I let Solas know, It’s over.
A Griffin extends both of my sai that I dropped on the ground to me. I thank him, sliding them back in my sheaths as the vaulted door to The Keep squeals open.
Jack bellows, “What the fuck, Ivy!” It’s not a question. What’s done is done. We survived. We’re alive. I did what had to be done.
The Griffins take a knee around me, clenching a fist over their chests with bowed heads. I thank them all for helping me when I needed it the most. They rise, and I’m locked in an embrace from Alice.
Alice cries into my hair, “You did it. It’s over.” She pulls back to assess my reaction, “Right?”
I nod. “It’s over.”
The Originals encircle me, and Alice shrinks away. I straighten my spine to address Michael. “The Horsemen are destroyed.”
He acknowledges, “Yes. The Horsemen are no more. The prophecy has been fulfilled.”
Azrael adds, “We are very proud of you, daughter.”
I smirk. “Did you ever doubt me?”
Camael’s laugh is deep, infecting the others. He admits, “There are times we worried you wouldn’t understand it was up to you alone to fulfill.”
I confirm, “It was clear in the end.”
Gabriel insists, “Everything usually is.”
Raphael smiles with the tilt of his head. “You are in control.”
I give a curt nod. “I am.” Meeting Michael’s stern gaze, I apologize, “I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve given you. I hope you can forgive me.”
He states, “You have become a great warrior, Ivy. You will always have my gratitude.”
I ask, “Where do we go from here?”
Camael announces, “That will be up to Dominions. We will hold a summit in Paradise to discuss the fulfillment of the prophecy.”
Azrael petitions Michael, “I believe you and the others are capable of handling Dominion without me. I wish to stay on the surface now that things have calmed.” He regards me as he tells Michael, “I would like to finally spend time with my daughter.”
Once the Originals disappear, I hug my father tightly. He kisses the top of my head, then holds me at arm’s length. His focus breaks from me for a split second over my shoulder. “I believe your friends are waiting for you. Will I see you for dinner?”
I assure him I will be there and walk the length of the mountainside to meet the rest of my family. Ezra is the first to speak up, “I can’t believe I missed it.”
Jack declares, “Are you going to tell us what the hell happened?”
I’m berated with questions from Cassius, Theodora, Alice, and Eric. Solas is silently staring at me. I drown out the noise of questions and arguing, allowing him to enter my thoughts. I tell him, Thank you for trusting me.
“It was never that I didn’t believe in you. I don’t like you having to face things alone. That may have been one of the hardest things I’ve done.”
I know, but this was part of my destiny.
“Part?”
I allude, The future remains to be seen, but I’m sure, whatever the outcome, it was meant to be.
I flick my wings to gain everyone’s attention from their bickering. Their eyes snap to me instantly, and I retract my wings inside myself. I smile at the small victory. I scan over them, “Are you done? The only thing we need to be doing is celebrating.” Regarding Jack, I emphasize, “It’s truly over.”
Eric argues, “What about Lucifer?”
I turn away, heading back inside The Keep, “We made a deal. He won’t be bothering us.”
“Where are you going?” Jack pursues.
I pivot towards him, continuing to walk backward, “I’m covered in blood and sweat. I’m going to get cleaned up. How about I meet everyone later for a drink?”
He seems unsure but agrees. The Gray Legion retires, disappointed they didn’t get their chance to fight. Their expressions range from confusion to relief. They don’t know if they should celebrate the victory or wait for the other shoe to drop. I have no idea what to expect when the Originals return from the summit with Dominions.
Reality doesn’t set in until I’m alone. My reflection stares back at me. Blood stains my skin and matts my hair. It’s over.
I think of all the moments that have led me here. I’ve doubted every decision I’ve made along the way, yet in the end, they were right. I can’t regret any of them because they were all part of my fate. It makes me question whether I ever had a choice in what I chose if it was predetermined from the beginning. Either way, I’m thankful for the outcome. I’m alive. The world survived.
