Page 84 of Wings of Death

She leads me to a cliff face overlooking the ocean, and we watch as the sun descends toward the horizon, giving way to the most magnificent sunset I have ever seen. This place is truly magical. It gives me a sense of peace knowing my mother is here. Whereverhereis.

“Come, it is time to head back,” she finally says as the last of the golden and orange hues disappear across the sky.

We walk back in mostly silence, holding hands, and it’s perfect. But knowing I have to leave her tugs at my heart. I don’t want this time to end. It isn’t nearly long enough to replace the last sixteen years I had to live without her.

We reach the forest where I first arrived at this place, and she takes my hands and turns me to face her. Her radiant smile dissipates and is replaced with a sadness that creases her forehead and wells in her eyes.

“You must be careful, Zarla. Nothing is as it seems.”

I don’t miss how the air is growing heavy as darkness settles over the forest. My mother is scared, that much is clear.

“Did you ever go to Zarquon?” I ask, hoping there is more to learn, anything she can tell me at all to shed some light on what’s going on.

Her eyes dart around as if checking we are still alone, and she moves in closer. “I knew many angels from Zarquon, and they were never a danger to me. I believe Harlum wanted power, and he wanted the Kingdoms to remain separate. He didn’t want peace.”

It doesn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t he want peace, if such a thing were possible? Surely he wouldn’t want war.

My mother frowns and glances down at my hands. I follow her gaze to see I’m wearing her ring, and it’s glowing red. That’s not good.

She squeezes my hand. “I’m glad you have that. It will protect you from dangerous magic. And I’m sure you have figured out by now why it does that,” she says, gesturing to the red glow, “which is why you need to go.”

I gulp, concerned about why it’s glowing red now. Is she in danger? Am I?

“Why can’t you tell me what this place is?” I ask, glancing around. “Surely it isn’t a secret if I can visit.”

She gives me a gentle smile and strokes my cheek. “I wish we had more time.”

There’s a loud, thunderous boom in the distance, and the ground shakes a little. The wind picks up and howls wildly around us, growing stronger by the minute. Something doesn’t feel right. There’s an ominous thickness in the air, and it’s bearing down heavily upon us.

I look at my mother, and she drops my hands as her complexion pales.

“You must go now. Back the way you came.”

“Please, give me something. What is this place?” I plead.

She takes a step back. “I cannot upset the balance further than I already have. You must go.”

When I don’t move, she takes my arm and urgently pulls me back the way I came. “Please, Zarla. Go now. He is not pleased with me. If he sees you…” The blood drains from her face as panic fills her eyes.

“Okay, I’ll go,” I reluctantly say.

The last thing I want to do is get her into trouble, and whoever she’s afraid of is certainly not someone I want to bump into.

I hug her tight and then hurry back through the trees in what I hope is the right direction. My vision blurs, and I blink a few times as the air around me shifts, and then suddenly I’m back in Silanthia, standing at the boundary of the Dark Forest.

I spin around, searching for the place I just was, or at the very least, a sign of its existence. But there’s nothing out of place. My heart sinks, and I wish I had more time with her. I look down, and my ring is no longer glowing. I don’t even remember putting it on.

“Where have you been?” a familiar voice demands.

I gasp and spin around to face Amaros.

He raises his brows expectantly, awaiting my answer.

Shoot. What do I tell him? The truth is out of the question. I open my mouth to answer, but can’t think of a single thing to say.

He storms toward me, glaring at me. “You cannot simply run off like that whenever you feel like it. I must know where you are at all times. You are my responsibility.”

His tone is harsh, and I flinch back. His expression softens as he reaches out to me.

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