Chapter 40 #2
“I understand,” Rory rushed, not wanting Sam to piss them off.
“But it’s life or death, and if you could help us, we would be forever indebted to you.
” Getting an idea, she snapped and pointed at them.
“I’ll fund your research. Thanks to Caius, I have more money than I could use in multiple lifetimes. ”
“That won’t be necessary,” Kellin replied. “If what you say is true, and I believe it is, helping you will also help the realms.”
“Thank you,” Rory said, silently vowing to still fund their research.
“I would like one question answered,” Meena added.
Rory and Sam exchanged a look. “What is it?”
She scurried around the stacks, stopped at one not far away, walked her fingers down the books and files, and yanked on a book. The stack wobbled, and she balanced it with her hand without looking.
The pages of the book flipped quickly as she picked through them. “Ah-ha!” She stood next to Sam and pointed to something on the page. “This is about you, isn’t it?”
His eyes scanned the pages, and he scoffed. “I am not Aemas, nor am I Lora.”
“Who are Aemas and Lora?” Rory asked, getting up to stand on Meena’s other side to read the page over her shoulder.
“We know that,” Kellin interjected. “But we have a theory.” Sam shifted uncomfortably, and Rory knew whatever this man had to say was spot on. “The story tells of the two creators losing their sun to the realms and sending their night after it.”
Rory’s nose scrunched as she read the line herself. “What does that have to do with Sam?”
“It’s no coincidence this was written not long after Samyaza arrived in the realms,” Meena responded, turning the page. “We think the author of this story tried to mimic the old prose of earlier stories, using cryptic metaphors.”
Rory tried to keep her voice polite. “That still doesn’t answer my question.”
Kellin moved to a blackboard behind his desk, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote one sentence. “Aemas and Lora lost their SON to the realms and sent their KNIGHT to protect it.”
Rory read the sentence multiple times. “You think Sam is a knight sent to watch over the creators’ son?”
Sam had taken to not moving, maybe not even breathing. She resisted shaking him.
Kellin set the chalk down and dusted off his hands. “We think he is the son, and Jophiel is the knight.”
Rory felt stupid in a room with the Coopers. “Who is Jophiel?” Glancing at Sam, she added, “That can’t be true. I’ve never met a Jophiel, only Lauren, and she said they’re the only two Angels in the realms.”
Meena closed the book and set it on a random stack as she walked to another, counting the books before pulling one out. Picking through the pages, she muttered to herself before smiling. “Does she look anything like this?” she asked, holding out the book.
Rory scanned the page. “Holy aether.” There was a picture of a large man with white wings, long blonde hair, and armor labeled “Samyaza.” The face looked nothing like Sam’s, but what almost made her faint was the woman next to him. Her likeness to Lauren was unmistakable. It was titled, “Jophiel.”
“How many names does she have?” Rory demanded, turning to Sam. “Is this true? If you’re their son, then you’re a Seraph.”
By some miracle, Sam finally addressed her. “We have been over this.”
Rory blew a piece of rogue hair out of her face. “Yeah, I remember. You supposedly only have one set of wings, and they have three. That doesn’t mean you can’t shift them away.”
Kit’s parents exchanged a loaded look, and Kellin gave Sam the slightest nod. “Our mistake. You two have a seat, and let’s discuss what you need from us.”
They’re dropping it just like that? “Is Lauren’s name really Jophiel?” Rory asked Sam.
“Yes,” he replied as he sat down, and she followed in a trance. Her friend was hiding something, but she knew when to push, and this was not it.
“You said the Umbra King needs information on your soulscape magic. Do you know why?” Kellin asked, all business.
Rory hadn’t given that part much thought, but she had an inkling. “We recently discovered if something physically changes on our bodies in the soulscape, it happens in real life.”
The fact was reinforced that morning, not only by her bite mark but also by the almost non-existent blood on the tampon she still wore. The soulscape didn’t stop her period completely because she started to bleed again when she woke up, but for the night, her period was gone.
She guessed the tampon was still inside her because it wasn’t part of her body, therefore, it didn’t permanently change in the soulscape. Why did her body change but nothing else? Maybe the bond connecting them physically is what held the magic, not the actual soulscape itself.
“Changes how?” Meena asked, already moving around the room again. Did she ever sit down?
Rory had to show them the bite, and there was only one reason Caius would bite her. This wasn’t something she wanted to discuss with her friend’s parents, but she didn’t have a choice.
Tugging her collar aside, she showed them the scabbed-over bite. It was deep and might leave a scar. She was going to kill him.
Kellin leaned forward. “Is that a bite mark?”
