Page 35 of Inception

Of course not. “So what did they do?”

“Well, they kept at it,” he nodded. “And while they did eventually eradicate most of theFirsts, unfortunately, by that time it was simply too late. The ripple had begun. The reanimated had since infected hundreds of others, and it appeared that those who were infected directly had already become something different—something entirely separate and unaffected by the magic that had created their Makers.”

He shook his head, ceded, as though he were somehow responsible. “And with that, a new breed was born, one that sat on the very crown of our Chain of Life, and sadly, there was nothing more the Casters or their magic could do. What was done, was done, and the rest is history. The Roman Empire eventually prevailed, and King Decebalus, unable to live with what he had done, killed himself shortly after.”

“So that’s it?” I snapped in disbelief. “Everyone just moved on, did nothing? Let the vampires continue multiplying freely?” I was unable to quell my anger. This was personal in so many ways.

“Certainly not,” he said, looking outside the window as we made our way through the gates of the Blackburn Estate. “All things have their counterpart, Jemma, and evil is no exception. What nature cannot provide for, we create.”

“Okay, good, so...what does that mean?” I asked as I picked up my schoolbag from the floor bed and waited for him to elaborate on his cryptic response.

“What it means, my dear, is that the rebellious Angels were not the only ones who fell.”

10. THE SACRIFICE

I flopped down onto the leather chair in front of my uncle’s desk as he returned the book to its rightful place and circled back around with another one in his hands, peeling back each page with the greatest of care. The book looked similar to the one I hadborrowedearlier with the same gilded lettering and leather bound encasing, and was undoubtedly from the same collection.

“What is that?” I asked him, detonating the silence just as another crash of thunder rang out its reverberation around us.

The room was dim, cold, locked in the dreary atmosphere of the untold secrets it housed. It made me feel uneasy, like no matter how much I saw or heard here, I might still never find myself on the right side of the looking glass.

“The Powers,” he started, taking a seat on the edge of the desk, “wereWarriorAngels from the Second Sphere who controlled the borders between Heaven and Hell. Unlike lower ranking Angels who weaved in and out of our daily lives, Warrior Angels were of a higher ethereal caste, charged with governing the earth as a whole and protecting it against supernatural evil.”

I nodded, craning my neck to get a look at the book title. The gold reflected oddly, obscuring the title and rendering it impossible for me to make out the letters.

“It’s widely believed that no Warrior Angel has ever fallen from grace,” he explained with detectable pride. “And by most accounts, that is as close to the truth as they will get.We, however, know different. We know that it was precisely their unwavering loyalty and sworn oath to protect this world that forced them to do what they did. In order to right the wrongs of the Casters and to stop the killings perpetrated by the Revenants, the Warrior Angels made the ultimatesacrifice.”

He raised his eyebrow to me, prompting me to fill in the blank as though I should know this.

I didn’t.

“They...killed themselves?” I asked, dragging out the words. Wait, that doesn’t even make sense. How would that help anything?

“No, Jemma, theyFell,” he said, nodding into the word. “They sacrificed their place in Paradise, and fell to Earth in order to create a new bloodline of Warrior Descendants who would be powerful enough to rival the Revenants, strong enough to slay them, and loyal enough to dedicate their lives to this mission,” he explained, his dark eyes sharp and judicious. “It was from this blessed union of fallen Warrior Angel and spirited human, that the very firstSlayeron Earth was born, giving rise to a legacy unlike any other. A legacy that has been protected throughout the ages by a secret order of Anakim.”

He closed the book and placed it on the desk beside him. “That order is known asThe Order of the Rose, and through its toil, Slayers continue to be born all over the world, some from bloodlines that go back thousands of years—sacred Warrior bloodlines that are carefully guarded and propagated to ensure the continuance of this lineage. So that the fight against evil can go on,” he said with a rolling hand gesture. “So that Slayers can continue to be born and fulfill their destiny.”

He narrowed his gaze to me and softened his voice. “You, my dear Jemma, are of this legacy.”

My bottom lip dropped abruptly, engaging in a series of rises and falls as I tried to find some words—any words at all.

“I’m sorry,what?”

He reached forward and placed a steadying hand on my shoulder. “Youare a Slayer, Jemma, a Warrior Descendant, and this is your birthright.”

“What are you talking about?” I snapped, jumping up from the chair, causing it to sail backwards and screech across the hardwood floor. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“Of course not, I—”

“You’re lying!” I snapped, cutting him off. “You’re making this up! I don’t know where you’re getting this from, but you’re mistaken. Or nuts. Or both.” I couldn’t keep a straight thought in my head. My eyes were wild with panic.

“I know this is a lot to take in, but I assure you, there is no mistake of your lineage. This is who you are.”

“No.” I shook my head. “It’s not possible. If this were true, my father would have told me so. He wouldn’t have lied to me. Not about something like this.” My hands were trembling now.

“Thomas’s omissions were meant to protect you. He wanted a different life for you, and for Tessa. A better life than the one your mother had.”

My mother? I shook my head, unable to process any of this.

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