Chapter 34 Mikhail #2
I lifted my arms, uncaring of the heat that was battering my face, to embrace my old friend. And nearly tripped over a small, wide-eyed soulmate.
Feather was facing me, her tiny wings extended and her back to Haneul. “Holy shizz, she is gorgeous!” Feather mouthed at me, her cheeks pink. “Introduce us, please.”
“I will,” I assured her, and her blush went darker while she fussed with her hair, tucking the silver strands around her small, deep gray horns. “Feather, this is my old friend, Haneul. She ascended long ago. I haven’t seen her in—”
“Who is this, Mikhail?” Haneul’s tone was gentle, but when Feather turned around, Haneul gasped. “Is this… Are you…” she choked out, looking like she might fall over, or faint. “You’re a Great Soul like me, but so dirty. And small!”
Feather shot Haneul a tentative smile, then stuck out a hand for her to shake. “How many Great Sacrifices does a girl have to make before people stop calling her a shrimp?”
“Great Sacrifice? Wait, you look exactly like…” Haneul’s thin brows shot up as she gaped at Feather.
“Oh, little soul, how are you here?” Then my old teacher, who I had never known to give hugs before, leaned down and wrapped my mate in her arms, her straight, black hair falling over Feather’s smut-streaked shoulders.
Feather was shocked, but relaxed as the hug went on, Haneul greeting her like she was a long-lost relation and asking questions so fast, I couldn’t make them out.
Haneul’s fingers fluttered over Feather’s hair and arms like small birds, and everywhere she touched, the smut fell away and left a patch of pure, glowing skin. Feather darted a dazed glance at me, and I shrugged.
“We’ll get the rest later.” Haneul’s light flared out all around them, and I blinked as I realized just how powerful she was. She had become a Great Soul, and it suited her.
Gavriel stepped up behind them, his Celestial sword in one hand, and a thunderous expression on his face. “Haneul? What are you doing here? How did you get here?” Haneul ignored Gavriel, whispering something into Feather’s ear.
Where were you? I thought at him. He didn’t answer, so I muttered the question aloud.
His eyes were bleak when he met mine. “In the cells below. Making sure the ones who had been detained were taken care of. Perception sang for me while I… It doesn’t matter.”
His voice was subdued, and for some reason, I felt I owed him an apology. But for what?
Finally, Haneul put a dazed Feather down, and leveled a cool stare at Gavriel when he repeated his question. “Why are you here, Haneul?”
“Are you sure you want to have that discussion in this arena?” She raised an eyebrow at the crowd.
Gav narrowed his eyes. “I need to stay at the gate. The Abyss is stronger than ever.”
“And who are you?”
Gavriel blinked, confusion distorting his expression. “Haneul, you must remember me—”
She held up one hand, and the heat got even more intense. “I know you, Gavriel. But who are you to care about the Abyss?”
His mouth fell open. “I’m… I’m the leader of Sanctuary.”
Her eyes filled with infinite sadness, and I felt tears on my own face as my heart broke for some unspoken reason. “Are you, though?” She wiped her cheek, and turned back to Feather. The entire area went silent as a tomb. Gavriel’s eyes darkened, and with a word, he ordered the crowd to disperse.
In less than a minute, only Feather, Righteous, Gavriel, Perception, and I remained.
This close to Haneul, it was nearly impossible to hear the thoughts even of those around me.
Haneul’s physical form seemed to emit some subliminal Celestial music that never stopped.
We all heard it at some level; Righteous was even tapping his foot.
Perception hummed a bass line without thinking about it.
Feather grinned. “The gate likes it,” she told Haneul, still gazing at the ancient soul as if she were slightly concussed. Or in love. She pointed one finger and giggled at something happening in the ever-changing surface of the golden fixture. “Know how I can tell?”
Haneul winked at her, her back to the scene. “That gate is a total slut for music. What’s he doing now?”
“All the people in it are naked. And most of them are fudging.”
“Fudging?” Haneul snorted, and looked over her shoulder. “Ah, I see. Making the beast with two backs. Or… yes, that’s actually four backs. Six? You’re right, the gate must really like my tunes.”
“How did you enter Sanctuary?” Gavriel asked abruptly. “Is the gate broken, or is it…”
“Fixed?” she finished for him, the sadness back in her voice. “No. We became aware, in our realm, of… certain events on Earth.”
