Page 49 of Wings of Betrayal

Hale takes her time, walking amongst them, and eventually comes to a stop next to a female Zelon. Hale tilts her head as she studies her then reaches her hand out. The Zelon sniffs it, then rubs her face against it.

“It looks like you’ve found your match,” I tell Hale.

She smiles and runs her hand down the side of her Zelon. “This is incredible. I am no longer afraid. I canfeelher.”

Her Zelon lowers herself down onto her front legs in invitation for Hale to climb onto her back. Hale looks at me for reassurance, and I give her a nod of encouragement. Once she’s securely on her back, her Zelon releases her wings and takes to the skies.

The other angels gasp and watch in amazement as her Zelon shoots above us. They all rush forward, eager to find their own Zelon.

I raise my hands. “Patience. Believe me, you don’t want to frighten the wrong one. Take your time, slowly.”

The angels move about the Zelons, sizing them up and digging deep for their own inner connection.

Once they are all paired up, I look to Finlay. He hovers near the edge of the group, and I realize there are no more Zelons left. I whistle to Keva, who is at my side in an instant.

“Hey, boy, do you think you can gather some more Zelons? Finlay here needs to connect with one, too.”

Keva grunts then bounds toward the remaining Zelons in the clearing. He soon returns with several hot on his heels. They circle Finlay, who looks to me for the go-ahead.

You got this, I say.

The excitement in his features melts my heart, and I know he’s been waiting for this moment for a long time now. He moves between the Zelons and eventually stops near a large male. They stare at one another for a long time, and then the male licks Finlay’s face. Finlay laughs and then strokes his head.

“Good to meet you, too,” he says with a chuckle.

I can sense Finlay’s genuine happiness, and it sends warmth through my body at how happy he is, back here in the Kingdom where he belongs, after being given a second chance at a life he almost lost.

Once Finlay has climbed onto his Zelon, I get onto Keva’s back, and we fly above the clearing. Keva and I take the lead to ensure the others don’t go too far.

A smile spreads over my lips, and for the first time in a while, I feel as though I have a purpose. After a good fifteen minutes, and once I’m sure the angels are all confident with their Zelons, I lead them back to the academy to take the next group out.

We land on the field outside the arena, and the young angels are all smiling and chatting excitedly amongst themselves. I head inside for the next group while Finlay hangs back to get to know his Zelon better. Once I have the next group ready, we fly back to the same spot and go through the same process to pair them all off.

By the end of the day, we’ve got half the academy paired off with their own Zelons, and I’m exhausted. The last group of angels takes to the skies to ride their Zelons for the first time, when a familiar feeling washes over me. Something I haven’t felt in a long while.

I stare off into the forest as I try to make sense of it. Something is calling to me, or rather, someone.

“You okay?” Finlay asks.

I snap back to the present and find he’s giving me a strange look. He raises his brows as I divert my focus to the forest and back again.

“Yeah, I think so. I might hang back for a bit. Can you guide them back to the academy when you’re done?” I ask.

He tilts his head and takes a step closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You sure you’re all right? I’m not so keen to leave you alone out here.”

To be honest, I’m not super keen on being alone out here, either. But I have Keva, and I know he won’t let anything bad happen to me.

“Yeah, I just want to have a look around. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

He gives me a tight-lipped smile, climbs atop his Zelon, and flies up to join the other angels. He circles them, instructing them to follow him, and then he leads them back to the academy.

Keva licks my cheek, and I giggle.

“Wanna check something out with me?” I ask him.

He grunts then bends his front legs so I can climb onto his back.

The familiar feeling grows stronger, and it draws me toward the gateway. On instinct, Keva knows where to go and flies us to the clearing. We land before the gateway, and I can just see it, like a shift in the air. The symbols of the gods glow across the archway at the top. I need to go through it. Where? I’m unsure, but I have the sense that it’s my mother calling.

---