Page 57 of Light

Jophiel’s wings twitched, and her glow dimmed.

Adalaide finished pinning a new cloth on Henry and wrapped him in a light blanket, setting him down in her lap.

“Jophiel.”

The angel looked up, her eyes mournful. “Magic which requires a life sacrifice belongs to the Fallen.”

Adalaide stood, holding Henry out to Jophiel. She took him, passing John to her. She slid her nightgown over her shoulder and fed the baby, letting him nuzzle her chilled flesh.

“I think you had better explain yourself,” she said, leaving the bathing room to return to the babies’ nursery. She sat in a chair and rocked him as he drank.

“He won’t accomplish anything by it. The magic may feed the Fallen, but he cannot change it.”

Adalaide pursed her lips. What did that mean? What did any of it mean, and what could be done about it now? The bargain was struck. When the trap was laid and Sanura caught within it, Adalaide would have to die, feeding her life’s blood into the spell to ensure Sanura was truly banished from the Earth forever.

She couldn’t focus on that now. Not when all that mattered were the twins. “We must begin preparing for John and Henry’s care when I’m gone,” she said.

“They will have me and their father…” Jopheil’s words trailed off.

“Precisely. Angels with more to do than care for humans and no concept of time are not the proper guardians for infants.”

Jophiel grimaced and dipped her head. “What did you have in mind?”

“Although my sacrifice will ensure Sanura is trapped in Sheol, her creatures and the demons who roam the Earth will still be here, and I have no doubt they will seek to finish what she started. I have a distant cousin by marriage, unrelated to your line, with whom I have made enquiries. I hope to hear from her within the week.

“Now, tell me the rest of what we must do to ensure the spell succeeds.”

When Jophiel had gone and Henry and John were safely tucked in their bassinet, Adalaide pulled out her father’s journal and turned to a blank page. She’d read over many of his notes on the history of her family line and what they had done to Sanura.

The blood of one, the lives of many, must endure. Speak the words, know thyself true, or be damned. Flame of desire, gilded heart, protect what lies within. This Grave responsibility.

She huffed a laugh, recalling the times she had puzzled over those words. It was not until Jophiel had told her the story of Helena that she finally understood its meaning. It also clarified some of the calculations and alchemical compounds written into the earliest pages of the book.

Someone had carefully diagramed the various uses of metals in magical spells. The particular composition of the gold encapsulating Sanura’s bone amplified the magic while also cloaking it from those who would seek to use it for harm.

A rather brilliant use of science in conjunction with magic. She wondered what future technological advances might come about as a result of her family’s experiments.

Touching her pen to the page, she began to write.

A soul’s great solace, recognizing an analogous umbra.

It comes in the night, threatening all I love.

She chewed her bottom lip. What could she say to explain to her sons the reason they had lost their mother? She continued writing.

It whispers in the dark, promising life evermore.

Myne immolation or oblation? Shall it be as it was meant, or do fates so entwined defy predestination?

She pressed the ivory end of her pen to her lip, wondering fleetingly if she had been wrong to make this choice. What if her slate hadn’t been wiped clean? What if she wouldn’t find him in the afterlife? Dismissing the thought, she continued writing.

When it finds you, be not swayed by dark desires or misdeeds. Stay the path of right. Know you this: actions are weighed, punishment meted out.

Her heart constricted, hoping her words would be clear enough when their paths crossed with the demons of this world.

My boys, should you find this one day and ask yourselves what became of your dear mother, know you were loved. You were loved beyond anything a mortal might comprehend.

Though our paths diverge from here, know there is a place beyond in which we shall see each other once more. Look after one another.

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