Page 12 of A Lie so Pretty and Poisonous

Cora scrambled to my side, her face brightening for the first time since crossing the barrier. “I’ve always wanted to see seraph magic,” she chirped.

Gabriel chuckled. “We call our divine power ‘enchants.’” He held out his hand to me, and I presented my palm to him. Gabriel closed one hand softly around my wrist and lightly touched his other palm to my injured one. Again, his hand softly glowed, and the burn on my palm subsided, the skin knitting together until there was nothing but a faint line where the wound was. He closed his hand in mine as I sighed. Relieved from both the pain and the danger…for now.

“Whoa!” Cora exclaimed.

I looked up at Gabriel, warily. “You’re kind to show Cora your enchant. She is a curious child.”

“Happy to do it. We value younglings greatly in Tironaill. They are most precious to us,” he exclaimed. “Can you stand?”

“Yes.”

Before I could pull away from his grasp, Gabriel took my other hand and pulled me to my feet. I craned my neck to look up at him. He had to be over a foot taller than me. His lapis blue eyes remained locked onto mine. His complexion was light, and he had a strong jaw with perfectly straight teeth. He was a beautiful man. Standing so close to him, his scent hit me. Mint.

Why does he smell so good?

I took a step back and rambled, “Thank you again. I’m Rory, and you’ve met Cora. We are completely confused about how we ended up here. I thought we would be dead if we crossed into the barrier. Do you know how this happened? How did you and that other seraph know we are humans?”

Gabriel briefly paused and laughed. “Direct and right to the point! I like that. I was going to ask you how you were able to cross the threshing wall. I am as perplexed as you are about how this happened. As for knowing you are not seraphs, I suspect that had to do with your ears.” He pointed to the tips of his ears.

My shoulders slumped. I didn’t know why I thought it would be an easy answer.

“So, what do we do from here?” I asked hesitantly. “We need to get back to our side of the barrier before we get attacked again or worse.”

Gabriel sighed. “I know the ancient history between our people is somewhat complex and does not show either side in a good light. We lived for too long unchecked by Themis and have since been shown how to keep order and justice to prevent atrocities from happening again. I can assure that you and Cora are safe with the angheals.”

Either side? I had to wager his history lessons were different than mine.

“What’s an angheal?” Cora asked.

Gabriel smirked. “Maybe we should start walking, and I will explain more. I want to get you both out of these woods, where it is safer. The forest is dangerous for us.” He studied the apprehension on my face and continued, “I promise, I won’t harm either of you. My scouting group is waiting for my return, and we can lead you to someone who may be able to help you.”

“Let’s go, Mom,” Cora urged as she took a step to Gabriel’s side.

Apprehension or not, I had no choice but to follow him to keep her safe.

I pulled a leaf from Cora’s tangled curly hair and tried to wipe the dirt and drying blood from my hands onto my equally dirty trousers. “Alright. Let’s get out of here.”

Gabriel led us through dense forest, moving with more stealth and grace than Cora and I possessed, chattering away like we were old friends. “We will head to Aquila City, which is the stronghold of Tironaill. I think you will like it.” He glanced down at Cora, who was hanging on his every word. “You will meet all manner of seraphs there. All but the dryads, though you had the unfortunate pleasure of just encountering one.”

I furrowed my brow and shook my head. “A dryad attacked us?”

“Correct.”

“And you are an angel?” I asked.

Cora stumbled over some brush, and Gabriel reached out to steady her before I could even react. “Oops. Thanks,” she chirped as she nonchalantly continued navigating the terrain.

Gabriel put his eyes back on the forest. “Angheal,” he corrected. “There are three sects of seraphs: angheal, daemonites, and dryads.”

I let out a deep breath. “I just hope someone there can lead us in the right direction and get us back to Edenalee.”

Gabriel nodded. “I believe our scholars will be able to help. If I remember my Tironaill history right, there was a human who had entered this realm once before. Two centuries ago. Though I don’t recall how he came to be here or even what became of that man.”

My eyebrows raised.

Gabriel pulled a crooked grin. He roguishly whispered, “I was more concerned with flirting with girls, so I may have missed that lesson.”

I see men have a one-track mind on both sides of the barrier.