Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
“Have you seen Milán?” Augustine asked a classmate who was always around him.
“Who?” he replied, clueless, barely looking up from his notebook.
She didn’t answer, just turned her back and walked away like an empty shell. She checked her phone; his number was gone from her contacts. It was as if he’d been removed from existence.
Her stomach churned every time she flashed back to him being savagely devoured. But what really made her sick were her own feelings. She wasn’t sorry; in fact, she’d do it again in a heartbeat if she had to. She felt like just another monster among her monstrous Shadows.
“You’ve grown about another inch and a half since the last time you asked,” Sara noted, dropping her backpack and noise-canceling headphones.
“I’ve changed way more than just an inch and a half, I think,” Augustine sighed, barely keeping a lid on her inner turmoil.
“You’re right,” she said laconically, adding nothing else.
Augustine ached to know exactly what changes Sara saw, but at the same time, she dreaded the answer. More than anything, she missed Alderian. Keeping up with her daily life as if nothing were wrong was the hardest thing they could ask of her right now.
Had they taken him prisoner to Ilyr? What did that even entail?
Just to test it, she tugged three times on her Silver Thread. As she expected, Alderian didn’t answer her call. After class, she grabbed her phone and dialed Ana’s number.
* * *
She arrived at the only place where she might actually get some answers. Elarión was standing guard outside Ana’s house, waiting for her. The mountain range rose majestically on the horizon, its snowy peaks a stark contrast to Augustine’s mood.
“Welcome, Herald,” he said as she approached.
“Where is Alderian?” she snapped, cutting all the small talk.
Elarión stayed silent.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” she muttered, incensed.
“What are you going to do if you knew? There is nothing you can do right now.”
“Listen to me well, Elarión. There is nothing I cannot do right now. You’d better spit it out this instant,” Augustine threatened in a whisper that sounded more unsettling than if she’d screamed it.
“Augustine?” The front door swung open, and Ana poked her head out. She beamed the moment she saw her. “I thought it was you; I spotted you from my window.”
She invited her in, and Augustine found herself in the same kitchen where, months before, she’d supported her friend through her darkest hour.
It was ironic: the same place, but with their roles reversed.
Ana brewed a cup of coffee, her eyes locked on Augustine.
Elarión watched the scene from a corner of the room.
“You look different,” she commented hesitantly. “I wouldn’t know how to say it, but you look more… adult? I don’t know.”
“How have you been?” Augustine asked. “You look much better.”
Ana smiled, and this time it was a genuine joy. “I’m getting my life back. I feel like I’m breathing again.”
Augustine smiled back, truly relieved.
“Haven’t you wondered how I knew what you were going through?” Augustine asked cautiously. Elarión immediately went on guard.
“Honestly, yeah, a thousand times. I hid it so well that not even my sister noticed anything. How could you tell after seeing me for just a sec?” Ana looked at her coffee cup, embarrassed.
“I told you that you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you, but I’m going to put you to the test… let’s see if you believe me.”
“What are you doing, Herald?” Elarión interjected, stunned.
“I have told no one,” Augustine continued, brushing off the A’aruin, “but I don’t see the point in keeping this secret anymore.”
“You can tell me anything, Augustine,” Ana said, her eyes full of sincerity.
“Herald, stop,” Elarión pleaded.
Augustine laughed dryly and locked eyes with Elarión. “Why do you keep calling me Herald if you won’t let me deliver my message?” she asked, knowing that to Ana, it looked like she was talking to thin air.
“Who are you talking to, Augustine?” Ana whispered.
“For months now, I’ve started having strange visions,” Augustine began, ignoring the A’aruin.
“Right there, where you see nothing, I see an A’aruin—an angel, if you want to call it that.
And not just any angel, but your guardian angel, the one who has been tethered to you for a thousand lives, who accompanies you even if you don’t want to be accompanied, staying by your side whether or not you want him there. ”
Ana held her breath, watching her intently.
“That’s how I knew what you were going through. That day, he knew what you were about to do,” Augustine explained. “Oh, he was so grateful, he even made a vow, but now he’s shutting me out when I need him most.”
Elarión watched her, a look of pure anguish on his face.
“Does he have a name?” Ana asked softly.
Augustine hadn’t expected that. “His name is Elarión.”
Ana gave a faint smile. “Elarión… that’s a beautiful name.”
The angel stepped closer, his expression unreadable.
“Elarión, if you can hear me… please help my friend… she won’t let it go until you do, but she is suffering while she waits for you,” Ana spoke toward the empty corner, not knowing that Elarión was barely a yard away, rattled.
“You were never alone, Ana,” Augustine added. “He’s been with you every second.”
Ana blushed and looked at her, dead serious. “Hey, is he hot?” she asked, completely in earnest.
Augustine let out a laugh. “Not as hot as my A’aruin, but yeah, I’d say he’s not bad,” she replied, still smiling. She stood up and approached Ana.
“Tonight, Elarión is going to visit you in your dreams, and you’ll actually be able to talk to him.” Augustine placed her hand over the Silver Thread linking them. “And I’m giving you both a gift: if it works, tomorrow, you’re going to remember everything.”
Ana’s Silver Thread glowed faintly with a faint blue hue. A new color. Elarión unfurled his wings, which fluttered restlessly as he stared at Augustine, stunned.
“Come see me early tomorrow, Elarión. Enjoy tonight catching up with Ana, and tomorrow come see me and tell me what you know. I won’t take no for an answer.”