Moody rotpot,I thought to myself.
Nodding, I flew through the gilded pillars and into a hall that stunned me into place. I’d only flown a few paces before I had to stop. I gawked, utterly in awe at the wonder of this Spirit Filing Hall.
The one we had at home was a shame compared to this. Alit by ethèrlamps and endless candles, we flew into a cavernous hall brimming with a holy hush that demanded reverence. I flew forward, slowly, drinking in the beauty.
Everything from the ceiling, to the floors, to the endless row of pillars, was carved out of gold. Between each golden column stood an angel. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were all Farasees.
They looked so real, as if they would blink and come to life at any moment. I passed each, bowing my head in respect until I reached the first set of archways leading further into the Spirit Filing Hall.
I turned and watched Quazar. He looked around, chin lifted high and proud. I couldn’t help noticing his confident posture as he held a wide stance. Those stunning eyes took in every detail of the hall. His pitch-black hair and obsidian suit stuck out like a stain on a freshly painted canvas. My golden gown made me blend right in. His raven suit made him a blatant anomaly.
After studying every detail, as if satisfied, Quazar didn’t fly. He stomped down the center walkway. And as he did so, he lifted and curled his wing in such a way the middle was bent but the edges were lifted. Then with his right hand he lifted his fore and middle fingers, curled them around each other, and flipped off every single carved statue of the Farasees.
My jaw dropped.
When Quazar reached me, he harshly shoved a feather beneath my chin and slammed my mouth shut.
“Unless you want the males around here filling that pretty mouth of yours however they’d like, I suggest you keep it shut.”
He stomped past me leaving me stunned.
Then I felt the spirits wrestling in the containers I had them in.
Right, they needed to be filed.
I rushed after Quazar, still walking. Then I walked past him. He had no reverence for holy work. I wouldn’t be shackled to some irreverent demon who couldn’t be made to see sense.
Navigating through the halls, I found the architecture curious. At home each wall was straight with precise definition. Here, they were curved, bending in all random directions with circular mirrors hidden in pockets glowing with incandescent light.
Each wall was covered in sparkling starlight that made them even brighter. I flew for a while, curving laterally until I had to start flying vertically. I flew up and up, straining my wings. Wincing against the pain, I tried steeling myself with long breaths while also pulling on strands of starfire to help stitch together whatever I could.
I finally reached the filing chamber and smiled. Being here felt like being home.
I breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of freshly fused incense. It smelled both smoky and sweet giving me a heady feeling. Light poured down like rivers. I had to keep blinking to not feel like I was going blind.
I began humming, the same psalms Papi taught me when I was a youngling, and pulled out the Spirit Spheres with the spirits in them. I looked up and found endless shelves, covered with encased spirits.
All of these were still in the Time of Mourning. They couldn’t be moved until the time had passed for them to be properly mourned and grieved. Then they’d moved to the Time of Crossing, taken to another chamber where prayers would be made before the spirits of the angels would be released so they could begin their journey to the Ellelights.
I loosened my wings, letting them hang. Ifyusedand began to float. I hovered higher and higher, searching for any open spaces for the new spirits to enter the Time of Mourning.
“We haven’t got all dawn, Starling,”Quazar said. A stroke of shadow, surprisingly gentle, curled through my mind. It was a complete distraction. The more the shadow touched, the more I couldn’t focus.“Or did you forget what we’ll be cleaning for a month if we’re late to Titombwe?”
Stars. He was right. We couldn’t be late for the mass ceremony. Especially with it being my first as a Disciple. I looked around, my starry skin mixing with the incandescence of the chamber, as I hunted for a free spot. I finally found a ledge many levels high, open for the encased spirits I had.
“I commend all of your spirits into the hands of the Infinite. May he bless you, guide you, and keep you with perfect peace. Wings high, dear Hallowed.”
I placed the spirits on the shelf and floated backwards. Pulling my wings tight into my spine, I let myself free fall. I dropped like a stone, tumbling alongside the river of light as endless angelic spirits moved around in their eternal cases around me. When I reached the floor, I landed on my feet,fyusingback to Seraphim skin.
I found Quazar leaning against the archway frame, his arms and legs crossed, those jade eyes watching me with an expression I couldn’t discern. He took in every breath, every step, every flutter of my wings, as if he was memorizing each detail.
I almost snorted. He was probably memorizing where I was broken. Weak. So he could try to end my life again. I frowned, bitterly. His gaze hardened when he saw my face change.
“Ready to be Purified, Starling?” he asked aloud.
“Always,” I said, tossing my hair, and walking past him.
Chapter 25
