Page 14 of The War of Wings
My jaw gnashed back and forth, annoyance immediately sparking in my chest. What good was Heaven if I still had my anger? My frustration? What good was the relief of death if I never got the answers I’d been searching for in life? It felt like just another person — well, Saint — withholding information from me.
I did my best not to betray my irritation when I spoke. “Why can’t you tell me?”
He blinked slowly, his mouth working before speaking carefully. “The day Noros was cursed, so too were we all. Noros was cursed to the Human Realm by Rhedros, and the rest of us were cursed to keep his identity hidden by Malosym.”
I kept my eyes hard on him, my brows furrowing. “You mean all the Saints? All the Saints were cursed by Malosym?”
“Yes. I couldn’t tell you his identity if I wanted to. And believe me, I do.”
I let a breath out through tight lips. That was why Katia and Rhedros couldn’t directly tell me who he was. All they could say was…what was it?The Saint of Pain walks among you.
“The Saint of Pain is in the Human Realm. Is there anyone acting in his place now?”
“As Keeper of the Blood Saints, Rhedros oversees the Saint of Pain’s responsibilities. But since he’s been imprisoned…” Soren’s jaw moved back and forth for a moment. “The situation is precarious.”
“But how can Malosym curse you? Aren’t you the most powerful beings in existence?”
This time, it was Tolar who answered, “We are powerful, yes. But we simply preside over our designated forces, ensure they remain balanced. There is some room for push and pull, but no absolute control, no matter how many prayers we receive. Malosym is powerful in his own right, and his power comes from a different source than ours.”
“And since we don’t have absolute control…” Onera started, trailing off.
“That leaves room for other…forcesto come into play,” Aanh finished.
I blinked, trying to keep the threads of this story from tangling in my mind. “But why would Malosym curse you to begin with?”
The Benevolent Saints looked to one another again. I could almost see the wordless conversation that passed back and forth between them.
Onera leaned forward, her expression one of caution. “He is a separate being. He is not from this world, but a world long since burned. Or, I should say, a world that was meant to be burned. The Old World.” She raised her hands, her mouth opening for a moment before it closed again and her hands fell to her lap. She was trying to explain something complicated in a way I could understand, trying to bridge the gap between my human knowledge and that of a realm I hadn’t even believed to exist. “He is bound by the rules of the world from whence he came, not ours.”
“So why did he come to the Human Realm in the first place?” I asked.
Onera’s posture straightened, her mouth a grim line. “For you.”
Chapter 5
Petra
I shot to my feet, my hands tearing through the tangles in my hair. Nausea roiled through me as my breathing quickened, the guilt spreading quicker than I could fight it off. All the lives Malosym had destroyed as Castemont, all the people he’d manipulated and hurt and killed… Their blood was onmyhands.
Malosym came to the Human Realm for me.Ibrought him to the Human Realm. Me.
“It’s my fault,” I choked out.
Aanh rose to her feet, a small hand resting against my elbow as she guided me back to my seat. “No,” she said. Her voice was firm, but the edges were softened. “He would’ve made his way there anyway, after he destroyed the Holy Realms completely. So really, you saved the Saints’ Realm. You gave us more time.”
“He managed to take Katia and Rhedros prisoner before he went, though,” Tolar added.
“And they’re in the Darkness Beyond,” I said, finishing his sentence. He confirmed it with a nod.
Larka’s quiet sigh was loud amid the silence that had fallen. “My head is spinning,” she remarked.
Soren leaned forward, his eyes intent on me. “Are you familiar with the Forgotten Saints?”
I opened my mouth, embarrassed. “Not really.”
Soren snapped his fingers, and all at once, the teapot and cups were cleared from the table, replaced by a circle of dull glowing light. What the hell?
But Soren must not have seen the surprise or confusion on my face, because he continued. “The Forgotten Saints ruled in the Old World. Malosym grew too strong there, as well, and the Occulti too numerous. The Forgotten Saints burned the Old World to ash to rid it of Malosym and the Occulti.” The dull light in the circle faded, replaced by a depthless, scorched black. “As their last act, though, the Forgotten Saints pushed Rhedros through to the New World in hopes he’d be a force of goodness.”
