by Ella Summers
“Why ever would you want to help someone who can’t even help themselves?” Devlin asked me.
“Indeed,” said Theon. “How can the humans help you if they can’t help themselves? What’s the gain in that?”
I rose to my feet. “Because it’s the right thing to do. It’s not all about gain. It’s about mercy. And compassion. Maybe helping some of those people will allow them to turn their fortunes around. And maybe they will help us later. But more importantly, helping people shows everyone that the Legion cares. Then other people will come forward to help us, to volunteer, because they know we have their back, that we will look out for them and for the greater good. Nyx told me to build up the trust of Earth’s people, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Arabelle looked me over, then declared, “You might be wiser than your frazzled appearance would indicate.”
“And your out-of-the-box thinking does often seem to work out,” Devlin said. “You, Leda Pandora, might be just what this situation calls for.”
That was high praise from the rule-abiding team leader of these godly soldiers. I smiled at him to let him know I appreciated his words.
The door opened, and two of the kitchen staff walked in, carrying tasty reinforcements.
“The next round of food is here, thank the gods,” I said.
Octavian’s mouth twisted into a smile. “You’re welcome, Pandora.”
I snorted.
Bella and Harker stepped into the room, right behind the people from the kitchen. Bella looked frazzled. Her hair, finally back to strawberry-blonde, was half falling out of her bun. It was no wonder. She’d tried to secure the bun with a pencil. My usually-composed sister was quite unravelled at the moment.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
“Nothing is wrong, Leda. I’ve done it!” Bella grabbed a handful of crackers and stuffed them into her mouth.
“She hasn’t eaten all day,” Harker explained.
“How could I eat when I knew I was so close?” She grabbed more crackers.
“Close to what?” I asked her. “What have you done?”
“I finally found the right chemical to expose the parchment we put together in Purgatory. I’ve made it reveal its secrets.” She grabbed a blueberry muffin and quickly ate it too.
“And?” I asked her. “Where does the map lead?”
“It’s not a where, Leda. It’s a who.”
I frowned in confusion.
Bella showed me the parchment. The image now prominent on the surface was a hand-drawn illustration of a woman’s face.
“This parchment is older than we are, right?” I asked her.
“Yes.”
I knew who the woman in the drawing was: Arina Phoenix. Arina couldn’t have been a day over thirty, but the picture of her on this decades-old parchment showed her exactly as she appeared today.
17
The Woman in the Drawing
I wondered how this parchment could have a drawing of Arina on it as she appeared now. She couldn’t possibly be old enough to be the person from this very old document. She was mortal. She aged.
Granted, lately there had been a lot of other things that didn’t make much sense.
Bella was still speaking, so overcome with enthusiasm that she hadn’t even noticed that I’d grown rather quiet. She should have known better. I rarely shut up.
“This woman, whoever she is, must know something about the wand. It’s not Thea. I’ve seen pictures of what she looks like.”
I tapped the parchment. “Her name is Arina.”
“You know her?” Bella said, surprised.
“She helped me out not so long ago.”
“And this Arina woman knows Thea?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Arina isn’t from this world,” I told her. “Maybe her path once crossed with Thea’s.”
“We have to speak to her. She could lead us to Thea.”
Bella looked hopeful. No, more than just hopeful. She was practically bursting with eagerness.
“Or maybe she doesn’t know Thea,” I said. “Maybe the page is showing us Arina because she is an expert in immortal artifacts. Her magic allows her to trace the history of any person’s or any object’s magic—basically, how it got where it is today. Maybe there are clues in the wand’s magical history that will lead us to Thea. And Arina is just another step in our quest to find her.”
“One way or the other, we need to speak to Arina,” Bella said. “I need all the help I can get to find Thea’s grimoire.”
I sat down and pressed a button on the armrest to bring down the television. Then I dialed the Legion office in New Orleans.
Jace Angelblood answered my video call. New Orleans was the seat of his territory, the South Territory. Seeing his face again, after meeting his mother Alice, made me really appreciate how much he looked like her. Except for his severe, closely-cropped haircut. That was all his father’s influence. I guessed that’s why I’d always thought Jace looked like Colonel Fireswift.
“Pandora, a pleasure as always. I do hope you’re not calling about the end of the world again. You really must eventually learn to clean up your own messes.”
His words were so smooth, so angelic. And he’d even managed to take a dig at me during his greeting. Colonel Fireswift would have been so proud. Except, of course, Jace’s jab was all in good fun because we were friends. Which his father most certainly did not approve of.
“Actually, I was calling about something a little less exciting. Sorry, Jace.”
Jace and I had been part of the same Legion initiation class. Like all Legion brats, he’d joined in New York, the same city that boasted the world’s only academy devoted to the education and training of the angels’ children.
“Perhaps you’ve heard of my new Angels’ Court.”
“Oh, yes,” Jace chuckled. “Your new project is creating quite a stir. Several angels have called me to complain about it.”
“Oh, really. Which ones?” I asked, curious.
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
“Never mind.” I gave my hand a breezy wave. “I bet I could figure it out. But why would those angels complain to you?”
