Page 95 of Wings of Valor
Dina’s dad calls, but she steps away before I can hear how it goes. Hopefully, he’s proud of her. He should be. She’d gotten a little banged up after somehow getting trapped in a crumbled building in the Fallen district with Professor Malik. I still haven’tgotten the full scoop on what transpired there, but I trust she’ll open up to me in time.
Theo’s grandparents call him, shouting about the fact that he let Lorna ramble on about Seraphim without telling her she was standing in front of one the whole time. I laugh before silently excusing myself to search for my parents. I want to tell them how epic their interview was and how excited I am to watch them change the fucking world. They’re surrounded by journalists, all vying for more information, so I hang back and watch on from the shadows.
Until my slate vibrates.
Principal Cael’s name flashes across the screen, making my stomach drop. I immediately move to tuck it back into my bag, but then he calls a second time.
Shit. Maybe it’s important.
With my heart racing, I swipe to answer. “Hello?”
“Thank you for answering, Miss Hayliel,” he begins. “I’m sorry I didn’t contact you sooner, but Castiel swore me to secrecy until this matter was done.”
Castiel swore him to secrecy? On what? All I can get out is a mild, “Oh?”
“Please come to my office tomorrow. It’s better if we talk face-to-face.”
I drag my feet on campus, flip-flopping between wanting to avoid the principal’s office and wanting to get out of the open. My friends—who also returned to campus this morning—offered to walk me in, but I said no. They’ve been with me through everything. The good and the bad. This is something I need to do myself, and, surprisingly, I feel strong enough to handle it on my own.
The path to the main hall makes me think of my first day when Castiel met me at the gate. He was so nice to me, even from the beginning. But what was it he swore Principal Cael to secrecy on?
When I enter the outer office, the angel behind the counter isn’t the same one working when I was last here. This woman lights up, gushing about meeting a Seraphim in person and how she’d seen me on her slate the day before. I don’t know how to react, so I say nothing, face growing redder with every moment that passes.
She must sense my unease because she immediately covers her mouth, eyes growing wide. “I’m so sorry. That isn’t at all why you’re here.” She doesn’t give me the chance to respond before saying, “Principal Cael will see you now.”
I enter the office like I have several times before. It looks much the same. Tidy, with the principal giving off an air of curiosity. I wonder if he’s going to ask me to take out my wings again so he can study them. To my surprise, he doesn’t.
“Please, sit.”
Awkwardly, I slump into the seat across from his desk and fold my hands in my lap.
Principal Cael shuffles through some papers, and then finally sets them down on his desk. “First, thank you for coming today. I don’t imagine it was easy to step onto a campus that has been the location of such discomfort for you.”
“I appreciate you letting me return, even if only to have a discussion. You mentioned Castiel, and I—” I have to pause and swallow past the growing lump in my throat.
“Castiel was a great man,” Cael says, giving me a break from trying to get my shit together. “Not only was he a fine professor here at the university, but he sensed things about angels that others didn’t. Like you, for example. Castiel was a staunch supporter of yours from the very beginning.”
He speaks softly enough that I have to look away, hoping he won’t notice the tears building behind my lashes. “I did not deserve him, but I’m grateful for every kindness he offered.”
Cael chuckles. “I think he would fiercely disagree with the first part of that statement. He advocated for you at every turn, and I regret that I had to do things I would have preferred not to.”
Finally, I look up and meet his gaze. “I’m sorry, I’m not quite following.”
“Your expulsion, for one. As you know, this school is the best in the city, but with that title comes certain … pressures. Castiel came to me not too long ago and laid everything on the table, or, at least, everything that I believe he could have at the time. He understood that I needed it to look like I’d expelled you, though we both hated doing so.”
“What do you mean?”
“Precisely as I said. Expelling you was never officially submitted, so you’re still a student here, if you’d like to continue.”
“I … I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything just yet, because I have more news. As of last night, Professor Uriel is in the hands of the guild; he’s being questioned about his association with the rogue Archangel, Auriel. In fact, he’s already named students and other accomplices. We’ve suspended them as of this morning, but I believe you should have the final say on whether it escalates into expulsion. You were the one they harmed, after all.”
My mouth falls open, and all I can do is stare. Is he for real right now? “Uriel is truly gone?”
“Yes. And I spoke with his replacement. Given what transpired, we don’t believe the failing grade you received has any merit, so we’d like to offer you a redo. If you’re interested, of course.”
Part of me doesn’t believe any of this to be true. It’s all too clean, too kind. I’m not used to it, but deep down, I’m desperate for this to be real. “Thank you. I’d like that. As for the students, I don’t want anyone’s future harmed because of what happened. I don’t need to know names, but I believe an expulsion is unnecessary. Perhaps a compromise? They could remain students at SCU, but only through distance learning. If that’s not too much trouble, of course.”
