Fairy’s Touch: Legion of Angels: Book 7 Page 24

  “We weren’t making any headway in our war with the demons. Someone had to do something to change that. As the God of Heaven’s Army, I had to do something. Something that worked.” He shot a sidelong glance at Meda. “Infusing a light magic soldier with dark magic is only a graft, an artificial hack. To have full power over the entire magic spectrum, the soldier must be forged with light and dark magic from the start.”

  As the gods argued, dizziness washed over me. I struggled to make sense of the thoughts swimming through my head.

  I’d been created to be a weapon. Faris’s weapon.

  Faris was my father, not Zarion.

  But then what was Zarion’s secret that Faris was trying to expose? I shuddered to consider the possibilities. Each new secret that had come out seemed even worse than the last.

  “I have not betrayed the other gods. Everything I’ve done has been to win this war. Unlike you,” Faris said to Zarion.

  “My affair with Eveline was a moment of weakness. In no way did it betray the gods,” Zarion shot back.

  “Oh, but I’m not referring to Eveline.” Faris’s smile was savage. “I speak of another affair.”

  Zarion’s fists clenched.

  “I swore I would expose your sins, brother. And I will,” Faris declared. He raised his voice, addressing all the gods now, his voice penetrating their bickering. “Zarion is Valora’s lover. He helped her kill Mercer. He made sure the demon soldiers found their way into the king’s castle, so Valora could shoot her father with the demons’ weapon and pin it all on them.”

  That was Zarion’s other great secret? He had plotted with Valora to kill the old king of the gods. If Zarion and Valora were lovers, that explained why she’d been so angry with him when his affair with Stash’s mother had come to light. She felt betrayed by the man who’d helped her betray her father.

  Well, that answered two questions. Only about a million more to go.

  Zarion’s face turned red with anger. He didn’t bother with words. He went straight to shooting magic at his brother. Faris looked down at the piece of his throne that Zarion had blasted off. Glowering, he returned fire.

  I ran toward the door. I so did not need to die right now.

  “Are you all right?” Nero asked, closing in beside me.

  “Not really,” I laughed, my voice cracking.

  I headed into the cactus garden. People tended to avoid it. I supposed they got pricked enough on the battlefield.

  “The gods don’t know who Faris’s child is,” Nero said, facing me.

  “Faris knows.”

  He took my hands. “You can’t be sure of that.”

  “He knows. Athan says he knows. Before this training began, Faris suspected who I am. But now he knows.” I dropped my voice. “This training wasn’t just about exposing the other gods’ secrets. It was about testing me and my magic to figure out if I was his long-lost weapon.”

  A realization hit me like a brick wall to the face at two hundred miles an hour.

  “Faris gave me the Nectar for Fairy’s Touch,” I said. “That was the moment he knew. It was a test. He guessed I wouldn’t level up.” I began pacing, working it through. “This is what Athan was hinting at. The Legion has leveled up my light magic several times. And last month, Sonja leveled up my dark magic. She put light and dark in perfect sync, completely balanced, completely equal. That’s why the Nectar didn’t level me up this time.” It was all coming together. “My magic has reached a tipping point. Nectar alone will no longer level me up. Sonja must have realized that. When you rescued me from her fortress, she was about to give me a combined Nectar-Venom injection.”

  “Because your magic can only be leveled up dually now,” Nero said. “Both light and dark at the same time.”

  I nodded bleakly. “Faris must have realized that too. He was testing me. And I exposed myself.”

  “You couldn’t have known.”

  “I should have seen it.” My shoulders slouched under the weight of my own stupidity. “And now it’s too late.”

  “It’s not too late,” Nero told me. “Faris might know who you are, but the other gods do not. We’re going to keep it that way. We’re going to act as though nothing has changed.”

  “What do we do about Faris?”

  “We wait. If Faris was going to expose you, he would have done so already.”

  “He won’t expose me. He’s keeping me for himself. This isn’t just about using me to find Zane anymore. It’s about using me as his ultimate weapon.”

