Chapter 12
“Have the Farasees gone nuts?”
“The Legions of Azarath? Is this a joke?”
“Don’t Fallenspawn go to Azarath Academy? Are they coming here, too?”
The Ascendants were vehement. Everything inside of me wanted to erupt.
Azarath had Fallenspawn in attendance. They were angels raised since their youngling cycles by the Fallen High King and his Shadowlords.
These were the very angels who helped breach the Seal Gate.
Because they tempered with a realm gate, my Manmi was dead.
I fumed, unable to contain my mounting rage.
“Sit DOWN!” Farasee Esau barked.
We did no such thing. Instead, more Ascendants shot out of their seats. “Why in the stars are we partnering with a bunch of pompous Legionnaires from Azarath Academy?” an Ascendant screamed.
“All of you will shut your mouths and sit down now.” Farasee Esau slammed his wings into the dais before flooding the Sanctuary chamber with fiery heat so dry I started coughing.
As we grew quiet and sat down, he didn’t relent.
The heat was insufferable. I started choking, wrapping my hands around my neck.
“Interrupt me again and I will clip your wings and feed them to the stareagles for firstfast!” Esau finally relented, drawing back his ethèr. “As I said, you will be partnered with the four Legions of Azarath Academy. Klubari Legion, Hartari Legion, Saixari Legion, and Xadari Legion.”
He looked out over all the Ascendants. Content we were done with the outbursts, he continued. “It is time for you to meet the Azarath Academy Legionnaires.”
As a collective, we snapped our heads to the ceiling. A rumble overhead shook the entirety of the amphitheater. My nostrils flared as a wave of Dragèth began descending onto the roof of the cathedral.
The dragons were enormous. They landed on the roof with brute force.
The amphitheater trembled beneath their weight.
Their talons made screeching noises that unnerved me.
I clamped my hands over my ears, unable to withstand the high-pitched sound.
On the back of each dragon was a Legionnaire clad in raven-black leather robes from neck to foot.
“Ascendants,” said Farasee Esau. “Above you will see the Dragèth. Each of these dragons are parilielthai of the Azarathien Legionnaires. The same way we Farasees bond to Pegasi Shifters, the Legionnaires of Azarath bond to Dragèth Shifters. They would rather remain in their dragon forms, so they will not be shifting to descend into the cathedral. At least not this dawn. That doesn’t mean they never will. ”
The Sanctuary was dead quiet. I frowned with displeasure.
Azarath Legionnaires were arrogant, pompous, bloodthirsty warriors. Whether they were Hallowed of Fallenspawn, I had a strong dislike of them all.
Not to mention, they didn’t belong here. They had no business being in the holiest temple in the entire empyrean. What were the Farasees thinking?
“Now,” Esau continued, unfazed by the quiet. “Meet the Legionnaires.”
The angels atop their dragons dismounted and began flying into the cathedral in one fell swoop. They were swift and flew with boldness. Pride. Adorned in leather fighting robes and boots, they soared into the amphitheater like they owned the place.
“Wait a second,” Isandra breathed. “They’re not all Seraphim, guys.”
“What?” Amayah squeaked.
I blinked.
The first Legion flew in. Each had seven pairs of wings with blood-red sigils woven into their leathers.
The next Legion also had seven pairs of wings but they had midnight blue sigils in their leathers.
The third Azarath Legion flew in, again, every angel having seven pairs of wings.
These had emerald green sigils in their leathers.
I was confused. What was Isandra on about? All of these angels were of Seraphim rank. Was she seeing—
The final wave flew in clad in raven black.
There was something different about their leathers.
Something of a richer quality. Only one of their angels, at the very front, was actually in a ridiculous three-piece suit with emerald embellishments.
Of all the Legionnaires, he was the sole angel without fighting robes.
I was about to turn away when I counted their wings.
They only had six pairs.
No. No way.
I counted again.
Six wing pairs. Not seven.
These angels weren’t of Seraphim rank. They were Mortents—one rank beneath Seraphim.
And while Seraphim angels were Elementals, Mortents were Benders.
Specifically, bodily benders. It was rumoured some Mortents had outlawed abilities like brain bending and bone bending.
Even worse, some had the two most horrifying abilities of all: blood and spirit bending.
Azarathien Legionnaires who were Mortents were cataclysmically dangerous. Worse, these angels were also Fallenspawns.
I stilled, my blood turning to ice. Heads started swinging in my direction.
It was no secret. My Manmi was dead because of these angels.
Their hatred for the Farasee Order, for the Empràr, for the Empyrean, resulted in the death of an Anathelle.
My favorite Anathelle. I started trembling as hot, blistering rage ignited my blood.
Ellabeth was seething next to me. “What in all the created realms throughout the Elledelle universe are Fallenspawn doing here?”
Several angels screamed at the top of their lungs, shooting out of their seats. Unmitigated rage exploded in across the Sanctuary.
“They’re the ones who breached the Seal Gate.”
“Clip them all!”
“You’re bonding us to them? I’d rather burn in the Hèls they came from!”
“Safah?” someone called out.
I barely heard them. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. I glared at the Mortent Legionnaires. I glared at their arrogant smiles. The easy confidence in their shoulders. The carelessness of their posture. As if they weren’t the scum we were raised to protect our homes, our empyrean, against.
Manmi.
Manmi was commissioned to the Seal Gate because of Fallenspawn.
Manmi had to fight against fallen angels because of Fallenspawn.
Manmi was dead because of the Fallenspawn.
I was shaking, unable to catch my breath.
