And a whole helluva lot worse.
“Though the Intercessoria have forbidden us to officially help in this matter,” Insinio rumbles now, “due to the top-priority classificationof the Dragon of All Souls, I can tell you right now that they know squat about it. Everything I’ve heard from you right now is more than the Intercessoria has discovered ever since the blast that freed it. Other than tracking its movements, they’re currently working on a massive containment system for it. They’re hoping to capture it before it reaches its fullest strength… since they have zero idea how to kill it.”
“What? Are you fucking serious?” I ask him as I blink, astonished.
“Yup,” he says back, his tone dire. “Because the IC shut you Blood Dragons out of the investigation right away, they haven’t been liaising with your shamans, your Jarls, or your King about it. It’s hamstrung them; Heathren and I have been pushing the top brass to at least get your King involved, since this thing threatens your people, practically to extinction. They’re resisting us, however—for what reason, I don’t know. Even with all our Archangelic power, it’s already growing too strong for us to fight; we have tounderstandthe curse-work that created it, in order to bring it down. But the top brass are so shit-scared of how it got so out-of-hand last time—in a way even we had no hope of controlling—that they aren’t hearing reason.”
“That’s cooperation our King could desperately use right now, to have Archangel firepower on his side,” I fume now, knowing that my uncle and cousin have already been tracking the Black Dragon’s movements.
As I pray they haven’t tried to engage it yet.
“We fought it the best we could last time,” Insinio says as he watches me. “I wasn’t born yet, and the IC wasn’t even created yet. Archangels fought it, but it was the Blood Dragons who finally brought it down. It didn’t just kill Blood Dragons, though; it razed the countryside indiscriminately, killing all creatures in its path. Including our kind.”
“So it does kill indiscriminately.” I draw a hard breath, letting it out slowly before glancing at him. “I had no idea it could kill Archangels, though.”
“It can. And it has.” Insinio eyes me, intense. “Which is why the topbrass are keeping this whole fucking shitstorm so silent. Because they’re scared—just like they were the first time.”
“And if all this provokes another Blood-Ice War, they won’t help with that, either.” I know, because the Intercessoria historically has never gotten involved in the constant squabbling of the Blood Dragons and Ice Dragons.
“You got it,” Insinio says.
“Which leaves my people out in the cold. Without a single fucking hope.” I growl now, feeling black inside once more, as both my inner dragons gnash their teeth.
“Not necessarily.” Eyeballing me, Insinio gestures for me to get up. “On your feet.”
“Why?” I frown at him but do as he says, because I know the big Archangel has something up his massive, muscular sleeve.
Something that might help us.
“Heathren and I have been forbidden to help you in this matter by passing you any official Intercessoria information,” Insinio says now as a subtle grin steals around his lips, “but they said nothing about me not giving you just the teensiest little boost, energetically-speaking, to give you what you need to continue your journey. Since you’re our only hope.”
“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” I laugh sarcastically as I quote Star Wars, though I’m listening. Because if Insinio has something he can do to help us, anything, I’m all for it. I’m beyond game, as I stand alert before him now.
Ready.
“Square your shoulders, spread your feet,” Insinio says as he stands before me, eyeballing my stance. “Hold on to your pants, Rikyava, and get your dragon-aura ready to take a big blow… because this is gonna be a doozy.”
“Lay it on me, pal. I’m ready.” I do as Insinio says, spreading my dragon-aura around me in a massive wave, ready to absorb a tremendous hit.
“Ready for a blessing? Because this is gonna hurt.” Insinio grins wide, though his eyes blaze a searingly bright silver, as his massive silver-black wings snap out from his spine again.
Roaring through the chapel.
“Don’t blessings always?” I chide now, though something about watching the big, bad Archangel power up has got me shivering to the end of my soul and back, wondering what comes next.
“Then get yourself blessed, girl,” Insinio says, as he gives me a huge grin.
And then all those wings hammer at me like a battering ram as Insinio slams his palm to my chest.
And I’m catapulted out of my body, right into the fucking cosmos.
10
TRUTH
Getting blasted by a hundred megawatts of pure Archangelic power has launched me right out of my body and up into the Void. As a tremendous shock fills me, I somehow feel how Insinio’s got me, far below, cradling my limp body in his arms as my entire system tries to sort out what the fuck he just did to me.
Because it’s not a bad thing, as I drift far up in the universe, gazing at the black. I see the Void of Ancestors, endless stars glittering all around me in the universe.
