Page 41 of Living Legend

He swallowed hard, his cheeks starting to flush. I hadn’t met many angels, but the ones I had come across didn’t seem like the adventurous types. To them, hair pulling was likely a capital crime. I couldn’t tell if the flushed cheeks came from embarrassing nerves or from shameful curiosity, but either way, I was enjoying the show.

Nicholas was about to say something when we heard two familiar voices slightly below us, traveling towards the ground.

“I swear, I will fucking drop you right now if you don’t stop licking my face!” Reese shouted, swerving a bit.

“I’m just seeing how you do under pressure, Blondie, that’s all. A little distraction never hurt anyone,” Elise laughed.

I let out an exasperated sigh. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

We were no longer up in the clouds. Trees surrounded us, and Nicholas had to do a lot more maneuvering to avoid them. The weeping willows were the first things I noticed as the grounds of Oculus grew closer. The dirt wasn’t as muddy; it looked like it had hardened into scattered clumps. The small number of buildings were still in disarray: roofs smashed, windows and doors shattered with glass littering the ground.

Nicholas steadied to a stop once we were inches above the ground before completely setting his feet on the dirt. He set me down gently, but not before allowing his hand and fingers to linger on my back and shoulders. It almost felt like a swipe of heat as he skimmed over my body. If he’d felt anything, he showed nothing on his face.I looked past him to see Reese practically throwing Elise out of his arms, shaking his arms as if to get her scent off him.

“I’m never doing that again,” he said, irritation showing on every inch of his face.

“We both know you loved every minute of it,” Elise teased, shoving him.

Reese pointed over at his best friend. “You owe me big time for this.”

“I’m going to assume you all aren’t trying to sneak around this time,” a familiar voice said from the trees in front of us.

“Holy fuck!” Reese snatched his bow and notched an arrow, readying his position.

Natalia leaned against a thick trunk of a cypress tree. Her sandals crushed dead leaves cluttered on the dirt. She didn’t move from her spot, unbothered by Reese. He lowered his bow, placing a hand on his chest.

“You couldn’t have given me a warning?” he said, his breathing starting to return to normal.

The breeze that whipped by blew her long hair around her shoulders. “I saw you from one of the hills. I was going to let you find me, but all your shouting would have been disturbing and we don’t need another scuffle like last time.” Her honey-colored eyes seemed to look right through me, as if those last words were meant just for me.

Nicholas stepped up closer to her. “We don’t. We need your help.”

“Are you planning to strap me to a chair again and interrogate me?”

Elise clucked her tongue. “Are we going to have to?”

Natalia looked over at her and gave her a smug smile. “Not if I can help it.”

“We think we have a lead on the portals. It’s a small lead, but a lead nonetheless.” Nicholas crossed his arms over his chest.

Natalia raised one of her dark eyebrows. “Ah, well then, I’m intrigued to hear this. Come with me.” She turned around, walking towards the run-down buildings.

Her long purple dress flowed around her ankles with every step. She had a tight silver bangle around her arm and I noticed a small, five-pointed crown tattooed on her shoulder blade.

Natalia led us past the initial buildings we’d noticed on our first visit and further into the unknown land. She was soon joined by two other Enchanters who I recognized from the fight. They flanked her, never quite looking us in the eyes. They wore tunics that matched her dress, but their purple was lighter, more pastel. Nicholas looked as if he was focused straight ahead, but I knew he was scanning the perimeter every chance he got. I noticed Reese doing the same.

We stopped in front of a larger building, watching as the two Enchanters stepped aside to let us inside after Natalia. The roof was rounded and made of wood, old and slightly moldy. When the breeze picked up, it seemed like pieces would fall off and fly away. Nicholas pushed against my arm with his own, motioning for me to go inside, with him on my heels. It was much bigger on the inside; rows of pews and a narrow carpet runner decorated the space. The pews were full of dust, but Natalia sat on the closest one and crossed her legs. Elise wiped the dust off, watching as it floated down onto the creaking wooden floors.

“How can I be of assistance?” Natalia asked, a hand on her knee. The sun that came through one of the windows danced across her dark skin.

“The portal keys you made and gave to Jonah, are they meant for certain people, or did you just give them to Jonah to disperse how he saw fit?” Nicholas started, deciding to forgo the pews and prop his back against one of the stone statues.

“Jonah simply wanted me to create portal keys. I had no indication who he wanted me to create them for. I created ones for all the executives. It was up to Jonah to decide who they were for and where they could use them,” Natalia explained, propping her other hand onto the back of the pew. “To my knowledge, I suppose messengers and guardians would need them most.”

“Did you ever meet any of the messengers who were sent here?” Nicholas questioned.

“A few, but they didn’t stay for long. Jonah would usually come himself.”

“Does the name Keegan Finley ring any bells?”

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