Page 35
Story: Phoenix's Refrain
Colonel Fireswiftand I played through angel conversations the whole morning. Then, in the afternoon, we moved on to the angels’ political structure. Colonel Fireswift quizzed me. He had me list all the other angels and their territories.
“Nyx, the First Angel of the Legion with headquarters in Los Angeles. General Nero Windstriker, the Second Angel—”
“That is not Windstriker’s official title,” Colonel Fireswift scolded me.
Oh, right. That was just my nickname for Nero.
“General Nero Windstriker, Chief Marshal and Executive Officer of the Legion of Angels.”
I still thought my title for him was way better.
“Colonel Leila Starborn, the Fire Dragon and Angel of Storm Castle; her territory is the Elemental Expanse with its headquarters at Storm Castle. Colonel Xerxes Fireswift, Master Interrogator, Angel of the Central Territory of North America with its headquarters in Chicago. Lieutenant Colonel Jace Angelblood, Angel of the South Territory of North America with its headquarters in New Orleans. Colonel Harker Sunstorm, Angel of the East Coast of North America with its headquarters in New York City.”
“The European territories next,” Colonel Fireswift prompted me.
“General Rhydian Silverstar, Angel of North Europe with headquarters in Berlin,” I said. “Colonel Dragonblood…” Oh, crap. What was Dragonblood’s first name? “Colonel Vanir Dragonblood.” I’d just remembered it from my Crystal Falls training invitation. Not that Colonel Dragonblood had actually made it to that training. “Angel of South Europe with its headquarters in Florence.”
“Now the Australian territories,” Colonel Fireswift said.
He was jumping all over the map. He probably thought that would confuse me into making a mistake.
“General Kiros Spellsmiter, Head of the Vanguard and Angel of West Australia with its headquarters in…” Shit, if only I’d ever been to Australia. “…Perth,” I guessed. It was the only city in western Australia that I could remember. Shit, I knew I should have paid better attention in geography class back in high school.
Colonel Fireswift didn’t correct me, so I must have guessed right.
“Colonel Desiree Silvertongue, Angel of East Australia with its headquarters in Sydney,” I said, finishing up the continent.
Colonel Fireswift frowned.
“My answers were correct,” I told him.
“Yes.” His frown deepened. “They were.”
“Shall I move on to another continent? I hear Antarctica is particularly chilly this time of year.” I folded my hands together on my desk and smiled up at him.
“There is no Angel of Antarctica,” he said humorlessly.
“It was a joke.”
He just stared at me like I’d grown a second head.
“Never mind,” I sighed. “I can tell you about the angels of South America. There’s Lieutenant Colonel Oberon Stormbearer, Angel of Patagonia with its headquarters at Angel’s Steppe.”
Angel’s Steppe was a new city, created after the monsters had come to Earth.
“And then Colonel Ariadne Ravenfall, Angel of Amazonia with its headquarters in São Paulo.”
“Pandora—”
“And Colonel Brutus Heavensworn, Angel of the Andes with its headquarters in—”
“Oh, do shut up and stop showing off!” Colonel Fireswift snapped grumpily.
“You do not wish for me to continue with the exercise?” I asked serenely.
“No, it is clearly too easy. Any human could recite the Earth’s angels.”
Maybe that was true of the humans who subscribed to angel fan magazines or happened to be avid players of the Legion card game, but most humans didn’t spend their time memorizing the Earth’s angels and their territories. They were too busy struggling just to get by. Colonel Fireswift was such a sourpuss. He was just annoyed that I’d gotten his questions right, and now he didn’t have an excuse to punish me.
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