Embrace, Entice, Emblaze (137 page)

chapter
thirty- three

“Our acts our Angels are, for good or ill, our fatal shadows that
walk by us still.”

JOHN FLeTCHer

My
angel
maker
walked
to
his
window. My art studio felt diff erent,
and I realized I wasn’t sure if this
was
my
studio— my home— at all
anymore. Th e same dismal rain that always fell in my dreams pattered
against the glass.

My
head
hurt
from
where
Phoenix
had
just
belted
me.

“You need to help us,” I said, disoriented and out of place. “You
need to stop him!” I reinforced, bracing a hand on my workbench.

“We cannot intervene,” he said simply.

I
felt
a
wave
of
anger
toward
him. Did he even care what happened
to us?

“But he’s yours! You made him!”

“Did we?” he responded, now looking at me. “I believe that right
falls to more than one.”

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“What do I do?” I begged. “I don’t know how to stop him. He’s
stronger than me.”

The
angel
was
fast, faster than I could follow, but he was now in
front of me and in his eyes, a golden fire blazed. “You
are
me! He is not
stronger than you!”

My
entire
body
shook
with
pain
and
fear. He was not just frightening; he was so much more— like life, death, and everything beyond.

I could not fight him in any way.

Then, just as fast, he was back at the window, expressionless as he
studied the beads of water running down the glass.

“Your mother…” He paused, caught in a sudden memory. “You are
quite like her. Difficult. Daring to demand that which cannot be. At
least she was wise enough to have something to bargain with.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Semangelof should not have entrusted such a task to just one.

He was reckless, but…she prevailed nonetheless. Her worth became
great and her sacrifice lent her further strength. If it were not for
these things…”— he looked at me oddly— “her child would not have
survived receiving an essence such as mine.”

“You needed her,” I said, coaxing him on despite my increasing
dizziness.

“Yes. She was unique on her own and her child showed signs of
being even more so.”

“I was her bargain!” The truth was unforgiving as it sank in. I
hadn’t believed I could think less of my mother until this moment.

“What did she trade me for? Heaven?”

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Jessica shirvington

“She had two conditions. One to hand over her life; one to hand
over your fate. An agreement was made.”

“What were they?”

“I cannot reveal them, only what I requested of her— that she wear
one wristband at her end. One, she left to you; the other stayed with
her in death.”

“That can’t be true,” I said, not wanting any part of this conversation to be real. I would have known if she had worn a wristband when
she
died— Dad would have said something when he saw the other one
she’d left for me.

“And yet, it is. Once she passed, the band stayed with her spirit, not
her body.”

“Why tell me this now?” I asked, frustrated.

“Because I believe that now might be the time to prepare.”

I
shook
my
head
and
almost
laughed— he wasn’t going to tell me.

“Whatever, I don’t care what my mother did. She’s gone and as far
as I’m concerned, good riddance.”

My
angel
looked
at
me, his eyes still blazing with golden fire.
“You
feel you have nothing.” It wasn’t a question.

I
put
a
hand
to
my
head, which was burning under his scrutiny. My
other hand went out wide.

“Take a good look, angel- I’ll- never- know- the- name- of! Do you see
lots of happy thoughts surrounding me?”

“Perhaps you have everything and simply cannot see it.”

I
took
a
step
toward
him, a fire of my own now blazing in
my glare.

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“Yeah. And what would you know? You have no idea what it means
to be human. If you did, you’d do something.” I was challenging him.

Something
passed
over
his
face, prompting me to follow his gaze.

I gasped. Blood was seeping through my top. I couldn’t feel it, yet it
was real.

“He’s killing me.”

“Killing, yes. But not you.”

He
started
toward
me, this time more slowly. Before I could stop
myself, I’d taken a step backward. I knew better than to show that kind
of weakness in front of him.

He
took
another
step— this time I didn’t move. The corners of his
mouth twitched. At first I thought I’d amused him, but it was something else— intrigue, perhaps, or even…pride.

“We gave humans a mantra, a long time ago. I give it to you now
because, child of soldier, child of man, child of angel, it is not necessary
to win the battle if, in the end, you can win the war.”

“Then help us!” I pleaded, my hands shaking as I looked at the
blood. I didn’t understand.

His
hand
moved
to
my
stomach, and he coated it in dripping blood,
pulled my dagger from its sheaf, and smeared my blood down the blade
before returning it to my side.

