."
    "The Seraphim will still have physical strength." I felt somewhat certain on that point even though I couldn't prove it right this moment. "But the Arcanes will be…"
    "Yeah, go ahead and say it," Shelton grumbled. "We'll be useless."
    "Well, you could play the battle flute," I suggested.
    He snorted. "Anyway, we don't have many Seraphim left in these parts. Legiaros Ketiss took his army back to Seraphina." Shelton's forehead wrinkled. "The only Seraphim left in Eden are Justin, his mom, his sister, and Nightliss."
    My heart grew heavy. "I don't know if Nightliss will show up to help."
    Bella's eyes grew downcast. "The poor dear was really in a depression when she told me goodbye and left."
    "Bah." Shelton rolled his eyes. "I don't get why she was so upset about Daelissa. That crazy bitch tried to kill her more times than I can remember."
    Bella raised an eyebrow. "Yes, but family is family, Harry."
    "There was more to it than that," I said.
    "Isn't there always?" Shelton slashed the air with a hand. "All right, enough talk. You need to get your ass to Bangkok. I'll mention our wild theories to Thomas and see what he has to say about it."
    I nodded. "We'll see you soon."
    Bella blew us a kiss. "Please be careful." She sighed. "It's so frustrating you can't simply step through the portal."
    "I just hope the Obsidian Arches aren't the same as this." I motioned to the barely functioning portal. "We'll talk soon."
    Shelton sighed and nodded. "Good luck, man."
    The gateway winked off.
    Elyssa squeezed my hand. "We may have to wait out the flood before we can leave."
    "It'll give me time to recover." I touched my ribs and gritted my teeth. "Maybe we can find a boat."
    "Let's pray one survived." The look in her eyes didn't hold much hope.
    No matter what, it was going to be a long journey home.
     

Chapter 3
     
    We left the stairwell and went back outside. The hopeless misery on the faces of our trapped comrades dragged my emotions into the mud. We had to get back to Queens Gate or Atlanta as fast as possible, but I couldn't just leave these people behind. I would help them if I could. Unless we figured out how these meteors were destroying aether, it didn't matter how quickly I returned home.
    "Let's see if any news organizations have charted the locations of the meteors," I told Elyssa. "I want to see one first hand."
    "I wonder if destroying them would stop the effect," she mused.
    I nodded. "Same thing I was thinking." My gaze shifted to the glow in the ocean. "I think that one is too far underwater to view."
    "Probably." Elyssa stared at it for a long moment. "It's difficult to tell how deep it is from here."
    It was hard for me to ignore the eyes of the others watching me. I couldn't blame them. Seeing a blue-skinned demon climb up the side of the building had probably been quite a shock. Then again, they'd probably been in shock already from seeing the asteroid crashing into the ocean.
    The breeze should have somewhat cooled the area. Instead, a warm wind swept over us. I wondered if it had something to do with the way the meteor was destroying the aether, or if it was simply a slight change in weather from such a major disturbance. Well, at least now I know why they call it meteorology.
    Harley walked to the railing and stood beside us. "A lot of people are talking about you, Justin." He cast a look over his right shoulder.
    "Are they ready to break out the pitchforks?" I asked.
    "If Jay has his way, they'd throw you over the side." He chuckled. "Thankfully, nobody's taking him too seriously, especially after you took his gun."
    I looked back at Jay—the sunburned man. He wore a Hawaiian shirt and bright red bikini briefs. "Where do you think he was hiding that gun?"
    Elyssa grimaced. "Harley, we don't want any trouble, but if they come at us, we're more than capable of protecting ourselves."
    "Considering the show you put on