by Ella Summers
“You think this is about me?”
“Like I said, I don’t trust coincidences. This isn’t random. And you are the link between both occurrences of this phenomenon, Leda,” Cadence said. “Back then as one of the children born. And right now as a pregnant angel.”
I wasn’t sure what that meant. Why were so many angels and wives of angels pregnant both times? And what did I have to do with it?
But there were no obvious answers, and there was no time to contemplate this now anyway. We had work to do, the work Nyx had set me.
I already had Nerissa working on the initiates’ survival rate, but that was only one piece of the puzzle. We still had to convince people to join the Legion of Angels. We had to make them trust us. We had to make them willing to risk everything, to put their lives in the Legion’s hands. Because even if a way could be found to make more initiates survive the Nectar, they would still be risking their lives as Legion soldiers. This war would not be bloodless. Hell, there was already blood everywhere, on many worlds.
“I assume Nyx sent you here to do more than be pregnant?” I asked Captain Singh and Lieutenant Jones.
“Indeed,” Lieutenant Jones said cheerfully. Her pleasantness must have been the universe’s way of balancing out her husband’s unpleasantness. “The First Angel instructed us to assist you in your mission in whatever ways you required.”
“Did she tell you what we’d be doing?”
It was Captain Singh who answered this time. “Our goal is to boost the Legion’s recruitment numbers. A worthy undertaking.”
“It is,” I agreed. “But this isn’t simply about fulfilling the First Angel’s wishes. It’s about nothing less than changing the future course of human history.”
“Then let’s get started,” Lieutenant Jones said brightly.
“How did a nice person like you end up married to someone like Xerxes Fireswift?” I asked her seriously.
Her brows lifted.
“Sorry.” I threw Fireswift’s wife an apologetic look.
She laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Xerxes tends to get that reaction from people.” Her eyes twinkled as she added, “Our magic was found to be compatible, so the Legion ordered us to marry.” She didn’t look bothered by her fate. “You know, Colonel, I’ve never heard an angel apologize.”
“Not even your husband?” I asked. I couldn’t help myself.
“He’s not an angel to me,” she said solemnly. “He’s just a man.”
I couldn’t imagine that, Colonel Fireswift as just a man. I couldn’t imagine him as anything other than the humorless, hardass angel that I’d known for the past two years. Well, no, that wasn’t entirely true. I had caught glimpses, here and there, of something else. Like when his daughter had died. The memory made me feel freshly sympathetic toward the woman in front of me.
“I was there when your daughter died,” I said to her. “She fought so bravely. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Her eyes were wide, trembling. “Thank you.” She cleared her throat, steadying herself. “There’s that sorry again. That’s twice in two minutes, Colonel Pandora.”
“She’s still learning,” Cadence told her.
“But you passed Xerxes’s angel test,” Lieutenant Jones said to me.
“I do better on tests than in real life.”
She looked at me, really looked at me, like she was analyzing me. Then she declared, “You’re exactly as Xerxes describes.”
“That bad?”
“That good. Of course, he rants about your disregard for rules and regulations, your dirty fighting, your snide remarks. But reading between the lines—and hearing about you from my son Jace—I always pictured you to be a good, wholesome person who would go to any length to protect those she loved, no matter the consequences.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that basically sums me up. I’m not exactly the model angel.”
“You know the rules. You understand the etiquette.”
“And in the end, you don’t give a damn about those rules or etiquette,” Captain Singh chuckled.
“You talked to your sister, did you?” I asked her.
“Selena also had her fair share of rants about you, Colonel. Personally, I thought she needed to chill out. She and I were always at odds on the topic of doing the right thing—and what that even meant.” She shrugged. “We did not see eye-to-eye on a lot of things. We quarreled often. But in the end, she was still my sister, and I loved her.”
“I know how that feels,” I told her. “And I’m sorry for your loss as well.”
The two of them had lost someone they loved during the same battle—and to the same poison.
“Selena died a hero, serving the Legion and protecting the Earth.” Captain Singh looked at Lieutenant Jones. “They both did.”
The two women nodded, unshed tears glistening in their eyes.
They needed a distraction from their pain, and Cadence delivered. “Let’s develop our strategy to boost the Legion’s recruitment numbers and make the First Angel’s wishes a reality.”
“Right,” I agreed. “I already have Dr. Harding working on how to increase the survival rate in people who drink the Nectar.”
“Do you think that’s possible?” Captain Singh asked.
“I don’t know, but we have to try. The best way to increase the Legion’s numbers is to ensure more people survive the initiation ceremony—and every promotion ceremony after it. That will also convince more people to join our ranks. Think about it. The high risk of death puts off a lot of prospective initiates. Besides the children of angels, our initiates mainly consist of the desperate: those desperate for help, desperate for magic, or desperate for power. How do we convince people to join who just want to keep the world safe?”
No one answered. If there had been an easy answer, an angel at the Legion would have thought of it already. Or would they have truly come to an answer? Nyx had given me this task because she thought I was uniquely suited for it, given that I acted as much human as I did angel. Or even more human than angel, actually.
