Page 45 of Living Legend

“A messenger angel? That’s a bit odd.” Jonah mulled over my words. He brought his finger to his temple and pressed, as if trying to make sense of it. He almost looked perplexed.

Natalia said that Keegan came to Oculus to question her because Jonah told him to. Jonah shouldn’t be shocked by the mention of a messenger angel. He should be instantly telling me what I already knew, unless sending Keegan was meant to be a secret. Elise and her theories were starting to get in my head, but this time, I couldn’t even begin to remotely ignore it.

“I suppose it is.” That was all I could say as I tried to manage my own thoughts.

“Did she say anything about this angel that could be helpful in any way? Did she give you a name?” Jonah looked into my eyes, and I was afraid to even try to look away.

I did what I thought was best for the situation, at least until I had more substantial evidence. “She couldn’t remember much. All she really gave us was that it was a messenger and he had asked some questions about the magic holding Lilith at bay and the portal into Purgatory. Nothing full of details, just the protocols on it.”

“Hmm, that’s a wondrous thing to ask about. I’m the only one who knows about the bells and whistles of that portal, besides Natalia. Oculus does require permission to portal there, so he would have had permission from another executive.”

I dipped my head to the side, raising an eyebrow. “Precisely. If this angel had anything to do with it, which I’m not saying he did, he seems to be succeeding, since a demon is in the Bastille.” A demon chained beneath The Skies, underground in the hollows of confinement.

“You make a solid point, Nicholas. I just can’t wrap my head around one of our own being a part of this. It seems highly unlikely and quite absurd.”

“Unlikely, sure, but impossible… I don’t know. Look, sir, I don’t like the idea of that any more than you do, but as much as I hate to admit it, we might have to look at everyone as a potential suspect for the moment.” I wanted to sound clear and concise, to seem put together and driven, even though my hands were shaking. I pressed my palms to my thighs, forcing them still. I could have mentioned Keegan going missing, but I needed to handle this delicately.

Jonah nodded. “Yes, of course. We cannot be biased given the circumstances. I will speak around and see who may have given our mystery angel the go ahead to travel to Oculus. I don’t want it getting out that one of our own may be involved.”

Was Keegan mistaken in saying Jonah sent him? Fuck, my brain hurt. I let my feet drag along the rug, kicking my feet before planting them flat. “Sir, may I ask you a question?”

He tilted his chin down, motioning for me to continue.

I turned my head to the tapestry on the wall. “This is a purely angelic building, but there is a tapestry of an Enchanter here. Why?”

Jonah’s eyes followed where I looked. I looked back at him to see the way his lips seemed to pull upwards, then retreat downward into a straight line, as if he was seeing a fond memory play out in front of him. “Enchanters and angels used to be united, you must know that.”

I didn’t say anything, but I nodded.

“That was the last tapestry hung here after the war. Enchanters used to roam Heaven’s Gate in freedom. Now, they remain in Oculus where they feel safer, I presume.”

“Couldn’t you just explain to them that everything isn’t what it was back then anymore? They can be free to roam once again,” I asked, needing to understand.

Jonah got up from his chair and walked to the tapestry on the wall. He ran his hand, decorated with golden rings, down the sides, his fingers gliding over the design, his nails tracing the stars and precise points. “If only things were that simple. Forgiveness isn’t as simple as throwing up your hands and saying I’m sorry.”

His eyes closed and he stood still for a moment. I knew this wasn’t all about the Enchanters – it was something more personal. I looked down at my hands, not knowing what else to say or do. Jonah had lived through the war, and he had seen things I only heard about.

“Is there anything else I need to know about your Oculus expedition?” Jonah finally asked, facing me with kind eyes.

I wanted to trust him, but trust was going to have to take a backseat right now. “No sir.”

He walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing. “I know you’ll figure this out, Nicholas. I have the utmost faith in you.”

“Thank you, sir, really.”

“I have some young angels to attend to. Stay here as long as you like.” He gave me a solid nod and began to make his way towards the winding staircase.

“Sir?” I heard myself say.Jonah turned around, his ears perking up. “I won’t let you down.”

“I have no doubt.”

I watched him leave and heard the door close before I buried my face in my hands. I’d gone into this blindly, but just when things start to reveal themselves, I’m given the sight to see something I didn’t want to see. Elise may have the world’s worst attitude, but she went into things with her dark gray eyes wide open. He had faith in me when my faith in him was starting to falter. He was hiding something. I always had every intention of seeing this through, but now, I wasn’t only doing it for Jonah or my ambition. I was doing it for the truth.

Natalia showed no signs of appearing as the afternoon went on and when the sky turned a deep indigo growing darker by the hour. I presumed she had either forgotten, or she was coming later. She had no obligation to us. She had her own people to attend to. I headed up to the fourth-floor training room, where I’d told Reese to meet me with Dani and Elise. If Natalia wasn’t going to show up, I wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing. My brain was still trying to reconstruct itself after the conversation with Jonah. The best thing I knew to do in this situation was hit something repeatedly with a sword.

I swung open the door, surprised to only see Dani there, leaning against the back wall. She had tied her bundle of curls into a loose bun on top of her head, little wisps of escaped hair falling along the sides of her face.

“Where’s Reese?” I asked.

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