by Ella Summers
“But to blast our way into the Sanctuary.” Cadence shook her head. “Collecting so much magic that it overpowers the Guardians’ ability to redirect it…that’s more magic than all of us have together. No, even combined, all of our magic is simply not enough.”
“A trick. You used a trick to escape.”
“You shouldn’t have mentioned tricks to the Queen of Trickery,” Basanti told Cadence.
“I’ll forgive you for that comment, Basanti, if you promise to second my motion that ‘Queen of Trickery’ be added to my very long list of official titles.”
Basanti snorted.
“Surely there must be a way.” I looked around at all of them. “Surely, there’s a trick we can use to accomplish what we need. There’s always a loophole.”
“You would need a lot of magic,” Cadence said. “You’d need to channel more magic at once than has ever before been done in the history of the world.”
“If only we could move the Guardians to a place with very little magic,” I lamented. “So our magic is stronger.”
“I know where you’re going with this, Leda,” Cadence said. “Except that you need to remember that in such a place, the Guardians’ powers would be stronger too. And, anyway, the Guardians are very firmly rooted on the Earth nowadays; long ago, they moved here from another world. Their Sanctuaries lie in the plains of monsters, just in another dimension, slightly removed from our own.”
I talked this through aloud. “The plains of monsters were created when the gods and demons made a fuss and brought their immortal war here.”
Cadence nodded. “That violent clash of deities was an act of profound magic. The clash of light and dark. It was the magic catalyst that brought us the plains of monsters, forever changing the course of Earth’s history.”
“And something about that clash of magic allowed the Guardians to create their Sanctuary too,” I said.
“If you could create another universe-changing event like the birth of the plains of monsters, that might give you enough magic to perform your spell, Leda. And find the Guardians,” Arina suggested.
“So I only need to find a way to change the course of the world’s history? Oh, is that all?” I laughed in despair. “No biggie then.”
26
Gaius Knight
Following breakfast, I spent the next few hours pacing down the halls of the airship, trying to think things through. Arina tagged along. She’d told me that she wasn’t letting me out of her sight until I found a way to reach the Guardians’ Sanctuary—and helped her rescue her kids.
I didn’t blame her. After all, most of my urgency to knock out the Guardians was fueled by my desire to save my daughter.
And so I paced, all the while trying to figure out how to create a moment of magic so enormously powerful, so universally defining, that I could channel some of that magic into breaking into the Guardians’ Sanctuary. They had used the clash of gods and demons on Earth, the creation of the plains of monsters, to create their Sanctuary here, in another dimension slightly offset from our own. If they’d used that moment to create a whole Sanctuary, surely I could use another such moment to tear away the mask of magic that cloaked them and kept us out.
The problem was I couldn’t come up with a single idea. I wasn’t sure how I could create an instant as powerful as the creation of the Earth’s plains of monsters—and all the wild weather and magic that had come with it.
“Gaius Knight knows something,” I said aloud.
After three hours of talking silently to myself inside my head, a change of pace was in order. Even if that meant talking to myself aloud and looking like a lunatic.
“Before he ran off, he was going to tell us the solution to our Guardian problem,” I said. “Gaius Knight is the key. We should be looking for him.”
“Don’t be too trusting of that man,” Calli warned me.
She’d found me in the halls.
“He isn’t the man I thought he was.” Calli looked righteously pissed off. “He’s been manipulating us all for years. For decades.”
“True, he has been manipulating us,” I agreed. “And we still don’t know what his agenda is. But he clearly wants us to stop the Guardians. And that’s what we want too. We might need to look past his manipulations to achieve a common goal.”
Calli gave me a long, hard look, then declared, “You’ve grown up a lot, Leda.”
I smirked at her. “I better have. I’m going to have a kid. And I intend to keep her safe—her and the world she lives in too.”
Calli squeezed my hands. “And we will.”
“I’m just wondering how I’m going to do something so spectacular, so unheard of, so universe-altering that enough magic is created to perform this spell that breaks down the Sanctuary’s barriers.”
“I don’t know,” said Calli. “But what I do know is that if anyone is up to the task, it’s the Angel of Chaos.”
“I guess my whole existence is kind of a universe-changing event,” I replied sheepishly. “I’m the daughter of extremes, of a god and a demon. And an angel of chaos. I’m the perfect instrument to really mix things up. I only hope I change them for the better.”
“You always change things for the better, Leda. Before now, I never thought I’d see the day when ten angels would sit down together for a peaceful breakfast of croissants and cake.”
“Not entirely peaceful. The whole time we were sitting there, Colonel Fireswift totally wanted to set me on fire,” I laughed. “I could see it in his eyes.”
Calli’s expression soured. “That man is most unpleasant.”
“Thank goodness Nero took Fireswift with him on his mission,” I said.
Then again Nero had probably only brought Colonel Fireswift along to spare me the pleasure of his company. Nero couldn’t stand him either.
“Calli, we need to find Gaius Knight. He knows things. He can help us.”
“More likely, we would be the ones helping him,” Calli said bitterly. “Like it’s always been.”
