B

ane, Zedekiél, Sammiél, Rimmon, Chayyliél, Daghony, Tahariél, Ioath, Kushiél, Gadreel. Braile, please! Don’t!

I do what I must. A form took shape in the center of the light. Different shades of light refracted to show a vague outline she had to squint to see, though she had no problem seeing the Unhallowed in her line of sight.

But the UnHallowed. You’ll kill—

My brothers have never feared me. They will not do so today.

Through eyes not of her own, she saw the UnHallowed’s broken bodies, saw and felt the light engulf them in a velvet embrace, and Braile’s essence pour into each of them. She watched them heal.

And she felt Braile slipping away from her.

What are you doing? She reached for him and came away empty handed.

Making the only amends that I can.

Amends?

I failed them once. I will not do so again.

Memories and emotions mixed in her head. He blamed himself, not because his brothers fell… Because he didn’t join them. For the first time in his existence, fear had dictated his actions. He could have stopped them—maybe not all, definitely not Metatron—but most would have listened to him and heeded his warning to stand down. Instead, he did nothing and watched his family split in two.

Suddenly, he was beside her—just a collection of denser light particles—and together they watched Bane’s limb reform, wings sprouted from the backs of Sammiél, Kushiél, Daghony, Tahariél, and Rimmon. Watched as they regained their footing and stood tall again. Watched as grace infused their bodies and they grew stronger than they’d been since the Fall.

By this action, I will not make them whole, but I will give them some of what they have lost.

His words made no sense, yet his intent bled through her confusion as she registered a shift in her DNA.

Her mouth opened on a silent cry. Angelic grace that had fused to each cell since her abrupt birth, first splintered into jagged shards, and then streamed out of every pore, joining the reservoir of grace leaving her.

What are you doing? Even though she asked the question, Amaya already knew the answer. He was giving all of himself to the UnHallowed, saving them the only way he could, then leaving her. This time, forever, because after this final act, there’d be nothing left.

Desperate, she reached out again. Before, it slipped through her fingers as air through a net. This time, she latched onto the light. It was a tangible living thing in her.

Don’t leave me! Poised on the tip of her tongue. But suddenly, for the first time, she got it, understood the true meaning behind everything he’d taught her. Every lesson she hadn’t comprehended. Every argument where he tried to explain, made sense.

Sacrifice is what you give to others in the time of need without regard for yourself.

From a distance, she heard screams mixed with Bane’s voice. Through eyes not her own, she saw the UnHallowed huddled around a shriveled form. The abrupt malevolence pouring out of Braile gave the answer to her unspoken question.

Please, Braile. You can’t kill Malphas!

Demon! His anger vibrated around her.

Yes! But he’s a friend. My friend. I know that sounds warped, me, friends with a Demoni Lord. But we need him. This war isn’t over and we need an ally. As messed up as that is, we need Malphas. Please, I’m begging you, don’t kill him!

She felt his reluctant acceptance, but the intensity of his essence didn’t decrease. Now the shadowy line she’d focused on, solidified into a recognizable figure. A figure all too familiar, though she hadn’t seen him in over a decade and she knew—knew—

This was it, the last time she’d ever see him. This was goodbye. And she wasn’t ready. Fuck that, she’d never be ready.

Yet she opened her hand and let Braile slip free.

It’s not about me. It’s about us. Everything he’d ever done was about someone else’s need. This final act was no different. His noble heart could do no less and she wouldn’t guilt that from him. He’d trained her to be better than that.

He peered over his shoulders and the arc of his wings at her. She lost herself in the glint of his eyes, the sharp profile she so missed, and the overwhelming love that poured into her heart. Tears coasted down her cheeks unbidden, unapologetic. Though her heart ripped in two, she managed a sharp nod. In the next breath his arms were around her and she was a little girl again, basking in the unconditional love she’d always craved.

For saving me, raising me, loving me as best you could, thank you…Father.