Valeria finally felt stabilized, at least as much as she could with the throbbing wound at her shoulder and her sorrow leeched from her until she could barely feel anything at all. But she indulged the numbness to take the time to plan for her future.

“Where are we going?” she asked. She wanted to make sure she knew what Nile and his mentor planned for her before she made her move. Angels and demons alike had come for her, and she knew they wouldn’t stop. She needed to find a place to hide and learn what it was that was so special about her. Perhaps Nile and Ferdinand could help her figure that out.

“There,” Ferdinand said and pointed at a lingering shadow that broke against the malice of the swirling sky.

Valeria squinted, then her eyes went wide.

Tree Mother hadn’t just shielded the sacred grove from human eyes, but an entire castle. Now with her death, all that she’d hidden and protected was revealed. Valeria gaped in awe as they approached a fortress nestled into the malice of the Obsidian Sea.

A towering wall of splintered wood barred the entrance, and Valeria’s heart tinged when she realized it was the same glistening bark as Tree Mother with veins of gold. Nile took her hand and squeezed. Shadows filtered over her fingertips as he took away the pain.

As if her body knew what to do, she drew her free hand to the door and ran her touch against the splintered grooves. It cracked open and a thrum sounded against her chest.

“What is this place?” Valeria asked when they stepped through. She felt drawn to the ancient, thrumming stone that whispered of secrets and untapped strength. She stepped inside its shadow and immersed herself into the cold breeze of the ancient halls. Spider webs clung to the corners of the vaulted ceilings and pebbles tumbled under her feet, but she sensed a presence here awakening under her touch that was kindred and familiar, as if she’d belonged here all along.

Nile smiled as he watched her explore. “It’s one of four great houses, long ago lost to time.”

Ferdinand nodded in agreement, his own golden gaze intruding upon shadows as he surveyed the slabs of stone. “A great house meant for angels to take their rightful place on Terra.” The rooms darkened as he closed his eyes. “A gift that was spat upon and never accepted.”

Valeria frowned and turned away from the halls that she wished to delve into and explore. “What do you mean?”

Ferdinand sighed. “I was one among many who placed these very stones. We built four houses in a last effort to bring angels to our side in a world slipping into darkness.” He tapped his staff against the solid sheen of stone at his feet. The sound echoed around them, reminding her that while there was potential in this place, it rang hollow and empty. “This house was built by humanity and Hallowed alike atop a deposit of Divine Material. The slabs were too strong to break apart, too weighty to be moved, so we built this structure atop them. We begged the angels to reside here and stand sentinel against the demons who sprawled across the lands. Their bodies are designed to use Divine Material in ways that ours cannot. They’d refused to leave their city because they’d be left without its strength. But when we rendered that excuse hollow by offering this very house, they showed their true colors.” His beard smoothed as he frowned. “Our gift was refused and we’ve been left to be overrun by the demons ever since.”

Nile marveled at the walls, his fingers unwinding from hers to trail across the stone. “Why has it been locked away all this time? Perhaps we could have used it.”

Ferdinand shook his head. “No, this was a place meant for angels. The magic here can’t be used by the Coterie, or anyone else. That’s why it was hidden away.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Looks like the shields we had put in place for this particular house recently broke under the strain of demonic influence.”

Valeria knew it hadn’t been the demon’s fault that this place was no longer hidden and secret, but she didn’t share the mystery of Tree Mother with Ferdinand. A stern look at Nile, and he pinched his lips closed as well. He wouldn’t share secrets that weren’t his to tell.

“What did you believe angels could do about their own fallen?” Valeria asked. She’d regained a sliver of her emotions, but her sorrow, grief, anger and rage swarmed over her skin in fine grains of manageable bite-sized bits. Even with her dampened spirit, the venom in her voice still speared through. “You know what demons are, right? You know that demons and angels are one and the same?”

Ferdinand frowned. “You couldn’t be further misguided, young one. Angels are an immortal embodiment of Creation itself. They are born from the Divine’s love and thrive from it. The demons have been severed from that connection and forever suffer in torment that we will never know nor understand. We cannot hope to save them, only exterminate them. Only the angels know how to kill such a creature of dismal grief.”

Valeria knew in her bones that Ferdinand believed those words. She also knew them to be misguided notions. “How many angels have you met?” she snapped.