Maybe the problem was that none of those angels could think like a human anymore. It had been too long since they’d been human, assuming they’d ever been human at all, as it often was with the children of angels.
If that was the problem, then I just had to think like a human. What did humans want?
I opened up the question to the group. “Why don’t many humans want to join the Legion of Angels?”
“They are afraid the Nectar will kill them,” Captain Singh said.
“There is that, of course, and I already have Nerissa working on the problem,” I said. “But I’m sure that’s not all there is to it. It’s bigger than that. Many humans would gladly risk their lives for the greater good... So maybe the problem is they don’t believe joining the Legion actually serves the greater good.”
“What do you mean?” Lieutenant Jones asked.
“Think about it. What do we call Nectar?”
“The food of the gods,” Lieutenant Jones answered instantly, eagerly.
Her studious nature reminded me of my sister Bella.
“Right,” I said. “Nectar is this holy, magical thing, far above humans. The people of Earth are fed exactly that line. Nectar is only for those who have been judged worthy. If you’re not worthy of it, of these gifts of the gods, then you will die. We ask them to give up everything—their friends and family and everything else they have in their life—for the Legion. Not for humanity. For the Legion.”
“The Legion protects humanity,” Captain Singh said.
“Do we really?” I asked. “Sure, we take out any threats to the planet or to the gods’ authority, but how much do we actually help the people? Every day, the Legion of Angels receives thousands of petitions from the people of Earth. Most of their prayers go unanswered. It’s all part of some big show to demonstrate the Legion’s power and the rareness of our gifts. Don’t you see the problem? If the Legion wants people’s help, if we want them t
o join in our fight, then the Legion can start by helping those people.”
“But how do we do that?” Lieutenant Jones asked me.
“Remember all those unanswered prayers I just talked about? Well, that’s about to change. We are going to begin our quest by actually answering the people’s petitions for help. And we’re going to do it in person. We’re going to hold an open court, a court people can attend to petition for our help. We are going to put a face on the faceless Legion of Angels. A caring, approachable face, not that powerful, aloof face that’s scaring them all away.”
“You want to rebrand the Legion of Angels?” Cadence said, her mouth falling open in disbelief.
“Essentially, yes.”
“Leda, the Legion is centuries old,” Cadence said gently. “That is centuries of tradition. And the gods are even older. We’re talking about millennia. The gods won’t approve of your plan. The angels won’t approve.”
“The Legion needs the people. We need more soldiers. This is how we can get them. The gods can continue to be all-powerful and unseen, and the other angels can continue to scare the living daylights out of everyone if they must. But the people need to know there’s at least one angel who has their interests at heart. An Angel of the Earth.”
“Sounds like another nickname for you,” Cadence said.
“Well, what’s the harm of just one more?” I grinned. “Look, this is the path the gods set out for me. Faris stood up at my wedding and spelled it all out.”
I remembered Faris’s words that day well:
You all know Leda Pandora. She has saved the Earth countless times. Her rise from humble human to holy angel will inspire you to join the Legion of Angels. Her selfless dedication will inspire you to persevere and level up your magic. And her compassion will inspire you to fight for this world. And for the gods.
For she truly is the Angel of the People. Her image will be everywhere—on banners and billboards, on buildings and trains. Not as the Angel of Chaos, but as the Angel of Hope. A symbol of harmony and perseverance. Of ascension. An example that lights the way for all hopeful humans to follow.
“The gods made me the face of the Legion, the Legion’s liaison to the people of Earth. They want me to inspire the masses to join their army and fight for them. This is how we do it. I will hold an Angels’ Court, a place the people can come to personally petition the Legion for aid.”
“Leda, this is a big change to sell to Nyx,” Cadence said.
“Nyx gave me the authority to do whatever is necessary to increase the Legion’s numbers. And I say letting people know we give a damn about them is necessary to making them give a damn about us. We can’t expect them to put their lives in our hands if we can’t take care of those lives. So, let it be known in all the cities of Earth. We shall hold the very first Angels’ Court one week from today.”
15
Angels’ Court
The day of my very first Angels’ Court had come. I climbed the long staircase to the Court Chamber on the upper level, where I would soon hear the first petitions. Alec Morrows, my head of security, kept pace beside me.
And Alec was sure in an agitated state. “The reason Nyx put you, Colonel Lightbringer, Captain Singh, and Lieutenant Jones on this airship is that compared to the buildings on the ground, the airship is easy to defend and hard for people to get in. And now you want to hold an open petition court here, inviting random people on board?”
“They’re not random, Alec,” I told him. “They’re petitioners. They need our help. And we need theirs.”
“That’s very nice of you to actually give a shit about the general population, Leda, but how am I supposed to protect you when there are so many people coming on board?”
“I agree with Morrows,” Stash told me. “Your decision to see petitioners will make the airship harder to defend. It will make you harder to defend.”
Stash was at my other side. They had me surrounded, like they were afraid someone could jump out the wall at any moment and try to kill me.
