Hell's Ascendant (Mantles of Power Book 3) Page 26

  “You… oh, wow!” Isalla said, blushing as excitement surged through her. She knew the tiniest amount about blessings, and those who received them were vanishingly small in number, as most archangels kept them as rare rewards for their followers, so the offer was shocking, and at the same time thrilling. Her voice trembled as she asked, “You really would do that?”

  “Yes, unless you’re holding out for Anna’s. She might be willing, and at least she knows what hers does,” Kitania admitted, an infectious smile on her face now. “It’s really up to you, in the end.”

  “In that case… yes, of course I would!” Isalla said, blushing as she did so. The idea that Kitania was willing to do that helped her mood immensely.

  “As you like. Close your eyes, Isalla,” Kitania said, and Isalla did so, sitting there in eager anticipation.

  For a long moment she sat there, waiting. She heard Kitania inhale, and Isalla couldn’t help wondering how difficult what she was doing was. She knew barely anything about blessings, except—

  The warmth of Kitania’s lips pressing against her own was startling, and Isalla nearly opened her eyes. She suppressed the urge, though, and melted into it as she returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around Kitania as she enjoyed the demoness’s embrace. As she did, though, she felt a strange warmth slowly envelop her, as if she were laying under the sun and its radiance was soaking into her. It wasn’t incredibly strong, but neither was it weak, though she had some trouble focusing on it.

  Slowly the warmth settled around her mana core, pulsing slowly with every beat of Isalla’s heart, and she shivered, relaxing as it passed and she could enjoy the kiss at last. Which, of course, was why Kitania broke off the kiss at that moment. Isalla opened her eyes and glowered at Kitania in annoyance.

  “You stopped,” Isalla protested, trying to decide why she was really annoyed, then ignoring that as she looked at the demoness, who’d pulled a few inches back and reached back to pull off her hair clasp.

  “I did, because you received the blessing. Did you not want me to?” Kitania asked, her voice calm and her lips betraying the barest hint of a smile.

  “Would I be protesting otherwise?” Isalla asked, her glower deepening. “For that matter, why does a blessing require a kiss?”

  “It doesn’t. It requires touching you. I wanted to kiss you,” Kitania replied smugly, and Isalla considered her for just a moment.

  Then she reached over, grabbing the pillow, and swatted Kitania with it, prompting the demoness to yelp in surprise. Of course, that didn’t last, as Kitania dodged Isalla’s follow-up swing and snagged a pillow of her own.

  It took a while before they went to bed, but when they did Isalla was smiling.

  Chapter 33

  “Good luck in there, Lady Isalla,” Eziel said, respectfully standing next to Maura. They were in the market nearest the Heavenly Tower, and the two women were going to be shopping while Isalla delivered Anathiel’s note, which didn’t help Isalla’s nerves.

  She was in her full angelic form, partly because Sorm’s attack had shown that the disguise she’d borne wasn’t enough where the traitors were concerned, and partially because she was delivering a letter on Anathiel’s behalf. Isalla was very carefully not dressed in the colors of the Order of the Phoenix, which made her a little unnerved, since that meant she also couldn’t wear weapons to the meeting, and she wasn’t going to wear armor, either. Someone might be able to tell it was forged in the hells, and that would be bad.

  Instead she was in a relatively normal blouse and trousers, and her hair was pulled back by a blue ribbon Kitania had given her. A large number of the locals were slowing to look at her, and Isalla knew that the guards around the tower had seen her. She hoped it wouldn’t cause things to go poorly for Eziel and Maura, but there was nothing she could do about that.

  Shaking her head to clear it, Isalla looked at Eziel with an uncertain smile, nodding as she replied. “Yes, well, I should be safe. I doubt most of the people inside would stand aside if I were attacked.”

  “That isn’t quite what I meant, but I agree with you. I’m hoping that your warning doesn’t fall on deaf ears,” Eziel said, and Isalla nodded, understanding what the woman had been implying at last, and her mood grew a little grimmer as well. She didn’t like the idea, but it was a possibility she couldn’t ignore. Janel Ironheart had been one of Rose’s friends, after all, not one of Isalla’s.

  “A fair point, but if nothing else, Rose should be back on her feet soon. We just have to have faith,” Isalla replied, her determination strengthening.

  “Of course. However, faith doesn’t fix everything,” Maura said, smiling wryly. “Good luck to you. I haven’t been a lot of help on the trip, but I’ll do what I can. See you when you’re done!”

  “Agreed,” Isalla said, and watched the two women move down the street, Maura with a relaxed, easy stride while Eziel took lighter, more precise steps. Perhaps there was something to be said for being able to tell angels apart from the way they moved, Isalla mused, remembering what Bell had said back in Silken Veils.

  Turning away, Isalla spread her wings and took flight, beating her wings as she quickly ascended. Her wings hadn’t gotten as much exercise as she’d like lately, so it was slightly more difficult to rise at a sharp angle than Isalla preferred, but she managed reasonably well, and approached the receiving platform on the first balcony of the tower, which she knew would be open to visitors.