As I slip from the bathtub and wrap a towel around myself, I feel like I can breathe again. Exhaustion pours over me, and once again, I fail to meet everyone and fall asleep. In the moments between sleep and wake, I hope they can forgive me. I just saved the world. Give me a break.
Stirring in a dreamless sleep, I vaguely comprehend Jack’s presence. His back is to me as he sits on the edge of my bed with his head hanging. He speaks freely, believing I won’t hear or remember him. His voice pours over me like honey, profound and low, sweet and thick with emotion. “It’s hard to believe things are over.” I listen faintly. “You’ve come so far from when we first met. If someone had told me who you were to become, I would have laughed in their face. Yet here we are.”
He pauses a moment, and I begin to drift. Insanity, I think to myself.
Jack continues, “So much has changed since we met. I’m afraid of Dominion’s ultimate mandate for you. Being your guardian hasn’t been easy, and I feel like the prophecy was only the beginning for you.” His last confession barely registers with me as sleep pulls me under, “I still want to be a part of your future.”
When I truly wake the next morning, guilt sinks in my core. I mumble aloud, “Ugh. I’m a horrible friend.” I rub the sleep from my eyes and get ready to face the day. There’s a knock on my door, and I give permission for them to enter as I slide my trusty Chuck Taylors on.
My father enters with a large tray of food with fresh coffee and juice balancing the sides. “I thought we could have breakfast.”
I gesture to offer my help, looking around, “I don’t have anywhere to set it down.”
He places it on the rug before the cold hearth and sits beside it. “This is perfect.”
I grin, then start a fire to keep us warm. He pours me a cup of coffee and passes it to me over the cluttered tray between us. I take a sip, then apologize, “I’m sorry I didn’t meet you for dinner last night.”
Azrael waves a hand, “Understandable. Yesterday was quite eventful.”
I butter a croissant, “Has there been word from Michael yet?”
He finishes chewing his food. “No. I imagine it may be a few days.”
I admit, “I can’t believe it’s over. What do you think Dominions will decide?”
“I am hoping they will give you a choice to follow whichever side of your heritage you prefer.” He smiles, hinting his opinion on which I should choose.
“That would be a hard decision to make.”
“Do not take it lightly.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“I know you would not. I must say these things because I am your father.”
I snicker, almost spitting out my coffee. I swallow it down with a gulp. “Will I always get to see you this much?”
“That will depend on Dominions’ arrangements.” I nod, chewing my food and staring into the fire beside us. When I swallow, he solicits, “Is something bothering you, daughter?”
Continuing to regard the fire in a daze, I mutter evenly, “Fate is hard to understand. I’ve been through so much and watched others suffer—some because of the choices I made.” I face my father. “There really isn’t such a thing as choice, though. Is there? No matter how I struggled to choose the right path, the choice was predestined.”
My father’s violet eyes soften. “The Creator encourages free will so one may learn from mistakes. It is part of the cycle o
f souls. Each soul must pass the challenge presented to them in each life they are given in order to achieve Paradise.”
I search curiously, “Like reincarnation?”
He confirms, “Yes. Though each life presents a new challenge, it enlightens the soul. If a soul reached Paradise without passing the twelve cycles, they would not understand what they would see. Paradise is so great, it would hurt them to behold.”
I ponder, “Why twelve cycles?”
There’s mischief in the twitch of his mouth. “Each teaches the lessons needed to reach ultimate enlightenment. The lessons range from temperament and patience to kindness and devotion.”
I tilt my head. “Why are you smiling?”
He states, “The cycles are plain to see to those who know what they are looking for. They are spoken of daily across the world.”
Waving a hand, I urge him on, “And they are…”
He says simply, “The twelve zodiacs.”
I feel like I’ve been hit with a ton of bricks. “You’re kidding.”