“Valeria,” Nile warned as he stepped between them.

She snarled. “I know he’s met the Divine. I have your memories, remember?”

Ferdinand scowled at that. “What exactly did you do in order to lengthen this broken creature’s life?”

“I couldn’t just let her die. I’m not like you want me to be. I’m not Changed.” Nile’s words came out bitter and blaming.

In a few short steps he had his hands around Nile’s arm and squeezed. “Are you mad, or just a fool?”

Nile didn’t flinch at the hard grip from his master. “I did what was necessary to save our last chance at defeating the demons.” He wrested free of his master’s grasp and crossed the slabs of stone to stand at Valeria’s side. “You say only angels can defeat a demon, and if that’s true, then Valeria is that chance.” He waved his arms at the expanse of ancient secrets all around them. “She’s come home to a place meant for her kind. She’ll grow in strength and power until she’s learned how to call for her brethren. She’ll save us from—”

“No!” Valeria screeched. “I’ll never call angels. Aren’t you listening? They are demons, just in a different shade.” Her eyes misted as frosty grief and sorrow threatened to gather enough in her chest to bore a hole. A part of her knew that he was right. He was talking about her learning who and what she was. If she could do that, she could enact her revenge.

“Do you know what angels did to me?” she found herself saying. She didn’t want to reveal what had her so broken, but Nile’s golden gaze burrowed into her soul and was an itch she couldn’t get out. “They cast me out of their world and left me to die. It was my human parents who took me in, in spite of the law. If Leocivat had found them out, they could have been killed.” She snarled as the memories unfurled in her mind. “But your precious humans weren’t their executioner. In spite of the love they gave me, in spite of all the good they deserved, it was an angel who came and brought death and destruction in his wake.”

Ferdinand, ever calm and patient, spoke as if to a frightened deer. “Valeria, child. If an angel came to claim you, then you have made a new mark on history. Angels don’t touch what they believe tainted.” He glanced at Nile. “Perhaps my apprentice has seen something in you that I have not.”

Valeria wanted to take all her rage and grief balled up inside of her and spear it through the Hallowed, but she resisted. Her wound throbbed its reminder in her shoulder that what Ferdinand said was true. The angel believed her tainted and now her sea of emotions only fed its vile infection of malice in her heart.

“If I help you, then I want something in return,” she said, grinding her teeth to hide her pain.

Ferdinand raised a white eyebrow. “If… you can help us.”

“She can!” Nile insisted, his tone excited like a child’s. “I’ve never seen a soul like hers. She’s what we’ve been waiting for. I’m sure of it!”

Ferdinand ignored Nile’s outburst and calmly appraised Valeria. “You negotiate, yet only Nile seems to have this blind belief that you have power over demons.”

Valeria straightened. She didn’t want to admit that her connection to the angel world gave her gifts, nor did she wish to explain the magic of Tree Mother’s sap that ran through her veins. She had power, even if she didn’t yet know how to use it. “Allow me to worry about my end of the bargain. First, you must agree to yours.”

He nodded. “Very well. And what is it that your heart desires?”

Valeria knew that Ferdinand could do a great many things for her. He could vouch for her and bring her into Leocivat, a dream her parents had always had for her. But this wasn’t a world with her parents. This was a world of their death, and the only thing she wanted was for that world to know her pain.

“Believe it or not, old man, I want to fight the demons just as much as you.” She lifted her lip in a snarl. “Bring the Coterie here.” She glanced at Nile whose eyes bulged with disbelief. “They want your apprentice, and only I have the power to stop them.” She met the Hallowed’s stern gaze again. “When they get here, I’ll make sure the demons know where we are. Two birds. One stone.”

Ferdinand’s glowing eyes narrowed. Valeria searched his brilliant gaze, but wasn’t sure if he would meet her terms.

Winds howled outside the castle’s walls as she waited for the Hallowed’s decision. Finally, he scraped his staff across the stone and said, “Very well.”

“What?” Nile screeched. “You can’t bring the Coterie here. We barely escaped them alive.”

Ferdinand was already heading for the door. His long robes swished as he moved with far more grace than Valeria would expect of a man of three hundred seasonal cycles. Yet he was Hallowed, a creature that lived outside the rules of humanity, just like her.