  I shuddered. Faris was not a loving father. He didn’t understand empathy or compassion, at least not beyond how he could exploit those qualities in others to achieve his goals.

  “We just need to grow your magic so that when he finally does come knocking, he won’t be a match for you,” Nero told me, his confidence never faltering.

  “He is a god,” I pointed out.

  “So are you, Leda. But you are more than god or demon. More powerful, more complete—or at least you will be by the time we ignite the rest of your magic. Gods and demons might come to use or kill you, but they will flee in horror when they see what you can do.”

  He sounded so sure. I folded myself in his words, in his certainty, embracing his strength.

  “You need to stay in the Legion, ” Nero told me. “Leveling up your magic isn’t just about finding your brother now. It’s about your survival. You need to be strong, to be able to fight them if they find out.”

  And sooner or later, the gods would find out. As the last few days had shown very clearly, secrets didn’t stay buried. It was likely already too late. Athan had hinted that another god already knew about me. Which one? And why hadn’t that god exposed me?

  “What about the Venom?” I asked Nero. “I need both Nectar and Venom to grow my magic. How do we get the Venom?”

  “I will find a way.”

  Angels could get Nectar, but they didn’t have access to Venom. Still, Nero appeared so completely confident he could get it, that I didn’t even entertain the possibility that was impossible. I’d learned to trust him.

  “We should head back to the gods’ audience chamber,” he said.

  I took a moment to settle my uneven emotions, then we returned down the path that would bring us to the gods’ hall. Nyx and Ronan were waiting right outside the building. As soon as they saw us, they moved to intercept. Nero walked around them, not saying a word.

  Nyx blocked him. “Nero, we need to talk.”

  “I have nothing to say. And I have no interest in hearing lies.” He kept moving.

  “General Windstriker.” The command rang in Ronan’s voice.

  Nero turned around.

  “You told me the weapons of heaven and hell had been destroyed,” Nyx said. “That was a lie. But I never lied to you, Nero.”

  “No,” he bit out. “You only stole from me.”

  “I could have ordered you to hand them over,” she said.

  “And yet you didn’t.”

  “You would have denied that they’d survived.”

  “Yes,” Nero agreed.

  “Protecting your precious Pandora is clouding your judgment,” Ronan told him. “This is war, and in the right hands, those weapons can kill an immortal.”

  “Yes, they are a weapon, but not just against the demons. Against the gods as well,” replied Nero. “And now, because you stole them from me, because you didn’t keep them well hidden, Faris found out about them and stole them from you. You allowed Faris to get his hands on weapons that can kill a god—or all the gods. So, tell me, did this honestly work out the way you’d planned?”

  “No, it did not,” Ronan admitted. “But Faris is right about one thing: there is no gain without risk. I had to figure out how to best use the weapons of heaven and hell.”

  I blinked in surprise. “You mean, you can’t wield them?”

  “No, he cannot. Nor can I,” Nyx said.

  That was weird. Gods and demons were deities, and deities could wiel
d immortal artifacts.

  “The weapons of heaven and hell are different than other immortal artifacts,” said Nyx. “Their magic is complex. However, we’ve had a recent breakthrough.”

  My eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How recent?”

  “The battle today,” Ronan told me.

  “Jace did a great job wielding the sword,” I said lightly, my heart pounding in fear.

  “He might have swung the sword, but his magic did not power it up.” Ronan watched me closely. “Yours did.”

  “The weapons of heaven and hell responded to your magic,” Nyx added. “Because like the weapons, your magic is born from light and dark.”

  Steel sang. In a flash, Nero’s sword was pressed against Nyx’s throat. Ronan was just as fast. His blade was at Nero’s neck. They both looked more than ready to strike.

  “She is Faris’s weapon,” Ronan said to Nero.

  Well, that answered the question of which other god knew about me.

  “She is not a weapon. She is a person,” Nero growled. “And she’s the woman I love.”

