“So?” I said. “Parts of your power are missing.”
“Do you see?” he said.
“See what?”
“They’re not just cracks. They’re lines of power flowing somewhere.”
I squinted and moved closer, though all I wanted to do was cower from him. He was right: the cracks weren’t just cracks, they were cords of white energy, flowing off and away. Where, I couldn’t tell.
“The Aleph is funneling the power somewhere. It wedged itself inside my spell, so that I can’t complete the transfer. It’s leeching the power to itself. If you look long enough, you’ll see the cracks widening.”
I stepped backward, tucked my hair behind my ear. “You want me to help you figure out how to transfer the power from the Aleph to yourself?”
“If you would be so kind.”
I laughed. “Why would I do that? I don’t want either of you to win. I want the Seraphim back. I want Heaven restored. I want the Nexus clouds to turn a nice shade of pink again, and I’d like all my colleagues returned from where they evacuated.”
“That’s not going to happen. If the Seraphim return, they’ll be something else entirely, quite unfit to run Heaven. Not—” he held up a finger, “—that they were fit before.”
“On and on you blather but I hear no reason to aid you. Looks like you’ll need to resort to crass measures after all.”
“It’s quite simple. The Aleph wants all of the power for itself. It will not reestablish a new Council. You see this bronze column now?”
Reluctantly, I nodded.
“It will take this power, the power of the nine most high-ranking angels in the cosmos, and use it to rule Heaven and Earth with an iron fist. I, on the other hand, will dole out this power equitably.”
“Oh, yes?” I said. “Somehow I don’t believe that.”
“Believe what you like, little Cornerstone.”
“Once you have all the power, you’re unlikely to give it up,” I said. “I can see it shining in your eyes. ‘All power corrupts—’”
“‘—but absolute power corrupts absolutely,’” finished Kaspen, stepping from behind a chunk of marble. “Good day to you, Enael. Asorat, you summoned me?”
CHAPTER 41
Kaspen looked just as he had the last time I saw him in Adolf’s bed chamber. His brown hair was swept back from his face, and his gold-flecked, black wings relaxed behind him. Now that I was seeing the columns of energy clearly—though why, I’d have to ponder at a later time—I could see jagged scars to the sides of where his demonic wings attached, where his connection to the Source had been severed.
I started, “Kaspen-Raxloh, I command you to—”
Asorat flicked a finger and an invisible gag cut off my words. I was going to command him to let me go and maybe follow it up with a request to assist me in escaping from the demons I knew would be on guard for such an eventuality, but alas, I did not get that far.
“Clever angel,” said Asorat. “But no, I can’t have you commanding him. I will release you if you promise not to do that again.”
I strained to speak, but nothing came out. Tears sprang to my eyes with the effort.
I nodded.
“Superb. I do so hate unnecessary unpleasantries. Now, I will make the same promise not to request him to command you, but only if you continue to be the proper, polite guest I would like you to be.”
“Holding someone against their will is hardly proper or polite,” I said.
“Yes, well, I said unnecessary unpleasantries. This is quite necessary. You know what’s happening. And time is ticking away. Are you going to help me or not?”
I crossed my arms.
“I will add that word reached me regarding the success rate of your evacuation procedures. Unfortunately, not everyone made it out of Heaven. I instructed a special force to ensure that the Sanctuary, specifically the Comfort Ward, came under control of my demons.”
Chana. He’d kidnapped Chana. I could still feel her, but her emotions were quiet and peaceful, barely even there. I’d hoped that meant she was on Earth, moved by the Tenders to our temporary Sanctuary.
“Everyone inside is at the mercy of my whims,” he continued. “I do so hope to make it through this invasion without terrible loss of human or angelic life, but I will remind you that I am perfectly willing to do what must be done.”
“Fine,” I snapped. “Let me think.”
I turned my back on the demons that had gathered around us. The purple light emanating from the beam was startling, the crack I stepped over heartbreaking.
I was faced with several choices, none of which were all that palatable. If I helped Asorat, he would appoint his minions as replacement Council members. The world would proceed as before, but what kind of an atmosphere would exist on Earth with a power-hungry demon in charge of its welfare? What kind of people would be born? How would it warp the future of the human race? Of Heaven itself? And that was assuming I believed him.
If I attempted waiting out the humans’ invasion of Normandy, Asorat would do as he hinted and hurt Chana. After witnessing him kill all nine Seraphim, I had no doubt he could and would do it. Even if I were able to escape, she wouldn’t be safe. I’d have to break into the Sanctuary, lift her from the bed, and take her away. I could see no way to do that. Even if I broke my promise from earlier and faded out of the Nexus right now, I wouldn’t get very far with the entire Sanctuary swarming with his followers, all looking out for my attempt.
Something told me the Aleph wasn’t one of the Seraph casualties, possibly having survived the slaughter using the power it had already gathered. I could try to aid it, though I wasn’t even sure what I could do to undermine Asorat. But once the Aleph took over the power that he’d wrested from the Council, I had no idea what it was going to do. Would it sweep away Heaven and Earth to start over? Would it kill everyone and send our souls back to the Source? Would it be a kind and benevolent leader?
