I’m back where the Fallen are being dragged away to the Pit in chains. The spikes in their necks and foreheads, wrists and ankles drip blood as the hellions ride them.
It’s the same dream I had through my sword when I was at the Resistance camp. But a part of me remembers that I’m not sleeping with the blade this time. It’s leaning against the bed but not touching me. This doesn’t feel like a sword memory.
I’m dreaming about my own experience of being in the sword’s memory. A dream about a dream.
In the thunderstorm, Raffe glides down, brushing hands with a few of the newly Fallen as he heads toward the earth below. I see their faces as Raffe touches hands with them. This group of Fallen must be the Watchers – the elite group of angel warriors who fell for loving Daughters of Men.
They were under Raffe’s command, his loyal soldiers. They clearly look to him to help save them despite their choice to break angelic law by marrying Daughters of Men.
One face catches my eye. His bound form is familiar.
I strain to see him better, and eventually, I do.
It’s Beliel.
He looks fresher than I’m used to, and his usual sneer is gone. There is anger in his face, but behind that, there’s genuine pain in his eyes. He grips Raffe’s hand for a moment longer than the other Fallen did, almost shaking it.
Raffe nods to him and continues toward the earth.
Lightning flashes, and the sky rumbles as rain drips down Beliel’s face.
When I wake up, the sun has moved across the sky.
I don’t hear anything unusual, so hopefully, Paige is still asleep. I get up and walk toward the open window. Outside, it’s still sunny, with the breeze blowing through the trees. The birds sing and the bees buzz as though the world hasn’t completely changed.
Despite the warmth, though, when I look outside, I get chills.
Beliel still lies chained to the garden gate, shriveled and tortured. But his eyes are open, and he stares right at me. I guess he could be completely thawed from his paralysis by now. No wonder I had a nightmare about him.
But it wasn’t really a nightmare, was it? It was more like a memory of what the sword showed me. I shake my head slowly, trying to make sense of it all.
Is it possible that Beliel could have been one of Raffe’s Watchers?
4
The room is warming from the sun. I guess it’s probably around noon. It feels glorious to have a break from all the craziness.
I’m not prepared to give up on my precious sleep yet, but a glass of water sounds good. When I open my door, Raffe is sitting in the hallway with his eyes closed.
I frown. ‘What are you doing?’
‘I was too tired to walk to the settee,’ he says without opening his eyes.
‘You’re keeping watch? I would have taken my turn if you’d told me. Who are we worried about?’
Raffe snorts.
‘I mean, any specific enemy at the moment?’
He’s sitting facing Paige’s door. I guess I should have known.
‘She won’t hurt me.’
‘That’s what Beliel thought.’ His eyes are still closed, and his lips barely move. If he wasn’t talking, I would have thought he was asleep.
‘Beliel is not her big sister, and he didn’t raise her either.’
‘Call me a sentimentalist, but I like the idea of you in one piece. Besides, she’s not the only one who might be interested in your tasty flesh.’
I tilt my head. ‘Who told you I was tasty?’
‘Haven’t you heard that old saying? Tasty as a fool?’
‘You made that up.’
‘Huh. Must be an angelic saying. It’s to warn the foolish about things that go bump in the night.’
‘It’s daytime.’
‘Ah. So you don’t deny that you’re foolish?’ He finally opens his eyes with a grin. But his expression goes slack when he sees all of me.
‘What are you wearing?’ He scans over my outfit.
I was so comfortable that I’d forgotten I’m wearing the cropped T-shirt and stretchy shorts. I glance down at myself, wondering if I should be self-conscious. I’m reasonably covered except for my midriff, and I guess I’m showing more of my legs than usual.
‘This coming from a guy who runs around shirtless all the time?’ Of course, I kind of like him shirtless and showing off his six-pack abs, but I don’t mention that.
‘It’s hard to wear a shirt when you’ve got wings. Besides, I haven’t heard complaints.’
‘Don’t let it get to your head, Raffe. You haven’t heard compliments either.’ I want to say that we have plenty of guys who look just as good as he does, but that’d be a total lie.
He’s still scrutinizing my outfit. ‘Are you wearing men’s shorts?’
‘I guess so. But they fit.’
‘Whose are they?’
‘Nobody’s. I found them in a drawer.’