  His eyes flickered between Nyx and Ronan, as though he were trying to figure out how to strike them down before either could get to me. Like he would risk himself to take out these foes, just to save me. It was both incredibly romantic and totally pigheaded all at once.

  “This is ridiculous,” I said, my brain racing, trying to get us out of this situation.

  “She didn’t strike down the demon. She didn’t kill him,” Nero told Ronan and Nyx. “Jace Fireswift did.”

  I frowned at him. I wasn’t going to let him set up Jace to be killed. Jace was my friend, and he was a good friend. He was keeping my secret about not leveling up at the last ceremony. I would not betray him. And I definitely would not frame him.

  But Nyx wasn’t fooled by his ploy anyway. “Nice try, Nero,” she said. “But we both know that Leda charged the sword, priming it with her magic. Jace Fireswift only swung the tool.”

  “Luckily for her, the other gods don’t realize that,” Ronan added. “And they don’t know that the true power of the weapons of heaven and hell can only be unlocked by a deity with light and dark magic.”

  “The gods all think Jace killed the demon. They are all celebrating his success,” Nyx said. “Except for Faris. He knows the truth.”

  “As do we,” Ronan said darkly.

  “What do you want?” Defiance and resignation clashed inside of me. “Because that’s what this is coming down to, isn’t it? You will keep my secret if I do something for you. You rub my back, so I have to rub yours.”

  That ‘rub’ felt an awful lot like a stab in the back.

  A small smile touched Nyx’s lips. “Good girl.”

  “At some point, Faris will find the weapons of heaven and hell taking leave of his possession,” Ronan told me.

  “And find their way into yours,” I finished for him.

  “You will wield them for us,” he said.

  “I should point out that there’s a major flaw in your plan,” I replied. “Most of the time, the weapons of heaven and hell don’t work for me either.”

  “They are very powerful artifacts, but the ability to wield them is inside of you,” Nyx said. “It is simply a matter of control, of properly directing your magic. So far, it was bursts of emotion that charged the artifacts, but in time you will learn to wield them even when calm and controlled.”

  “We will help you realize that power inside of you,” Ronan said.

  “You want to turn her into a weapon, just like Faris and Sonja do,” Nero growled.

  “She is already a weapon, Nero,” Ronan replied calmly. “We simply wish to channel her power into something productive, for the greater good.”

  A lot of atrocities had been committed in the name of the ‘greater good’. Because good and evil were all a matter of perspective.

  “You expect us to trust you after you’ve already betrayed us?” Nero demanded.

  “We stole from you, but you lied to us about the weapons, Damiel, and Leda’s origin,” Nyx said. “You are hardly blameless, Nero.”

  “My personal life is none of your business. I’m allowed to keep it to myself,” I told her.

  “Unfortunately, your personal life is not entirely yours,” said Nyx. “It is entangled in this immortal war. The gods scored a victory today against the demons on Samaran, but that does not make up for our recent heavy losses. Right now, we are losing this war, Leda. We need you to help us turn things around. We need you to wield the weapons of heaven and hell and stand against the demons that would tear the Earth you love to pieces. The demons’ magic cannot kill you, but your magic can kill them.”

  “It doesn’t sound like we have a choice,” I said drily.

  “No, you really don’t,” Nyx agreed. “If the other gods find out about you, you will become a weapon. Your existence will be only that—until this war is over, or you are dead. If you ally with us, however, we will keep your secret. We will train you and protect you. Your life will otherwise be as it is now—a life rich with friends and family, surrounded by those you love.”

  “And Faris?” I asked.

  “We will deal with Faris,” Ronan assured me.

  I arched a skeptical brow at him. “So far, it seems like he is dealing with you. All of you.”

  “No longer,” Nyx said. “Aleris tossed him on the chopping block today.”

  Ronan shook his head slowly. “Faris should have known better than to trust Aleris. He is so righteous. He is convinced that the only way we can beat the demons is by shedding our own sins. Aleris would never allow Faris to escape with his own sins intact. He had to unravel them on the floor along with everyone else’s.”