I strongly doubted that.
The option that afforded me the greatest opportunity was aiding Asorat.
I stepped back over a chunk of symbol-covered marble and approached Asorat and Kaspen. “I will help you.” For now.
“I was hoping you would say that,” said Asorat. “I’ve always admired your foresight and intelligence.”
“Now you’re just flattering me. Get on with it. What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to work with Kaspen to determine the source of the Aleph’s power. Examine the cracks in the Seraph power, and figure out where it’s going. If the two of you can do that, we might be able to stop it.”
Kaspen bowed his head toward me.
“What will Fanush say?” I asked.
“She’ll say that I must do what I must do.” His voice wavered on the last word. Was he regretful of what our relationship had come to? Or was he sad that it would be, in some small way, betraying his new love? Guilt flowed through our bond, so it must have been the latter. I hope she’s jealous. Really, really jealous. It was the least she deserved for aiding this monster.
Asorat stepped toward the beam and tilted his head skyward. The purple light cast an eerie glow across his chiseled face. Even this creature, angry as he was, seemed to be spending a quiet moment in respect of the Source. What was It saying to him?
Kaspen offered his back to his commander, and his huge, black wings faded and disappeared. Asorat grasped two golden cords, one from each of the bunches channeling into his own back. He transferred them slowly and carefully, pressing them into Kaspen.
Great, golden wings burst from Kaspen’s back to flare behind him. The scars I’d seen glowed and disappeared. Smiling, he pulled a wing over his shoulder and stared at it. “I’m a Seraph,” he whispered. And indeed, he was, at least in body.
But I responded, “Hardly. You might have the abilities, but a true Seraph wouldn’t have to steal his power. Now, help me overturn one of the cushions so we can sit and I can inspect whatever is happening.”
His eyebrows drew together and he opened his mouth. Asorat shifted. Kaspen caught his eye and closed his mouth. He flapped over a jagged marble slab, skirted a chair that had been ripped in two, and heaved over a cushion.
I glided over to him and sat.
Through our bond, he was annoyed. “I shouldn’t tell you this, especially with how rude you’re being, but I will anyway.”
“Rude? You kidnapped me. You helped kill the Council of Seraphim. Your beloved leader is threatening one of my friends!”
He ran his hand through his hair. “That ability you have—it’s a Seraph ability. Try as I might a moment ago, I was unable to see what Asorat was talking about, with the cords and the energy. And now I see them everywhere.” His eyes were golden now. He looked across the Nexus, studying the demons, as though tracing the columns of power from Asorat’s wings into the sky.
“But I’m a Nephil.”
He snorted. “If you say so, Cornerstone. Lovely blue wings you have.”
I’d been too preoccupied to overly concern myself with my transformation. I glanced behind to see that the blue had almost faded completely into the bronze I’d noted before.
Kaspen was watching me, face unreadable. Our bond held amusement and jealousy.
“Nothing will ever be enough,” I said. “Even if this all works out how you expect, you’ll never be satisfied. Asorat could kill me— No. I could be banished to a lowly Attendant rank, carry pointless messages century after century, while you rule as vice commander to Asorat on your wonderful new Council, and it won’t be sufficient for you.”
He kept his voice low and even. “Let’s get to work. Time’s wasting, and now that his plan is almost complete, Asorat is not given to patience.”
“Fine. But you know I’m right.”
CHAPTER 42
As I examined the threads, Asorat dismissed the demons gathered nearby, but he stayed close to the now-purple beam of light, motionless and silent. Kaspen sighed and stared off into the distance.
They reminded me of the threads in a human’s mind—not surprising, as we were all made of the same substance. But they were woven together tightly. I couldn’t unwind or straighten them, like I had on Earth when I’d helped keep my Wards’ minds in order.
A few strands were translucent—the cracks I’d seen before. Rather than leading from the sky and into Kaspen with the rest, they trailed off into various directions with no rhyme or reason—one went to the east, another to the west, one into the sky, another along the ground. I jumped up and followed it, but it grew harder and harder to see before disappearing altogether.
Asorat must be growing impatient. But he seemed content to stand under the Source, bronze wings against his back, face tipped up toward the beam. I returned to the cushion and sat, pondering.
The golden power flowed from the Source into Kaspen, and the translucent strands bled the power toward the Aleph. I singled one out, which started gold in the sky and then turned white, snaking off toward the Dwelling and disappearing completely.
The Aleph was taking over the cords, then. None of us—not Kaspen with his Seraph abilities, not Asorat with the eight other sets of Seraph power feeding him, and not myself with my newfound Cornerstone sight—would be able to tell the Aleph by looking at it. It was hiding in plain sight, the power feeding it invisible.
I was at a loss. It had to own another source of power fueling its ability to bleed away the Council’s, perhaps a cult of humans whose symbols had been overlooked. But we had no time to comb through two billion people, looking for clues about their spiritual loyalties. We could start with the Nexus symbols to see which ones were missing, but picking through the rubble would take time—never mind finding where in the Archives the symbols were cataloged without the assistance of Keepers.