I’d never known Calli to hold such a grudge, but then again, I’d never before met anyone stupid enough to betray her trust.
“Could you use your magic-tracking powers to find Gaius?” I asked Arina.
“I can certainly try,” she replied. “But seeing as I’ve never met him in real life, I’ll have to track him somewhat indirectly. It won’t be a straightforward, precise process.”
Well, Arina’s magic was generally pretty indirect anyway.
“Do it,” I told her.
Arina closed her eyes. A moment later, they opened again.
“That was fast,” I said. “Where is he?”
“I haven’t found him. Not exactly.”
“Then what did you find?”
“The dark angel Thea’s grimoire,” she told me. “Or at least something that will lead us to the grimoire.”
“You weren’t kidding, Arina. This is very indirect.”
“I’m sure the grimoire is the key to tearing down the Guardians’ Sanctuary. This is just the next step.”
“Like when we found the four papers of the parchment, they came together to show us your face. Back then, you were the next step, Arina.”
Back then. It felt like years ago. But it had only been a little over a week.
“This is strange. What could Thea’s grimoire possibly have to do with Gaius?” Calli asked.
“I guess we’ll soon find out,” I said, fully prepared to fly by the seat of my pants, as always. “Where can we find the grimoire?”
“The Silver Shore,” Arina said. “The grimoire is there. Or at least part of the grimoire is there.”
Part of it? At this rate, my daughter would be a teenager before this quest was over.
“Then let’s go to the Silver Shore,” I said brightly. “And on the plus side, at least they don’t have monsters there.”
27
Calamity
Ok, so technically the Silver Shore didn’t have any monsters. Someth
ing about the place repelled them. It was, however, smack dab in the middle of the Black Forest, a region of many little forests, all of which were completely overrun with monsters. I’d recently paid the area a visit. Truth be told, I hadn’t looked forward to returning any time soon. Or ever.
I’d also well, accidentally, lost the last airship the Legion had given me not far from the Silver Shore, due to the aforementioned monsters. So I wasn’t surprised that Nyx was watching me with a wary eye as the airship trudged along toward its destination. The Silver Shore was all the way across the ocean in Europe. This journey would be a long one, especially with Nyx glaring at me.
“It wasn’t my fault,” I said to the First Angel, for what seemed like the millionth time.
We were alone in the garden library tonight. All of the other soldiers were busy, and Arina had finally had the good sense to lie down and take a nap.
“Not your fault.” Nyx shook her head very slowly. “So you say.”
Angels had short tempers but long memories.
“Monsters attacked that airship,” I told her. “Lots and lots of monsters.”
“You also crashed an airship only a month after you joined the Legion.”
“That wasn’t me,” I protested. “A bunch of crazy, vengeful shifters set off bombs all over the airship.”
Nyx was clearly not impressed by my defense. “In fact, you’ve crashed every airship you’ve ever been on.”
“That’s not true. I didn’t crash the one Nero and I once took to Purgatory.”
“If you’re referring to the time you and Windstriker went rogue and snuck off to the Lost City, Pandora, you aren’t helping your case.”
I didn’t know I was on trial.
“Well, it all worked out in the end,” I said with a smile and a shrug.
Nyx shook her head in exasperation, then walked out of the room, leaving me alone in the garden library. I was pretty sure Nyx’s exasperation had as much to do with her being stuck here as it did with my apparent talent for crashing airships.
With no one to talk to, I returned to my knitting. Since I wasn’t allowed to rush into dangerous situations—or do anything particularly athletic right now—I’d decided I needed a new hobby. Something safe. Something that came with the Legion’s stamp of approval for expecting angels.
I’d have chosen bantering, but that wasn’t necessarily safe, particularly if my opponent didn’t like what I had to say. Also, bantering wasn’t something I could do alone. There wasn’t always someone around, especially at this hour. I glanced at the clock. It was two in the morning local time, but my mind was too busy to sleep right now.
Stash was waiting in the hall, just outside the room. He was keeping true to his promise to guard me. I could have bantered with him, but he’d been rather quiet lately. He slept even less than I did.
So with bantering off the table, I’d picked knitting as my hobby. A mother really should know how to knit. I’d once read that in a book.
There was a rustle of movement beyond the potted plants.
“That’s lovely, dear.”
I looked up from my knitting as Grace sat down beside me on the sofa.
“What is it going to be when it’s finished?” She glanced down at my knitting project.
“I’m not sure yet. Maybe a onesie. Or a baby bootie.”
There was another rustle of movement.
“Those are two completely different things,” Faris said, sitting down on my other side. “You can’t just start knitting randomly and then decide what it is when you’re done.”
I kept knitting, determined not to let his sour mood ruin my project. “Why not?”
“Because that’s not how things are done,” he said sternly. “Plans must be made. And followed.”
“That’s what I’m doing. I made a plan to knit something. And that’s precisely what I’m going to do.”
Faris looked like steam would soon shoot out of his ears. He truly couldn’t stand my chaos.
I just smiled at him pleasantly. “I’m just going to wing it.”
“It’s certainly an original idea,” Grace told Faris.