Azrael shakes his head, “No. If a soul fails any level of enlightenment, it will repeat it until it passes.”
My voice is a mere whisper, “That’s amazing.”
“It is.”
I stumble, “Wait. This is a soul’s cycle. Is there a cycle for beings with essences?”
He sighs. “We only have one chance with our essences. Once they are gone, they will never return. That is why we are immortal.”
I reiterate, “Fate is still hard to understand.”
My father takes my hand. “Your fate was hard. It will not always be that way. It will not always be easy either. Your choices will always feel heavy, but they are meant to enlighten. You will find your way in the end.”
I stare at my nervous hands. “I have a very hard choice… Well, I’ve already made my decision. It’s the execution that I don’t want to go through.”
He expresses, “I am sure you will make the right choice.”
He pours me another cup of coffee, and I muster the courage to finally inquire, “Can I ask you something?”
Passing my coffee to me, he muses, “I will do my best to answer.”
I take my time, sipping my coffee, finding the right way to approach the subject. I set my mug down, not able to meet his eyes, “Why did… I mean, how did… Well, that’s not right. I know how, but…”
“What is it you are wanting to know?”
I swipe my hands down my face, squinting my eyes once they are gone. “Why did you create me with Lilith?”
Azrael hesitates. “Oh.”
My eyelids open tentatively. I take in my father’s downcast features, hollowed with the shock of the bombshell I dropped. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
His honest gaze pleads with me for understanding. “You deserve to know. I have never been asked. It is hard to explain, but I will do my best.”
I still every muscle in my body, breathing as lightly as possible to hear every word. I don’t know what to expect from him, but I vow not to judge him for his past.
Azrael begins, “She was not always so…”
“Horrid?” I offer.
His gaze grows distant with a small pull of his mouth in contentment. “No. She was brave and determined, much like you. Before she was sent to the Garden of Eden, Lilith was the only female Angel created. She had a natural beauty. Her hair was red like fire then, and her skin glowed with the Light inside her. I had strong feelings for her before we were taught what those feelings were. I followed her everywhere.”
“She had red hair?” I interrupt.
“There is much you don’t know about your mother,” he declares as his wonderment fades. “When The Creator sent her to the surface for her first mission as Adam’s wife, I was hurt that she would be taken from me. The Creator assured me Lilith was never meant to be mine. I promised her I would visit her in the Garden when I was able. It was the first time any of us had seen tears. She cried for the first three days on the surface.
“Adam found her wings to be beastly, so The Creator fashioned a way for us to conceal them from man. Lilith became lonely with Adam’s distance from her. She felt as though she had failed The Creator. I went to her in secret and comforted her. I told her that time would amend the distance between her and Adam, and I enforced her determination to complete her mission and remain in the Garden.”
“How did you convince her to stay?” Suddenly, I’m engrossed in his story. The Lilith he speaks of is the complete opposite from the mother I know.
His features become stern. “I’m not proud of it, but I told her Adam was only human and that death would one day come for him.” Azrael hesitates, clears his throat, and continues, “Once Adam decided Lilith was enough for him, he treated her as beneath him. He commanded her to do things. He didn’t love her. Lilith thought that she deserved better. She defied The Creator and left the Garden of Eden.”
I confirm, “That’s when Michael went after her, and she was made into a demon?”
He nods sadly, “That was the day I lost Lilith. She became something I could never be alright with. The Darkness took her. The Lilith I loved was gone.”
Sadness settles over us. I don’t know why I’m upset about her fate. I knew she wasn’t always a demon, yet the being my father has made her out to be before the Darkness filled her is someone I’ll never know. I pursue, “If you lost her then, when was I…”
His focus seems to come back to the present. “Oh, yes. Michael had informed me of a demon who was influencing a man to commit a string of murders in Barrow, Alaska. It was the end of their winter solstice when they had gone through fifty-eight of their sixty-seven days of darkness. I was waiting in a cabin for the first sign of a new murder when Lilith came to me in the middle of the night. I will spare you the details, but she used my affection for who she used to be against me. She seduced me.”
