Page 48 of Living Legend

A small foot stepped out, then another. My eyes traveled from the foot to the waist and then to the face of the person before us. Natalia had her hair in two buns on each side of her head, held in place by thick silver bands. The portal closed behind her, telling me she had come unaccompanied, but I knew if needed, her guards would come. The dress she wore flowed down to her ankles just like her previous one, but this one was royal blue and pleated.

“Better late than never, I guess,” Elise huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She’d braided one small piece of hair so that it swung back and forth as she moved.

“I did tell you locator magic would take a minute, but I can assure you I did come upon a discovery,” Natalia replied.

“A discovery? Did you find Keegan?” I asked, taking a few steps in her direction.

She walked backwards and then turned around, heading towards the window. “It’s not as you hoped, I’m afraid.”We all stayed silent, waiting for her to explain. “I was not able to locate your friend. I tried the name and even his description, but I could see nothing about him. I did feel something, something faint, but it was there.” Natalia pressed her hand against the glass softly, as if the window would shatter from just her fingers against it.

“You felt something?” I asked, stepping up behind her, but not so close that she would think I was intruding on her personal space.

“Yes. I felt scared, I felt cold, I felt sadness.” She shuddered.

“But no real sign of him?” Reese wondered.

Natalia shook her head. “I couldn’t feel anylifethere, just those feelings, potent even if they were fleeting. I am sorry to say, I fear your friend is no longer alive, and those feelings were the last remnants of him. It felt as if…”

“His soul had been taken from him,” Dani finished, staying behind all of us. I saw the moment her eyes glazed over, as if seeing what happened to Keegan without having been there.

“Exactly,” Natalia confirmed. “It’s a different type of feeling than a death by—” she gestured to the sword I held, “stab wounds. Those can be quite quick if done right but having your soul removed is like having nothing else to live for.”

“Especially for an angel,” I added. “I’ve read it can be excruciatingly painful.”

“Lilith sure knows how to ruin a mood,” Elise muffled.

“Lilith?” Reese asked.

Elise scoffed. “You can’t fucking tell me you don’t think that she is behind this? Iknowshe is behind it, but who she’s getting to do all the work she can’t is another issue entirely. She’s one of two demons who can remove a soul, and the other is standing right here.” She looked over at Dani, who pressed her lips together in the awkwardness of the moment.

She glanced over at Reese. “I know what you’re thinking, and I only pull souls at a certain time. I don’t go doing it for fun. I’ve never met this Keegan person.”

Reese glared at her, but said nothing. I saw the way he swallowed hard and rolled his shoulders. He replanted his feet, as if regaining the composure he so desperately needed.

“What about the portal key?” I asked, pulling back everyone’s attention.

“Ah, now I do have some less upsetting news for you,” Natalia responded, turning to face me. “Your portal key has been located, in a way.”

“In a way?”

“Yes. I traced it to Purgatory. It remained there for some time before being relocated.”

“So, someone else has it?” I mentally kicked myself for instantly thinking about Jonah, how he seemed to be so unaware of what I was talking about this afternoon. I wasn’t prepared to learn that the man I’d looked up to was the villain. I was hoping that eventually, I could bring up the photo of my mom. I could finally understand. I wasn’t ready to quite let that go.

Natalia adjusted one of the bangles around her wrist. “The interesting part is that it’s here, in Heaven’s Gate. The locator turned dark and smoky, as if hiding its knowledge from me. Whoever this person is has put up a smoke screen to hide its whereabouts.”

“Who has magic to even do something like that?” Dani questioned.

“Angelic magic is strong, but not that strong. That kind of discipline would take years to master. Most demons know nothing of that kind of magic to begin with, Lilith included. There are many Enchanters in Purgatory that chose Lilith’s side during the war that could have tainted the key with darkness. Their magic would only be elevated by Lilith’s power and influence, a loophole of sorts I didn’t think possible.” Natalia wrapped a lock of hair around her ear.

“Even if that’s the case, the key is here, right under our noses,” Reese said.

“What would someone want with a messenger angel's key?” I asked no one in particular.

“That’s the question I’ve been reeling with myself. I don’t like relaying bad news, so I was afraid of your reaction to my findings on your friend. This hunt of yours is coming too close to my home and people, so I’ll give you my help whenever needed.” Natalia sounded genuine.

“You said that the first time we came to Oculus,” I noted.

Natalia gave a small, short shake of her head. “I said that if Jonah needed my help, I would help. I am tellingyouthat ifyouneed my help, I’ll help, with or without Jonah. You are welcome in Oculus if you find yourself needing me again.”

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