To our surprise, we made it to the ground entrance of the Angelarium with no trouble at all. The streets leading to Heaven’s tallest building were ghostly silent, save for Dis’ echoing hoofsteps. There were no signs of guards or pursuers in the avenues and skyways. The city had grown even emptier to an eerie degree and Gabriel guessed aloud that Lucifer’s soldiers must have ascended to the higher circles to join the battle. Above us, the usual white of the circle’s cloud barrier had tinted with sickly grays and browns. Every few moments, a pop of lightning blasted behind the membrane of the foggy sky.

Cautiously, we reached the double doors to the entryway. I pulled the leftmost door to the side and gestured for my companions to enter. Gabriel entered first with an authoritative strut. I co...

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