“They probably hoped to gain my support,” he said. “Because they think I’m just like my father.”
I flashed him a grin. “If only they knew that we’re friends.”
“Let’s keep that under wraps, Leda. I’d prefer not to go to war with any other territory commanders during my first year as an angel.”
“All right, but you can’t hide that you have a soul forever, Angelblood.”
He snorted.
“Wait a minute.” I bit my lip. “To what end did those angels hope to gain your support?”
“You really don’t want to know.”
“Sure I do,” I told him. “I can’t stand secrets. Come on, tell me.”
“No.”
“Tell me, or I’ll set a herd of wild mountain goats loose in your office.”
“I believe you.” Jace sighed in defeat. “Some angels want to convince Nyx to brand you a rogue for ‘subversive behavior unbefitting of an angel and a holy representative of the gods’.”
“Well, isn’t that nice? Some more nicknames to add to my resume.”
“Nyx will never do it. You’re her favorite. She likes you even more than General Windstriker.”
“Must be my way with angels,” I said. “Besides, Nyx can’t brand me a rogue for doing exactly what she told me to do.”
“Which is what exactly?”
“To improve the Legion’s image in the eyes of the human population so more of them want to join our ranks.”
“Wow.” He looked impressed. “The First Angel sure doesn’t aim low.”
“Of course not. She’s an angel.”
“Even for an angel, this task might be impossible,” Jace warned me.
“Sure it’s possible.” I grinned at him. “But only because Nyx gave it to me.”
&
nbsp; “Nice to see all that angel modesty is rubbing off on you,” he said drily.
“Like a potent perfume,” I said with a smooth smile. “Say, Jace, I’m calling to let you know I’ll soon be flying my rather large and obtrusive airship into your territory. I’m bringing the Angels’ Court there.”
“My father’s territory is closer to you,” he pointed out.
“Yes, it is, but I’m waiting for Colonel Fireswift to be back in his territory before I fly the Angels’ Court there.” I smiled as I imagined the look on Colonel Fireswift’s face when he saw my ship coming his way.
“Be careful, Leda.”
“Always.”
Jace laughed like he thought I was crazy. “Ok, Leda, why the advance notice? I’d expect you to just show up and say ‘surprise!’.”
“It’s been brought to my attention that not all angels enjoy being surprised.”
That was an understatement. In fact, angels hated anything outside their control, anything that could not be planned.
“I see you learned something from my father’s course,” Jace observed.
I grinned proudly. “Passed with flying colors. I’m a perfect angel now.”
“I’m sure,” he chuckled.
“There’s something else.”
“Ah.” He shook his head slowly. “There it is.”
“There what is?”
“The real reason you’re coming to New Orleans—and why you called ahead.”
“What, I can’t stop by to see my old friend Jace and spread the Legion’s benevolence and love to the people of his territory?”
“Not really. No. You always have a plan.”
“Well, now that you mention it…”
“Spit it out, Leda,” Jace sighed.
“There’s someone in your territory that I need to speak to,” I told him. “An expert of sorts.”
“An expert on what?”
“Immortal artifacts.”
“I wasn’t aware there was an expert on immortal artifacts living in my territory.” His eyes were alight with calculation.
“Right, and it would be best if you remained unaware of it.”
“That will be difficult now, considering that you just told me, Leda.”
“I told my friend Jace. Not the angel Lieutenant Colonel Angelblood.”
He sighed. “I take it back, Leda. You haven’t changed a bit.”
I pressed my finger to my lips. “Shh. Don’t tell Nyx, or she’ll put me back in remedial angel lessons.”
The truth was, though, I had learned something from Colonel Fireswift’s training. I knew that I had to speak differently to different angels. For some, angel decorum had to be observed, but not with Jace. Jace was a pal. He’d been right there with me from day one of Legion training—first as rivals, then as reluctant colleagues, then finally as friends.
“Ok, I won’t whisper a word to Angelblood,” Jace agreed. “So who is this expert of undisclosed mysteries?”
“Her name is Arina, but the less you know, the better it is for you. I’ll come and hold my Angels’ Court over your city tomorrow. Issue a notice for petitions. I can’t fly this airship all the way there without a reason, after all. I’ll pay Arina a visit myself, after the Court has adjourned for the day.”
“The First Angel wants you to stay put on that airship,” Jace reminded me.
“Hey this is me, remember? The Angel of Chaos.” I winked at him. “Somehow I’ll find a way to go to Arina while remaining on board.”
18
Angelblood
The next day, when we arrived in New Orleans, Jace came up to the airship to greet us. He met us in the garden library.
“Colonel Pandora, Colonel Lightbringer,” he said, nodding to me and Cadence in turn.
I rushed forward and gave my friend a hug.
“Leda, I’m trying to uphold all due formalities,” he complained.
I stepped back, amused. “Oh, very well. Then you’ll want to meet my friends from Heaven’s Army.” I indicated the godly soldiers. “That’s Devlin, the team leader. Then we have Octavian, Arabelle, Punch, Patch, Theon, and I believe you’ve already met Stash.”
