The balcony is so far away.
My wings tremble, and the clink of metal makes me wince. They’re bladed and heavy, so heavy I can barely keep them from dragging on the ground. I won’t be able to use the same route he took. But there’s another option.
I call for Alistair. He’s in front of me a second later, eyes ruby-red as he assesses my injuries. “Get me inside,” I beg. “I’ve got to head him off before he reaches the spine.”
Ali doesn’t hesitate, scooping me up and taking off.
Air rushes against my face, and I close my eyes as our surroundings blur. He isn’t moving as smoothly as he normally does, but there are stairs and lots of turns to navigate. I lock my jaw to avoid biting my tongue and ride itout.
When Alistair puts me down, I’m surprised to see he’s taken me to my mother’s sitting room.
The floor is still covered in dust from the wall Malach and I destroyed. Panes of plum, magenta, and burgundy stained glass cast a prism across the soulless white canvas, framing a dark, winged shadow.
S’lach has his back to us. Staring out the window, his wings are eclipsing most of the light.
“You’ve ruined everything,” he says, his voice flat and emotionless.
“Me?” My voice breaks. “What about you? Think of all the lives you’ve ruined.”
He scoffs. “I didn’t ruin your life, Celine. I made sure you were strong enough to have one. Those wings? They painted a target on your back. You had to be able to take the hits.”
“Spare me your sick justifications.” I kick a chair over, needing an outlet for my rage. It crashes into the wall to the left of the window and splinters into pieces. “Imade myself strong enough to take the hits; you just made sure they never stopped coming.”
He presses his palm to a pale pink pane and traces the darker seam. “At first, I hoped you’d be my ally. We could have ruled together, you and me, but you’re too much like her. Emotional and weak, except when you’re getting in the way of my plans.”
He sighs heavily, then turns to face me.
Coated in blood and lined by time, his features are both familiar and alien.
“Surrender,” I say. “Let thethatshadetermine what happens to you. They might offer you more mercy than you’ve given others.”
He throws his head back and laughs. My skin crawls.
The window colors glitch.Why is the room spinning?
“Good talk, Daughter.” His deep voice is lined with malice. “The poison needed time to spread, although I’m surprised it tookthis long. I coated that blade with enough toxin to fell an angel twice your size.”
I stumble. My sword clatters to the floor.
Alistair grabs my shoulders to keep me upright.
“Y-y-you,” I can’t make the words come out.
My knees buckle.
Pointing his sword at Alistair, my father sneers. “I’ll kill all your lovers. You won’t live to see it happen, but I want you to die knowing there’s no hope for them either. There’s something poetic about this one being first, though. Duplicitous to his core, and so desperate for an identity that he latched on to you, hoping to become something real.”
What is he talking about?Alistair is a spy, but he’s never been unsure of himself.I don’t have time to puzzle out his meaning because he’s raising his sword.
My muscles seize, stuck in place like a fly caught in a spiderweb.I guess this is it.My heart breaks one last time.
The echo takes us all by surprise.
Except it’s not just one, this time there are dozens.
Silvery figures race around the room, screaming, wailing, crying, shouting, and laughing. The cacophony is deafening; Mom’s strongest memories come to life all at once.
Father pales. He swings his sword at a vision of my mother shouting at him. It cuts through the specter, but another one immediately takes its place.
