Page 30 of Wings of Death

It’s filled with the most gorgeous dresses I have ever seen. I step inside and run my hands along the fabric, amazed at all the colours. She really had good taste. There are dresses in just about every colour and shade you can imagine. Although the majority of the clothing in her wardrobe consists of various huesof purple. Clearly purple was her favourite colour, just as it is mine.

I reluctantly move back out into her room and spot a wooden bookshelf along the wall next to her bed, filled with books. I wonder if they’re all from the castle library or if they’re her own books.

And then I see it. My crib. Where I slept as a baby, nestled in the corner near the window.

Tears sting my eyes as I slowly cross the room toward it. Thin white fabric hangs from the tall ceilings draped around the back of the crib. It’s beautiful. The pale-pink bedding is messy, as if it has remained unmade since I last slept in it, and there are several stuffed toys sitting in the corner by the pillow. I reach down and pick up a soft pink teddy bear and frown as something falls from it into the crib. A note.

I pick it up and unfold the delicate paper.Zarla, if you find this letter, trust no one. My life may be in danger, and I fear for your safety. The locket is the key…

Her words cut deep, and I can almost feel her fear.Trust no one…Her words echo in my mind, prickling the hairs on the back of my neck. Without further thought, I cross the room and close the door. All the angels currently in my life were also in hers. So if she is telling me not to trust anyone, I won’t.

I fold the note up and slip it into my pocket, then pull out the locket, turning it over in my hands.The locket is the key…The key to what? I open it and look at the picture of the two of us. Looking at the wallpaper in the background, I realise the photo was taken in here, in her quarters. I study the picture a little longer and find it was taken outside her wardrobe.

Zarla…

My focus snaps to the wardrobe. Someone called my name. But I didn’t hear it aloud. I heard it in my head. By the gods… I step back inside and look around.

Zarla…

There it is again! I move the dresses aside and spot a thin gap where red light is shining through. There’s a room back there.

Instinct takes over, and I hold the locket up to the wall. It glows as green magic seeps out, and then there’s a click and a hidden door pops open. I duck my head and step through into a small room. It’s dark in here, aside from a red light shining up out of a wooden chest. There’s a small table with a lamp in the corner, and I switch it on, illuminating the room in a soft glow.

Something is luring me to the chest, and I know it’s the voice I heard in my head. What is that?

Zarla…It calls once more. I crouch down and carefully open the chest, coughing a little as disturbed dust floats into the air.

The chest is full of journals, and there’s a small box sitting on top of them. That’s where the red light is coming from. I pick it up, cautiously opening it to find a ring inside. It’s silver with a large red diamond, which continues to glow as I pick it up. With little thought, I slip the ring onto my finger. A strong power surges through my body, and I shudder.

The glow subsides as I turn my finger, studying the diamond. It’s beautiful, ancient even, and somehow, I know it was my mother’s. This ring contains strong power. I can feel it flowing within my veins.

My focus shifts to the journals. There must be at least twenty or thirty of them in here. The covers are a pale-brown leather with ancient symbols on them. I recognise the symbols from the Kingdom gates.

The language of the gods.

My brows knit together as the symbols become clear, and I can understand what they mean. It’s a numbering system. The journals on the top appear to be the latest ones, so I move them aside and choose an earlier one. I flick through it and read a passage from when my mother was young. She’s mad at mygrandmother for telling her she couldn’t go out with her friends for the night.

I smile, wishing I had met my grandmother. She died before I was born. I slip the journal back and choose another. I open it and read a section.

My powers still have not come. Despite all attempts, I cannot seem to harness them. All the other angels at the academy have theirs now. I am the outcast. It isn’t fair. I went to see the Guardian Master after class today, and he told me to be patient and that my powers will come and they will be strong. Stronger than most guardians. He said he can sense great potential within me, which I don’t understand. How does he know? And what potential exactly is that?

I need a break, an escape. I need to see him again. He always knows what to do and what to say to make me feel better.

Who was she talking about? My father? I flick through the journal and find another passage.

I can’t believe it. It actually happened. I harnessed my first power. Lissian and I were training in the Dark Forest, and she was showing me how she harnessed her powers, when it happened. It was the strangest experience I have ever had. A voice spoke to me. She told me I was ready. And then the next thing I know, she’s gone. At first I thought it was a dream, until I blasted a ball of light out of my hands and snapped a tree in half.

Lissian was hysterical and couldn’t believe it. I can’t either. And the best part is the Guardian Master was right. My power is strong. I haven’t seen a power like mine before. Although itis thrilling, it is also terrifying. I need to be careful with it and learn how to control it.

Wow. That reminds me so much of myself. Gods, I miss her. I wish she were here with me, guiding me. Life can be so cruel. She didn’t deserve to die, and I deserve to have my mother. I shove the journal back, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, before selecting another one. Judging by the symbol on the cover, this journal appears to be the one to follow after the last. I flick through it and come across a passage which appears to be before the Guardian Angel ceremony.

My stomach flutters every time I think about the ceremony tomorrow night. I am as equally excited as I am afraid. Who will I be bonded to? What if it’s someone I can’t trust, like him? Since Harlum’s father, Zarlin, died, he is to be named the next King, so he won’t become a guardian tomorrow night. He will remain here within the Kingdom. He says he wants me at his side, but I see the way he looks at her.

Time will tell. He must earn my trust, and until then, I will be cautious.

The passage ends there, and when I turn the page, I notice a bunch of pages have been ripped out of the journal. They appear to be the pages that would have shown who she was bonded to on Earth, and who her second had been. Someone didn’t want anyone to find out. Someone didn’t wantmeto find out.

The thought sends a chilled shiver up my spine. Has someone been in here and read through her journals before me? I think back to the note left with the locket. Whoever left it to me could have come in here and read the journals. They could havetaken the pages. But if that were the case, why would they leave me the locket in the first place? It makes no sense.

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