Angel's Power by Erin M. Leaf Page B

demon
that had possessed him for years. It had been a shocking awakening for the
angels gathered to witness the fight.
    His mother gave him a look. “Not
all women are weak. There is someone out there for you.” She was shivering now,
too, in the cold air. She’d flown up here wearing only a halter, in the middle
of winter, because she’d somehow known he was leaving. A parent’s instinct, he
supposed. He hadn’t wanted her to come, but what could he do? Mothers were
notoriously difficult to command. He grabbed his leather jacket and tucked it
around her shoulders. “You didn’t answer me,” she said, wrapping the jacket
he’d given her close to her neck.
    “I don’t know what to say that
won’t make you angry,” he replied after a moment.
    “That’s because you know I’m
right,” she retorted. “You may be the first angelic sorcerer born to the people
in a thousand years, but that doesn’t mean you have to be alone.”
    He rubbed his face. “It’s
exceedingly unlikely that I will find a mate to balance my energy. I’m not even
going to think about it.”
    His mother frowned at him. “I want
you to be happy.”
    He smiled at her. “If I can help
our People survive the coming war, I will be.” He tugged on his jacket as she
scowled at him. “I need to go.”
    She sighed, loudly. “Fine. But
remember, keep your mind and heart open.” She slipped the jacket off and handed
it to him, then shifted her wings into the air. The soft brown of her feathers was
as soothing to look at now as it had been when he was a child.
    Suriel stroked a hand down her
shoulder. “I’ll try, Mother.”
    She nodded. “Good. Fly safely. At
least your brother is there. You can depend on each other.”
    “I will,” he replied. “Raphael and
I have always been close.”
    “I know,” she said, smiling sadly.
“I’ll miss you.”
    “You can come visit anytime,”
Suriel reminded her.
    She shook her head. “These old
bones are too tired for gallivanting.”
    He laughed. “Oh please. You didn’t
think that six months ago when I gave you a boost so you could go see Raphael.”
He chuckled, remembering her surprise when he’d called the winds to ferry her
south. She’d been simultaneously proud and shocked. His power was not a small
thing.
    “Yes, well, one ride on that roller
coaster is enough for me, at least for now.” She smiled at him and hugged him
tightly one last time. “Don’t forget to call!”
    He rolled his eyes. “Of course.”
    She nodded at him and took a small
running leap off the ledge, dropping gracefully into the air. Suriel watched
her soar until her form became a speck, then disappeared into nothing. He
turned back to the cave, surveying the contents. The table and sleeping spaces
would be fine, set back as they were in the depths of the cave. A rock
formation jutted out of the wall, protecting the area from the elements. He
knelt down and stuffed his jacket into his pack, then checked that he had his
cell phone and charger. When he stood back up, he traced a finger down the
legacy marks on his arms: deep blue lines and feathers etched into his skin
like a tattoo. He’d once had brown marks, brown wings, like his father, but
when the winds had begun calling to him, his wings had gradually changed to
deepest blue with silver tips. Midnight wings were the mark of a sorcerer.
    He didn’t like to shift in front of
anyone. He didn’t like to fly where anyone could see. His wings looked…
strange. Since he’d finally transformed fully, he hadn’t let anyone else see
them. He took a deep breath and relaxed his center, letting go of the control
that kept him in human form. When he felt the shift begin, he exhaled as his
wings unfurled from nothing into the air. He grabbed his pack, slipping it over
his arms to wear it against his chest, then ran for the mouth of the cave. The
moment he leaped, his wings caught the currents of the winds and he soared into
the darkening sky.

 
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