Page 50

“I see you at least know the term and what it means. If it makes you feel better, they all look different, reflecting the specific individual souls that were branded and bound together.”

“Oh my God. You didn’t just heal Velra.”

“Apparently not.”

“You didn’t realize she wasn’t just close to death, but had actually touched it?”

“Correct. I had never performed such magic before. It is outlawed, for one. The details of such a thing are not wildly known, even for me. It became clear, however, once the brand didn’t just appear on her as a mark of a tether, and appeared on me also, that I had overstepped and actually pulled her from death absolute. ”

“That’s why you took off so suddenly earlier? You literally felt her hurt through the Soul Brand?”

“Her distress, yes. Although, as I’m sure you heard, it was actually her distress for me that I was feeling.”

“That’s… incredibly complicated.”

“It certainly is.”

“Why did you do it? Why save her?”

“You heard what I said to her. It would have been unjust.”

“I heard, but I don’t believe that’s all there was to it. Not for a True Celestial. Sub-human automatons with no thought, emotion, or sentience of their own. That’s how one of my boys describes your kind. But I don’t see that from you. Not now. Even not entirely with our first encounter.”

“You are technically a True Celestial as well, Ariana. One who is not tethered to the Celestial Plane in the way that I am, however. In spite of that, they are your kind, too. Yet, you do not fit that description either.”

“I was raised on the mortal plane. It’s different. But for you to stand apart from that… it’s a lot more profound.” I smiled. “A lot more impressive, to be honest.”

“I wouldn’t suggest you class me as impressive. I violated an age-old Law and now I am marked as a sinner forevermore.”

“No. I don’t see it like that. It marks you as better. You took a stand, you took a risk for somebody else’s wellbeing, to do not what was written but what was right. You chose life and care when you could have allowed death and despair to reign instead.”

He stared at me, not sure what to make of my words, perhaps even of my observations of him.

My phone buzzed in the pocket of my jacket.

I pulled it out to see a text had just come in.

Kai: Cassius is not the threat. The Rift Mark test rejected his blood.

I swallowed hard and pocketed my phone.

“Kai has determined some answers from my blood already?”

I jolted at the question. “What?”

“He made me bleed. He went to a lot of effort, invoking ancient magics, and taking a great risk in challenging me. It did not escape my attention that it wasn’t merely to show me that he wasn’t to be trifled with, despite being a lesser being.

He is extremely calculative, his actions often possessing several layers. ”

Son of a bitch. “Before you came down from the Celestial Plane, I kept drawing a particular symbol with my shadow weaving that I couldn’t place. We discovered it was a Rift Mark and that it was warning of a threat. Kai needed your blood to confirm that you weren’t said threat.”

He took a step forward, urgency bleeding from him. “You drew a Rift Mark sigil?”

“Yes.”

“And you can perform shadow weaving?”

“Sometimes. It’s not always a conscious effort.”

“That’s because you haven’t been taught how to wield it and likely the bargain that has been struck in your name between you and the Celestial Plane was hindering your ability to do so freely.

There is a way to rise beyond that, to exert free will over it, and I can teach it to you.

” He grunted. “So many violations of free will continue to be perpetrated by them.”

“That,” I uttered. “That’s how you stand apart. You don’t follow blindly. You care about what is right.”

“And doing so has put me in ill favor with them.”

The Soul Brand would do a lot worse than that.

I realized aloud. “You’re trapped now.”

“Mighty similar to you.” He smiled. “Aberration.”

I shifted my weight. “Look, I’m sorry about how Kai approached—”

“Do not apologize for another’s actions. Moreover, you can inform him and your loves that I will not attempt to retrieve the blood that they took. Allow them to use it to grant the dragon the answers that he seeks regarding his corrupted bloodline. I am curious to know myself.”

I choked. “Excuse me?”

He gave me a withering look. “He shouldn’t have been able to break through my power that night when I sent him spinning out off that mountaintop.

I’d intended to return to break him from it once I had you situated and contained.

I’d heard rumors of his grandfather’s plans with Draco, yet it was believed they failed in their efforts, that Malrik met his demise before anything could come of it. That was clearly not the case.”

Holy shit.

No. No. No.

“That’s one hell of an assumption you’re making with—”

He laid his hand on my shoulder. “Ariana, the reason that I am curious to know myself is because his ability to clearly break through True Celestial power could be the key to much—for you and I.”

“Oh, I—what—”

“Like you stated, we both find ourselves trapped. Wouldn’t it provide a great deal of relief if we happened upon a way to remedy that?”

Something hit me as his words sank in. “You can’t look into it yourself, can you? Your connection to the Celestial Plane would alert them to you doing so?”

“Touching and experimenting with certain elements would alert them, yes. Talking to you now about such things doesn’t.”

“They can’t hear you or see you while you’re down here but they can… feel you?”

“In a manner of speaking.” He held out his hand to me. “While you are here, and I know you have no further classes tonight, let us begin now. Are you ready for our first session?”

“Right now? This very moment?”

“Well, I’m sure you need to make your loves aware and I’d advise you to do so to ensure further ill-advised aggression is not visited upon me from them, but once you have done so, yes.

You are open and in the right frame of mind.

I also believe it will make you feel better to experience no further delay in undergoing my teachings.

We can also discuss the issues of this True Celestial threat, now that you have confirmation that it isn’t actually me, now that you can trust enough to work with me on determining what is happening. ”

“Yeah, let’s do it. I’m ready.”

Actually, I felt more ready than I ever had before.