Castor’s face darkened.
“How dare you.”
“Oh, yes. I would dare. You might have put your hands all over my things, but you don’t know where my hands have been, and you never will.”
Castor shoved up from the table.
“Who do you think you are? Huh? Without me, you wouldn’t exist. Youoweme.”
“You’re wrong. Without the Creator, I wouldn’t exist. He made me the same as He made you. The only difference is I can do more with half a soul than you ever could with a whole one.”
“You don’thaveyour own soul, Lila. You’re not a real angel.”
“You can’t talk to her like that!” Eva shot out of her chair. “You never would have made it out of lessons if it weren’t for Lila! I know why the Creator gave you a partner, Castor. Because you’d be useless without one!” Reaching across the table, she shoved Castor’s chest, and he stumbled back, eyes wide with shock. The veins in his neck bulged as his skin turned red with outrage.
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” Beni threw up his hands. “Let’s everybody calm down.”
The tables nearest to them had begun to pay attention to the argument, but Lila couldn’t bring herself to care. She was tired. She was done.
“What’s with you?” Castor snapped at Eva.
“What’swith meis you’ve always treated Lila like she’sbeneathyou.”
“Oh, I promise, she’s been beneath me many times,” Castor sneered.
“Wow, I never would have guessed. I just assumed you’d make her do all the work.”
“Worry about your own house, Eva. Just because you’re not getting any?—”
“Guys, where’s Adrianna?” Beni frowned, looking around.
They all glanced at the empty seat Adrianna had recently occupied. The secretive angel had disappeared right under their noses while they’d been arguing among themselves.
Suddenly, from the front of the hall, there came a loud whistle. Demands for silence ensued, and everyone quieted, raising their cups in anticipation of a toast.
Castor bristled but sat, and Eva followed him, scowling. Lila stared at her half-eaten pie, hoping the toast wouldn’t take long so she could leave with some of her dignity intact. She could feel everything she’d never said to Castor bubbling to the surface, and if she stayed near him much longer, it was going to explode out of her like a lessons experiment gone wrong.
The three of them—Castor, Eva, and Lila—surveyed each other with unspoken insults until a deep, familiar voice boomed in greeting at the front of the room. When Lila looked up, she saw Astaroth, head of the architect council, speaking from the hall’s ornamented wooden dais.
“Friends and fellow workers,” he began, “I myself am a common artisan like you.” As he said this, Astaroth gestured to his layered cream and gold robes, which were anything but common, having been woven with precious stones throughout. Gold makeup shimmered in striking designs on his tan face, and gold beads accented the long locks of his black hair. A great orator, Astaroth was known for his lengthy and rousing speeches during banquets. Lila thought he could be overly dramatic and had no true understanding of architectural subjects, but crowds loved him.
She would have looked away and tuned him out, but a flash of topaz caught her eye. For there, poised stoically beside the dais, stood Adrianna, her old necklace winking in the light and a sword at her waist that Lila swore had not been with her earlier.
Lila’s heart sank to her stomach, its emptiness a hollow that could swallow her up. Dread plucked at her, and she froze.
Was itnow?Were they planning to overthrow the Councilnow?
Lila glanced around the hall, noting, for the first time, thatthe heavy oak doors had been shut. Before the doors stood warriors, but also…angels she knew werenotwarriors, bearing swords.
Like Adrianna.
Lila swallowed. Her heart pounded in her ears.
When Adrianna had approached her, she’d made it sound like the dissatisfied faction would attack the Council directly. Lila hadn’t thought anyone else would be involved.
But none of the Council members were present at this gathering.
What were they planning by locking so many angels in the hall? She didn’t like it. But nobody else appeared to notice, distracted as they were by Astaroth’s shining presence and seductive words.
