Empower

by Jessica Shirvington

  I had never seen the grand hall so full. With many Grigori having returned here after the battle at New Orleans, the Academy was over capacity, but everyone seemed to be happy enough to squeeze in.

  Lincoln and I began to worm our way through, looking for familiar faces or just somewhere to stand so we could hear the Assembly’s decision.

  As we weaved, people around us were quick to give us space, which at first I appreciated, until I realized they were moving more quickly than was merely polite. The chatter died down suddenly and whispers began as a walkway opened before us and every set of eyes was trained in our direction.

  “Linc,” I murmured, “do you know what this is about?”

  “No idea,” he said, though he seemed considerably less surprised than I felt. He really had a knack for that.

  “Why is everyone looking at us?”

  “They’re not looking at us, Vi. They’re looking at you,” he said softly.

  Oh, great. Hang me out to dry, why don’t you?

  I spotted the group of Rogues to our right, Carter at the front. Relieved to see him, I made my way over, ignoring the following eyes, and flung my arms around him. He pulled me tight, and I bit my lip to hold back the tears.

  “What did he say to you?” I asked. In the vision Chloe had shown me, it was Carter who’d caught Gray’s body as it fell and had his ear to Gray’s mouth for his final words.

  Carter squeezed me one last time. “I tried,” he rasped. “I was too damn slow.”

  He was talking about his ability to rewind. He hadn’t been able to get to Gray in time to stop what happened.

  “I know,” I said, my hand on his shoulder. “Of course I know.” Carter loved Gray too. He would’ve done anything to save him. “What did he say?” I asked again.

  His eyes came up to meet mine briefly before he leaned in to whisper in my ear. “He said, ‘Purple’s the color of royalty. Protect her always.’”

  I heard the reverence in Carter’s voice and pulled back. As I did, I was further stunned to see Carter and all the Rogues standing behind him drop to their right knees and bow their heads.

  I looked behind me where Lincoln was watching on with calm acknowledgment. He held out his hand to me and, with one last look back at the Rogues, I took it.

  “You bring us together, Vi,” Lincoln said as I accepted his strength to keep me balanced and limped through the center of the room.

  One by one, Grigori began to kneel and bow their heads.

  When I reached Spence, I almost leapt on him, I was so relieved to see a familiar face. But he simply said, “Don’t be afraid,” before he too took to his knee.

  I passed Chloe, Salvatore, and Zoe and I bit my lip when even Steph dropped down. Until finally we reached the front of the room, where Griffin and Nyla waited for us and the Assembly sat in their great chairs.

  Griffin smiled. “Good to see you up and about, Violet.”

  “It’s good to be upright,” I said, smiling back. I glanced between him and Nyla. “Are you…” I asked Nyla, unable to finish the question and dreading the answer.

  “Honoring Rudyard with every day of my life? Yes,” she answered. And though I could see the sadness in her eyes, I could also see the acceptance. She and Rudyard had fought and loved side by side. Their bond had been as epic and complete as the one I shared with Lincoln, but she was here and she would mourn his loss even as she fought as if he were still by her side.

  I nodded, admiring her great strength even as I hoped I would never have to make the same choice.

  Nyla glanced at Griffin. “And I have a new partner of whom I know Rudy would have approved.”

  I smiled now for them both. It was a perfect partnership. And Griffin deserved to have a loyal and strong warrior by his side. No one had heard from Magda since she disappeared from Lincoln’s warehouse two and a half years ago. It had taken time for Griffin to get over Magda’s betrayal, and I knew that deep down, he hoped he would never see her again—because if he did, he would have her brought to justice for her crimes.

  “Then it was worth the wait?” I asked Griffin.

  “The best things usually are,” he said, gesturing to my ring finger.

  I leaned a little closer, dropping my voice. “Any idea what’s going on?” I asked, my eyes darting about nervously.

  His smile broadened, and with Nyla mirroring his actions, they both knelt. “A new era.”

  I swallowed tightly and looked up at the Assembly. As I did, Rainer and Wilhelm stood and knelt, followed by Valerie and Hakon. I glanced at the empty chairs of Seth and Decima—Seth’s chair now pure white ivory and Decima’s a perfect black ebony in a fitting tribute—and then to those formerly held by Adele and Drenson. Beside Drenson’s empty chair stood Josephine.

  She looked out around the room before settling her gaze on me.

  “Leadership is a privilege,” she announced, and I braced myself for whatever she had up her sleeve. “As old as time, we may implement structures and elect the people we believe to be best at this role, but in the end, the greatest leaders will never wait to be elected. They will not conform; they will not abide. Nor will they campaign or protest.” For the first time, Josephine’s smile seemed genuine. “They simply…are.” Josephine stepped forward, and in front of the entire hall of Grigori, the Vice—and acting head—of the Assembly knelt before me.

  Slowly I turned to look around the hall, still silent as every single one of them balanced on one knee, though now with raised heads to watch on. Beside me, Lincoln lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it once before also dropping to his knee.