Sam coughed, and Rory glared at him. “Yes. He bit me in the soulscape, but that’s not all. We tested it on him, too. The same thing happened. His cut was scarred the next morning. Healed, unlike mine, but the scar was there.”
“Incredible,” Kellin murmured and grabbed a pen to write something down.
Meena hummed as she meandered through the stacks back to her desk. “The funny thing about the realms,” she said in a sing-song voice. “Is that there were no history books in the early days. Everything was told through tall tales, written in storybooks, or passed down by mouth.
“It’s believed that Lora created the Aeternum bond,” Meena went on. “She was obsessed with the idea of an undying love that tied souls together and thought everyone deserved loyal devotion, but Aemas wouldn’t let her create fated mates for everyone. Their compromise was Aeternums.”
“Why couldn’t everyone have a mate?” Rory mused. “Why was he against it?”
Meena shook her head. “It doesn’t say, but Aemas is told to be irrevocably in love with his wife. There must have been a good reason for him to deny her.”
Leaning forward, Rory tried to get a glimpse of the page. “Then Lora is responsible for the soulscape magic?”
“If the story is true, then yes,” Kellin confirmed. “While she is not as powerful as Aemas, she is a Seraph with the ability to create. If physical alterations transfer from the soulscape to reality, she made it that way intentionally.”
Rory leaned on the arm of her chair, absorbing the information. “You’re saying anything we physically change in the soulscape will change in real life, no matter what?”
“Theoretically, yes,” Meena replied, closing the book. “I’m not sure if this information will be helpful to the king, but it is all we know about it.”
“Thank you,” Sam said, standing. “You have been accommodating.”
He signaled for Rory to stand, and she could tell he was ready to leave. “We really appreciate it,” she told Kit’s parents as they crossed the room to leave.
“If there is anything you ever need, please ask,” Kellin said, walking them to the door.
“Wait,” Meena called after them. The woman looked nervous. “If you make it back to Vincula, will you tell our daughter we love her and miss her?”
Rory smiled empathetically at the historians. “Yes. She is proud of you two and the work you do.”
The woman’s eyes watered. “We’re proud of her, too. Thank you. You two take care.”
Sam didn’t say a word, and as much as Rory wanted to ask him if he was okay, she didn’t.
“I need to make one more stop before we head home,” she told him as they exited the museum.
He nodded and waited as she searched for a shop on her phone, plugged the address into her navigation app, and led them downtown.
That night, Rory, her friends, and Sam sat in a local pizza place, talking about nothing of importance. Mainly how their days went, what they were doing for the upcoming weekend, and whatever else they could think of.
Sam hadn’t said much since leaving the museum, and it worried her, but she didn’t press him. Unless he was like this tomorrow, then she’d bother him until he talked.
“Have you made any headway on finding a way back to Vincula?” Sera asked out of the blue.
Rory finished chewing her pizza and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“No. Sam and Lauren met—” Sam grabbed Rory’s leg under the table and squeezed.
She understood his message loud and clear.
Don’t talk about their meeting with Adila.
She coughed to cover up her pause and took a drink of water.
“With me, and we’ve decided I’ll wait here. ”
She was suddenly nervous to mention Caius after Sam’s behavior. What was going on? “Let’s not talk about it,” she added. “It’s depressing.”
The conversation carried on, but Rory felt apprehensive the rest of the night, even when she and Sam loaded into the SUV.
As soon as they pulled onto the road, she couldn’t hold back any longer. “What was that about?”
Sam’s jaw tensed as he stared straight ahead. “I am not sure, but Sera lied about her day.”
Rory scoffed. “You acted like she killed a kitten. All she said was work was boring. Maybe she had a terrible day and didn’t want to bring the group down.”
“Something is not right,” Sam insisted. “I am not sure what, but there was something off about the little one tonight.”
Rory sighed and leaned her head back. “Are you always in commander mode?”
He looked incredulous. “Are you always in danger?”
“Touché,” she muttered and looked out the window, watching the city blocks turn into rural roads as they traveled toward their house.
“Are you okay?” She didn’t expect him to answer, and he exceeded her expectations.
Not only did they ride in an uncomfortable silence, but when Sam put the car in park, he jumped out and stalked inside before Rory even shut her door.
Her stomach dropped. Today rattled her friend, and she didn’t enjoy seeing him like this. She’d ask Caius about it tonight.
Something sounded behind her, and she whipped around, staring at the gravel road that doubled as their driveway. There were no headlights or other sounds, but she stayed still, listening.
She didn’t know how long she stood there, but the door opened, making her scream. “Come inside,” Sam said from the porch. “And stop screaming.”
“You scared me,” she griped, brushing past him with one last glimpse over her shoulder.