Chapter Ten #2
The others turned to him, their cheers swelling.
Hands clapped his shoulders, pulling him into a celebration he wanted nothing to do with.
Lori’s face shone with pride, his posture straightening as if basking in reflected Glory.
Yuri felt none of it. Their voices became a dull roar, a distant storm rolling in from a far-off shore.
Caiel would have been the better choice. He was strong, steady, eager. So why? Why not him?
A sour taste rose in his throat. He swallowed hard against it, his stomach twisting into knots that pulled tighter with every heartbeat.
To be chosen was an honor, a blessing passed down from the Divine Ruler Themself.
But the weight of that honor felt like a noose around his throat.
To refuse was blasphemy, and angels had fallen for less.
Much less.
Yuri forced his trembling hands to still, willed his knees to bend, and bowed his head low enough that they couldn’t see the fear in his eyes. Then he spoke words that tasted like ash on his tongue.
“I humbly accept this honor.”
“Does this mean our training is over?” Lori was sitting cross-legged atop a desk, watching as Yuri paced across his room.
Did he need to pack? Humans wore such simple clothes.
Scratchy wool, rough linen … He’d probably need a new wardrobe if he was to blend into their world, though was an angel meant to blend in?
His very purpose was to stand apart, wasn’t it?
To be the blade in the dark, the light in the gloom.
Perhaps he was meant to shine. To be special.
He’d bring his cloak, at least. Maybe some armor …
“I’ll have Caiel take over your training while I’m gone.”
“And how long will that be?” Lori held one of Yuri’s daggers in his lap, thumbing over the filigree.
Forever, Yuri thought. It’s likely I will die down there and never return.
“I wish I knew” was what he said instead.
He let his hand fall to Lori’s, curling it around the blade in the boy’s hand.
“Keep this, and may it protect you. When the thrill of battle sinks its teeth into you, don’t forget to use your head.
A demon will always play tricks. They want you angry and impulsive, but you’re smarter than they are. Never fall for their games.”
“I won’t.” Lori’s hands curled tighter around the dagger, though his shoulders slumped. “I always imagined you’d be there for my first battle.”
“So did I.” He ruffled the angel’s hair, a fond smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “But you’ll be fine on your own.”
Lori frowned, reaching back to pluck a single feather from his wing. It shimmered faintly as he held it out to Yuri. “Take it. In case you ever need to get in touch with me.” He pressed the feather firmly into Yuri’s hand when he made no move to take it. “What Xadriel doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
“Xadriel knows everything,” Yuri warned, but nevertheless he tucked the feather away before forcing himself to draw back. It didn’t matter what he wanted; he would go where he was called, as he always had.
Yuri made his way back to the Celestial Palace, keeping to the skies.
He felt the stares following him, his body burdened by the weight of others’ curiosity.
For ages he’d existed unnoticed, building himself up as the perfect angel—not so powerful as to earn everyone’s attention, but never failing his missions, either.
Steady, reliable, dependable. Forever fading into the background. That was the life he’d wanted for himself. But now whispers followed as he carved the quickest path toward the palace, and eyes that would have been forever content to ignore him turned with great interest.
His skin itched from the attention, trying his best to ignore it as he slipped into the window of the Celestial Palace not an hour after he’d received his orders.
Or at least he suspected it’d been an hour.
It was always difficult to tell at Sanctuary, where one half of the sky offered daylight and a burning sun while stars shone bright on the other, constellations pulled so close they looked like stepping stones he could reach with just a flap of his wings.
It didn’t take long for Xadriel to arrive, and by his soft sigh as he entered his chambers, it seemed he’d expected Yuri.
“You’ll be leaving shortly,” Xadriel said. “Have you gathered your belongings?”
Yuri nodded. “I travel light.”
The commander leaned back in his seat. “Then I suppose you’d like to discuss something with me?”
“Very much, sir.”
He extended a hand to the chair across from him, and Yuri sank into it.
“I have no desire to journey down to the mortal realm,” he said the moment he’d sat, too anxious to waste time.
It took everything in him to keep his tone level, regardless of how his blood was stewing.
Xadriel, of all people, should understand.
Yuri had seen firsthand what happened to angels who let themselves be swept away by the realm of mortals. They became soft. Unpredictable.
Oaths were broken …
“That’s precisely why you’re the one who must go.
” Xadriel smoothed a hand over his silvered beard.
It didn’t matter that they were sitting face-to-face, or that Yuri was the taller of the two.
No matter their position, Xadriel was always somehow looking down on him.
That was just the commander’s way. “The attacks on Rhovar are becoming more frequent, and I need my sharpest blade down there protecting them. If that kingdom falls, it’s us who will look weak to the world. ”
“But Caiel—”
“Caiel is unsuited to live among the humans. Should he go, it’ll be a matter of years before I lose him to the lure of the mortal realm. I need someone who won’t let me down, Yuriel. Are you telling me that’s not you?”
Yuri leveled his expression. He’d known that changing his fate was a hopeless cause before he ever stepped foot in the commander’s chambers, but still he’d had to try. “I would never let you down, sir.”
“Then this is the correct choice. There’s nothing to fear, so long as you keep her alive. And while you’re gone, I want you to ensure that the humans are living by our ways. Ensure their faithfulness, and that we do not lend our aid without reason.”
The words were worse than any knife as they stabbed into Yuri’s chest and twisted. Through gritted teeth, he forced himself to bow his head. “It will be my honor.”
“Good. Take whatever armor or weapons you’d like, but be quick.
” Xadriel glanced at the stained glass, staring as though he could see past it to the mortal realm below.
“And no matter what you may feel, remember that angels do not succumb to the emotions of the humans, Yuriel. Whatever happens down there, you would be wise to remember that.”
Yuri didn’t need to nod his understanding, for the words went without saying. Once bonded, he would feel as a human would. He would be tempted.
But he could not succumb to the wiles of the mortal realm. He needed only to make it through this human’s lifetime, and then he would return to Sanctuary and live out the rest of his life in peace.
Yuri had survived war. Betrayal. Things he didn’t dare to name.
Surely, he could survive life with a human girl.