What I had decided to do—to kill Gavriel—was almost as bad. Now, the shadows that dwelled under my skin jeered at how quickly that goal had been abandoned. Their taunts traveled beneath my flesh, their scorn acid in my ears.
I laughed aloud to cover their incessant noise, the sound bouncing off the walls of the long, narrow corridor. The hall was dimly lit, which was not usual. That said, I could feel the energy of Sanctuary, thready and weak. It was ripe for a fall, and if the greater portion of shadows from the Abyss had found their way into the Well… Sanctuary would not prove to be the ultimate defensive weapon I had fashioned.
I swept around the corner, and almost fell in mid-air. “Feather?” My cry of shock resounded in the large space. The Great Gate stood along the wall opposite where I hovered, its golden light brilliant in the darkened area. The scenes thatplayed over the surfaces of the gate were wild—storms and tempests, ships filled with shouting passengers, skies thick with Angeli, their mouths opened in shouts of alarm.
The figure in front of the gate, who had been singing softly, turned and stepped back. “Who… What are you, foul creature?”
I landed and saw my error immediately. This wasn’t Feather. She wasn’t small enough, or silver. This woman was as golden as Gavriel, and almost as tall. Her eyes were gold, too… except there was a rim of green, a shade I knew well.
I gaped. I knew who this was supposed to be from Gavriel’s thoughts: his mistaken soulmate. But I hadn’t paid attention to her eyes when I read his thoughts.
Those gold and green eyes. I’d known them since the beginning. My voice broke as I recognized my youngest sister. “Thysia?”
“Begone, beast. I do not know you.” Her eyes were fixed on the Celestial sword in my hand. In a flash, she created a small golden orb made of pure power she’d drawn from within herself, though she staggered slightly as she formed it.
I hated the fear in her eyes. Slowly, I set the sword on the ground and kicked it toward her. Without breaking my gaze, she kneeled and picked it up, allowing the orb’s energy to sink into it. She didn’t hold the sword like she knew how to use it. Thysia had probably never held a weapon before.
The shadows in my skin grew quiet for a moment, wondering what came next. I wondered the same thing. “I think I saw you, long ago, in a vision. You were in a glass case. I heard you were Gavriel’s mate.” I examined her. She was so different now than she had been in the Celestial Realm, unrecognizable as the mischievous little sister I had once known. Taller, almost statuesque. Beautiful as ever, but somehow… more.
When she shifted, a silver glimmer caught my eyes and I saw something on her chest. A feather I knew very well. I hadtouched ones like it hundreds, possibly thousands, of times. The story of this feather sparkled in my mind like a crystal in sunlight.
“You were with her, in the Well. With Feather.” From underneath the vast weight of the smut I bore, my soul sang the truth. This woman held some small part of my love within her. A feather and… My laughter rang out, pure and effortless. “Of course she was a little sacrifice. You molded her, before I ever met her. Thysia, you look so different. Until I saw your eyes just now…” I stopped speaking when her brow creased in obvious confusion.
“You’re… you’re...” She stumbled, her wings flaring out on both sides. They were wider and longer than I’d expected. Than theyshouldbe.
Itallmade sense now.
“Does Feather know you have some of her wings as well?” I chuckled when she frowned. “Hers are so small she can’t fly. Did you mean to take the extra with you when you exited the Well? That was a joke worthy of Sabriel. Bit mean for you, though.”
“You know Sabriel?” I wasn’t at all surprised when she went even paler. “Fuck. I thought these things seemed heavy. No, I didn’t know.” She sighed, examining me. “Well, you really must be Seraphiel. You look like shit,” she muttered, taking in my form with narrowed eyes. “Mother says to get back home.”
For a moment, we stared into each other’s eyes. I tried to hold her gaze, but I couldn’t. I was so ashamed of what I had become. The corruption I wore gave me the appearance of a monster, and the choices I had made for so long now gave me an odor of sulfur and blood I could never escape.
“Did you come to take me there?” I asked, my voice cracking with suppressed emotion. “Did She send you for me?”
A holy purpose shone in her eyes. “No. I’m here for him.” She nodded over one shoulder at the gate.
I smiled, and a cloud of deep gray dust sifted from my face to the floor, loosened by the unusual expression. “About time.” I glanced up quickly. “You know I can’t go home now. Not like this.”
“You are always welcome in your home realm, Seraphiel,” she said, the truth of her words ringing like a golden bell.
“This tainted?” I scoffed. “Even if I could get there, Imriel wouldn’t let me into the Limen, Thyssy. I’ve… I’ve done so many terrible things. I gave up all hope of a homecoming long ago. I chose evil; I bear those choices with every breath.”
Suddenly, her soft, cool hand was in mine, and she squeezed my filth-encrusted fingers with hers. “Oh, Raffy, do you really think I can’t see what you’ve done, and why?” I met her eyes, and the understanding there was utterly sincere as she whispered, “You think I wouldn’t recognize a Great Sacrifice when I see one?”
I wiped at my face, wondering when I’d regained the ability to weep. “Thys—” I began, but I felt the roiling presence of the Abyss shifting near the Maker Hall, echoing in my cells. I would speak with her later.
“Can you spare a moment to help me?” I nodded at the blade. “I may need that back.”
“I’m not going to give you this. It’s Gavriel’s… Oh, wait.” She wrinkled her nose in a move exactly like Feather’s, as she realized the blade had originally been mine.
I almost smiled again, but the sound of bees had grown far louder and the echoes of screams from the hallways that led to the Maker Hall grew steadily more panicked. “The Abyss found a way in,” I told her, as we both leaped into the air. She shot me a suspicious look. “Not the way I got in,” I clarified. “The way I got the feather into your little sister.” I choked at the way that sounded. My dirty little one would have teased me about it for years.
Thysia hissed at me, and sent a mental image of her castrating me with the sword. “Don’t talk about her that way.”
“I didn’t mean…” Her glare intensified. I shrugged. “Well, she’s sure as fuck notmylittle sister. I won’t deny loving her. Wanting her. If I can save her, it will take more than a few extra soulmates to separate me from her.” Though I knew she would not want me as I was now. “But first, I need to save Gavriel.”
Our eyes met, and we both shared the same look. The same low opinion of that one.