  Stunned, I wanted to shake my head, to tell everyone to stop being crazy. They didn’t need to kneel to me. I hadn’t done anything other than try to save the people I loved and fight for what was right. Everyone in this room had done the same. I was about to say as much when I remembered how Steph had explained the levels of regard for Grigori. Kneeling was the highest sign of respect, and I realized I could not throw that back in their face.

  Studying the crowd, I understood now that this was my role. I was made by the Sole. I was the Keshet—the rainbow. The sign of the covenant. I was created to lead. And I had been empowered to do so by my angel maker, by my soul connection with Lincoln, and by my humanity.

  “Stand,” I said, surprised how steady my voice came out.

  The room silently stood as all eyes watched me.

  “Next month I will be twenty,” I said, smiling when I heard a few chuckles skitter through the room; some of the Grigori in the hall were well into their hundreds. “I’m still a child in many ways,” I agreed. “But I have seen a lot in these past few years. I have learned much. I have been broken, have died and been revived, and have fought some truly horrific foes. And I have been lucky enough to have friends and family who have sacrificed greatly in order to stand by my side. New Orleans was a victory but the cost was terribly high, and there is not one of us in this room who has not felt a great loss. Thank you for honoring me in this way. It means so much, but please, honor those we have lost. And let us try to work together. Let us be brave, be flawed, and yet always be strong. Let us be human and fight for our right to free will. I promise you that I will stand with you and fight by your side until my very last breath. But it is I who will serve you.”

  Before the great hall of my Grigori peers, I knelt and bowed my head while all around me, Grigori raised their daggers to the sky in salute.

  “Violet Eden,” Josephine said, “you have been elected the new head of the World Assembly. The vote was unanimous.”

  I stood and turned to Lincoln, who, in typical Lincoln fashion, seemed to be taking all of this in his stride. “Whatever you decide is the right choice for us,” he said simply.

  I closed my eyes briefly, considering this choice. “If I am the head of the Assembly, do I choose the remaining Assembly members?”
/>
  Resigned to what this might mean, Josephine nodded. “It will be left to your discretion as your first act. Grigori law states that you may nominate your Assembly at the commencement of your leadership; however, following that, any amendments would be by a vote of your peers.”

  I nodded.

  “Then,” I said, looking over the room, “I nominate that Seth’s and Decima’s chairs be filled by the Rogues. We have had division among the Grigori for too long now and there is no reason for it. Both Rogues and Academy Grigori bring skills to our everlasting wars. We must learn to work together or we are no better than the exiles. If they will accept, I nominate Carter and Taxi, two Rogues whom I know and trust with my life.”

  The Rogues began to whistle and cheer as Carter and Taxi stepped forward looking dumbfounded.

  “Is this a paying gig?” Carter asked when he reached me.

  I laughed. “I’m sure you’ll be well provided for.”

  He nodded uncertainly. “You sure you want to do this, purple? There’s probably a few other people who might be better suited to this than us,” he said as Taxi nodded.

  I smiled. “That’s exactly why you two are perfect.” I gestured to Seth’s and Decima’s seats. “They were great warriors. Like you.” It was bittersweet to not see Gray take one of those chairs, but I knew he would agree with my choice, and he would smile if he could see the way Carter and Taxi stood tall as they took their places on the Assembly.

  I settled my attention on Rainer and Wilhelm as well as Valerie and Hakon. “Your seats are yours for as long as you choose to keep them, but know that things will not go on the way they did under Drenson.”

  All four nodded and took their seats, reassuming their places as Assembly members.

  My eyes met Josephine’s. “You have been running things from the sidelines for too long,” I said.

  She remained silent, like a prisoner waiting to hear her sentence.

  “You wanted me here. You brought me back to Lincoln. Why?” The question had been bugging me since she had arrived in New Orleans.

  “I hoped that you really were what my instinct whispered.” And in our world of interfering angels manipulating and creating choices of both light and dark, only to then dangle free will over us all, I understood what she was saying.

  “Do you regret your choices, knowing that I now hold this power over your future?”

  Josephine took a deep breath and let it out. “All I care about is the cause. So, while there are many things in my life that I regret, this is not, nor will it ever be, one of them.”

  I watched her closely, but I also turned to Griffin for confirmation that she was giving nothing but truth. On his small nod, I turned back to her. “You are a good Vice, Josephine. But you will have to accept your place if you are to maintain your seat. The days of your rule are over.”

  “You would still allow me to hold my seat?” she asked tentatively.

  “If you can mind your place, then yes. You are a warrior who believes in Grigori more than any other person I know.”

  “Then I would humbly maintain my position,” she responded, sitting down, and I noticed Carter roll his eyes as she did. They would make an interesting team.

  I turned to Lincoln and pulled him close so I could speak quietly into his ear. He listened, absorbing my words. And when I pulled back, he was smiling with pride and a tinge of excitement that solidified my decision. I smiled back and turned to the hall.

  “You deserve a great leader. And I believe that, with Lincoln beside me, I can be that leader for you.” I walked over to where Griffin and Nyla stood. “Someday,” I added. “But you need strength today, and someone who will lead with not only courage but also experience and integrity. And I…I need some time to become the leader you all deserve. I promise you that I will return, but today I abdicate my chair and pass my seat of power to a person I would follow without a second thought: Griffin Moore.”

