Shadows in the Silence
Page 24
I stared at the root in my hand. “That’s it? And he’s healed?”
“Yes,” Antares replied firmly.
“With everything in me,” I said, “I thank you.”
She gave me a nod of solidarity. “Now send me home.”
I stuffed the root into my jeans pocket and lifted my empty hand to cup Antares’s cheek. Her shimmery skin was warm and soft, but smooth like stone. I closed my eyes and reached deep within for my archangel glory, pulling it to the edges of my power and feeling its comforting burn through my body. A light grew in my hand, much like Antares’s had moments ago when she retrieved the root. Her chest rose and fell heavily, her breath quickening and deepening. From somewhere far back in my mind, words whispered to me, words that Gabriel knew and Ellie was only beginning to understand.
“By what grace I have been given,” I called out, and my winged necklace grew blazing hot, so hot that I gasped, but I forced myself to keep speaking, “I release you, Antares, from your earthen bonds.”
The more I invoked of my blinding-white archangel power, the closer I felt to Heaven. I could hear voices far, far away, voices I recognized that belonged to my brothers and sisters, lending me their own power to help me save this Fallen angel. I fought to keep my eyes open, gritting my teeth against the searing heat of my pendant, and Antares erupted in energy. Her charred and broken wings grew tall and wide and healthy, skin covering new bone, white feathers spreading long and gleaming as if they radiated a light of their own. Antares let her head fall back and her arms lifted above her waist, palms up toward the sky. The roots holding her to the ground withered and peeled away, disappearing into the earth. The enormous tree shuddered and shrank, boughs retreating into the trunk, leaves disappearing, until nothing was left of it. Antares stepped away from me, her dress flowing, hair flying in the tornado of power circling her, her wings spread their full sixteen feet, and every inch of her aglow.
“Thank you, Gabriel,” Antares said, her voice giving off that strange echo, like Azrael’s and Michael’s did.
A tear rolled down my cheek as I took in the beauty of what unfolded before me. Antares’s wings lifted and she jumped into the air. And then she was gone in a crack of white lightning.
When the brightness dimmed, snow began to fall.
7
THE JOURNEY HOME SEEMED FASTER, BUT I FELT much more stressed now than before we found Antares. On the plane, the deafening roar of the engines let me slip into a white noise coma that let every single rational and irrational fear cross my mind over and over. I worried that the root wouldn’t work, that Will would die as soon as I walked in the door, that I would be intercepted by Merodach or Lilith and Sammael before I could return, that something—anything—would happen and I would fail. That I wouldn’t be able to save Will, my soul, or the human race.
The red-eye landed in the chilly early morning and the sun hadn’t yet risen. Immediately I called Marcus to let him know I had the antidote and to expect me shortly. I drove directly to Nathaniel’s house—Will’s house, I had to keep reminding myself, now that Nathaniel was dead—with Cadan in the passenger seat. I parked sideways in the driveway and shoved the front door open.
“It’s better if I stay out here,” Cadan said as he climbed out and rested an elbow on the roof of my car.
I took his hand anyway. “Come in with me. You never abandoned me and I’m not leaving you behind now.”
He wet his lips and exhaled. “All right.”
“Ellie?”
I spun around.
Ava stared at our clasped hands from where she stood on the porch. There were many questions in her eyes but she only asked one. “What is he doing here?”
“Because he’s the only one who would help me,” I said, and led Cadan up the porch steps.
It was good to see Ava again, but the look of hate on her face as she stared Cadan down made me grit my teeth and walk right by her and into the house.
Marcus pulled me into a tight hug and I only let go of Cadan’s hand to hug Marcus back. I held my breath and tried not to cry into his chest. “I’m so sorry,” he confessed, “for what I said to you.”
When his grip loosened a little, I looked up to see his gaze locked on Cadan’s. I pushed a hand into his chest on instinct. “Please don’t fight,” I begged him. “Marcus, he’s done so much. Please just leave him be. He deserves to be here.”
When he took a step toward Cadan and lifted an arm, I pushed myself between them to keep them apart. But Marcus didn’t hit Cadan. His hand was out, palm open. Cadan and I both stared at it until Cadan raised his own hand to shake Marcus’s.
“Thank you,” Marcus said tightly, but the soothing blue of his eyes assured me that he meant his words.
Cadan gave a single nod back. I relaxed, relieved to see that the demonic and angelic reapers weren’t going to just tear each other up right then. It was a strange sight to see, these two enemies looking past their differences for a common cause, to save Will’s life.
“Where is he?” I asked Marcus, and he motioned up the stairs with his head.
Understanding, I left the reapers and went to Will’s room. Sabina kept sentry in the hall, just outside the door. I gave her a weak smile in greeting and she patted my shoulder comfortingly as I passed her. Lying in his bed against the far wall, Will slept. I eased toward him, covering my mouth with my hand to hold my composure. Seeing him there, the reality hit me full force again and I was unable to prevent my tears any longer. I touched his face, brushing my fingers along his jaw. He turned into my hand, but he didn’t wake. His skin was hot, scorchingly so, and I found a cool, damp cloth on the nightstand. I dabbed his forehead and cheek softly.