“Safah.” Ellabeth held on to my arm, trying to soothe me.
It wasn’t working.
I glared at the pieces of filth who thought it okay to sacrifice a Farasee to their Fallen King.
I would never hear her laugh again because of them.
I would never feel her hands gently brush through my hair or hear her sing as she made our families favorite cakes.
I would never see her eyes roll as we did something purposefully dumb just to irritate her.
Manmi was gone.
But these Fallenspawn still lived.
I seethed in the cloudchair. Starfire began bleeding into my palms without me thinking. Before I could stop myself, I was silhouetted in my power, ready to explode. They’d shed my Manmi’s blood. And this dawn, I had no problem being the one to shed theirs.
My neck prickled under the weight of someone watching me. Was it Granmanmi? Kaelthos? Esau?
“Ascendant Safah Anathelle, we will not be flaming our temple-mates this dawn.”
Every head in the Sanctuary turned to look at me. When the Mortents heard my surname, their jeweled eyes began to glow as profound hatred colored their faces with wrath. Everyone stared at me.
But I was looking at him.
It wasn’t the shock of perfectly groomed, pitch black hair that got me. Or even his emerald-green eyes that glittered like jewels. It was the script. All over his hands. His neck. Down his chest where the button was undone. I wanted to positively scream.
Slowly I pushed out of my cloudchair glaring at him.
I bared my teeth practically foaming at the mouth in anger.
My nostrils flared as my vision started going black with stars.
Starfire thrummed in my hands like whirlpools.
I could see nothing past my rage. Only one angel—Hallowed or Fallen—had a curse inscribed into them like that.
“Ascendants, listen closely for your pairings,” Esau continued when he realized we would no longer remain seated.
Especially me.
“Klubari Legion, noted by their emerald sigils, will be paired with Manna Order. Those with deep blue sigils are of the Saixari Legion and will be with Bond Order.”
Curses broke out in the Sanctuary, all consequences be damned. The Ascendants were furious. Esau couldn't care less. He carried on as if none the wiser.
“Those with red sigils are Hartari Legion and they will be paired with Scroll Order.”
No. Bleeding. Way.
That meant…
Ellabeth squeezed my arm, holding me steady. The Sanctuary started turning into starlight as my power began seeping into my vision. I was gasping for air, utterly vexed. I held the gaze of the demon with the jade eyes, and he held mine.
We were locked in a battle of will, and I would be the one to win. Shadows began seeping into his hands. Pooling at his feet. Wrapping around his neck.
So he was a Shadow Bender. Great.
The more shadows he drew on, the more I pulled on starfire.
“And those in all black besides the exception,” Esau said. “Are indeed all Fallenspawn who have been conscripted to Azarath Academy, making up the entirety of the Xadari Legion. They will be paired with Incense Order.”
“No!” I screamed, slamming my palms into my desk so hard I was surprised it didn’t shatter. Starfire burst from my hands causing sparks to explode all around me. I saw red as I heaved, unable to breathe. The Sanctuary began to swim in my vision.
All around me, Incense Order was raging. The majority began fyusing—the angelic ability of morphing entirely into the elemental power we were born with in our bloodstreams. Screams exploded from our Order as they demanded the Farasees fix this decision.
Presbitari Davithius only shrugged as he looked at Esau.
“If they must, let them fight it out.”
Esau grinned, crossing his arms, watching our Order fall apart with unfettered rage. Farasee Esau spoke on as if he relished in this chaos. As if he lived for it.
“Each of you have initials inscribed on the desk and seat next to you. That seat belongs to your individual partner from the Azarath Legion. And yes, this also means they are now your temple-mate.”
I grew unnaturally still. Sound seemed far away as I kept staring at the Fallenspawn in the posh suit, who in turn stared at me.
His black wings were tucked into his spine, fading at their tips into the deepest shades of emerald that almost matched his bright eyes.
He floated in front of Xadari Legion like a statue, entirely frozen.
“Every Legionnaire has a thorn embedded in their palms…except for the Mortents. Theirs are on their bodies from their neck down to their hands.” Esau spoke over the cacophony, giving up on quieting us down.
“Raise your thorns Ascendants! The angel it calls to is the angel you are temple-mated to for the entirety of your Ascension. Break your bond before then and forfeit your Ascension!”
Not a single Ascendant raised their thorns. The Legionnaires snorted, rolling their eyes. They were a sea of black opposite our sea of gold.
They were a stain.
They did not belong here.
To my dismay, our thorns began rising on their own.
I watched mine lift itself, spinning around.
The stupid thing began making its way through the mayhem.
Every Ascendants thorn was now traveling through the Sanctuary, finding its match.
My stomach rolled. All around me anger exploded like bombs, then faded to silence, as the angels accepted their fates.
The Sanctuary got quieter and quieter until…
“Ascendant Safah Eloise Anathelle.”
I glared at the jade-eyed demon refusing to turn to Farasee Esau. My hearts raced. I tried to calm down. But I couldn’t. Everything in me screamed for vengeance. For violence.
“What kind of living Hèls have we been conned into,” Ellabeth whispered. “There is no burning way this is actually happening.”
“Rot,” Daelun and Omarion hissed at the same time.
I blinked away starlight from my vision.
One moment, the Fallenspawn was floating down below close to the dais.
The next, the demon was floating in front of me like an immovable statue, glowering at me with a hatred that made my skin burn.
Farasee Esau spoke loud for the entire Sanctuary to hear as starfire erupted in my blood.
“Ascendant Safah, meet your new temple-mate, Quazar Valoryen.” A pause. “The Fallen Prince.”