Page 16 of Wings of Death

I bite my lip to refrain myself from arguing with him, and my father holds a hand up.

“I am well aware of the purpose of the watchers. Thank you, Amaros.” He returns his attention to me. “It sounds like you were in danger, and if it hadn’t been for Finlay, things may not have turned out very well. You are unfit to protect yourself, and for that reason, I require you to remain in the Kingdom until I see fit.”

My mouth drops open. “That’s not fair, Father! I can protect myself, and I was never in any danger.”

He inches forward and points a finger at me. “Zarla, you could’ve been killed. Watchers are powerful angels. You are no match for their ferocity. We must get to the bottom of their unprovoked attack.”

I press my fingers into my temples and take another deep breath, unsure if what I’m about to do is the wisest decision. “I killed them,” I admit.

My father’s brows furrow, and Amaros steps forward, his features twisted with confusion.

“Finlay told me he killed the watchers,” Amaros states.

I roll my eyes. “Yes, I know, but he didn’t. I did. So, as you can see, I can take care of myself. Now, can I please get back to doing what I was trained to do?”

Amaros runs his hand through his thick, dark hair. “Hold on a moment. Why would Finlay lie about such a thing?”

I bite my lip and adjust my robes. “Because I asked him to,” I say, and move away from them both to get some space. “I harnessed my powers and was able to kill them.”

Amaros balls his fists. “I don’t understand. You harnessed your powers and killed them? On your own?”

I let out a long breath, along with any remaining hesitation. “Yes. I killed them. I harnessed my powers, two of them. However, I only needed to use one to kill them.”

My father sucks in a sharp breath and slowly approaches me. “Two powers? It’s not possible.”

I throw my hands up into the air. “Gods above, it is, because it happened. Now, as I have proven to be more than capable of looking after myself, am I free to go?”

My father places his hands on my forearms and stares into my eyes. “Zarla, this is extraordinary. I have not seen this before, not in my lifetime. What two powers have you harnessed? Can you explain them to me?”

I bite the inside of my cheek, suddenly feeling nervous about exposing myself like this. I trust him, and I trust Amaros, but something doesn’t feel right.

“The power to heal, and a power which I’m unsure how else to explain, other than to say it was like a blast of energy out of my hands, and it killed the watchers. Only two of them. The first one I killed during the fight without my power.”

Before I can catch the movement, my father snatches a blade from his holster and slices it across his arm. “Show me,” he instructs.

I flinch back. “Father, what are you doing?” I hurry forward, and without thinking, I place my hands over his cut. White light surges from my hands and into my father, healing him.

After a moment, I step back, and he inspects the cut, which is now nothing more than dried blood. “Spectacular,” he whispers.

I risk a glance at Amaros, who is staring intently at me.

“This is quite something,” my father says, studying his arm. “We must keep this quiet. Is that understood?” He eyes Amaros and me, and Amaros nods.

I frown at them both. “Um, no, it is not understood. Not at all. Why do I have two powers, and why is it such a secret?”

My father walks behind his desk and sinks down into his chair. “Because it is unheard of, Zarla. And the last thing we want is our enemy to catch wind of it.” He pauses, which seems like a planned tactic to get me to see the gravity of the situation. “Have you told anyone else?”

I gulp, hoping they won’t notice. Finlay is the only other angel who knows, but based on the intensity behind my father’s words, I decide to keep that to myself. “No, no one else knows,” I lie.

As I head back to my quarters, anxiety gnaws away at me. Being away from Kyle is hard, but I can sense he’s okay. I decide to check in with Finlay, anyway.

Everything all right down there?I ask.

Yes. Are you okay? When will you be back?

The door to my quarters is unlocked, and I don’t question it as I step inside. I’m contemplating ignoring my father’s instructions and heading back to Earth now, when I spot a small box with an envelope sitting on my bed. I scan the room, but I’m alone. Someone must’ve come in here while I was gone.

Zarla?

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