“Wings high, Disciples,” she said, eyes glued to me. I tried not to fidget. “We’ll see you upon your return. Do not fail us again,” she hissed, eyes flashing.
Then Granmanmi Asarah waved her hands, snapped her wrists, and jerked us from where we were standing. For a moment we all levitated before the Council, unable to move our limbs. Then she thrust us through the open portal above, throwing us into the light of the cosmos.
Chapter 54
Feet landing on familiar cobblestones, I stepped forward looking up at my home villa. I covered my mouth with a hand as an instant flood of emotions rummaged through my body. I couldn’t stop my tears from flowing as I stood in our driveway looking around. Manmi’s chariot was still parked out front—like it had been since the dawn she left…and never returned. Papi’s chariot wasn’t here. Nor was Evanae’s. Mine was parked next to Manmi’s, in-between hers and Jael’s.
The villa grounds were quiet. I looked around. I didn’t see any of our villa keepers flying around. There was usually two outside tending the garden up front and collecting the fruit off the trees.
I’d completely forgotten I was supposed to be in a trial. By whatever luck, I’d been sent home, instead of some stars-forsaken trauma chamber instead. I could only thank the Infinite for His kindness. Floating here now, I missed my Papi, my family, badly. I floated over the golden cobblestones, past the lush greenery of our villas entry, and made it to the door. I lifted my hand to the door knob.
I froze.
The door had been left ajar. And the door knob was hanging off its hinges. My nostrils flared. Panic seeped into my chest. Stars. What had happened?
I looked to the side, noting the stillness encompassing our family home. The waters of our multiple fountains were calm. As if they hadn’t been disturbed in some time. The grass was gold, but with closer inspection, I could see the blades were longer than usual. Our villa had endless walls of clear glass upheld by golden pillars and even those seemed like they hadn’t been shined in a while. I gently pressed on the front door, pushing it back.
“Hello? Papi?”
The foyer was empty. Dark. Cold.
That was never the feel of our home. No matter the season, our foyer was always bright, filled with music, pleasant aromas, with a warm breeze in the air. Now, it seemed like I’d flown into a dungeon.
When I floated deep into the foyer, I found that it had been ransacked. There were tapestries sprawling on the floor. Scrollbooks had been thrown down. Ethèrlamps had been broken. The chandelier above was lightless, with most of the lights broken.
Irrevocable sorrow began cloaking me. I flew through the halls of my home, unable to hold back my tears. Room after room had been thrashed. Couches were torn. Pillars had been cracked. Family portraits had been burned. Scrolls covered the ground.
In the kitchen, there was old food, spices, and treats all over the floor. There were a few marks where the end of a wing had brushed through spilled flour. In the great hall, our family piano had been splintered into two. I roamed the halls going from room to room. Each had been torn apart, as if someone had come looking for something.
“What in all the stars happened here?” I cried to myself. “Where is Papi? Where is Evanae? Gabriel?” I looked around, my vision blurry. “Stars. Who did this?”
I will undo the damage Cassandrel has done.
Holy stars.
This couldn’t be Granmanmi’s doing. Could it?
A thought occurred to me in my mind. I raced down the halls, flying as if my life depended on it. I weaved through corridor after corridor, flying faster as my hearts began racing.
When I made it to the other end of our villa I flew up the golden ramp that led to our Spirit Filing chambers. Fear choked out my hearts as I rushed for the holy preservation room. When the door came into view, I threw myself through it and stopped short.
“Holy, burning, stars,” I whimpered, covering my mouth. Every last spirit case had been broken and destroyed. And all of the spirits were gone.
I screamed into my palms as I looked around the room. Hundreds of thousands of spirits had been destroyed, their spirit cases irreparable. And most were still in the stage of Mourning.
“Oh Infinite, forgive us.Forgive us,” I screamed, as I sobbed.
The sacrilege. The blasphemy!
For an angel to destroy spirits that were in process to begin their journey from this realm into the Ellelights?
The sight was too much to take. Several thousand candles had been burned to nothing. Ash was sporadically spilled across the floors. There was a terrifying quiet in the chamber now that the hum of the spirits were gone.
Profound sorrow filled me. I didn’t know what to do. What to think.
“Papi, where are you?” I whispered, my tears a never-ending river.
Quazar was gone. Manmi was gone.