Righteous muttered, “Demon Baby.”
Haneul lifted an eyebrow. “The gate has been under siege for a very long time, but we were constantly watching for a chance to get someone through. These past few days, the shadows almost completely withdrew from the passage between our realms. So I volunteered to attempt the passage, to come to you. I was on the other side, fighting off the few shadows that remained, and trying to convince Revel it was safe to open up. But then it just swung wide. Two lovely souls reached out and pulled me through.”
Perception cleared his throat. “I think I know what happened. I was singing to the gate while Gavriel was… occupied. Heart of Sacrifice and Glory of Love had both been injured, their soulmate bond torn out. They gave themselves to the gate, and made the way safe.” He squinted at the shining golden fixture.
“It’s safe for now, but I am certain not for long. ”
Haneul inclined her head. “Just so. The shadows could return at any moment. Still, I saw the chance and took it, though we believed our last Messenger was unsuccessful in her efforts to get through. It was decided that another attempt was necessary.” Haneul bowed her head.
“I am the last Celestial Messenger that will come to Sanctuary.” She swung her eyes to me. “I had a task to complete, but now….”
“They sensed the imbalance in Sanctuary, or on Earth, in your realm?” Gavriel asked, when she said nothing else.
She didn’t look at him, but rather, at Feather.
In particular, at her horns. “The imbalance on Earth is still significant. And you are right—the Abyss is even stronger. But what finally convinced Mother to let me come down, when the moment arose, was the balance here. It was corrected somehow. We had thought all hope was lost for this place. We mourned you as one would dear children, adrift at sea.”
Gavriel cleared his throat. “Feather did it. By herself. She made a sacrifice. Somehow, she took on all the smut in the realm. All at once.”
Haneul’s face broke into a wide grin. “Yes, that would do it.” Her eyes fell on the drifting piles of glitter all over the floor. “I bet they all love you here.”
Feather raised a brow. “Sure thing. That’s me, Feather the Beloved by Everyone. Not.”
Haneul sucked in a breath, her light dimming. “You have no friends?”
Feather smiled. “No, I have some. Only a few close ones, though. Maybe a hundred others who’d bake me a cake with a file in it. And thousands who would dance around a pyre as I burned.” Her lips twisted. “I know this from recent experience.”
Haneul’s confusion was apparent. “Why wouldn’t everyone be drawn to you, bright one? How can they not see you?”
“Some do,” I said, stepping to Feather’s side and letting my love for her show in my eyes.
Haneul returned the smile, but her eyes slid to Gavriel for a moment. “I would like to meet your close friends. I think they should be here for… for this.”
Feather frowned. “I don’t know. I’ve been sort of busy with smut.
” She shook her head and glitter flew out of her ears.
“They were imprisoned in the cells downstairs. They’re not still there, are they Percy?
” Perception shook his head, but never looked away from Haneul, as if he were seeing something more than the rest of us.
A furrow appeared between Haneul’s delicate brows. “The cells we built for sex?”
“No, the dungeon…” Feather bared her teeth at Righteous. “You told me it wasn’t a sex dungeon!”
He laughed. “I didn’t know. I wonder what else we’ll learn.”
Haneul’s eyes roamed Righteous’s form appreciatively.
“You are a pretty one. But I’m confused.
” Her eyes flew from Feather to Righteous to me.
“I sense your connection to Mikhail, and I see the feather mark. I have to say that was an excellent choice on your part, bright one. But who is this one to you?”
Righteous stepped forward and gave a sweeping bow, one hand on his chest. “I am Righteous Arm of Justice, my lady. And you are the first Celestial soul we’ve seen in so long.
So beautiful.” Feather growled under her breath, and Righteous smirked.
“And I’m also soulmated to Feather.” He turned his arm so his mate mark showed.
Haneul’s mouth formed a surprised circle. “So progressive! Oh, when we get home, we’ll need to have drinks and discuss this development.”
“Get home?” Feather shook her head. “You’re going to the Celestial Realm?” She stepped back. “I can’t leave Sanctuary.”
“You must, Great Soul,” Haneul said gently, pointing at Feather’s arm.
“If you please?” Feather lifted her arm, and Haneul inspected it.
Then she stared into Feather’s face and asked, “May I see how this came about?” Feather bit her lip, but nodded.
