Page 63 of Eternal Sacrifice
“Seems so,” Jasper said with a sigh. His eyes were fixed on Mor, looking at her the same way Jax had before he gave in to her. As if she was something he couldn’t have.
We came to sit on our thrones; Jax’s had already been removed from the platform.
Cole followed us up the steps, lying beside Mor as she sat.
Mor pulled the small golden coin from her pocket, holding it between her fingers for a moment, before pressing her thumb against the symbol on the face and pushing power into it. It took several moments before a flash of light appeared in the middle of the room.
An angel with shoulder-length black hair stood at the base of the steps. He wore a long white robe and a glare.
“Ezekial. Thank you for coming,” Mor said, her back entirely straight. “You swore on your power that you would continue to look into the unique nature of my mates. I have summoned you to either collect your power or answers.”
The angel glared, clasping his hands together. “It looks like you already have angelic power. I see no reason why mine would benefit you.”
“I’m not looking for your power. I want answers.”
“I can attempt,” he said with a clipped but formal nod.
“What happens to celestial souls when they die?”
His eyes scanned the thrones, no doubt able to piece together why she needed to know.
“The soul’s fate depends on many factors,” the angel responded.
“Fractured celestial soul,” Mor said quickly to clarify.
The angel frowned, and I could feel his torn emotions about giving up the requested information.
“Celestial souls are not reborn. If a celestial soul fractures upon death, it means it did not complete its test and will undergo further testing until it is deemed ready. I do not know what happens after that point.”
“It receives that testing inside the veil. Is that correct?” Mor looked like she understood perfectly well how the angel skirted around her questions.
“Many types of souls are tested inside the veil,” the angel answered, his tone wavering.
“Can a soul be recovered from the veil?” Mor asked.
The angel took a step back, a smile stretching across his lips. “Not with the power you possess.”
“That’s fine. I know how to get more of that.”
The angel took another step backward, and white-hot light surrounded him. Before he could escape, Mor reached into the air with her hand and formed a fist. The angel’s feet lifted from the floor. Mor brought her fist to her chest, and the angel floated toward her as if pulled by a tether.
“You did everything you could to not give me answers. I guess that means you have donated your power to my cause. I accept your offer.”
The angel screamed in a low, bell-like tone. A glowing ball of energy burst from his chest, and his body slumped to the floor. Mor held the soul in her hand. It pulsed and churned as if trying to air its grievances on being outside its shell. It spun faster and faster. Mor’s gaze fixed on it as a cruel grin crossed her face. Cracks started to form, leaking light and power as the soul fractured and the core released.
Mor grabbed for the angelic fractures, hurrying to snag as many as she could before they could escape.
“Here,” she said, handing me three fractures to keep safe before turning to the others to do the same. She couldn’t hold anymore of her own as she carried three of Jax’s fractures everywhere she went.
We need to start working on portable containers with spells adequate for fracture storage. And it may be worth a look into the old Fachnan files to see if there were any other cache of fractures for us to harvest.
I had a feeling we would be running through fractures.
“You realize you might have just declared war against the angels?” Jasper said as he begrudgingly took the fractures from Mor.
“He promised his power or answers. I just made sure he was held accountable,” she said, entirely unconcerned.
She wasn’t wrong, though I doubted the angels would see it that way. Then again, there would be little for them to gain by avenging a single angel when it would mean taking on the army of Hell to do so.