“They will find us no matter our efforts,” Ferdinand barked. “The broken angel is right. We must fight them on our own terms.” He paused as his brilliant gaze swept over her. “If she can help me to take some demons down with them, then we have a deal.”

Valeria bit her lip as the Hallowed master huffed and swept out of sight. She had Nile’s memories, which told her very little about the Hallowed master. Yet, in that brief moment, she’d felt his sorrow and his pain.

He had malice in his heart, and she had a feeling that they were more alike than the Hallowed would ever want his apprentice to know.

“What is it?” Nile asked.

Valeria frowned. “Nothing.”

* * *

Nile’s footsteps echoed hers as she scaled the stone steps to explore the hidden depths of the ancient castle. His presence was a promise that she could do this. She could find the courage to face her oppressors and bring justice to this broken world.

Nile wasn’t the only encouraging presence that worked to soothe her rage and pain. The magic of Tree Mother’s sap hummed in her veins. It had become a constant warmth that kept the cold starvation away. She’s always known that she wasn’t human the moment the hunger had come. She’d always relied on Tree Mother’s warmth to keep her sated, but the deeper they delved into the heart of this place she felt a different warmth. She swept her touch over the walls and caressed the thrum of untouched power that sang to her own heart’s rhythm.

“Ferdinand wasn’t lying when he said this place was built for angels,” Valeria whispered.

“Does it speak to you?” he asked, his voice giddy with excitement. “What does it feel like?”

She frowned. “I don’t want to be who I am. Angels ruined my life.”

Nile sighed. “I know.”

Biting her lip against the silence, she continued down the dusty hall. She didn’t know what she was looking for, just that there had to be something more than cobwebs and empty spaces. There were secrets here. Secrets she needed to uncover. Once she did, she’d unlock the power hidden in this place and bring justice to all those who had failed her. The humans cowering in their precious city of Leocivat. The Coterie who kept all power to themselves. The angels who hid in the heavens and left her to die. The demons who brought malice and fire to her world. She’d make them all pay.

She caught herself when a sickening grin overtook her face. She turned her face into the shadows as she and Nile wound through the halls of the ancient castle.

She rounded a corner and her wounded shoulder grazed the stone. She yelped as the spark of warmth shot needles across the gash of Dark pestilence that singed around her flesh. Even if she’d found a purpose for her short life, she was still infected with something dark and dangerous that she didn’t fully understand.

Nile’s hands rushed to her waist to break her fall. “Are you all right?”

She found his gaze and squinted through the brilliance of his soul that bled over his cheeks. It was a contained power now, not something that overflowed like a gushing fountain. She wondered in that fleeting moment what color eyes he had underneath the striking gaze. She imagined they’d be doe-like brown, full of innocence and wonder. She hated to use someone like that, but she would do what she had to in order to bring justice to this broken world.

His cheeks took on a rosy hue. “Why are you looking at me like that? You didn’t hit your head, did you?”

She smiled. “You’re just so young, in spite of your age,” she said, teasing. He was well over three times her age, but the naivety and trust she saw in him, and his memories that he’d inadvertently shared with her, was astounding. Not once had he questioned the Hallowed master who had not only left him to the mercy of the Coterie, but had now left him alone with a “broken angel” in an ancient place of mysterious power. No matter the old Hallowed’s intentions, his actions didn’t settle well with her. Her smile dimmed and she brought up the courage to ask, “Why did you allow Ferdinand to volunteer you into the Coterie?” To perform the initiation meant to become Changed, to lose all sense of humanity and have one’s emotions wiped clean to make room for focus and power. She couldn’t imagine a spirit like Nile’s being snuffed out for the sake of humanity, a failing race that didn’t deserve his sacrifice.

Nile helped her to her feet and guided them to the window’s ledge that overlooked what had once been a courtyard. He frowned into the darkness instead of answering her.

She wriggled into the space beside him, careful not to graze her shoulder against the stone again, and saw what had grabbed his attention. Her birds had found a place to settle in the ancient castle and cluttered the landscape like shimmering pebbles across the ancient courtyard. More fluttered into view, appearing from the fog to land on the silver strands of moonlight cast onto the outskirts of the Obsidian Sea.

“I’m not blind to my master’s harshness,” he said after the breadth of silence had grown cold. “But I know we want the same thing. No matter what, I can trust him to pursue that common goal.”

