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“What… how? You look…”
“Different, I know. It turns out myCherubbody wasn’t fit for purpose here on Earth. My wings were just too small for my body, so I had to upgrade.”
“You… upgraded? I don’t understand.”
“My powers aren’t what they used to be, but I was able to scrounge up enough Light to put myself into a body that made a little more sense. I could’ve done with a few extra inches, though.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“Height-wise!” he scrambled, “Height-wise.”
Laughing hurt, but I did it anyway. “This is… wow. A lot.”
Micah’s eyes lowered. “I know…” he paused, and he reached for my hand. I wasn’t in a position to resist, so I allowed him to take it. I felt him squeeze it a moment later. I returned thegesture, and Micah smiled. “I’m so relieved to see you again, Sarakiel. I never thought I would.”
“Neither did I.”
Micah paused. “I can sense there’s a lot you want to talk about, a lot you want to get off your chest. Trust me, there is going to be time enough for all of that. For now, our priority is to help you rest and recover.”
“We’ll have your meals brought to you,” Helena continued, “Clothes, also. When you’re ready, we can talk again.”
“I can’t thank you both enough,” I said. “You… saved my life, for all it’s worth.”
Micah frowned. “I don’t like the way you said that.”
I looked away from him—from both of them—shame suddenly bubbling up inside of me. “It’s not been easy,” I said, “Since the Fall.”
“No…” Micah said, “I can’t imagine it has.”
Looking over at him again, I couldn’t help but think that maybe he knew more than he let on. He was a Cherub, after all, and they were supposed to be as powerful as Archangels, even if their powers were different. I wondered if he could see my inner scars, if he knew what torture I had suffered while I was in Medrion’s care, if he knew all I had gone through since my Fall.
Maybe he did… maybe Helena did, too. But they had brought me in, they had saved my life, and they wanted me to get better. It was clear that, as distrustful as I was of them, they were presenting themselves as friends. As allies. The best that I could do right now was take them at their word and accept their help.
Nodding, I said, “I am actually feeling pretty hungry.”
“You haven’t eaten in days,” said Helena. “I’ll go and fetch you some food.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Really.”
Helena got to the door and smiled at me. With that, she was gone, leaving me alone with Micah. I looked over at the Cherub, who looked only marginally like his former self.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to your new look,” I said.
“I’m not sure I will either,” he said. Then he paused. “But we shouldtalk.”
“Talk?”
“Not now. For now, you should focus on recovering.”
“Micah, you can’t say something ominous like that and then back away from the conversation. What do we have to talk about?”
“Everything, Sarakiel,” he paused, letting his words hit home. “Everything.”
CHAPTER FIVE
THE TYRANT
There was only one place she could have gone.
