My parents both kept looking over their shoulders as they grabbed up the things most important to them.
“I can’t believe you’re really here,” Mom sighed as she tucked away some interesting-looking yarn work.
“Me neither.”
My father’s smile turned into a smirk. “Tell me the truth, sweetheart, are you and that demon—” Mom lightly slapped his arm.
“Dueriel! You leave her alone! There’s plenty of time for that conversation later.”
“It’s okay,” I laughed, tears springing into my eyes again at the familiar banter. I could almost picture us standing in the kitchen of our little cabin in the woods outside of Aymonroux instead of this little hut in Purgatory. “He saved me from the church in Vincara.”
Mom gasped. “Saved you?”
“Father Morton was working with Armaros. I don’t know for how long, though. If not for my tincture, he might have captured me.”
They both stared at me, horrified. “I don’t even know what to say about that. I’m so sorry. We trusted him.Weleft you there!” My father was getting louder, and I put my hand on his arm to stop the tirade that I knew was inevitable at some point. But we didn’t have time for that now.
“I don’t think he was the whole time. It’s complicated. But Tap took me to the crossroads to keep me hidden. Safe.”
“The crossroads? That’s actually quite genius.” Dad looked impressed. “Explains why he knows so much about portals.”
“We’re mate bonded.”
They both stopped cold and turned to look at me.
“Truly?” Mom gasped.
“Yes.”
She sagged, clearly teary-eyed herself as she came over and crushed me to her chest. “Oh, Phin! That’s such wonderful news!Unexpected, but fantastic. We only ever hoped for you to be safe, clearly, we should have dreamed bigger!”
“You were going to tell me you were part demon eventually, right?”
“I was, I swear it. We thought it was safer you didn’t know. They’ve hunted all Nephilim for a very long time, my heart, Armaros isn’t the first to have designs on using or eliminating angels with parentage they didn’t care for. If they’d known about me…” She shook her head. “How did you figure that out?”
“Ramsey. She said she didn’t even realize I didn’t know.”
“I’m sorry, Phin. For all of it. Nothing went the way we expected.”
That was an understatement. I wanted to tell her it was okay, but something held me back. Instead, I just nodded and helped her collect a few more things.
After we left their temporary little home for what I hoped was the last time, we split up to help the others. The cooking meat was packed up, and the fire doused with water from the well, and the houses were tidied and secured the best they could be until we made it back another time.
Once everyone had what they needed, we started walking toward the portal, Tap and I both carrying bundles as well. All told, there really wasn’t as much as there could have been.
Everyone was quiet. The weight of the air itself didn’t help, but there was deep reflection and anxiety in them all. Leaving this strange life that wasn’t really one at all, and returning to one where you hadn’t existed for years to lifetimes was kind of like that. Never mind the fact that they hadn’t aged while stuck here. There was certainly going to be quite a lot to untangle down the line.
Tap took the lead as we approached the portal. “Everyone hold tight to one another. If we make a chain, it may simplify things.” He glanced around. “I’ll pull us through to Revalia. Iwant to say it will be eight different doors to get us there, so it will be uncomfortable for a bit. And it’s winter, so the weather is very different there. I apologize, this will probably be uncomfortable for several reasons.”
“I hate portals,” Hailon’s father complained, already pale. “But it’ll be worth it.”
“I’ll make it as painless as I can. Everyone got a good grip? Good. Here we go.” He smiled at me, going first, and I brought up the rear, a whole world between us.
As I steppedout of the portal in d’Arcan, the cold was an unwelcome shock. There was a slim slice of black still over the sun, but it seemed we’d left Purgatory just in time—the eclipse was ending.
Ramsey scuttled out the doors the second they opened and ran between me and my mother. Calla’s shocked face softened the moment she scanned the whole group in the courtyard before her.
“Saints,” she breathed. “Please, come inside.”
