Page 102 of The Silent
Kyra began to retch, and Sura rushed over with a bucket. Her eyes were still closed and her body limp, but Leo held her hair back while she emptied her stomach of everything she’d eaten that morning. She didn’t wake through the episode, but when Leo laid her on their bed, her eyesflickeredopen.
“Leo?”
“Alyah pulled you back from thevision.”
“I felt trapped. There’s someone there… Grigori maybe. He sensed me. He knows I’m looking for someone. He tried to…holdme.”
“Was it theFallen?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. It didn’t feel like…” She slipped awayagain.
Leo brought a chair over and sat by the bed, bucket and washcloth ready if she felt sick again. When he looked up, Vasu was sitting at the foot ofthebed.
“Why are you here?” Leoasked.
Vasu was watching Kyra. “She was very…Dearisn’t the right word. Her father held her in high esteem, which was rare for him. He was verycynical.”
“Barak caredforher?”
“In his way.” Vasu shrugged. “As much as he cared foranything.”
“She’s not athing.”
“She was to him.” Vasu looked at Leo. “He was not human, scribe. Don’t try to explain his reasoning as ifhewas.”
“You’re not humaneither.”
Vasu cocked his head. “They accused me of itsometimes.”
“Of being human? Who?” Leo had a hard time imagining anything less humanthanVasu.
“Barak and Jaron. They didn’t understand why I wantedtostay.”
“Whydidyou?”
Vasu rolled his eyes. “Heaven is boring. We are created to serve Him. I don’t want toserve.”
“I don’t think you’re a very good angel,areyou?”
“No, I’m a terrible angel.” He leaned over Kyra. “I wouldn’t find them so interesting if I were a goodangel.”
“Angels lovewomen.”
“Angels don’t love anything,” Vasu said. “Or hate anything. At least good angels don’t. We have no commitments. No attachments.” He turned his eyes toward Leo. “We hold nothing dear because nothing is worth more than serving the one whomadeus.”
“The Fallen don’t think so. They’re greedy forpower.”
“Yes.” Vasu grinned. “But then we were all Fallen. Your precious Forgiven fathers too. They were only rewarded because they abandoned their children. That is your inheritance, scribe. You have your power, your knowledge, because your fathers valued you solittle.”
“If they valued me that little, I prefer to have theknowledge.”
“Ha!” Vasu grinned. “You are wiser than youappear.”
His eyes turned back to Kyra. “Do not mistake my optimism fornaïveté.”
“Shedoes.”
“I know.” Leo knew Kyra thought he was ignorant of the realities of their world. He wasn’t. He knew they had a hard road ahead of them. He simply chose to view it with optimism instead of resignation. “It takes far more courage to hope than it does todespair.”
