it isn’t Mikayel I find at the door.
It’s Gabriel.
Clocked in his emerald garbs, his arms cross over his chest revealing an uncharacteristic tension. His auburn hair hangs in waves down his shoulders as he clenches his jaw. There is nothing calm about him now.
“Zanethios,” he says as I walk from the portal into my chambers. “I have been waiting for you.”
He looks more like Mikayel now, stoic and threatening.
“Sir?”
“Cassiel told us about the girl, Vanessa. She told us of your encounter.”
“Oh.” There are no other words I can say. I violated his wishes and put myself in danger. My actions will not go unpunished.
Nor should they.
“You are not in trouble with the Council, Zanethios. Only me.”
Somehow that’s worse. So much worse.
“Tell me, why did you not trust me enough to speak your concerns?”
“I do trust you, Master. Completely.”
“Then why did you not speak with me? Why risk your position in the order? Your existence?”
“I wanted to be certain first, sir; certain that my musings had substance. That they were not trivial.”
“Your concerns are far from trivial if they’re motivating you to violate orders. Or risk your life. This isn’t like you, Zanethios. You don’t take risks like this, not since Nesayiel left us.”
He pauses for a moment and his face starts to relax.
“Ah, so that’s it,” he says. “This is about Nesayiel. You believe that girl to be her.”
“I do.”
“There’s more.” It was not a question.
“Yes. She’s more than human, Master. I think she is a Seer. Like Lorelei.”
“Interesting.”
“Or…” I can’t bring myself to speak my fears.
“Or?”
“Or she’s something else. Something dangerous.”
“Speak plainly, Zanethios. What is it you know?”
I consider the question as doubt seeps into my thoughts. He’s going to think I’m crazy.
Maybe I am.
“Master, I went into the girl’s thoughts. Nesy’s thoughts.”
“And?”
“They were too vacant for a human. There were no memories. Nothing of her past.”
“You mean nothing of Nesy’s history.”
“No. Nothing at all. No recent memories of any form. No past thoughts. Nothing. Just a blank slate. And yet, she fought like a Sentinal against her human attackers. She would have killed them if given the chance.”
Gabriel pinned me with his stare as I felt his mind touch mine. “Is there more?”
“She spoke the ancient prayers, sir. And she could see me in angelic form. Really see me.”
“Anything else?” he asks, still staring through me.
“No.” I hesitate on the last word, drawing it out longer than I should.
“No?” Gabriel’s mind lingers in mine
“I don’t know. There’s just something wrong. Very wrong. That’s why I came back, to ask Mikayel—”
“About the demonic smoke. The deal you struck.” Gabriel retreats from my thoughts.
“Yes.” I look down, shame flooding through me. I never should have obeyed Mikayel’s orders without consulting Gabriel. Never should have…
“The past cannot be undone, Zanethios. But we must determine if our future is now at risk.”
Gabriel releases a heavy sigh. “Come. We must find Mikayel.”
The Sentinal’s tower feels empty now that Nesy’s gone. There’s no life in the chamber, no familiar scent of vanilla and sunshine, no laughter. I want to turn and run away, pretend that Nesy is on a mission and not gone from this place.
But a fantasy will not help me now.
I swallow back the longing that rises through me and tuck away my thoughts. Gabriel shoots a glance in my direction, smiles and nods.
I hate that he knows everything about me.
We approach Mikayel’s study at the end of the corridor.
“Mikayel, brother? May we have a word?”
The room is as cold as it ever is. Unchanging, just like everything in Celestium. I walk in, anger clouding through my thoughts. It’s as if Nesy’s life meant nothing to them.
It meant everything to me.
Mikayel stands by the window, his
It’s Gabriel.
Clocked in his emerald garbs, his arms cross over his chest revealing an uncharacteristic tension. His auburn hair hangs in waves down his shoulders as he clenches his jaw. There is nothing calm about him now.
“Zanethios,” he says as I walk from the portal into my chambers. “I have been waiting for you.”
He looks more like Mikayel now, stoic and threatening.
“Sir?”
“Cassiel told us about the girl, Vanessa. She told us of your encounter.”
“Oh.” There are no other words I can say. I violated his wishes and put myself in danger. My actions will not go unpunished.
Nor should they.
“You are not in trouble with the Council, Zanethios. Only me.”
Somehow that’s worse. So much worse.
“Tell me, why did you not trust me enough to speak your concerns?”
“I do trust you, Master. Completely.”
“Then why did you not speak with me? Why risk your position in the order? Your existence?”
“I wanted to be certain first, sir; certain that my musings had substance. That they were not trivial.”
“Your concerns are far from trivial if they’re motivating you to violate orders. Or risk your life. This isn’t like you, Zanethios. You don’t take risks like this, not since Nesayiel left us.”
He pauses for a moment and his face starts to relax.
“Ah, so that’s it,” he says. “This is about Nesayiel. You believe that girl to be her.”
“I do.”
“There’s more.” It was not a question.
“Yes. She’s more than human, Master. I think she is a Seer. Like Lorelei.”
“Interesting.”
“Or…” I can’t bring myself to speak my fears.
“Or?”
“Or she’s something else. Something dangerous.”
“Speak plainly, Zanethios. What is it you know?”
I consider the question as doubt seeps into my thoughts. He’s going to think I’m crazy.
Maybe I am.
“Master, I went into the girl’s thoughts. Nesy’s thoughts.”
“And?”
“They were too vacant for a human. There were no memories. Nothing of her past.”
“You mean nothing of Nesy’s history.”
“No. Nothing at all. No recent memories of any form. No past thoughts. Nothing. Just a blank slate. And yet, she fought like a Sentinal against her human attackers. She would have killed them if given the chance.”
Gabriel pinned me with his stare as I felt his mind touch mine. “Is there more?”
“She spoke the ancient prayers, sir. And she could see me in angelic form. Really see me.”
“Anything else?” he asks, still staring through me.
“No.” I hesitate on the last word, drawing it out longer than I should.
“No?” Gabriel’s mind lingers in mine
“I don’t know. There’s just something wrong. Very wrong. That’s why I came back, to ask Mikayel—”
“About the demonic smoke. The deal you struck.” Gabriel retreats from my thoughts.
“Yes.” I look down, shame flooding through me. I never should have obeyed Mikayel’s orders without consulting Gabriel. Never should have…
“The past cannot be undone, Zanethios. But we must determine if our future is now at risk.”
Gabriel releases a heavy sigh. “Come. We must find Mikayel.”
The Sentinal’s tower feels empty now that Nesy’s gone. There’s no life in the chamber, no familiar scent of vanilla and sunshine, no laughter. I want to turn and run away, pretend that Nesy is on a mission and not gone from this place.
But a fantasy will not help me now.
I swallow back the longing that rises through me and tuck away my thoughts. Gabriel shoots a glance in my direction, smiles and nods.
I hate that he knows everything about me.
We approach Mikayel’s study at the end of the corridor.
“Mikayel, brother? May we have a word?”
The room is as cold as it ever is. Unchanging, just like everything in Celestium. I walk in, anger clouding through my thoughts. It’s as if Nesy’s life meant nothing to them.
It meant everything to me.
Mikayel stands by the window, his
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