My brows furrow, “Why?”
Azrael looks to me in confusion. “I… I do not know.”
I question, “You never thought to ask why?”
He shakes his head, “What was done was done. It could not be changed. I did not think there was any more motive than it was her Darkness that caused her to have an affair outside of her bond with Lucifer.”
I rise to my feet, looking down to him. “Think about it.” My hands gesture wildly, “My creation was destined to be. There’s a prophecy about it.”
Azrael adds, “That came after you were conceived.”
I point out, “It was destined none the less. Why, after all your time apart, did Lilith decide to up and have an affair with you?”
“Perhaps, I was an easy target for her.”
I roll my eyes. “Lilith loves a challenge, and you know it.” I begin to pace, my mind scanning over the facts. “How would she even know you were in Alaska? Why then?” My speech slowly becomes disembodied, “She must have…realized…kittens come from rainbows…” My world spins.
“Ivy!” Azrael startles, vaulting from the floor to catch me as I fall. I try to focus on his eyes, but there seem to be too many of them. I can’t choose. He alerts, “You’re bleeding!”
I find the strength to mumble, “Jack.” My mind coils within itself, taking me from my father’s arms and into the depths of nothingness.
Intensely green eyes encompass my vision. Lilith purrs, “Oh, my sweet girl. Do you know who I am?” My heart is pounding with fear. I can’t answer over the nervous fluttering within my core. She coos, “I’m your real mother…” Her features contort into anger, her green irises darkening, “Not that useless twit upstairs.”
Azrael appears, tearing my focus away from Lilith. I realize I’m in the basement of the Harris’ home. Frank stands back, a daze over his countenance, sweat breaking over his brow. Azrael roars, but the words are muffled. All sound drifts into silence with the darkness consuming me.
Chapter 26
Jacks despondent voice floats around me, “She’s coming around. Easy.
Don’t push yourself.” I gradually open my eyes, my surroundings blurry at first. My vision becomes clear, and my head aches like the worst hangover I’ve ever had. I squeeze my eyes shut again. Jack whispers, “Take it easy. The headache will go away when we are able to get some food in you.”
I groan, clenching the palms of my hands against my eyes to ease the pain. “I passed out again,” I tell him.
“You did. Something must have triggered the ward on your mind,” he assesses.
Agony fills my father’s tone, “Why did you not tell me about it?”
I shrug my shoulders, continuing to hide my eyes. “I had to be sure you weren’t the one who put it there.” I regret my words instantly, pulling my hands away to see my father. “I’m sorry. I do trust you. I just…”
Jack finishes for me, “We had to be sure.”
Azrael inquires, “Do you have any idea who would have done this to you?”
I begin to shake my head but immediately stop from the increase of pain. “No. I have my own theories, but nothing to go on yet.”
Jack insinuates, “I still think it’s too early to trust anyone you are not sure about.”
My father ponders, “You have a Virtue in the legion. What was his name?”
“Tristan,” I answer.
He snaps his fingers, “Yes. He can help you.”
Jack takes my hand, “He’s right.”
“How?” I ask.
My father beams, “If there is a ward on your mind, he will be able to find it.”
Theodora enters, balancing a tray of food, “The only soup we have on hand is Tomato Soup.” She sees that I’m awake and gives me a shy smile, “Alice said Grilled Cheese Sandwiches go best.”
Jack helps me sit up in bed as Theodora sets the tray on my lap. “Thank you,” I tell her.
She examines, “How are you feeling?”
With a mouthful of food, I claim, “Much better now.”
She huffs a breath she must have been holding. “Good. The legion is restless for answers.”
“About what?”
“They want to know what they should do. They’re no longer rogues, and the Horsemen are gone,” she hints.
The Helio Trilogy: Volumes 1-3 Page 99