“Look, guys, most people who will come to the Angels’ Court will have honest intentions,” I said to them. “They just want our help. They just want their pleas to finally be heard. Sure, there might be some who take advantage of the situation. In that case, it’s a good thing I have such capable protectors to deal with those people.” I smiled fondly at them.
“Damn, she’s good,” Stash muttered. “Complimenting us.”
“I liked you better before you went to angel manners academy,” Alec told me bluntly.
I laughed. “It was only for one day, and it was hardly anything as romantic as an academy. Just Colonel Fireswift and I stuck in a stuffy room with lots of books and lots of test questions. Now, if you’re both quite finished being pessimistic, I have work to do.”
Stash shook his head. “We’ll take care of the security. Don’t worry.”
I grinned at them. “Oh, I’m not worried. Not at all.”
“Just in case, you should be armed at all times in the Court Chamber,” Alec said.
“I have magic, Alec. I’m always armed.”
Alec grunted in amusement.
I’d reached the top of the endless staircase. Finally. I crossed the massive hall that took up much of this level. Along the way, I spotted a familiar pair of female corporals.
“Anderson, Lexington, what are you doing here?” I called out.
The two soldiers snapped around to face me, looking very guilty. Anderson was so nervous, she forgot to salute. Not that I cared.
“Sorry, Colonel,” Corporal Lexington said, her words rushed, like she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get them all out if she didn’t speak quickly. “We took a wrong turn.”
I glanced past them, where my brother Zane was standing, a croissant in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other. Wrong turn. Right. Since I’d come aboard the airship last week, I’d seen Anderson and Lexington take more than one ‘wrong turn’. Those wrong turns inevitably put them within ogling range of Zane.
“I’m pretty sure Lieutenant Morrows assigned you to guard the level six corridor,” I told them, channeling my inner angel. I even made my wings turn red, just for fun.
They gaped at me like I was going to set them on fire.
“But if you’d rather do something more fun, our guests from Heaven’s Army are looking for sparring partners.”
The two corporals looked at Stash, who flashed them a wide grin.
Lexington turned a little green. Anderson’s nervous face was slick with sweat.
“No takers?” I waved them off. “Then back to the sixth level with you.”
They hurried out of there faster than if I’d cast a telekinetic blast behind them.
When they were gone, Alec turned to me and snickered. “Channeling General Windstriker there, were you?”
“Hmm.”
I had Zane in my sights. I pointed at him. He smiled back. I wiggled my finger, beckoning him to me. Zane did it, his manner as relaxed as the two corporals had been nervous.
“What’s up, Leda?” he said with a casual wave.
“I just had to tell off a pair of corporals who were trailing you instead of standing at their posts.”
“I saw.” He nodded solemnly. “And might I say, you were very commanding indeed, Leda.”
“I wouldn’t have had to tell them off if you hadn’t flirted with them,” I told him.
“Me?” He indicated himself, looking like he couldn’t imagine how this could possibly be his fault—how anything could possibly be his fault.
“Yes, you, Zane Pierce. In fact, you seem to have almost the entire female population of this airship under your spell.”
“It’s not magic, Leda.”
“That was a figure of speech, and you know it, smart ass. In the last twenty-four hours, I have personally seen you flirt with the airship’s receptionist and sweet-talk at least a dozen soldiers during their lunch break at the airship’s canteen. Lexington and Anderson aren’t an isol
ated incident. More than a few female soldiers on board are very sweet on you, and they regularly go out of their way to walk past your favorite spots, in the hopes of crossing paths with you. Many of them have learned your schedule. They know when you work out in the gym. They know when you visit the library. They know when you go to eat in the canteen.”
He folded his hands in front of his body, like he had nothing to hide. “Your soldiers are very skilled at the art of observation, a testament to your leadership.”
“Zane, don’t try to bullshit a bullshitter. I love you with all my heart, but I am immune to your charms.”
He chuckled.
“Please stop making every woman you meet fall in love with you,” I pleaded with him. “It’s really inconvenient right now.”
“I’m only being myself, Leda. I can’t just turn it off, you know.”
“I know.” I sighed because it was true. Zane wasn’t charming people on purpose; he was just being himself. “But maybe make an extra effort to turn it down a notch?”
“Very well. Just for you, dearest sister, I shall endeavor to be less charming.” He bowed to me.
“Thank you.”
“And may I say, you have a lovely glow about you today.”
I gave him a flat look. “Very funny.”
“I speak only the truth.”
My charming brother seemed to be in a very good mood. He was probably so happy to be with his family again that he didn’t care we were all stuck on board an airship.
The rest of my family was doing well too.
Tessa hadn’t appreciated leaving her thriving event planning business behind, but she did appreciate her fully decked out suite with all the amenities she could imagine. She shared the suite with Gin, who’d quickly made friends with the airship’s engineer and was learning all about how this flying miracle of magic and technology worked.
Bella and Harker shared another suite. Her brush with death had left him with a steadfast refusal to leave her side. For her part, Bella seemed to like having him nearby. She’d finally come to enjoy the fierce devotion of an angel. Of her angel. I saw the way she smiled at him. She was growing closer to Harker with every passing day. There certainly was something romantic about this airship, I had to admit.
