Page 14 of Glass Wings
Sentenced to death would mean he would personally be given the order for the execution. No one else here could kill the immortal, especially against her will, except for possibly a Vrae.
“We will all fight. That’s the change in rotation,” Precession said, now strong as if she had gotten a full night's sleep within a matter of seconds.
“No.” Roksana slammed her gin down, putting her hand firmly in front of her sister as if to hold her back. “We will not all die for one of Arryn’s little pets.”
“Enough,” Djoser said with a dangerous calm.
“Do not bother to invite us to the next reunion,” Roksana sneered, letting a moment of silence sit with all present.
“Why were you given this sentence?” Allienna asked through bared yet gentle teeth. She stood and moved closer to Reign, taking her hand. Tears sat in the corners of her eyes, waiting for permission to fall.
“I need to know why, Reign,” she repeated in a half-whisper.
“I plan to tell you why, and that’s the problem,” she admitted as the meaning of this sunk in. All eyes stared at her, eyebrows raised and lips too thin.
“What did you see?” Precession asked, her voice high like a doll.
Djoser picked up his head, eying his drink in hopes of drowning in the swirling fluid.
“Allienna was dead,” Reign choked out.
The tears had gotten their permission as they streamed down Allienna’s face.
“But there’s more,” Allienna said.
“The Vrae were also released back into this world. Where I was in time, all of this was already in the past. I couldn’t get more information without being discovered.”
“You are sacrificing your life to tell us this, just to possibly save mine,” Allienna sobbed, throwing her arms around Reign as her wings knocked over several dishes sitting on the table.
“We will all fight. There will be a great battle,” Precession said, her eyes rolling back in her skull again.
“I said no already, dear sister,” Roksana stood with a vengeance. “This fight has nothing to do with you or I.”
“It is already written in history. The stars have begun to whisper. This fight will not be the reason the earth stops spinning. I am not afraid,” Precession said, gently grabbing Roksana’s hand and tugging her back down to her seat.
Djoser felt his rage pulsing, growing, because of a Kinnari who did not have a grip on her magic when she was unfocused. He was dangerous when he felt like this, when he felt cornered.
“I fucking said stop,” he growled. No one in the room dared to take a breath.
“I’m sorry,” Roksana said, avoiding Djoser's eyes. “I was not in control.”
She is never in control.
Allienna ran over to Djoser and wrapped her hands around his head. She locked eyes with him, absorbing the rage that Roksana amplified in him before the entire temple was accidentally destroyed. Allienna’s calm hands turned to fists, and she began trembling, eventually backing off once Djoser’s shoulders began to drop.
“I will not carry out orders to kill you, Reign. That I can promise you,” he said, looking up at her with calmer eyes.
“What makes the Earth stop spinning, sister?” Roksana asked, a sadness falling over her brow. If the Earth stopped rotating, it could only mean that her twin sister was dead.
“I would not carry out orders to kill you either, Precession,” Djoser added.
“Oh,” Precession gasped in surprise, “It’s not you who would kill me. What I can see is that I will be screaming. A death by your hands would likely be a much gentler option.”
5
Hadley | Sacramento, California | Early 2000s
“I’ll havelast month’s rent to you by the end of the week,” Hadley said into her phone, her landlord on the other line. Her shoulders relaxed, getting the good news of their willingness to work with her as long as she kept in contact. For a moment, she almost felt like an adult.
