Page 117 of Saints & Sinners

A Celestial stood stiffly before me. “Azrael has requested your presence in his office. Immediately.”

Of course, he had.

I didn’t waste time responding; I just pushed past the Celestial, leaving a screaming Norah in Veronica’s hands and headed straight to Azrael’s office.

He didn’t look up as I entered. He was sitting behind his desk, back straight and suit dark, blending with the velvet high-backedchair.

Azrael barely ever summoned me to his office, but when he did, it was always something I didn’t care about.

The stained-glass windows of his office bled fractured light across the stone walls, casting jagged patterns against the floor. The air, on the other hand, smelt like old parchment and metal. It always made me feel restless in here.

“You wanted to see me?” I asked, hoping he dismissed me soon enough.

He raised his head slowly, studying me with those pale green eyes. “I want you to win tonight,” he said plainly, not wasting any time.

I scoffed. “Not that I’m honored or anything, but why?”

Azrael leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled across his abdomen. “Because I believe you’d make an exceptional Authority.”

Ah, there it was.

Authority. Heaven’s military kings. Theenforcers.

I let out a short, humorless laugh. He wasn’t trying to be kind or even motivating.

He was being strategic.

This wasn’t about me. It was about control. Ever since I arrived here, Azrael took it upon himself to mold me into exactly what he wanted. Another weapon in his arsenal.

Azrael stared at me as I shook my head with amusement. Then, slowly, he stood and moved toward an iron safe embedded in the stone wall. He turned the lock before reaching inside and pulling out a thin, sealed envelope.

Without a word, he walked back to the desk and dropped it in front of me.

“What’s this?” I asked, eyeing it warily. The stamp on it told me it was from the Council.

“Open it.”

I snatched it from his desk and broke the seal in record timing. My eyes skimmed the Council’s emblem of a wing, then the words that followed.

In light of recent events and ongoing concerns regarding the stability of the Ascendant ranks, the Council has reached a decision regarding the upcoming Ascension Competition.

It has been deemed necessary to include Grace Martin in this year’s selection of competitors.

This decision is not founded on her merit, skill, or potential but rather serves a greater purpose: to show the first order of the Angelic Hierarchy, the inherent divide between Ascendants and humans.

Her inclusion will provide undeniable evidence that mortals—regardless of training or circumstance—cannot endure the demands required of our kind. Let her participation stand as a public testament to the Council’s unwavering belief that ascending is not something granted through effort but by divine birthright.

We trust that this demonstration will silence further discourse regarding non-Ascendants’ integration into Celestial ranks.

This matter is to remain confidential. No other members of the faculty, including Celestial Nadael, are to be informed. We expect you to monitor this situation closely.

Her inevitable failure will serve its purpose.

By Order of the Angelic Council,

Archangel Seraphiel

High commander of the Authorities

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