“What we know,” Cyph began, “is that the Alabath line has Angelblood. It’s dormant in Jezebel, but active in Ophelia. The active blood signals this Angelcurse, which is very vague in every mention of it Santorina has been able to find, but seemingly lethal, and explains why the Angel has appeared to Ophelia on multiple occasions.”
“What does that mean?” Tol’s voice rose. “She’s cursed again? Is this why Kakias is after her? Is she—” His sentence trailed off, his arms tightening around me.
“We don’t know yet,” Santorina attempted to soothe him.
“No.” Tol shook his head, looking down at me with frantic eyes that caused my heartbeat to falter. “No, we’ll fix this. I’ll figure something out. I won’t let it take you.”
“There’s more she isn’t telling us.” Malakai’s eyes were narrowedat me, at the horror I’d failed to mask as I’d worked it all out. A beat pressed against my Bind, but I didn’t know what it meant.
Tolek’s eyes dropped at the realization that I’d kept more secrets.
I supposed now that they figured out about the Angelcurse on their own, I could tell them.
“When Damien last appeared, he delivered a second prophecy.” My voice rose with desperation. “It—it was a task.Born again through the shade of heart, the Angelcurse claims its start. Seek the seven of ancient promise. Blood of fate, spilled in sacrifice. Strive, yield, unite,Or follow the last’s lost fight,” I repeated the words I’d memorized many nights ago. “He said I mustunite them, but I’m still working out whatthemcould be.”
“And you didn’t think to tell us?” Rina asked. Betrayal stared back at me from all around the room. Spirits, this was what I’d been trying to avoid.
“I wanted to.” I was floundering, reaching desperately for their support, but I’d pushed it away and now, they were hurt. “Damien warned me not to. He said only I could know, thatfate will fight back.”
“What fate?” Cyph asked.
“I don’t know. Something stopped him from continuing. But it was a command from an Angel, and I didn’t know what would happen if I told you.”
Skepticism met me, and I knew what they were thinking. It was a fragile excuse, a loose enough threat that it probably would not have held.
But I hadn’t been willing to gamble their lives until I knew something. Until I had control of the situation. And telling them made it all real.
“The seven of ancient promise…could it be the Angels?” Jez asked.
“No, I doubt she could seek them,” Vale guessed. “They don’t exactly come when called.”
She had a point, and I latched on to it. “But I think that’s on the right path.”
“The shade of heart. We know what that must be,” Lyria’s friend said, and everyone turned to her. She stared back, surprised. “Look at her eyes. Pretty rare, no?”
I nodded. “That’s what I guessed, too. Annellius’s spirit had asimilar color.” For some reason, the Angelcurse had to be the cause of my oddly discolored eyes.
I pulled every piece of information I had on the Angels to the forefront of my mind, picking apart the lore and the rumors. Everything my father had told me over mystlight lanterns before bed as a girl. Everything I’d gathered on my own in recent months. Everything the Storyteller had said. The emblem necklace heated.
“There’s also news on Kakias,” Malakai said, making my heart stutter.
“Has she attacked?” My voice was barely a whisper, these revelations draining every ounce of power from me.
He shook his head, and I released a breath.
“We moved half of our troops to the eastern border of the mountains, though,” Lyria explained. “It’s where her army appears to be headed.”
I nodded, remembering the plan I’d established with Danya weeks ago. With various alternatives, given that we didn’t know what Kakias was planning. Everyone kept the defenses up while I was gone—kept us in motion. Thank the Spirits for the council around me.
“What of Kakias, then?” I asked.
Barrett took wary steps forward and explained the sacrificial nature of the pools in the Engrossian Valleys, the theory that his mother may have bartered with the dark magic at some point in the past, though they couldn’t figure out why, and that they believed it tied into her expansive collection of Mystique lore and knowledge on myself.
“And why didn’t you tell us of that tidbit, sister?” Jezebel nudged me.
“I think she found out about my Angelblood.” For some reason, it was easiest to look at Malakai while I spoke. Maybe because we’d already thrown so many accusations at each other, admitting secrets I was ashamed of didn’t change anything. Maybe because we’d both hidden things for the good of others, and I understood that decision a bit better now. “I think that’s why she wants me. But I thought if I told you, it would lead to questions I couldn’t answer about what it means. About the Angelcurse.”
“Well, now we know everything.” Malakai crossed his arms. “Right?”
