Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 139178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
His wings glowed again, the wind rising.
“The answer isn’t for me, Aegaeon,” she said quietly. “It is for you. For in that wound, you will, I believe, find the answer to all you have become.”
The Archangel of the Deep stared at her for a long moment before throwing back his head in a roar. “Leave my waters,” he said, even though she was well outside his territorial boundaries. “You have interfered quite enough!”
Caliane didn’t push him any further. She had done all she could.
The rest was up to Aegaeon.
66
Aodhan, are you seeing this?
—Vivek Kapur, Spymaster to Archangel Illium (Behind Enemy Lines)
Raphael paced the Tower roof, his energy barely contained in his skin. He hated that he couldn’t just go to Illium’s aid ahead of time. It had been three days since they’d all believed Aegaeon was about to strike—everything had seemed to indicate a critical escalation of hostilities.
Midnight and dawn on the horizon, Elena coming in to land after her flight with Sameon to blow off steam. Sam, meanwhile, veered away to the left, and even from here, Raphael could see that the senior wing commander’s expression was grim.
He loved Illium; they all did.
“Any news?” Elena strode across the roof, folding back her wings as she did so.
“Not since yesterday afternoon, when Aodhan reported that heavy massing of troops on Aegaeon’s side of the border. Illium was forced to increase his own presence there—it would’ve been stupid not to.”
Elena paced with him, their wings brushing with the easy intimacy of two people who had loved each other for centuries. “What’s that asshole waiting for?” she muttered. “I don’t want Illium to be forced into a war, but if Aegaeon’s going to strike, why doesn’t he just damn well strike so we can all head that way and end him?”
Raphael shoved a hand through his hair. “Even Jason’s hit a wall, and he has multiple people embedded in Aegaeon’s court. The only thing he was able to ascertain for sure is that Aegaeon’s been holed up in his quarters as of three days ago—no one knows why or what it means.”
“Maybe he’s gone into Sleep and saved us the aggravation of seeing his face ever again.” Elena danced a knife through her fingers.
Plucking the weapon away from her at just the right moment, Raphael lifted it up and dropped it back down blade first…and she continued her playing of the lethal item through her fingers without missing a beat.
But even that little game didn’t keep them distracted for long.
Sliding the knife back into its forearm sheath, Elena reached back to tighten her ponytail. “Want to spar?”
“Yes, why not.” His consort couldn’t keep up with him at full speed, but she was sneaky and clever and the bouts were always fun.
“Why don’t we do it at the Enclave?” she suggested. “Probably not good for our people to see us working off our stress that way.”
Nodding, Raphael was about to tell Dmitri where they’d be when his second walked out onto the roof. “Just had a call from Aodhan.”
Raphael’s power surged, his wings aglow. “It’s begun?”
But Dmitri, his expression difficult to read, shook his head. “Aegaeon’s troops are withdrawing.”
“Huh.” Elena put her hands on her hips. “Was that on anyone’s bingo card?”
“Hell fucking no.” Dmitri folded his arms, his biceps defined beneath the short sleeves of his fitted top of fine armor. “I don’t like it. What’s his game?”
Raphael was as suspicious. “I wouldn’t put it past him to pull a double bluff.”
“Illium’s thinking along those same lines—they have watches everywhere.” Dmitri slid his hands into his pockets. “We have to wait and see. Fuck.”
* * *
* * *
The next startling report came from Jason himself. “Lady Caliane was spotted in the region the day Aegaeon went into seclusion. Rumor is they met over the ocean, but I haven’t been able to pin down any actual source, so it could be nothing.”
“I’ll talk to her.”
But when Raphael did, she gave him a sad smile. “Yes, I was there, but on what we spoke, I will say nothing except that I reminded Aegaeon that one does not recover from hurting their child.”
Her hand rising, as if she would brush his cheek. “The guilt and sorrow and grief of it become part of your being, with you every moment of every day.”
Raphael frowned. “That’s not enough, Mother. Alexander tried to talk to him on the same theme and got nowhere.” As a father who’d lost a son—albeit at enemy hands—the Archangel of Persia had spoken from a place of dark experience when it came to the pain involved in such a loss.
“I’ve said all I will say on this, Raphael.” Her tone was final. “What was spoken will remain forever between Aegaeon and me.”
He took in her expression, the lines of grief and pain that overlaid a core of steel, and he knew she wouldn’t budge. Whatever this was, it was about more than politics. “Will he regress, do you think?”