Jace bowed to them. “It is an honor.”
Octavian’s mouth twisted into a grin. “He’s a much better-behaved angel than you, Pandora.”
“You can go hang out with him instead if you want,” I told him.
“No,” replied Octavian. “I’m still waiting for things to get really disastrous here. We all know they will.”
“Patch and I have a wager going about the source of the disaster,” Punch said. “He thinks an unsavory character will try to crash the Angels’ Court. I, on the other hand, am betting on monsters attacking the airship. Maybe the ship will even explode.”
He looked far too excited by the prospect.
“I sure hope not,” I told him. “Nyx threatened to bill me directly if I blow up any more of the Legion’s property.”
Jace indicated the armed guards he’d brought with him. “I have brought twenty of my soldiers to guard this ship from unsavory characters, monsters, and explosions for the duration of your stay in my territory.”
I knew his offered soldiers weren’t just about my protection; they were also about keeping an eye on another angel in his territory. I had to hand it to Jace; he was a really great angel. He knew every greeting, upheld every formality. No wonder a few of the other angels had tried to turn him against me.
Jace then acknowledged Andromeda and Alice, going in order of rank. “Captain Singh.” Finally, he came to his mother. “Lieutenant Jones.”
Alice nodded back. “Lieutenant Colonel Angelblood.”
Jace did look happy to see his mother. A hint of that happiness broke through his cool and collected angelic facade
He gestured to his soldiers, who turned neatly on the spot, then went briskly off to their posts. Once they were gone, Jace’s shoulders relaxed a little. He didn’t need to put on a show for his subordinates anymore.
He joined his mother at the bar, asking enthusiastically about her health and her pregnancy. Seeing mother and son like this, I knew I had to act to preserve their perfect family.
“Could you give us a moment?” I said quietly to Cadence and Andromeda. “I want to speak to Jace and Alice.”
They looked curious, but they left.
“You guys too,” I told the soldiers from Heaven’s Army.
“We’re supposed to be protecting you,” Devlin protested.
“You can do that from outside the room.”
Devlin stood there for a moment. I thought he was going to argue, but then he left with the others. He must have realized I was right. Anyone who wanted to attack me would first have to go through that door—and through all of them.
I looked at Stash, the only one who’d stayed behind.
“I’m sticking to you like glue, sweetness. No one is going to hurt you.” He stared back at me, daring me to tell him to go.
I didn’t. Stash and I had been through a lot together, including the time he’d inadvertently tried to take over the world. Ironically enough, it was partly because of that incident that I trusted him completely.
I put up the privacy spell I’d learned from Harker, then I joined Jace and his mother at the bar. Jace had made tea for both of them, and they were drinking it.
He glanced at me. “The room cleared out fast.”
“I asked them all to leave. I need to discuss something very important with you.”
And I wanted Alice to feel like she could speak freely, without fear that anyone might overhear her.
“You look very serious, Leda,” said Jace.
“This is very serious,” I told him. I looked at Alice. “It’s regarding your husband’s Archangel Trials.”
Recognition flashed in Jace’s eyes. He knew what I was going to say because I’d told him it before. But I hadn’t yet told his mother, and she was the key to making Colonel Fireswift see reason.
“As yo
u know, I accompanied Nero as his second during his Archangel Trials,” I said to Alice. “What you don’t know is that I was not supposed to survive the Trials. None of the seconds are supposed to survive. That’s the whole point of the Archangel Trials. The gods present the prospective archangel with an impossible problem, one that can only be solved by sacrificing the companion they’d brought with them, the person they love most in the world. The Archangel Trials aren’t about proving your magic or might. They are about proving you would sacrifice anything and everything for the gods. Only then do they make you an archangel.”
Alice’s eyes were wide. “Why has no one noticed by now that an angel’s second always dies in the Archangel Trials?”
“I suppose because the Archangel Trials are such a rare event,” Jace said. “And we’re all told how dangerous they are.”
Alice gave her son a hard look. “You knew about this?”
“Leda told me a few weeks ago. I’ve wanted to tell Father, but I just don’t know how to bring it up. You know how he is.”
“Yes, I do.”
“He always has to follow the rules, no matter what.” Jace frowned. “The person Father loves most in the world is you, Mother.”
“Your father has already asked me to be his second.” Alice swallowed hard. “The gods really want him to sacrifice me?”
“Yes,” I told her. “To prove his loyalty to them. In exchange, they will make him an archangel.”
“How did you survive?” she asked me.
“I wasn’t meant to survive. Nero and I cheated, and we almost didn’t get away with it. The gods nearly sentenced us both to death for what we did. We were only saved by some convenient political infighting between the gods on the council. But they made it clear that such a thing will not happen again. They won’t allow anyone else to circumvent their rules. Even now, the gods insist the Archangel Trials will remain as they are.” I pounded my clenched fist down on the countertop. “But the Archangel Trials are nothing more than a sacrificial ritual. They are against everything I believe, everything I am trying to do now with the Angels’ Court. I want to gain people’s trust, to help them, not demand horrible sacrifices out of them.”
