Page 20 of Wings of Valor
There’s still time to figure this out before we act on any of our compromised plans.
Placing my wing against the sensor, I unlock the door and step inside the dark room. Theo and Raphael are asleep in my bed. The space between them is empty. Likely where Hayliel once was, snuggled between them. At first I think she’s in the bathroom, but when I look inside, it’s empty.
I check the rest of my dorm room, including the closet, but there’s no sign of Hayliel anywhere.
Where did you go, hummingbird?
Something churns in my gut—and I can’t shake it.
“Raphael. Theo. Wake up.”
Theo instantly sits up, but Raphael only mumbles something and rolls over.
“How was your shift?” Theo asks, his gaze darting around the room.
I ignore his question in favor of one of my own. “Where’s Hayliel?”
His brows furrow. “She fell asleep while we were watching a movie, and when Raph and I went to sleep, she was here. Maybe she’s in the—”
“She’s not. I checked.” Not bothering to change, I grab the dorm’s master key and stride toward the door. “Get him up. I’m going to see if she’s in her room.”
I don’t bother waiting for his response. Something isn’t right.
I race down the steps and slide the key into her door, but she’s not here either. Where could she be? It’s too early for her to have gone to class, and she knows well enough not to go anywhere on campus without an entourage.
Fuck!
I shut the door and pull out my slate, ignoring the unread message from Mira asking more questions about her father, and open the group chat.
Zeke: Has anyone seen Hayliel this morning?
Zeke: Where are you, hummingbird?
The only ones who read the message are Theo and Raphael. I tuck it back into my bag and head upstairs. There must be somewhere else we can look. It just doesn’t make any fucking sense.
Where would she go without us? Did Uriel’s minions get to her?
“Any luck?” Raphael asks once I make it back to my room.
“No. How did she seem last night after I left?”
Theo shrugs. “Tired. She fell asleep pretty quickly. We didn’t think anything of it because of what went down. She was pretty worn out.”
“Do you think something happened? We’d have noticed if Auriel took her from our arms.” Raphael might say the words with confidence, but the look on his face tells a different story.
“We’d have noticed,” Theo says, but his face pales. “My nightmare. It wasn’t Serah, it was Hayliel. Dammit! What was it she’d said about Auriel yesterday, when we were talking about the lack of details?”
“Matching dreams again, just like the night she escaped the cloaked figure. That’s not good.” Raphael’s brows dip low in thought. “She said something like, ‘He wants me on his team. He’ll find a way to provide details.’”
“You don’t think—”
The vibration of all three of our slates halts Theo’s words. Maybe it’s her.
We scramble to grab them, but it’s not Hayliel who’s messaged in the chat.
Mira: Come to the cave.
“Do you think she knows something?” Raphael asks.