After a moment, Haneul shook herself and winked.
“Oh my. What an adventure! No wonder.” She straightened.
“You traveled to the Abyss. When Seraphiel remade you, he made… errors. In judgment perhaps, or… it’s impossible to know, with this much external matter still on your form.
” She picked a hunk of smut away, and it fell to the floor, dissolving into glitter.
“The Choir Leader is going to have a fit,” she muttered.
“Glitter in the Celestial Realm? But it must be done. You must be protected.”
My heart had begun to race. “Why does she need to leave?” I asked, but I had a feeling I knew. “The discoloration under her skin… It’s eating away at her, isn’t it?”
“Yes, she’s growing weaker. It will kill her sooner rather than later, I would think. It’s not in her nature to harm others, but it may become so. And that would break the hearts of everyone in our realm.”
“Why would they care?” Feather choked out, but there was no answer.
There was a lot more to that story than Haneul was admitting right now, but it didn’t matter. If Feather needed to leave to heal, she would leave.
I turned to her, and lifted her chin with one finger. “You have to go.”
“Not without you,” she declared. “And not without Righteous.”
“Damn straight,” he muttered, wrapping an arm around her. She was shivering, though it wasn’t cold, and I realized this was part of what Haneul had sensed. Feather was growing weaker.
Shit. I had thought she was just tired.
She slumped against my arm. “What about Sunny?”
“Sunny?” Haneul began to shake her head, but Feather frowned.
“She’s my best birch. She’s part of my name. And she’s taking care of my baby right now. We can’t leave them behind.” Her hands squeezed mine.
The light in the whole area flickered. For a second, I was afraid Haneul might faint from shock. “I’m sorry, I must have misheard you. Baby?”
Feather smiled up at me, and my heart melted as she said softly, “Mikhail and I have a child.”
At that, Haneul completely lost control of her light. It flared out like a sunspot, the heat sizzling my skin. As fast as I could move, I had Feather wrapped in my wings.
“Careful!” I shouted.
Haneul’s eyes were huge. “Are you…” I felt her mind, like an enormous hand, riffling the pages of my memories.
It was unbearably intimate, and I forcibly ejected her.
“I apologize. That was wrong of me, but I can see you’re telling the truth.
By the Mother of All, this is… unexpected.
” She blinked at Feather, who opened her mind; I could feel it.
Haneul’s face grew paler as she read her memories.
“Oh, the pain you’ve endured. These Protectors, the Guides.
Do they have any idea what they’ve done to you, what they put you through?
What you gave up for them? What you risked to save them all?
” Her words were soft, but the walls nearest us began to shake, and she glowed brighter.
Feather merely shrugged. “I chose it. Every time, I chose to protect, so it’s on me.
Don’t get your panties in a twist. I didn’t do it for a cookie bouquet.
Although I would really, really like one someday.
All chocolate chips. Delivered by operatic tenors wearing g-strings and glow-in-the-dark paint. ”
“That’s oddly specific,” Haneul murmured.
Feather winked. “There’s more where that came from.”
Haneul’s wings went wide as she dissolved into musical laughter. The gate pulsed with an answering light. “Cookies. Panties. Has it changed so much here, then? You wear human undergarments?”
Feather grinned impishly. “Nah, they’re still all a bunch of perverts. No knickers in the entire realm. Please tell me there are no bras where you come from.”
“Bras in Heaven? You must be joking.” Haneul laughed at Feather’s exaggerated relief, and asked, “Where is this baby? And your birch person?”
“I don’t know,” Feather admitted, carefully not looking at Gavriel.
Gavriel sighed. “She’s in Arabella’s room. Both of them are.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
Perception was the first of us to speak. “I’ll go get them, if that’s what you want?” He was asking me, but his eyes kept flicking to Haneul, and then Gavriel. He didn’t know who was in charge. Finally, his eyes settled on Feather.
“Yeah, Percy, thanks. Let her know what’s going on, though?
I don’t want her to freak out.” At last, Feather’s eyes landed on Gavriel, who flinched.
I couldn’t read his thoughts with Haneul so near, and he had always been good at guarding them.
But he had been my best friend for a very long time, and I saw the flash of hurt that slipped past his icy blue eyes.
Hurt, and hopelessness.