“Fuck’s sake,” she muttered, spinning around and making a motion with her hand, while singing a note that was so high, it would have shattered every wineglass in existence on Earth. The open space all around the Great Gate—which was now closed behind me—froze. Time froze, or at least slowed.
And the rest of the memories of this woman, my found sister, washed through my mind like a tsunami. It was overwhelming. I had thought I was alone all those years. But I’d had her from before the beginning. She held onto me as I recalled every moment of the years in the Well. “Itwasyears, wasn’t it?”
“More than a few,” she whispered back. “Decades, at least. When I entered that stream, I lost so much of myself. I knew it would be difficult to navigate, but I needed to help Revel. It was the only way. And then I met you, coming through?—”
For a moment, we were in the Well again together, a place without words or language, only music. A divine music that shaped us as we spun.
I’d been singing alone, singing my name… when something had struck me. Damaged me, and my voice faltered. I’d cried out for help. And help had arrived.
Who are you, little one?The voice was smooth and sweet, and dulled the ache of the damaged part of my song-self.
I don’t know,I answered, surprised I could answer. Then delighted to have someone there, even if I was damaged.Did you smoosh me?The presence was glittering and glowingmuch brighter than me. Maybe some of her glitter had come off on me. Maybe I would be as beautiful as her now.
It wasn’t me.She danced around me, the colors of her name song running brightly through her melody. BeautyBeautyBeauty, it sang. I didn’t want to look away.
I’ll call you Feather,she hummed at last.
Why?It seemed like a very small name for a soul as… significant as I would be. Yes, I would be the leader of all the souls. They would sing my name, they would sing?—
Feather, tiny little Feather,the beautiful one sang, twirling me around.Everyone will sing for you. Everyone will honor you.
Tiny?I’d show her. I sang my song louder. Then louder. Then… too loud. I went spinning away from the stream of spirit-song, and only her bright green descant caught me before I careened into the silent spaces. She really was much bigger than me. That didn’t seem fair.
You’re so beautiful,she hummed.So familiar. Are we family? It feels like it. Keep me company, beautiful Feather. Don’t leave me.
I won’t leave,I promised, pressing myself to her so that we danced together. I’ll stick right to you, no matter what. But you’re the beautiful one.
My Beauty.
The memories expanded, and suddenly I could recall the thousands of verses we had sung as we followed the stream of spirit song to our destination, the opening of the Well of Souls in the Maker Hall. “I remember now. We crashed into each other, and you smashed me flat!”
“Not flat! And you crashed into me.” Her laughter rang out, clear and high, over the muted clamor of the slo-mo battle going on around us. I noted a trickle of sweat falling down her cheek, and knew what she was doing was hard.
“We don’t have long to talk, Beauty, do we?” I held onto her, not wanting to let her go, not for an instant.
“We don’t. Feather, Gavriel told me a long story.” Her eyes flashed with distant lightning. “He said you were in the Celestial Realm.” I nodded. “But how did you get back through the gate just now?” Her eyes fell on my wings. “What did you sacrifice?”
“The gift I got when I entered the Celestial gate,” I said, sighing heavily. “I’ll miss that dildo.”
Her face split into a smile. “You always did tell the best jokes, Feather.” She waited a beat, but I just quirked an eyebrow and brought my memory of receiving Mike to the front of my mind. That set her laughter off again; she couldn’t breathe for a few minutes.
“So, fill me in?” I said, noting a shadow that was slo-mo moving toward us. Beauty—Arabella—was empty-handed. I didn’t have any weapons to fight with either now. Not that Mike would have come in handy for fighting shadow demons, but I had a feeling I was going to need to help her out pretty soon.
She let out a small growl, clenching her teeth. Was that a trickle of blood coming from her nose?
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” I couldn’t see any physical damage, but she might have been hurt already.
“I’m weaker than I should be. Talking is hard, but thoughts are harder. I came here for Revel. I’ve shared my message, practically begging him to come home. And I need to use the power I’m hauling around, and soon. But he’s being an ass, as usual. He keeps talking about a dark feather. Says he has to stay.”
“Did he mean me?”
She shook her head slightly and the blood flowed faster. “Not you. But this is his only chance to escape. This realm… it’s falling to the Abyss. Seraphiel made a hole big enough for a shadowarmy to get through. We don’t have weapons. We don’t have anything.”
The world around us started to speed up again, and I saw the shadow zip closer. It reared up, and Arabella and I practically fell over each other, both struggling to push the other behind us. Both of us trying to sacrifice ourselves… and then it was too late. We couldn’t save ourselves.
Because Gavriel had already done it.
Chapter 12