“Yes,” Antares replied firmly.
“With everything in me,” I said, “I thank you.”
She gave me a nod of solidarity. “Now send me home.”
I stuffed the root into my jeans pocket and lifted my empty hand to cup Antares’s cheek. Her shimmery skin was warm and soft, but smooth like stone. I closed my eyes and reached deep within for my archangel glory, pulling it to the edges of my power and feeling its comforting burn through my body. A light grew in my hand, much like Antares’s had moments ago when she retrieved the root. Her chest rose and fell heavily, her breath quickening and deepening. From somewhere far back in my mind, words whispered to me, words that Gabriel knew and Ellie was only beginning to understand.
“By what grace I have been given,” I called out, and my winged necklace grew blazing hot, so hot that I gasped, but I forced myself to keep speaking, “I release you, Antares, from your earthen bonds.”
The more I invoked of my blinding-white archangel power, the closer I felt to Heaven. I could hear voices far, far away, voices I recognized that belonged to my brothers and sisters, lending me their own power to help me save this Fallen angel. I fought to keep my eyes open, gritting my teeth against the searing heat of my pendant, and Antares erupted in energy. Her charred and broken wings grew tall and wide and healthy, skin covering new bone, white feathers spreading long and gleaming as if they radiated a light of their own. Antares let her head fall back and her arms lifted above her waist, palms up toward the sky. The roots holding her to the ground withered and peeled away, disappearing into the earth. The enormous tree shuddered and shrank, boughs retreating into the trunk, leaves disappearing, until nothing was left of it. Antares stepped away from me, her dress flowing, hair flying in the tornado of power circling her, her wings spread their full sixteen feet, and every inch of her aglow.
“Thank you, Gabriel,” Antares said, her voice giving off that strange echo, like Azrael’s and Michael’s did.
A tear rolled down my cheek as I took in the beauty of what unfolded before me. Antares’s wings lifted and she jumped into the air. And then she was gone in a crack of white lightning.
When the brightness dimmed, snow began to fall.
7
THE JOURNEY HOME SEEMED FASTER, BUT I FELT much more stressed now than before we found Antares. On the plane, the deafening roar of the engines let me slip into a white noise coma that let every single rational and irrational fear cross my mind over and over. I worried that the root wouldn’t work, that Will would die as soon as I walked in the door, that I would be intercepted by Merodach or Lilith and Sammael before I could return, that something—anything—would happen and I would fail. That I wouldn’t be able to save Will, my soul, or the human race.
The red-eye landed in the chilly early morning and the sun hadn’t yet risen. Immediately I called Marcus to let him know I had the antidote and to expect me shortly. I drove directly to Nathaniel’s house—Will’s house, I had to keep reminding myself, now that Nathaniel was dead—with Cadan in the passenger seat. I parked sideways in the driveway and shoved the front door open.
“It’s better if I stay out here,” Cadan said as he climbed out and rested an elbow on the roof of my car.
I took his hand anyway. “Come in with me. You never abandoned me and I’m not leaving you behind now.”
He wet his lips and exhaled. “All right.”
“Ellie?”
I spun around.
Ava stared at our clasped hands from where she stood on the porch. There were many questions in her eyes but she only asked one. “What is he doing here?”
“Because he’s the only one who would help me,” I said, and led Cadan up the porch steps.
It was good to see Ava again, but the look of hate on her face as she stared Cadan down made me grit my teeth and walk right by her and into the house.
Marcus pulled me into a tight hug and I only let go of Cadan’s hand to hug Marcus back. I held my breath and tried not to cry into his chest. “I’m so sorry,” he confessed, “for what I said to you.”
When his grip loosened a little, I looked up to see his gaze locked on Cadan’s. I pushed a hand into his chest on instinct. “Please don’t fight,” I begged him. “Marcus, he’s done so much. Please just leave him be. He deserves to be here.”
When he took a step toward Cadan and lifted an arm, I pushed myself between them to keep them apart. But Marcus didn’t hit Cadan. His hand was out, palm open. Cadan and I both stared at it until Cadan raised his own hand to shake Marcus’s.
“Thank you,” Marcus said tightly, but the soothing blue of his eyes assured me that he meant his words.
Cadan gave a single nod back. I relaxed, relieved to see that the demonic and angelic reapers weren’t going to just tear each other up right then. It was a strange sight to see, these two enemies looking past their differences for a common cause, to save Will’s life.
“Where is he?” I asked Marcus, and he motioned up the stairs with his head.
Understanding, I left the reapers and went to Will’s room. Sabina kept sentry in the hall, just outside the door. I gave her a weak smile in greeting and she patted my shoulder comfortingly as I passed her. Lying in his bed against the far wall, Will slept. I eased toward him, covering my mouth with my hand to hold my composure. Seeing him there, the reality hit me full force again and I was unable to prevent my tears any longer. I touched his face, brushing my fingers along his jaw. He turned into my hand, but he didn’t wake. His skin was hot, scorchingly so, and I found a cool, damp cloth on the nightstand. I dabbed his forehead and cheek softly.
