“What?” I whispered back. “Trust? Friendship? Love? You tell me which of these unsettles you so much Granmanmi, since I can’t tell.”
“Mark my words, Granfifi”—her eyes blazed—“I will undo the damage Cassandrel did to your mind.”
“Papi taught me to be an angel who loved the Infinite. Who loved truth. And who would sacrifice herself for it. I’d say he did a rotting good job, with Manmi, raising me.”
“You sound pathetic.”
“You sound defeated,” I shot back. “Call off the Scourgers.”
Granmanmi smiled at me.
“No.”
Then I found myself surrounded by the Scourgers.
Rot.
She’d distracted me while the Scourgers drew near without me noticing. Before I could react, the Scourgers body-slammed me with a dark power that sent me sprawling across the dais, leaving me breathless. My ears rang like bells. I blinked back stars, instantly dumbstruck.
Catching me off guard, my shield around the Talons wavered. As a reflex, I pulled on my starfire, reassuring their shield again. The Scourgers may be able to get to me, but I would enter the Ellelights before they touched the Talons.
I screamed as Scourger Lilithine and two others launched their Dragontails at my body. I’d never been beaten like this whilefyused. The sensation was infinitely worse.
“SAFAH!” Quazar screamed.
His voice was a broken, feral thing.
I could see confusion coloring the faces of many angels as they watched the Fallen Prince thrashing in his chains, trying to break free so he could get to me.
I tried drawing a shield around myself.
I failed.
“Drop the shield around the Fallen, Granfifi, and the Scourgers will yield.”
“No. Remember Granmanmi, you taught us to be holy, towhatever end.”
I whimpered. Blood spewed out of my mouth as the Scourgers tore into my body violently. Tears trickled from my eyes, but when I looked at the stone platform, the Talons were still shielded. They wouldn’t be touched. That was assurance enough. That’s all that mattered to me.
My wounds grew as my body looked like a gushing river of golden stars. Only the river was my blood and the stars were my fading spirit. Screams of rage broke out over the angels.
“Stop this!”
“She is the Anathelle fifi.”
“This is sacrilege!”
“Make them stop! She’s dying!”
A cacophony of wrath exploded. Then there were roars.
They sounded like dragons.
Veryangrydragons.
My vision faded as the Scourgers mercilessly beat me, refusing to stop until commanded by Granmanmi to do so. She hovered over me, open wounds making her golden blood stain her ivory robes. Even with her bruises she looked regal. Undefeated. Triumphant.
“Do not yield, Starling. Not even in the darkness. Not even when the Ellelights tempt you to come home.”
