Page 76 of Redeeming the Angel

I curled up in a ball, not caring about my fine clothing.Kerainne had taught me that it was okay to get dirty.I must have fallen asleep at some point in my crying bout because the next time I opened my eyes, darkness had fallen.The silver moon was full, the gold only a sliver.

I walked around the chasm that used to be Medicia, calling her name in desperate hope that she’d somehow managed to escape and was hiding nearby.After a few miles, something gleamed at the edge of the crater, reflecting the moonlight.I ran to it and knelt to grasp it from its soiled prison.The ground crumbled under my knees, and I nearly fell into the abyss before I managed to awkwardly scramble backward.

I cast an illumination spell and examined the object I’d recovered.It glowed deep purplish-red beneath the magic light.A garnet.Slightly larger than the one I’d found with Kerainne the first time she took me garnet-digging.I walked to the surrounding forest until I could no longer feel corruption in the air, and buried the stone.Eventually, I’d cut and polished it to make the mage staff I’d proposed to her with.She would need another one.

I resumed walking, and searching.A horrifying thought was forming in my mind.If the luminites hadn’t been able to ascend to Luminista, and Medicia was taken to Qua’ al-fán, then what if they were too?Would they stay dead, or did their new bodies generate in the Evil One’s domain?

I needed to go there to find out.This time, I reached out with my senses to see if I could detect the remnants of the portal Mephistopheles had ripped into this world to destroy Kerainne’s kingdom.I walked for hours, until I’d circled around the entire crater.

Another thought came.What if the crater took me there?My light globe had traveled all the way down until I couldn’t see it anymore.Therefore, it had no natural bottom.

And even if it didn’t take me there, maybe I could just fall forever until I forgot about the crater in my heart.

I backed up a few paces so I could get a run at it.

A hand fell on my shoulder, making me jump, as a familiar voice shouted, “What are you doing?”

I turned to see Delgarias Dullahan, Keeper of the Prophecy, and Nik’s ex mate.At the moment, I didn’t care that he’d broken my almost-sister’s heart.“Trying to get to Qua’ al-fán.”

“I don’t think that’s the way to get there,” Del said sadly.“I don’t know what, if anything is down there, but I know it’s dangerous.”

“Were you here when it happened?”

“No.”The grief in his pale blue eyes mirrored my own.“I came too late.I saw the destruction before the Evil One took everything.”

“Did you see Kerainne?”I asked desperately.Maybe there was a chance she’d survived.Maybe she’d gotten away.

“No.”Del’s voice sounded odd and dead.“Do you know if Nik was here?”

I shook my head.“She was supposed to be.Kerainne sent messages across this world and dream-summoned her many times asking her to come.Now I hope she didn’t.”

“And I as well.”His features contorted in agony.“But I can’t see her missing her own sister’s wedding.”

Ifhe’dheard about the wedding, then Nik had to have gotten the message.My heart sank a little at losing her too.I felt a momentary pang of shame for caring so much more about her sister.

“Kerainnecan’tbe gone,” I choked back tears.“She’s my true-bonded mate.I’d know if she was truly dead.”

Del’s long-fingered hand clasped my shoulder.“It will all be okay.Well, not all, but youwillsee her again.”

“Did you see something?”My voice cracked with desperate hope.

He nodded.“All of this will be avenged.But right now, you must wait.”

“Until how long?”

“I don’t know exactly.”Del sighed and spoke to me like I was a youth.“Go home, Lucian.Your people are grieving.Take care of them, and when the time comes to return to her, you’ll know.”

Anger flared within my heart.“Enough with your cryptic nonsense.Can’t you tell me anything clear?”

“I’m afraid not.”He embraced me, then met my eyes with an intent stare.“Now I must go.”

My exhaustion was so great that I must have fallen asleep on my feet.For when I opened my eyes, the sky was gray with the coming dawn.And Delgarias was long gone.

Not ready to face my family, Gabe, the Leonines, or any of my people, I wandered to the nearest village, got a room at the first inn I could find, and spent the next two days sleeping and drinking.Then I wandered through Aisthanesthai for three months, still clinging to the hope that Kerainne had somehow escaped.

When my hopes of finding her there died, I drowned myself in the Bay of Piscanos.Maybe Kerainne had managed to ascend by now.

But she wasn’t there either.Gabe and I then took great interest in the observatory spheres, watching Aisthanesthai for any sign of Kerainne as well as any other luminite from Medicia.When not watching the spheres, or asking our clans’ watchers, I drank and prayed to the fates even though our kind didn’t believe they were sentient entities, more forces of nature and destiny.

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