Page 55 of Living Legend

“What do you mean?”

“When we had just gotten into the passage, and you asked if I was alright. I’ll admit, I wasn’t, but only for a moment. Purgatory is deemed this place of debauchery. Yes, the inhabitants are dark and mystifying, but you aren’t fully void of light down there. You have a mind, you have a soul, but whenthatis lost, that is the real darkness.”

“You still believe in the light?” He sounded cautious, almost as if I’d stunned him.

“I don’t know if believing in it is the right way to phrase it, but every time I take a soul, I think it will be the last time I’m able to think for myself, that this soul removal will be the one that voids me of everything.” As much as it was supposed to increase the darkness, sometimes, it felt like it was devouring me little by little.

“I didn’t know demons thought like that.”

I kept my eyes on the book. “I don’t think they do.”

“Dani—” he started to say, but I held my hand up, my palm covering his mouth.

“It’s right here.” I pointed to a paragraph in the middle of the page.“Between equals, magic was a battle fought fairly and just. Battles of an unequal pairing of magic may have been amplified from tethers relinquished willingly from Enchanters of all magical families.”

Nicholas leaned back in his chair. “So that’s how they did it. Enough Enchanters from Purgatory relinquished their powers to the Enchanter Lilith chose. With the help of her magic, it was enough to break Natalia’s strength over the key.”

“That would likely take most of the Enchanters who reside in Purgatory. Who knows if their magic would even be restored after that?” I remembered Elise’s words, how they wanted out, that they didn’t deserve to be detained there. They would have done anything to prove themselves worthy, maybe even giving up their own magic for the sake of freedom.

Nicholas stood up from his chair and began pacing the floor. “So, let’s say that happened and Keegan gets to Purgatory on Jonah’s orders. He’s killed, and then his key is stripped from his neck, tainted by an elevated Enchanter and ends up in Heaven’s Gate in the hands of a traitorous angel? My main question is why?”

“You know you are asking the question all of us would like to know, right? Whoever this is has been hiding for a long while and I don’t know, maybe it’s time you started to face the truth. It’s almost like you’re trying to find a reason not to believe it at every fucking turn.”

Nicholas opened his eyes wide. “What does that mean?”

“Jonah is the one who told Keegan to go to Purgatory. Keegan winds up dead and no one is suspicious about it. One of the main angels who looks in that logbook doesn’t seem to notice one of his messengers hasn’t come around lately. It’s all pretty cut and dry.”

“I can’t believe that. That just sounds way too obvious. Sometimes, not everything is what it seems.” He looked disheartened at my suggestion.

“Some things are actually just obvious. Maybe it’s time you realized—” I stopped as I felt something down my spine, like ice cold water thrown directly onto me. It was a familiar feeling I didn’t think I would feel here.

“Dani?” Nicholas said, but I ignored him. Instead, I went to the railing and looked over to the stained-glass window. Only the lights moved, which had me letting out a sigh of relief. I started to turn when a shadow flashed across the window. I caught sight of it -- it wasn’t an angelic shadow I could shrug off. I caught a glimpse of shadowed horns before it disappeared.

I wasn’t afraid of my own kind, but I was becoming increasingly more frustrated that Nicholas had so much pride in his authority, he wouldn’t see what was right in front of his cute, naïve face. One of my own was already in the Ethereal Bastille, and now there was another one. I didn’t know how many more had ripped through the supposedly re-secured portals.

“We have to go,” I said frantically, picking up the book and placing it back in the slot before covering it with the stone. I started to make my way to the stairs when I hit Reese’s chest right as he grabbed my arms and pushed me back the way I came.

“Someone’s coming.”

Elise creeped out from around a bookshelf as we hit the floor. We made enough room so we would be out of sight but could still somewhat see and hear who and what was going on.

“I knew we had been in here too long,” Elise hissed.

“You didn’t say anything!” I argued, trying to keep my voice low.

“I didn’t think I had to, for fuck’s sake.”

Nicholas lifted his palm from the floor and shot a few golden sparks. The orbs from the second-floor ceiling dimmed again, removing any evidence anyone had been up there.

The door creaked open, and I heard two sets of footsteps. I couldn’t extend too far towards the railing or I would be seen, so I inched as far as I could and noticed Markus’ distinctive grey hair. The other was right underneath us. One of them eventually spoke.

“Nicholas is doing well. I suspect we will have this matter sorted soon.”Jonah.

“He’s a smart boy. I wouldn’t put it past him,” I heard Markus say, his voice hesitant.

“You have more to say than that. Speak your mind.” I looked to Nicholas as Jonah spoke.

“I don’t understand your favoritism. There are plenty of sentries who could do this job.”

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