Page 61 of Wings of Death

She pulls back and glances around, as if worried someone may hear us, and lowers her voice. “Until we know for certain, we do not speak of it. Understood?”

I nod, wiping my cheeks as I stare into her eyes. “Okay. But if she did it, then she must be put before The Throne,” I firmly say, and Lissian nods. “Did you know my mother kept journals?”

“I did. She loved the written word, writing about her thoughts and documenting her life. I think it was an escape for her.”

I frown. “An escape from what?”

Lissian shakes her hands at me and backs up, moving toward the fire. “I shouldn’t be discussing this with you.”

I follow her. “Lissian, please. I need to know the truth.”

She lets out a long breath and sits back down in the armchair, and I do the same.

“Your mother was in a dark place before she died. She was very paranoid and anxious that something was going to happen to her. I did my best to calm her down on many occasions, telling her that everything would be all right, but truth be told, I could feel it too.”

My lips part as I listen intently.

“I could sense the tension between your mother, Harlum, and Hethenos. She was very jealous of Serona.” She pauses, adjusting her dress and flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “Harlum loved your mother the most. That much was clear. Out of any female he had ever laid eyes on, she was everything to him. He knew she was special, and I believe he took advantage of her, as well as his own powers as King. He prevented her from leaving the Kingdom and had his guards watch over her like a hawk.”

I knit my brows together in confusion. “Why would he do that?”

She clasps her hands together in her lap. “He feared she would leave him. She told me many a time how she longed to visit the other Kingdoms. She knew angels there, she said, and she wanted to restore the peace that Harlum was hellbent on destroying.”

This new information is hard to hear. Why would my father be this way? It didn’t sound like him at all, but from what I read in her journals, I know Lissian is right.

“Why wouldn’t he want peace?”

Using her powers, Lissian takes two large logs and moves them onto the fire. It crackles as the fire licks its way up the wood, and the room feels instantly warmer.

“I’m not sure. It’s just how your mother felt.” She hesitates, as if deciding whether to say the next words. “I suspected there was another male in the picture. Of course, I don’t know for sure. It’s just a feeling I had.”

My mind is reeling from this information, and I try to remember my purpose for coming here. Kyle. Getting Kyle’s wings back.

“If Hethenos did this to Kyle, do you know how she would have been able to remove his wings?”

Her brows crease as she seems to think it over. “I have heard of fallen angels before, but I can’t say for sure how she could have enforced that upon Kyle. It could be dark magic, but?—”

“Dark magic?” I interrupt.

She sighs, and I can tell she is worried about telling me too much. “Dark magic is not something that angels should toy with. In fact, your father would certainly not be pleased if I told you about it.”

“Please, Lissian. If I’m going to help Kyle, then I need to understand how this could have happened.”

She gives me a tight-lipped smile. “If it is dark magic, and that’s a bigif,there are ways to reverse it. It would require a great deal of power to do it, but I believe you have the ability. I can sense the same strength in you as I could in your mother.”

“How do I reverse it?” I ask, sitting so close to the edge of my seat I could fall off any minute.She tilts her head down, narrowing her eyes as if she’s about to reveal some dark secret. “The Great Library. There are books on dark magic. I suggest you start there, but please, Zarla, you did not hear this from me.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

My mind is reeling as I pass through the corridors toward the Great Library. It seems Hethenos is responsible for everything bad that has happened. My jaw ticks as I try to hold in the anger, desperate to escape. I better not run into her, because I’m not sure I can hold myself back from unleashing it upon her.

Suda is restocking the shelves as I enter, and I’m thankful to see the place is deserted. She glances up as I approach, a small smile wrinkling the sides of her eyes.

“Zarla, dear, what can I do for you?”

“Fallen angels,” I whisper.

Despite the lack of ears to hear me, I don’t want to risk drawing unwanted attention.

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