  “And you’re next,” I said.

  There was only one challenge left, and one artifact remaining to steal: Ronan’s.

  “Faris and Aleris have already exposed our secrets. Save one.” Nyx dipped her chin at me. “That we know about your parentage. Faris won’t expose that secret, I can assure you. And if Aleris was going to do it, he would have done so when he exposed Faris. He doesn’t know about you, Leda.”

  I choked out a strangled laugh. “Unless Aleris is building up to one killer finale.”

  “If that is true, we are all screwed anyway,” Nyx declared.

  It was such a human expression. It reminded me of the First Angel’s duality, that she was in fact half human.

  “What do you say, Leda Pierce? Do we have a deal?” Nyx said.

  “It seems I don’t have any choice.”

  “No good one,” Nyx agreed. She glanced at Ronan. “Lower your weapon.”

  “You too, Nero,” I sighed.

  Nero and Ronan sheathed their swords.

  “We will be seeing you,” Nyx said as she and Ronan stepped inside the building.

  This time, Nyx wasn’t using a human expression. There was hidden meaning inside her words. She was warning me that she and Ronan would be watching me closely.

  Beside me, Nero’s eyes were hard, his face unreadable.

  “You think I gave in too quickly,” I said.

  “No. They cornered you. There was no good way out. But things change.”

  He was clearly already trying to think up a way to get me out of the deal I’d just made with Nyx and Ronan. I wasn’t sure there was a way, but if there was, we would find it.

  “I’d rather be beholden to Nyx and Ronan than to Faris or Zarion or any of the other gods,” I said.

  “But?”

  I grinned at him. “But if they think they have me, they haven’t been paying attention at all this past year.”

  Laughing, Nero set his hands on my cheeks. His lips softly kissed my forehead. “I do love you.”

  “Oh, I’m just getting started, baby.” I kissed him back, quick and rough and full on the lips.

  Magic flashed in his eyes. “Keep practicing.”

  “Practicing what?” I asked, confused.

  “Sounding like an angel. You’re al
most there. You just need to exude a little less humility and a little more arrogance.”

  I snorted. “Less humility? I didn’t realize I was wearing that color today.”

  “Hold on to your humanity, Leda. It is your strength. It allows you to care and feel and to see things as most immortals cannot. But keep it inside of you. On the outside, you must be hard and unyielding. Wrap yourself in your magic, in your absolute certainty of your own superiority. You must always be in control, always confident, always unwavering. That’s the only way you will survive going toe-to-toe with angels and gods. You see how quickly and ferociously they jump on one another at the slightest hint of weakness.”

  Yeah, like starved sharks who’d scented a single drop of spilled blood.

  The bell in the gods’ hall rang.

  “The final challenge?” I guessed.

  “Likely.”

  We entered the hall, splitting up to each join our partner.

  “You were with Windstriker,” Colonel Fireswift said by way of greeting. “Again.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  Colonel Fireswift looked at me like he was regretting not killing me earlier.

  “This training has been long and intense.” I smirked at him. “You can’t blame a girl for catching a quickie between rounds.”

  “As always, your irreverence clashes terribly with the decor.”

  “Dare I hope that was a joke, Colonel?”

  He ignored my question. “You were not ‘catching a quickie’. You don’t smell like sex. In fact, you’re reeking of lust. You smell like you have not had sex in a very long time.”

  “Have you been analyzing my scents?” I said, aghast. That was exactly what I did not need right now.

  “They require no analyzing. Your scents are as crass and blunt as your words.”

  Ew. Time to start wearing really strong perfume whenever I met with the head of the Interrogators.

  “Come with me,” Faris told me and Colonel Fireswift, waving for us to follow him.

  There was no finesse, no pizazz nor flourish. Not this time. The gods seemed to be as completely done with this training as the rest of us. I suspected the only reason they hadn’t put an end to it was they all thought they had no secrets left to expose—and they wanted to see what the other gods were hiding.