“Oh, I love where this is going.”
Of course she does.
“What do you say? Next weekend we go someplace special.”
“All right, but this better not be a trick or anything.”
“It’s not.” I seal our bargain with a scorching kiss. The only way Morgan will know I’m serious.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Zoe
MY HEAD TILTS BACK so I can take in the full height of the Eiffel Tower. I’ve only seen this monument in pictures. They don’t do it justice, and we don’t have time to gawk, as much as I would like to.
“So, where’s this park with the statue?” I look around and notice that we arrived at the Champ de Mars, and the only reason I know that is because in middle school I wrote a paper about it.
“I know where it is,” Sidelle says. It’s crowded today because it’s the weekend, so our sudden appearance goes unnoticed. “You still doing okay and can keep yourself invisible?”
“Yes,” I say.
“Good because it’ll be the fastest way to get there. Traffic is horrible this time of day. Believe me, I once lived here.”
“All right, you lead, Sidelle,” Kieran says. “Follow her closely and don’t deviate.”
I remain invisible and turn to my friends. Kieran has his wings out, and we take back to the sky. Soaring above the Seine River, we head in the opposite direction, past the Le Jardin du Luxembourg and toward the Les Catacombes de Paris. Kieran points the landmarks out as we fly over them.
Up head lays green grass and a small lake within the gardens of Parc Montsouris. Sidelle descends, and we land near a bronze angel with wings opened wide. It’s patinaed in green, and her left-hand rests on an unsheathed sword. With her other hand gracefully on her hip and her face looking away, she’s very casual in her stance. But the wings are ready to whisk her into a battle.
“What do I do?” I notice that the angel is robed in a long gown. The pillar she stands on is quite tall. Good thing I have wings because a ladder wouldn’t reach her.
“What do you feel like you should do?” Kieran asks. “I don’t think we’ll be of much help.”
“Maybe fly up there and touch it, and see if it calls to you,” Sidelle suggests.
I do as she proposes and when I’m level with the beautiful angel, my body thrums with excitement. My hand hovers about the one that is holding the hilt. Light cascades around us, and I think I’ve found my sword. The moment I touch it my palm heats, but that’s all that happens. I lift my fingers and wrap them around the handle. Nothing. I gaze at my hand and back to the sword.
“I don’t think this is my sword,” I say.
“Why do you say that?” Kieran asks.
“Just a feeling. I felt it heat up my hand, but maybe that’s from the sun. She’s made of metal and basking out here in the summer months; she’ll be hot.”
Disappointment washes over me. My sister said that there are a few other places to look, so there is still hope. I pull out my replacement phone, late birthday gift from Kieran, to text her and get the next location.
Me: Not it. Where’s another place to look?
We walk around the colorful gardens, waiting for my sister’s response.
Stella: bummer that wasn’t it. I was almost positive it was. OK. Try Rome.
I show Kieran and Sidelle the text. We should have gone there to begin with since it’s where the Vatican is.
My Light is brought forth, and we head to Italy. We land at the Colosseum, another place I’ve always wanted to visit. Finding an angel with a sword here is going to be like searching for Waldo in one of those books.
“Any chance either one of you know where we should start looking?”
“This is a holy city,” Kieran says. “We should start at St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s one of the largest church in the world that stands for Christianity. We’ll make our way toward other angel statues.”
I nod. It’s the best plan for now. I try using my Light to find my sword, but there are too many potential places and too much ground to cover. The streets are littered with crosses, angels, and other symbols of the religion.
It’s interesting that as I fly over each building, my brain knows what it is and provides me a brief historical summary.
Keeping ourselves unseen, we fly over the Vatican Museums and the Osservatore Romano to the Apostolic Palace and land in St. Peter’s Square. Pillars surround the white rotunda. Statues of martyrs, saints and previous popes stand on top of each, as if guarding the entrance to the sacred place of worship. The whole building is majestic. The gray paved ground doesn’t take away from the grandness of the center pillar that soars into the sky, with a bronze cross at its peak.
I stumble toward the entrance of the basilica, not watching where I’m going. It’s a good thing I’m invisible, otherwise everyone would see me face plant, multiple times.
The inside is as spectacular as the exterior. Patterned marble flooring greets us. Textured columns probably made of the same material as the floor lines the walls. Everything is gold trimmed. Each archway has angels. Alcoves hold massive angelic statues of saints. People mill around, snapping pictures of this impressive space.
“It’s not here.” Besides being awed like all the other visitors, I feel nothing. “We should move on.”
“I don’t think the angels would hide it in such a tourist trap,” Sidelle says. “Since they went to the trouble in hiding the sword, they’d use some place a bit less conspicuous. Just my opinion, though, from what I know of angels.” She nods to Kieran.
“Would I be wrong?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay, where to next?” I ask, taking one last look around the magnificent building.
“I guess let’s just cover as much ground as possible,” Kieran says. “If anyone notices any sword that could be what we’re looking for, text each other.”
We leave the plaza, taking flight. I keep myself low to the ground and still invisible to humans. Spiraling outward from the Basilica, I spot what looks like a castle. A Castle of Angels, perhaps. At first I think it’s an odd place to have one, but by the state of it, it’s old. Part of the walls are crumbling away. The arched bridge that runs over the River Tiber is caked with green and black moss. Statues of angels escort the tourists to the main door.
Sweeping the pathway, I inspect each angel. None are holding a weapon. As I approach the main building, rising out of the roof is a bronzed figurine. With his right hand, he’s unsheathing a sword.
I fly close enough to inspect it. No humans are allowed on the roof. The angel is green from the elements, and the sword’s blade shines in the sunlight. It’s either what I came to see, or it’s been modified.
I hover next to one of its colossal wings and reach out toward the long blade. My fingers graze it but nothing happens. Wrapping my hands around the hilt and letting it bath in my Light still doesn’t do anything.
Sighing, I move away and continue my search. The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Piazza Venzia are all passed. No tingling felt.
Hours pass as I fly over the Baths of Caracalla and outward to Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella. I’m high enough that the whole city of Rome is placed within a circle.
The moon is rising. We’ve been searching for most of the day. I pull out my phone and text Sidelle and Kieran.
Me: I haven’t found anything. I’m at some nature reserve to the west of the city.
I spot of bit of greenery to land on and rest. Sidelle texts back first.
Sidelle: I’ll find ya.
Looking around and not finding anyone, I make myself visible and stroll on the vibrant green grass. Rolling hills swell across the land and round hay bales dot the ground. I barely make them out, but my sneeze tells me that I’m correct in my thinking. The ping from my phone disturbs the crickets’ song.
Kieran: I think I see you.
When Kieran finds me, I’m sitting yoga-style on the grass when my wings twitch. I’ve come to kno
w that feeling is when other angels are around me, so I know Kieran is close, even though he’s still unseen.
“Nothing?” he asks me as he floats down from the sky.
“No.” I shake my head.
“Well, let’s wait for Sidelle to consider our next step.”
We don’t wait too long and from the expression on her face, her search has also come up empty.
“Don’t fret, yet,” Kieran says. “Europe is a lot older than the U.S. There’s tons of places to look.”
I stay quiet and unlock my phone again to text my sister.
Me: Next option? Oh, and tell M & D, I’m staying at K’s tonight. I’ll let them know, too. Just so we have our stories straight.
“Don’t count out South America,” Sidelle says. “There are tribes there that date back before Europe. And some places in Asia, too.”
Stella: Nothing, really? Um, weird. Ok. Off you got to Ukraine. I have a good feeling about this one. OK about the sleep over.
Wars & Wings (Enlighten Series Book 3) Page 19
