Page 14 of Saints & Sinners

As ifIwere the problem here.

Then why do I have to stay here if you’re so worried?Is what I wanted to say. Instead, I forced a smile and nodded, not giving her a verbal response as I walked out of her office with the words playing on a loop inside my head.

Chapter Seven

The Guardians Hall exuded an otherworldly presence. Constellations shimmered faintly across the vaulted ceiling, mimicking the night sky. Ancient runes etched along the walls pulsed gently with a silvery glow, like veins carrying life through the building. A faint hum filled the air—not sound exactly, but a vibration that prickled along my skin.

According to my timetable, Sariel was the head Guardian. She stood at the center of the class as her silver-white robe shimmered as if woven from starlight itself. “Name?”

I swallowed, feeling every eye in the room on me. “Grace… Martin?”

Her gaze lingered on me for a moment, and I wondered if she could sense I didn’t belong here before she nodded, motioning for me to take a seat among the other trainees. As I moved to the back, I couldn’t help but glance at the massive moving mural spanning one wall—a depiction of who I assumed were Guardians standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other Celestials, their glowing shields raised against a sea of darkness. Beneath the mural, words were carved into the stone in the angelic language of Enochian.

The class was already full of people as I made my way to thelast bench, where nobody was, and even then, I felt the many stares of people as I sat down. On the left of me was another girl—a pale blonde with a mullet—sitting on another lonely bench. She didn’t hide the fact she was staring at me. No one did. But something about her seemed extra frightening. She nibbled on her darkly painted lips and narrowed her eyes, forcing me to look away.

It was just in time for me to see Sariel writing on the chalkboard in bold letters:

THE LINK BETWEEN POWER AND CORRUPTION

“As I have mentioned prior to our lessons,” she began, her voice cold and precise, not one I imagined her to have. “None of you are safe.”

A redheaded guy leaned forward, smirking, his arms draped over his knees. “Don’t worry, Sariel, the school wards won’t let anything get to us.”

Sariel’s dark eyes narrowed on him. “And what about when you are outside of these wards, wherenothingcan protect you or your family?”

The redheaded guy’s smirk faded slightly, and the girl beside him nudged him as if he should have just kept his mouth shut.

“Ascendants are just as susceptible to being corrupted as humans are,” Sariel went on, the sound of her shoes clicking beneath the floorboards as she slowly made her way around the class. “Power doesn’t matter in that instance. You’re all still in the process of becoming full-fledged angels—”

“Except for the human,” someone snickered, and others chuckled under their breaths, looking in my direction.

Yep, not even in a school where one is supposed to become an angel will I be safe from snide comments.

I cowered in my seated position, unable to help it. I could stand up for myself in front of Hunter, but somehow, right now, I feltinfinitely small.

“You’re all desperate to prove your worth.” Sariel’s gaze didn’t waver; neither did she seem to tell the person who made the comment off. “You’re ambitious,” she added, then stood in front of someone. “But also,babies.”

The whole class erupted with ‘Oooh’s’ and laughter, but that didn’t bother Sariel as she made it back to the board.

“You can see why demons and, most of all, Riftkeeper’s love to take advantage of that.”

The blonde girl on the lonely bench suddenly said, “That’s why Guardians should be at the top of the rankings, instead of Warriors,” she said, her tone inviting a challenge. “I mean, we’re supposed to see things coming from a mile away. I don’t get why we have these lessons when we could be out there preventing things already.”

I frowned at that, knowing that although many had the same ability as a Guardian, they would always tell Joe how, most of the time, it was a curse rather than a gift.

I didn’t realize I had started talking until everyone had turned to look at me. “When a Guardian has the ability to see all, that doesn’t mean it’s literal. You can’t figure out what someone will have for dinner a week from now or if a corrupted soul is really just one of us already.” When the girl opened her mouth to argue, I spoke up before she could. “Your gift is unpredictable, as is the world and its people.”

My eyes widened as soon as the class went silent, and the blonde girl staring at me looked as though she was ready to knock out my teeth. But it was Sariel who turned to me and smiled in surprise.

“You’re right,” she said before glancing at the blonde. “And sometimes knowing the right things—rather than simply seeing what is to come—is far more powerful than you think.”

I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable with the realization that myrambling led me to be right, and although that was the case, I didn’t think the class agreed with my outburst. Glancing down at my lap, I bobbed my knees up and down, drowning out the voices of everyone around me. Sariel continued on with her class, sending some of them up to the front to try and zone in on their gift. I was glad once the lesson was over, and I waited until all Ascendants left the room before I got up and made my way down the rows of benches.

“Grace,” Sariel said, and I almost cursed at myself. I slowly turned and tripped when I saw how close she was standing in front of me. She smiled despite my clumsiness. “I understand you may not be here of your own will, but you are always welcome to come by my classes as many times as you want. I believe it would be beneficial for you.”

“I’m not sure anyone would want that. I’m already going to give certain people a heart attack when I join the Warriors tomorrow.”

Her smile turned sympathetic, and for a moment, I felt embarrassed. “Well, either way, my door is always open,” she said.

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