Valeria cocked an eyebrow. “And what goal would that be?”

His eyes narrowed, limiting the golden Light he shed into the shadows. “I want to redeem this world,” he said softly into the serenity of the night. Valeria couldn’t believe him to be serious, but his jaw tensed with determination that he was going to find a way. The flutter of her birds calmed under the smooth tones of his voice. “Demons have ruled this world for far too long.”

She clutched her knees to her chest and stared into the courtyard. Demons didn’t rule the world. The Darkness that ruled the demons was what had overcome Light and happiness. It was Darkness that ruled now, even in Nile’s world of Light, shadows swarmed over his gaze.

She squeezed her shoulder as it throbbed. The demon who had stabbed her had dark pitted eyes that were filled with the substance that now crawled across her skin. She wouldn’t turn into one of them, not if she had any say in the matter.

She looked to her birds for comfort as she considered Nile’s desire to save this world that had been overrun by shadow. Even this courtyard was crusted and bleak, frosted by an icy breeze and looming shadows. In spite of the gloom, her birds balanced on twigs and jagged shards, their little heads cocked to the sky as if expecting light to eventually come. “I’d never considered that this world could be saved,” Valeria said. She tried for a moment to see the world the way Nile did, one with hope on the horizon. She stared at the desolate landscape that gleamed with malice and only saw darkness and pain.

Nile smiled at her and her cheeks warmed under the kiss of his gaze. “Nothing is so far gone that it can’t be saved,” he said and gave her a friendly nudge. “After all, you saved me.”

She rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t I who saved you.”

“Perhaps. But Tree Mother wouldn’t have given my life a second thought if it hadn’t been for you. She gave me her Light so that I could help you.” His jawline went hard as Valeria struggled to contain the brutal reality of Tree Mother’s sacrifice. “I won’t let her down.”

Valeria curled her fingers into a fist, resisting the urge to stretch out to indulge in the warmth of Nile’s skin. She knew that if she touched him, that swirling shadow in the backs of his golden gaze would grow darker when he absorbed her sorrow. Her touch only hurt him. So she bit her lip and turned her gaze back to the desolate courtyard.

The wound at her shoulder seemed agitated without her sorrow. It throbbed with quiet anger that it’d been deprived of her knee-buckling grief. Its icy claws tangled over her shoulder and she shivered under the fresh stabs of pain.

She squeezed her eyes closed and leaned her head back against the chalky stone. A dry breeze swept over her and peeled away the thin protective layer of her dress from her collarbone.

Nile’s fingers gripped around her arm, just beneath the edge of her wound, the touch giving her a moment of reprieve. “When were you going to tell me this hadn’t healed?”

She snapped her eyes open. “What?”

He twisted her arm and she winced. “Is this from a Dark shard? Holy Divine. I thought that Tree Mother had helped you like she helped me. How are you still alive?”

She blinked. “I thought that you were the one who’d contained it.” She placed her hand over his. He felt so warm against her icy fingers. She’d thought the castle cold and drafty, and even if it was, her chill came from within. “It isn’t able to spread,” she assured him. “There’s a barrier.” A glimmer of emotion fluttered in her chest to know that it was Tree Mother who’d contained the darkness in her wound.

Nile leaned closer to her exposed shoulder and illuminated the gash with his gaze. The proximity of his Light sizzled against the scabs that struggled to form over the Dark streaks across her skin. “Incredible,” he breathed. “But I don’t think Tree Mother did this.”

Valeria swallowed, ignoring the stabs of pain that throbbed through her shoulder. “If it wasn’t Tree Mother who?”

He leaned away and his gaze found hers. “I think it was you.”

* * *

Valeria didn’t want to face the possibility that she’d saved herself. That would mean two things.

One, she had to face the fact that Tree Mother was really gone. No one was coming to save her. She was on her own.

And two, a more terrifying realization, was that Tree Mother’s golden gift had left something special in her veins. She had power, magic, something that would attract others that wanted such things for their own greed.

None of it was good, but of course Nile didn’t see it that way. He’d blathered on about how she was special, capable of magic greater than even a member of the Coterie. His excitement bubbled over that she was the key to saving the world.

