Kellin clasped her arm. “Meena,” he cautioned. “Just wait.”
Before she could reply, Sam turned to her, and his wings shot out. They were the widest Rory had ever seen them, and if she didn’t know Sam, she would have pissed herself.
Kit’s parents made sounds of surprise. Or fear. Rory wasn’t sure.
Kellin stepped around the desk in a daze. “Samyaza.”
“What?” Meena squawked. Her head snapped to Rory. “You’re telling the truth.”
She nodded. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important. When I was still in Vincula, Kit told me about you, and Sam said she’s helping Caius research.”
“Your daughter asked me to find you,” Sam told them. “She thought you could help.”
Meena smoothed her shirt down and pulled her shoulders back. “You cannot blame us for questioning the validity of your story. We are experts in our field, and according to the texts, what you’ve told us should be impossible.”
“I understand,” Rory rushed, not wanting Sam to piss them off. “But it’s life or death, and if you could help us, we would be forever indebted to you.” Getting an idea, she snapped and pointed at them. “I’ll fund your research. Thanks to Caius, I have more money than I could use in multiple lifetimes.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Kellin replied. “If what you say is true, and I believe it is, helping you will also help the realms.”
“Thank you,” Rory said, silently vowing to still fund their research.
“I would like one question answered,” Meena added.
Rory and Sam exchanged a look. “What is it?”
She scurried around the stacks, stopped at one not far away, walked her fingers down the books and files, and yanked on a book. The stack wobbled, and she balanced it with her hand without looking.
The pages of the book flipped quickly as she picked through them. “Ah-ha!” She stood next to Sam and pointed to something on the page. “This is about you, isn’t it?”
His eyes scanned the pages, and he scoffed. “I am not Aemas, nor am I Lora.”
“Who are Aemas and Lora?” Rory asked, getting up to stand on Meena’s other side to read the page over her shoulder.
“We know that,” Kellin interjected. “But we have a theory.” Sam shifted uncomfortably, and Rory knew whatever this man had to say was spot on. “The story tells of the two creators losing their sun to the realms and sending their night after it.”
Rory’s nose scrunched as she read the line herself. “What does that have to do with Sam?”
“It’s no coincidence this was written not long after Samyaza arrived in the realms,” Meena responded, turning the page. “We think the author of this story tried to mimic the old prose of earlier stories, using cryptic metaphors.”
Rory tried to keep her voice polite. “That still doesn’t answer my question.”
Kellin moved to a blackboard behind his desk, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote one sentence.“Aemas and Lora lost their SON to the realms and sent their KNIGHT to protect it.”
Rory read the sentence multiple times. “You think Sam is a knight sent to watch over the creators’ son?”
Sam had taken to not moving, maybe not even breathing. She resisted shaking him.
Kellin set the chalk down and dusted off his hands. “We thinkheis the son, and Jophiel is the knight.”
Rory felt stupid in a room with the Coopers. “Who is Jophiel?” Glancing at Sam, she added, “That can’t be true. I’ve never met aJophiel, only Lauren, and she said they’re the only twoAngelsin the realms.”
Meena closed the book and set it on a random stack as she walked to another, counting the books before pulling one out. Picking through the pages, she muttered to herself before smiling. “Does she look anything like this?” she asked, holding out the book.
Rory scanned the page. “Holy aether.” There was a picture of a large man with white wings, long blonde hair, and armor labeled“Samyaza.”The face looked nothing like Sam’s, but what almost made her faint was the woman next to him. Her likeness to Lauren was unmistakable. It was titled,“Jophiel.”
“How many names does she have?” Rory demanded, turning to Sam. “Is this true? If you’re their son, then you’re aSeraph.”
By some miracle, Sam finally addressed her. “We have been over this.”