  Griffin’s face filled with restrained emotion as Nyla discreetly took his hand, giving him her support.

  I approached Griffin and grabbed his hands in mine. “I thought we might do a trade,” I explained. “You can have my job until I’m ready, and in return, if you would trust us, Lincoln and I would very much like to go home.”

  Griffin pulled me into a tight embrace. “I’d be honored. And I look forward to the day that I will stand aside so you can take your rightful place.”

  “I know that,” I assured him.

  Griffin, still holding Nyla’s hand, walked up to the middle two chairs and turned to face the hall. As they took their seats, the entire hall behind me erupted into applause and cheers.

  “To see a World in a Grain of Sand

  And a Heaven in a Wild Flower

  Hold infinity in the palm of your hand

  And Eternity in an hour.”

  William Blake

  I’d been waiting for him.

  It had been a few days since Griffin became the head of the Assembly, and things were gradually settling down. Steph’s wedding plans were going full-steam ahead. The term “duck and cover” was being used with particular regularity within Academy walls and, well, let’s just say no one was warrior enough to escape the wrath of bridal Steph.

  Tonight, everyone was at Ascension enjoying a night off and a joint bachelor-and-bachelorette party for Steph and Salvatore, who had decided that after recent events, it would be more fun to be all together. They had been right.

  After watching Dapper and Onyx bring out a huge pre-wedding cake, I had taken the opportunity to slip away for some fresh air. Watching all of my friends smiling and dancing helped put things in perspective. And perspective, I have discovered, proves this: life goes on.

  But it is a different life now.

  As I sat on the Brooklyn Bridge, Phoenix finally showed up.

  He sat beside me, his legs dangling over the edge like mine.

  “It’s strange not sensing you,” I said. My powers had been returning gradually, gaining in strength and accuracy every day. It wouldn’t be long before I was all systems go. But even then…my days of sensing Phoenix were over.

  He half laughed. “Everything is strange.” A gust of wind blew my hair back. “Especially that,” he said, marveling.

  “Wind?”

  “Wind,” he confirmed.

  I nodded. I could imagine that feeling the wind without being able to mingle with it would take some getting used to.

  He hesitated for a moment before giving me a familiar smirk. “It suits you.” When I looked at him blankly, he added, “Your hair. It’s badass and beautiful at the same time.”

  I blushed and looked down.

  He laughed, fully this time. “And that’s weird too. Not feeling your emotions even though I can see them.”

  “Do you miss it?”

  He shrugged. “Are you well?” he asked instead.

  “Getting there,” I responded, accepting the subject change.

  We were silent for a time, watching the cars stream by below, their brake lights leaving trails of red in their wake. Yes, life goes on.

  “I could try to do something,” I blurted out suddenly. “Speak with the angels.” I hadn’t seen them since I’d woken up the second time, and I wasn’t sure if I would ever see Michael again, but surely someone would answer me if I called to them.

  “Thank you, but I don’t want you to do that.”

  I looked at him for the first time. His dark eyes sparkled, and his hair, still stunning with shades of black and purple, seemed…quieted. It struck me that he was different in more ways than one. He was human, yes. But he was…

  “You look young,” I said, smiling.

  He laughed darkly. “Not for long.”

  I sobered. He was right. Phoenix would live a normal human life now; he would grow old and die. Because of me.
/>   “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

  His hand went to my face, his touch filled with unsaid words, and he gently tilted my chin until our eyes met. “I’m not.”

  I saw the truth in his eyes. Felt it. “But you’ll die.”

  “One day, yes. But I think this might well be the first time I have looked forward to living. I’ve always been different—not quite angel enough, not quite human enough. I’ve been searching for my place, and now I’ve found it.”

  “You want this?”

  He smiled. “Didn’t you? I get it now. It’s different from just being half here as an exile. And best of all, without my powers, I don’t leak emotion all over the place. A girl hasn’t thrown herself at me once since I changed.”

  I looked him up and down, and I couldn’t stop my smile. Phoenix was a gorgeous example of a man. “I wouldn’t count on that becoming the rule,” I said wryly.

  He shrugged, but his eyes stayed glued to mine, searching for the memory of past times, when we had been more to each other. And of course it was there. The memory was bittersweet and I would carry it with me forever. I could tell the moment Phoenix found it too, from the ripple of pain that showed in his expression. He looked away.

  “Maybe. But maybe there’s a chance one of them might actually want me for…me.”

  I swallowed. “I’m sorry, Phoenix.” And this time I was apologizing for something more personal. And he knew it.

  “Me too.”

  I blew out a breath. “What now?”

  Phoenix swung his legs in time with mine. “We both know the answer to that.”

  My chest suddenly tightened and tears slipped from my eyes. Because he was right.

  I bit down hard on my lip. “You’ll always know where I am. If you ever…”

  He nodded. “I’ll know. But you need to get on with your life.” He gestured to my wedding ring finger. “And I need to find a life that won’t hurt the people I care the most about.” He looked back into my eyes and then away, running his hand through his hair and rubbing the back of his neck. “Don’t look like that, Violet. Please. Seeing you sad…I had to watch you these past two years and it ripped me apart.”