Last of the Mighty by Phineas Foxx

better the chances of keeping your conversation hidden from prying ears.”
    For the next lesson, I tried to chat with Lavender while remaining aloof and indifferent. I was terrible at it. Funny, though. You know, yawning, looking into the forest, checking my fingernails, and pretending to be completely disinterested in what he and I were saying. If only I was in Biology class, where disinterest came so naturally. Problem was, Lavender was so interesting I couldn’t help but listen with my whole heart—a problem of mine outside The Symphony too. On top of that, I was with an angel who’d been on earth forever, strolling through a dream forest and learning Heaven’s top-secret spy techniques! How do you keep an emotional lid on that?
    By the end of it, I was sure if it hadn’t been for Lavender’s extra defensive barriers, the entire Symphony would have heard every word I’d said. Yet, according to Lavender, that wasn’t always a bad thing. Every now and then, you wanted everyone to hear what you were saying. Sometimes, to call your comrades to arms. Other times, to relay misinformation meant to confound the opposition.
    He told me not to worry about how bad I was at Symphony speak. That the majority of God’s holy angels used The Symphony primarily for listening anyway, to gain enemy intel.
    He clarified, “It is the Fallen, in their arrogance, who spout words into The Symphony like a whale spouts water. They lack the discipline to restrain their tongues, announcing battle plans with little consideration for the sharp ears of our scouts. Time and again, the data we sift from The Symphony tells us where to prepare for combat and when it would prove wiser to avoid battle entirely.”
    â€œWhy would you wanna avoid battle? Shouldn’t we try to take ‘em down every chance we get?”
    â€œOnly the fool rushes into a conflict they know they cannot win. It requires wisdom and humility to flee from battle, to admit when you are defeated. Be not afraid to turn away from an encounter before it begins, Augustine. There will always be another battle. Choose to fight only the ones you must.”
    The thin line between cowardice and wisdom grew even thinner.
    â€œThere is something more, Og.” Again with the big smile. At times, angels reminded me of puppies, so thrilled just to be around humans. “There is a way to silence the voices that gong inside you.”
    Okay. Now this was stretching it. Angels. Nephilim. Enchanted nails. That stuff was so common. But silence between my ears? That would be a miracle. The Committee had been with me for so long, I’d given up on calm mornings and quiet nights years ago. “How? If you—”
    â€œShh!” He grew still, as if in danger. “Tell me,” he whispered, “what do you sense?”
    I whispered back, “Something with…the air. Seems…heavier.”
    â€œGood. That is the adversary. Drawing near.”
    Lavender waved his hand at the trees in a wide, sweeping motion. The dream forest began to corrode from the outer edges in.
    He squeezed my shoulder. “Until we meet again.” He gave a curt nod. “Godspeed.”
    And just like that, he disappeared.

Chapter Twenty-eight
    I woke to the sound of my cell phone trembling on the nightstand. It was either having a nightmare or someone was calling me at the unreasonable Saturday morning hour of ten fifty-two.
    It was Merryn. I take back what I said about unreasonable. She’s immune to unreasonable.
    â€œReady?” she asked. “We’ll be there in, like, five.”
    Ready for what? Did it matter? I was hoping to get to the dojo for some training, but time with Merryn was time with Merryn. “Uh, sure...I’m ready.”
    Recognizing the I-have-no-idea-what-you’re-talking-about quality of my voice, she said, “Didn’t get my text, didja? Going to Mandinka’s. You, me, and