Page 236 of Crimson Promises
A garbled, hollow sound came out of me. I couldn’t stand to be in his presence for one more minute.
"I have to go. I've got a class to prepare for," I said with a hint of sarcasm.
“I know you are hurting but know that I have always wanted to know you, and it would be the honor of my existence if you gave me that chance.” His eyes pleaded for more time, another chance, but I was done.
Turning on my heels, I popped in my headphones. The momentary bubble he'd trapped me in dissipated, respecting my decision to leave. It was the least he could do. I walked towards the gate surrounding the courtyard and raised my hand above my hand goodbye without looking back. It was more acknowledgment than he’d ever given me.
I turned up the volume, and the familiar strains ofAll the King’s Horsesby Karmina blasted through me. I felt trapped within a whirlwind of emotions: anger, sorrow, disbelief, and betrayal. The weight of revelations still pressed against my chest, making it hard to breathe. Music and books had always been my refuge, my solace. I mouthed the words to the lyrics as I lost myself in the rhythm of my footsteps:
I knock the ice from my bones
Try not to feel the cold
Caught in the thought of that time
When everything was fine, everything was mine
Everything was fine, everything was mine
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put me back together again
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put me back together again
Run with my hands on my eyes
Blind, but I'm still alive
Free to go back on my own
But is it still a home when you're all alone
Is it still a home when you're all alone
With every note, I felt seen and understood. I wasn't alone in my grief; the universe sang its melancholy song alongside me. Somehow, music has always been able to say the words I could not.
ChapterThirty
Michael
Irapped my knuckles against the grand marble table where the Council held our meetings. The table, hewn from a light, diaphanous marble that mirrored the skies above, created the illusion of treading amidst the clouds.
Knocking with greater vigor, I attempted to interject and interrupt Gabriel and Chamuel’s heated debate regarding the current postal system. If I were forced to endure for one moment longer, I was liable to drive my sword into one of their chests. While not fatal, it would bring immense satisfaction.
Gabriel huffed a breath before collapsing into his ornate, high-backed chair. Each chair was emblazoned with an emblem representing the roles and duties of the archangel for that noble house. As God’s appointed messenger, Gabriel had always been of a particularly sensitive disposition, taking his role most seriously.
I cranked my neck from side to side and lifted my chin to relieve some tension. We had been in this room for hours, talking in circles around each other and never making progress on anything of value.
The Council Room was held in Heaven’s capital city, Celestara. No coin was spared in the room where the other eight archangels and I met weekly.
The walls and ceilings gleamed, adorned in layers of radiant gold and pristine ivory. These hues, symbolic of purity and divinity, seemed to shimmer. Delicate touches of light blues and greys brought a calm serenity, merging seamlessly with the other shades. The floor was made of the same unique marble used for the table.
Enormous pillars, intricately carved with age-old scriptures and depictions of angelic feats, held up the vaulted ceilings. These towering columns stood as silent sentinels, a reminder of our eternal duties and the ancient laws that guided our existence.
Elongated windows stretched from the floor to the soaring ceiling, offering a panoramic view of Heaven’s sprawling capital. From this vantage point, one could witness the harmonious ebb and flow of celestial life or at least the impression of it. On clear days, the serene blue of the endless horizon met with the golden spires, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
