Page 38 of Wings of Lies
“Why’d he take Melanie?”
Oliver quieted. Bringing up her name did a number on him. “Power,” he finally said. “My mom had an angel friend who was a seer. She saw that my sister would grow into another powerful seer. Somehow, the Tenebrous Kingdom must’ve found out.”
“So, my mom might be an angel they kidnapped for her power?”
In my memory, her eyes flashed purple, and something forced me outside the house. So Oliver could be right. Maybe my mind was so muddled that I thought I was born, when, in reality, I was an angel, and my mom wasn’t my biological mom. The thought did nothing to temper my love for her, but it did increase my guilt for my ineptitude.
Oliver nodded. “Maybe. Or she’s in the Ethereal Kingdom.”
“Why would they kidnap her? Are they better or worse than the Tenebrous Kingdom?”
“Depends on who you ask. In my opinion, both kingdoms could burn in hell. The Ethereal Kingdom is filled with all those purebloods with sticks in their asses. If your mom happened to piss off the wrong high-ranking angel, they could’ve taken her as easily as Marcus could’ve.”
I dropped my head into my hands. “That’s helpful.”
“Do you remember anything else?”
“The uniformed soldiers kept flashing between white armor and blood-red leather. Does that mean anything?”
Oliver snorted. “Yeah.”
I perked up.
“White or light blue armor is what the Ethereal military wears. Red is what the Tenebrous Kingdom wears.”
Damn it. “That sure narrows it down.”
“When we get to Elora, what kingdom will we be in?”
“Neither. We’ll be in The Divide.”
I laughed. It wasn’t a humorous one. Not when exhaustion and a throbbing pain pummeled my head, back, and feet. “Which is?”
“A place between the two kingdoms. Neutral territory.”
I shook my pounding head. I was about to ask if he knew who Magda was, but my eyes fluttered, and I didn’t think I could retain anything else.
“You’re drained. Go to bed before you topple over into the fire. I don’t feel like seeing if you’re fire-proof tonight. We can practice your power tomorrow.”
I sighed, standing on wobbly legs. “Yeah. There’s just so much I don’t know.”
When I started toward the tent, I heard a soft. “There sure is.”
The moment I saw my sleeping bag, I flopped and fell asleep.
Chapter
Eleven
Her gentle voice whispered to me, humming horrifying words.
There once was a daughter of seven circles, hidden, protected, avoiding the hurdles.
There once was a palace of crystalized ice awaiting the daughter to sacrifice. Unbalanced and sorrowful. Hopeless with no tomorrow.
I didn’t want to hear it. “Stop.”
There once was a world concealed from her, vibrant in color, awaiting a shudder.