“I already have,” he said, reaching out again, his arm now the paw
of a lion. He struck me across the face before I could react, the blow
so fierce that as I flew toward the back wall of my art studio, I braced
myself to go right through it.

Instead…
I opened my eyes.

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chapter
thirty- four

“No one will be released from prison until he has paid the

last obolus.”

Luke 12:59

Th e pain was severe but I held back the scream lodged in the back of my throat. It would only make things worse.

I was in his arms again, cradled like a child and wearing some-

thing diff erent. A knee- length silver dress. I could see why— it made a dramatic backdrop for the blood. Even in my battered state, I felt a surge of rage that he’d taken the liberty.

Dizzy, I tried to focus on my surroundings. We were outside.

Th e sky was still blue, but I reasoned it must be afternoon by now.

We were somewhere high. I could sense exiles. Many, too many.

But Grigori too, also in great numbers. I could hear the ocean

sounds, could smell, almost taste, the salty sea water and something else— sulfur.

We were on Nea Kameni.
Th e
volcano.

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“Stop bleeding her!” a voice hollered, from far away. “You’re

going to kill her!”

My head ached and my body felt limp. When I strained to see

who the voice belonged to— it sounded so familiar— my arm fell

heavily to my side, dangling.

Not
good. How long has he already bled me?

We were on the rim of the main crater. I could sense exiles

directly behind us, but only a few. I concentrated for as long as I could to find the rest. They seemed to be hovering at the base of the volcano. Already fighting.

We
are
at
war.

“Then I suggest you do not delay!” Phoenix called back. He held his arms out with me rag- dolling in their grip. “She doesn’t have long left.”

I looked up at his face. His eyes were so dark, so sad. “I’m sorry, Phoenix.” I winced.

He jolted, surprised I was awake. Then he shook his head.

“Someone’s been busy.”

Phoenix wasn’t talking about me. He knew my angel had interfered.

“Too little, too late!” he hissed back at me.

I let my head fall back again and that’s when I saw them— the

dark smoke lifting from the crater cleared enough for me to get a glimpse. Lincoln stood before an exile, chained and bound just like the three I’d sacrificed, dagger in hand. To my left and right, two other exiles were positioned in the same restraints, completing the triangle.

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Jessica shirvington

A
man
in
love.

Not just a soul connection but love. Was that possible? Or had

Phoenix just made a vital mistake?

Lincoln drove his blade into the first of them, throwing his

victim quickly to the volcano. The smoke rose up and pulled down its catch, just as the ocean had engulfed my earlier offerings.

Three to the water, to entice the current,

Three to the fire to blast open their fate.

“No!” I tried to scream, but I was too weak.

Does
he
realize
I’ve already completed the first half ?

I looked beyond Lincoln. Griffin stood on the edge of the crater, Spence by his side, their faces grim.

Why
aren’t they stopping him? They should be stopping him!

But, if anything, they seemed to be helping him, guarding him.

“Do you have any idea what you are doing?” I asked softly,

through the pain, knowing he’d hear me.

“Yes,” Phoenix responded.

Lincoln returned the second exile and fed him to the volcano,

which breathed a cloud of darkness from deep within, high up into the sky.

Awaken Tartarus and blanket day.

I followed the dark cloud as it plumed like smoke from a

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nuclear explosion and then spread outward, blocking out the

sun completely.

To hide their eyes and Heaven’s ray.

“I’m creating a new world. One where I belong,” Phoenix continued, as if reminding himself, reinforcing his beliefs.

I reached out to him, my hand covered in blood. He flinched

when I touched his cheek, my fingers slipping away weakly. “You already do,” I breathed.

Lincoln moved to the third exile, pausing to turn toward us, but I couldn’t see his face clearly.

“I know you won’t kill her! Do you think I’m so stupid, Phoenix?

You love her!”

Phoenix looked stunned. “He’s right, of course.” His shoulders

dropped as he spoke to me. “But you already knew that.” And then, louder, he called back, “Are you so sure you’ll take the chance?” Lincoln returned the last exile, kicking him into the volcano.

The ground vibrated, the smoke increased, and then small flakes like gray snow shot out of the opening and floated back toward the ground. It was now as dark as night.

Ash
will
fall.

“Phoenix!” Lincoln roared.

I saw him start to move, but the crater was large and he was on the other side. Griffin and Spence started running toward us from the other direction.