He made a derisive noise. “It’s irresponsible.”
“It’s just yarn, Faris,” I said.
“This is not just about yarn.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, this is about me and my unborn child. And how my chaotic ways will upend your precious plans for us.”
Suspicion narrowed Faris’s eyes. “What are you planning?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’m going to wait and see how it turns out.”
“This isn’t funny, Leda.”
I sighed and set my knitting down on the coffee table. “Did you just come here to make fun of my hobbies while glaring maniacally, or was there something else that you wanted?”
“I just wanted to check in on you,” Grace told me cheerfully. “And Faris tagged along. He is afraid of what might happen if I’m alone with you. He believes I’m going to fill your head with evil demon schemes.”
He glowered at her. “The demons are always scheming.”
“As are the gods.” Grace looked at me. “This whole immortal war that’s been raging between us and them for centuries…just so you know, it’s all their fault.”
“How absurd.” Faris’s voice burned like acid. “The war started when the demons trespassed on one of our holy sites.”
Grace jumped out of her seat. “It’s not yours! Calamity is a site of treasures the Immortals left for us all.”
I latched on to the familiar name. “Calamity?”
“Yes, the name is very dramatic.” Grace smoothly lowered herself back into her seat. “Like it’s meant to be a disaster. But the only disaster is the one the gods brought there…by trying to hijack the Immortals’ treasures all for themselves.”
That wasn’t what I’d meant. Calamity was familiar. Bella had told me about it.
“There was a great battle at Calamity twenty-five years ago,” I said.
“One of many,” Grace said. “For centuries, there have been great battles at Calamity. Though that one twenty-five years ago was especially violent. It went on for months. It soon became known as the Battle of Calamity, as though there hadn’t been many more battles there before it.”
“And since then.” Faris leveled a scornful look at Grace. “The battles will continue to play out at Calamity for as long as the demons operate under the misconception that they are welcome at our holy site.”
“Give it a rest, Faris.” Grace flashed him a vicious smile. “There aren’t even any cameras here to perform for.”
Faris opened his mouth to shoot back an argument, but I cut in first, before this battle became the next Battle of Calamity—and my shiny new airship became collateral damage.
“Tell me about the Battle of Calamity,” I asked them.
“The demons attacked from the shadows, and they got lucky,” Faris said curtly.
“My sister would take issue with that statement,” said Grace. “Ava doesn’t get lucky.”
“No doubt.”
I snorted. The way Faris looked at me made me think he hadn’t intended his statement to be an innuendo. He probably didn’t even know the meaning of the word. Then again, you never knew when it came to gods and demons.
“Ava wins through skill, not luck,” Grace declared.
His voice dipped lower. “On the rare occasion that Ava does win, it’s by cheating.”
She shot him a threatening look. “Don’t speak ill of my sister, Faris, or there will be dire consequences for you.”
“I’m shivering in fear.”
“As you should be, you self-righteous megalomaniac,” she snapped.
“Bella told me about the Battle of Calamity,” I said, cutting through their silly fight. “She said one of the demon squadrons was tasked with destroying an enemy supply camp high in the mountains.”
“Yes. And the gods ambushed them along the trail.” Grace pointed an accusatory finger at Fa
ris. “Talk about sneaking out and attacking from the shadows. Only three demon soldiers survived the ambush.”
Three demon soldiers plus Thea, Bella’s mother. I wondered if Grace knew that Ava’s son Khalon had saved Thea’s life.
“Your version of events is highly suspect, Grace,” Faris said. “You’re counting on those three demons being the only survivors who can speak of that day, and we all know that demons are liars. None of my soldiers survived. Over a hundred gods killed! And so we shall never know what truly happened there.”
“Many more soldiers died in the battle in the valley,” I said. “On both sides.”
“Yes,” Faris confirmed.
“Is that typical of battles between gods and demons?”
“Losses are not typically that high, no,” Grace answered. “We are immortal, but not particularly good at repopulating our numbers.”
That was due to the abysmal fertility of powerful deities, which was even worse than the fertility of angels.
“Usually, the demons and gods just flex their muscles a bit and shoot off their mouths—and sometimes a little flashy magic,” Grace told me. “But they get cold feet as soon as things get very real.”
Faris puffed out his chest like the pompous peacock that he was. “I take issue with the implication that I ever get cold feet.”
“Duly noted,” Grace said coolly. “But you can’t take issue with the facts, Faris.”
He frowned.
“What made the Battle of Calamity different?” I asked. “Why were the losses so high?”
“I wasn’t there, but from what I understand, things there just escalated very quickly,” Grace said. “So many soldiers were already dead on both sides before anyone could even think of getting cold feet. “
“The first dead soldiers were in the mountains?” I asked.
“Mainly,” she replied. “Thanks to Khalon.”
So Grace did know about Khalon and Thea.
“Khalon? What was Ava’s son doing in the mountains during the Battle of Calamity?” Faris frowned. He clearly hadn’t known about that.
“What was Khalon doing? Kicking your soldiers’ asses, it would seem,” Grace told him. “Against overwhelming odds. He must have had something worth fighting for.”