Valeria couldn’t take it. She retreated to a dark, secluded room and only allowed her birds to follow. Their soft, complaining chirps as they clung to her clothes echoed how she felt.

Nile reluctantly stayed in the expansive hall the few trailing steps from the entrance, just in case Ferdinand returned. She hated to leave him slumped against the moon-kissed window, but she couldn’t face his hopes for another second. Even the weather seemed to want to drown him out, sending icy winds to howl and lash against the castle’s walls.

A soft, golden glow filled her body and illuminated the room. She frowned at the effect of magic that had been born of Tree Mother’s precious sap.

No matter the power she summoned, she still couldn’t shake the chill. Long dead wood piled against a hearth, just enough fuel to stoke a tiny flame to life.

With her birds huddling to her side, she clutched her knees to her chest and shivered. No matter how close she scooted to the warmth, nor how much Light she summoned from within herself, the chill of sorrow continued to spread and settle into her bones.

She scratched at the wound at her shoulder, trying to retain the frantic panic that threatened to claw its way through her. She wasn’t just cold. The malice was trying to draw warmth from her, and it was succeeding.

Soft chirping complaints sounded as feathered bodies curled against her sides. She shushed them and swiped with slow caresses to quiet her new friends. They shivered under her touch.

She stayed that way until her eyelids grew heavy and sleep threatened to come for her. But the moment her body jerked, one of her birds gave her a sharp peck on her finger. She snatched away and hissed at the fresh stab of pain. “What was that for?” she asked.

Their beady little eyes watched her as if in warning. Frowning, she shooed them. “If you’re going to be mean, go away.”

One last chirp before they flocked to the doorway in unison. Their squabbles continued and she frowned, but pulled herself to her feet.

Leaving the small flames to lick the stone chimney’s sides, she skirted around the stairs and found her way back down. The birds waited around the corner, flocking again the moment they spotted her and continued their squabbles until she followed.

In spite of the noise, Nile slept against the same spot she’d left him. She smirked. He’d make a useless sentinel.

Continuing down the dark hall, she followed the soft chirps that sounded less irritated now that she was following.

She wound through hall after hall, only stopping when she realized that she wasn’t quite as cold. She pressed her palms against the wall, only to find them warm under her touch. “What is this?” she whispered.

A few echoing chirps down the hall was her only answer.

She continued with slow, deliberate steps as she investigated the unknown. All light was gone now except for the stubborn glow that came from her own skin as if her body burned with supernatural fever. A humid breeze tangled through her hair as she wound down yet another tunnel of stone. She wasn’t sure if she was simply deep into the castle, or if she’d actually gone underground.

A few more steps and her birds flocked around a single recess in a wide column, their chirps becoming piercing echoes in the confines of the stone walls. She covered her ears as she approached the object that had her birds so excited.

As she came near to the indentation, it began to glow.

Her birds went deathly silent as Valeria’s presence awakened an ancient and unruly power that rested in the heart of this place. Her eyes went wide as the golden glow filtered across her vision and formed a silhouette of a female form.

Who awakens me from my peaceful slumber? a voice asked.

Valeria jerked back with a yelp and pain jolted up her calf as her ankle twisted. She gripped it and forced a reply through chattering teeth. “Who are you?” Her birds chided her with soft chirps, as if she should already know. She pressed her lips together before responding.

The silky form shifted beyond the veil of gold. “You are the one who has disturbed me. You shall tell me who you are.”

Valeria frowned, but obeyed. “I’m Valeria.”

“Ah, the saffron child. I’ve heard of you.”

Valeria swallowed. “Now may I ask who you are?”

A giggle sounded that sent Valeria’s hairs standing on end. I’m everything, and nothing. I am the Light.

Valeria had never heard a creature of Light speak to her with words. Tree Mother had used emotions and feelings, but this creature, whatever she was, spoke to her and appeared in a humanoid form. Valeria forced herself to her knees and crawled towards the archway. She hovered her fingertips over the surface where the silhouette’s soft form lingered. “Can you show yourself?”

Another amused giggle. Dear child, I don’t live in your realm. A lingering pause. Why don’t you come visit mine?

Valeria gasped as a hand shot through the archway and gripped her wounded shoulder. Searing agony ripped through her, and then all the pain came to a sudden end as her soul was yanked out of her physical body.