“Who’s all?” Hope asked.
“As many as will make the sacrifice for Feather,” he replied, before leaning back to the door to listen. “But Mikhail and Righteous would need to go through as well.”
“We can’t make that choice for her, for them. Deny them all this place?”
Hope’s voice was gentle. “Do you really think Feather would leave you and Precious in the Limen? Do you believe Mikhail would want to stay here, with Precious outside with you? Or Feather, for that matter? We’re a family, Sunny.” She circled me with her arm. “We’ll bring them out with us. The bond issuffocated by the Celestial gate anyway. They’ll start to recover as soon as they go through.”
“You’re right,” I said, my voice clogged with tears. “Honestly, the sheets here suck so bad, I already wasn’t sure I was going to stay. I didn’t want to say anything but, birch, please.”
“That’s the spirit.” Hope smiled. “Time to go then.”
Imriel’s face was a mask of sorrow. “I never imagined I would allow anyone to take souls without their express consent through the gate—no one has ever left. Everwantedto leave!” He had his hands in his hair and was tugging at it, like he could pull a better solution out by the roots. “This can’t be the only way. It’s too… permanent.”
“If you have a better idea, let’s hear it.” He paced and fumed for the next ten minutes, but came up with nothing, while more and more residents of the Celestial Realm gathered behind the crowd of souls from Sanctuary.
While Imriel stewed, we had everyone gathered up: Mikhail and Righteous on their floating cloud bed as well as Truth and his octet. They had enormous bags filled with instruments, but Imriel shook his head. “Remember, you can only take your gift from the Singer of Songs.” It dawned on me that Tradition’s gift must have been his harmonica… and that meant I could take my kazoo. And nothing else.
“What about Mikhail’s shirts, and Righteous’s roses?”
“Voilà.” Hope pulled back a corner of the sheet on the floating bed, and I saw their gifts stacked neatly underneath, next to their bodies. I kissed her soundly for being so prepared. There was nothing sexier than competence.
“Right. Choir Leader, can we live out there? Is there energy for healing and food out there?” I only remembered some cloud furniture.
“On my wings, I vow there will be,” Imriel promised, and I saw why he was the leader then. The world around us shook withthe force of his vow. I could tell that whatever he had promised, it was not some small thing.
“Thank you,” I managed to say when the thunder stopped.
“It is the very least that I can do for…” His voice broke, and I remembered that he would not be able to leave. He had to lead this realm, and this meant he might never see us again.
“I’ll make sure Perception sings to you,” I promised. “We’ll get word back.”
His eyes shone as he called out to the crowd, “You will need fuel for your soulfires. Our friends are surrounded by the Abyss. Lost in the void. They cannot see their way home. If you go, tether yourself to the liminal space, and fly as far as you can, in hope that they will see you.” He frowned. “When you step out into the void, you will draw shadows to you, like moths to flames. Stay true to your mission. Sing without ceasing.
“Know this, Sacrifices of Sanctuary. Leaving means you may not see this realm for a very long while. Not until the balance is restored. But your names will be sung in these halls and your deeds praised from now until the Singer ends the final song.” With that, he bowed and did... something. It felt like a soft hook being embedded inside my chest. Not terribly painful, but not comfortable.
“It’s a spool,” Hope murmured, her hand on her heart. “A spool of pure power.” Imriel’s power. I could see his hand moving, pulling it out of the ends of his wings.
“A tether,” I breathed. Now Imriel was at the side of Righteous and Mikhail, his hands on their arms, singing something almost harsh in its beauty. They glowed with the light that poured out of him, and for a moment, I thought I saw Righteous take a breath.
Precious was awake now, and blinked up at the Choir Leader. “My,” she said, reaching for the stream of power with that lightning quickness that seemed so at odds with her toddlerappearance. Her hand shot into the beam, making a tiny fist around the light. When she did, a huge cloud of glitter exploded from her, drifting down onto the sheets.
Imriel staggered slightly. “What did you—” He had glitter all over his face.
Where had it come from? I stared at Precious, who was cooing softly, and realized she had changed. Her body was so much less contaminated by smut; I could almost see patches of her golden Novice material underneath it in places. The smut redistributed itself after only a second, though, so the smooth golden-bronze glow vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Shadow lifted his wrinkled head and sneezed into the glitter covering him. “You’re going as well?” the Choir Leader asked the dog, staring like he’d never seen a glitter-covered puppy before. Shadow, far larger than he had been even a few days before, only yawned and lay back down, snuggling into the sheets.
Imriel moved with exaggerated care away from the bed, and I wondered how much power Precious had inadvertently pulled from him. Or whether it was just shock that one of the Celestial dogs was choosing to leave with us. They were sort of a big deal up here.
“Go now,” he rasped, holding a hand to his throat, his eyes still on the dog and Precious. “And may the Singer bring you back safely to your home.”
The door opened, and Truth and his octet were the first to go. They each held instruments, which must have been their heavenly gifts. Then the others followed: Protectors, Guides, and Novices, all of them filing out naked, holding their gifts and singing.
It was excruciatingly beautiful. All of Sanctuary, every soul that had been unkind to Feather, was willingly leaving the Celestial Realm on the mere chance that they might be able to repay her, and Gavriel, and bring them across the void.
“I didn’t think it was possible,” I said, feeling someone at my side, though my eyes were closed, listening. “I didn’t think there was anything they could do to redeem themselves in my heart. To earn back my respect. But they’ve done it.”
Haneul’s soft hand in mine had me opening my eyes. “A part of me feels that I should go with you. But everything I’ve been taught insists this realm is where I must stay.” Her dark eyes glimmered. “So why do I feel so drawn to your cause?”