This is impossible. There’s no way to—
My chest squeezed and terror washed over me.
Confused, I looked toward Asorat. He was still staring up at the purple beam and humming a tune the Orchestra played frequently. Kaspen was kicking a foot against one of the symbols that had bubbled in the marble.
Determination. Anger. More determination.
That wasn’t me.
That was Chana.
Barely able to contain my anticipation, I stared down at the cushion of a chair, feigning concentration on the problem they’d asked me to solve and throwing every ounce of strength into blocking my emotions in my bond with Kaspen.
Pain snapped. Fury flared. Laughter bubbled.
And then, muffled, triumph.
She was free. She’d awoken, fought her way free of the Sanctuary, and was now… Where?
From the excitement dancing over me, mingling with my own, I could tell she was somewhere safe. I almost giggled with relief.
“Are you almost done?” Kaspen was looking at me. “You look like you’re just sitting there, thinking. And what’s so funny, anyway?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Do you remember that time I gave you the strength you needed to kill Yasva? I was just thinking about how far we’ve come since then.”
“Stop, Enael, honestly.” The bond held regret and then anger. Anger that he’d felt the regret.
That pleased me.
“Did you figure anything out?” he said.
Asorat was approaching. “Tell us what you learned.”
I monitored Chana while I measured my words. She seemed happy now, her excitement fading into placid pleasure at having won the fight. I didn’t know where she was, but I could latch onto her life spark in a fraction of a second. If I was able to get several paces away from Kaspen and Asorat, I could fade out before either of them could stop me.
But I had to act nonchalant. I couldn’t give away that anything had changed. I tamped down my emotions, focused on the problem, and threw in sincere worry at what the Aleph was planning.
“It’s hard to explain,” I said.
“Try.”
“Honestly, I don’t know what’s happening.” I stood and sauntered toward the beam, hoping my wings looked relaxed enough and my shoulders would stay loose. “Threads of the power are trailing off into nothingness, and I’m unable to tell where they’re going.”
I waved my hands in the air, pointing out the directions the threads went. I turned to see how much progress I’d made away from the two of them and nearly smacked Asorat in the face.
“They can’t simply be going nowhere,” he said. “That much power is being funneled somewhere.”
“Let me inspect something.” This time, I walked purposefully toward the beam.
My ruse didn’t work. He stayed on my heels, his dull footsteps thudding against the marble as he clomped steadily after me.
Another demon landed next to us. “I bring news, Asorat.”
“Report.” He stopped.
This is your chance. Do it now. I kept my stride, continuing forward, but before I could get two steps away, Asorat’s hand flew out and grabbed onto my shoulder. He hauled me back, stumbling, to stand in front of the new arrival.
The demon saluted. “There’s a situation in the Comfort Ward.”
I pretended to be looking off to the purple beam. Asorat doesn’t know you know. But he does know that you’re interested in what’s happening. Don’t act too nonchalant. He’ll know it’s an act, and you’ll give away any advantage you have.
“It seems as though one of our very important guests has left the premises,” said the messenger, side-eying me. “Do you want me to… ? With her… ?”
“Chana escaped, is that what you’re saying?” Asorat demanded.
“Er, yes.”
“Acknowledged. Report to your team leader and tell her of your class D infraction. She will provide your penance.”
The demon saluted again and disappeared.
“You’re going to punish your messenger? What does Sun Tzu say about that?” My thoughts were in turmoil—how would I plan an escape now that their leverage had evaporated?—but I was still incredulous.
“I’m punishing him because of his inability to get to the point. As I have said repeatedly, we have no time to waste. He knew better than to dither. Now, come along with me. We’re going to—”
Glee hit me, then flapping wings, then a solid body. I was lifted into the air before I could figure out what was happening.
“No!” shouted Asorat.
I spiraled into the sky, unable to extricate myself from the powerful force dragging me along with it. I didn’t like flying under the power of something other than my own wings, but… “Chana?”
Below us, Kaspen and Asorat leapt skyward, wings churning.
“The one and only,” she said. “Sorry I was so slow. I had to test these out first. Make sure I know what I’m doing.” Her silver wings flapped behind her. “Oof, you’re heavy.”
The demons below us were gaining. Asorat reached for Chana’s ankle, but before he could grasp it, Heaven’s purple-clouded sky turned shimmery.
We burst into an equally angry-looking sky over Vycanus, but it was devoid of the clashing demons and Nephilim from before. Now, the cobalt-winged guardians hung in the air, silently watching.
The battle was over and we had won. I was relieved at that small victory.
Chana soared over the trees, giggling and swooping. She halted above the farthest house from the Temple. Landing gently on the ground, she let me go. “Enael!” She threw her arms around me in a proper hug. “Look at these wings! I have wings again!”
“Again?”
“I’m sorry. I meant— Never mind.”
“Chana? What’s going on?”
“Nothing to worry over.”
“I’m worrying over it. I’m worrying over it a lot.”
Warring Angel Page 23