Page 78 of Blood Sacrifice

“Why?” I felt the weight of his stare on me as he spoke.

“Because someone wrote a prophecy that my witch friends believe refers to me, so I need to stand before the karmic council to claim a key to the lost realm,” I replied.

“That sounds very noble. What’s the real reason?”

I turned to look at him. “Who are you?”

“Once upon forever ago, I was a shaman by the name of Faulkner. To save the life of someone I cared about, I agreed to ascend and become an angel.” His face was void of emotion, his voice flat.

“Was the sacrifice worth it?” I asked.

His eyes moved to look at me. “I would do the same again because family is everything. Are you going to tell me the real reason you’re here?”

“My sister was going to murder my mate with a death curse, which I jumped in front of. My friend is keeping my body alive while I’m here to fulfil some prophecy that is supposed to help the magical world.” I paused and closed my eyes. “I know I should be noble and tell you that I am doing this for the greater good, but in reality I just want to go home and spend time with my mate since we were separated for so long.”

It was selfish but the truth. I spent most of my life missing Salvator and fantasising about him. He was finally in my life again, and I wanted to find an isolated home far from thetroubles of the world and lock the door for the next hundred years.

“The truth is always the best policy,” Faulkner said. “Come on, these staircases give me the creeps.” He held his hand out to me, and my brow furrowed in confusion.

He raised his eyebrows and wiggled his fingers. “These staircases are about admitting your truth. None of us can move on until we look inside and know why we are on our current pathway.”

I put my hand in his and allowed him to tug me up. There was a blinding flash of light, and I found myself somewhere that was too bright, making me squint. It almost looked as if there were white figures moving in the distance.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“The Gospel of John says in my Father's house there are many mansions. I suppose that is one of the better descriptions I’ve heard for this place. Heaven is a reflection of Hell in its structure with nine circles. We are currently standing in one of the middle realms.”

In my head, I had imagined a world of clouds with winged beings sitting on them plucking at harps. Faulkner chuckled beside me and I tried to neutralise my thoughts.

“Maybe you drive cloud cars and have a symbol on your tummy,” I muttered, throwing him a grumpy glare.

Faulkner stopped and studied me for several moments. “I only reveal my secret symbol to friends since it is the source of my power or when I need to participate in the Care Bear stare.”

I pursed my lips together to try and prevent my smile since he had understood my reference. “Can you tell that Grumpy bear was my favourite?” I asked.

He shrugged one shoulder. “The little raincloud over your head gave it away.” He walked on, and his deep laughter trailed behind him.

Angels were supposed to wear loincloths and wander around with their wings on display, which was definitely the rule in all the films I had watched and books I had read. Any I caught sight of appeared to be dressed in a suit, and wore a stern expression on their faces.

“You said you became an angel to save a loved one. Do you not have baby angels?” I knew that hellspawn reproduced, but everyone up here looked humanoid and adult.

“Angels are created, not procreated,” Faulkner said, slowing his pace to allow me to catch up with him. “A soul is assessed to determine if it is worthy. When they die, they leave their physical body on the Earth realm and their soul ascends and creates a new body.”

The light figures gained more characteristics, their outline clearer and coming into focus.

“The karmic council has their chamber not far from here. Are you ready?” Faulkner asked.

“Not even remotely,” I muttered, apprehension brewing deep in my stomach. “I think the altitude is affecting my brain.”

Faulkner laughed, and it transformed his features. “That’s one way of looking at it. The other is that you are too far away from your body.”

I stopped walking, my hand covering my chest. “First I was dead, then I was somewhere in between, and now I’m too far away from my body. Will I die because I’m here?”

He rolled his eyes. “You worry too much. There are a lot of very skilled witches working their asses off to keep you alive. You should be more concerned about yourself.”

It felt like he had thrown a bucket of cold water over me, because suddenly I was freezing, dread creeping up my spine. The unknown was a fear-filled place, and I had endured a lot of pain and suffering in my life. Salvator may have been able to remove some of the physical scars, but the emotional scarsstill resided on my soul. They were as fresh today as when they happened.

Air whooshed around me, and it felt as if we moved rapidly forward. My head spun when the air stopped, and I held my hands out at my sides to try and stabilise myself. When I opened my eyes, we were in a white room, with what I could only describe as beings of light standing along one side.

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