  The guards on flying patrol didn’t challenge her, but as she landed two of the three angelic guards blocked the door with their halberds, each of them from different orders. The three orders were of the Dragon, Eagle, and Phoenix, though the Order of the Eagle primarily focused on matters in the heavens and were better known for their magic than the other two orders.

  “What business do you have at the Heavenly Spire, daughter of the heavens?” the man in the uniform of the Order of the Eagle asked, his voice calm, but his gaze was watchful anyway.

  “I come bearing a message for Heavenly Wing Janel Ironheart of the Order of the Phoenix,” Isalla replied, bowing her head marginally as she looked at them and pulled out the letter.

  “Ah, in that case, we’ll happily take the letter and have it delivered,” the member of the Order of the Phoenix said, smiling as he straightened.

  “I’m afraid that will not be acceptable. Archangel Anathiel asked me to deliver the missive in person,” Isalla replied, straightening and turning the letter to show the wax seal, which was of a winged sword. A tiny part of her was afraid they’d call her bluff, as she hadn’t been told to deliver it by Anathiel, but rather by Kitania on Anathiel’s behalf.

  The guards all froze, and the woman in the colors of the Order of the Dragon swallowed visibly, her blue eyes brightening as she straightened, and before the others could say anything she eagerly asked, “You met her? I haven’t heard of anyone meeting her since she arrived!”

  “I did. A mortal friend of mine was trained by her while she was away, though she didn’t know it at the time, and I was fortunate enough to meet with her afterward,” Isalla replied, smiling a little at the woman’s reaction.

  “Oh, that’s… you have a friend that was trained by an archangel? That’s… I can’t imagine how much of a blessing that must have been,” the man from the Order of the Phoenix said, envy all but oozing from him as he jealously stared at the letter for a long moment, then sighed and shook his head. “I just don’t know why she didn’t come here, rather than the temple. She’s an angel!”

  “From what I heard when I met with her, it appears that she and the Lord of Winds are old friends,” Isalla said, carefully picking her words as she looked at them, shrugging helplessly. “I suspect that if she’s going to start associating with others again, it makes sense to first approach those she knows. I can’t imagine what it’s like to have been around as long as she has, after all.”

  “True enough, how could we?” the first man said, letting out a sigh and shaking his head, then looke
d at the man in the colors of the Order of the Phoenix. “Still, we need to get you to the Heavenly Wing. Would you go get approval for her to enter?”

  “Sure. Not that there’s any real question, considering,” the man replied, nodding to Isalla as he smiled and stepped inside.

  As the door closed, Isalla settled in to wait patiently, and the other guards glanced at one another. Isalla knew they were going to ask questions and braced herself, doubting it would take them long to work up the nerve.

  “What was she like?” the woman asked after a minute, proving Isalla was right.

  The woman’s eyes shone with enthusiasm, and Isalla couldn’t help a smile. A tiny part of her had wondered if all of the Order of the Dragon was bad, with Rathien being a member of the Society of the Golden Dawn, but the woman’s hero worship was so familiar that Isalla realized she shouldn’t paint the entire order with a single brush. That was what she’d done with demons, and Kitania had managed to disabuse Isalla of that belief in the end.

  “Lady Anathiel is…” Isalla began, then frowned as she searched for how to describe the archangel simply, yet she failed. Eventually she settled on a simple term. “She’s gracious.”

  “Gracious? The archangel of war?” the man asked, his eyebrows rising.

  “I don’t know how else to describe her,” Isalla said, shrugging helplessly as she smiled at him. “Oh, she radiates power like I can’t even describe, but at the same time it isn’t directed at you. She’s graceful, polite, and refined, and she always seems to have a smile for you. And yet… with how perfectly each movement seems choreographed, you can tell how much she’s trained over the years. I have no doubt that she could have destroyed all of us who were there in the blink of an eye. Not that she would have… she seemed far too kind for that.”

  “Ah, I see. She may be the archangel of war, but that doesn’t indicate lack of control,” the man murmured, his gaze turning thoughtful. “Perhaps I should try to look at the records of her more closely. Assuming I can find any, with how many people have been obsessing over her for the last few days.”

  “As if you’re an exception!” the woman said tartly, prompting a blush from the man as he cleared his throat.

  “It’s merely an academic interest,” he protested, shifting from one foot to another, to Isalla’s entertainment.

  “Right, and I’m sure everyone believes that,” the woman replied, her tone dry.

  Before they could speak any further, the door opened again and both snapped to attention as a pair of men stepped out. One was the soldier from the Order of the Phoenix, and the other was a brown-haired angel who looked like he was the man’s superior, with the insignia of a second sword on his collar. Isalla couldn’t help straightening slightly at the sight, and the man raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything as he looked Isalla over with a cool gaze.

  “I’m told that you have a letter from Lady Anathiel to deliver to the Heavenly Wing. May I see it?” the man spoke at last, and while his words sounded like a request, there was a note in his voice that made Isalla suspect that if she said no, he’d deny her entry.

  “As you wish,” Isalla conceded, pulling the letter out again and handing it over politely.

  The man took it and turned it over, examining the script on the front for a moment, then scrutinizing the seal on the back. For a moment she was afraid that he was going to break the seal, but Isalla relaxed as he didn’t touch it, simply examining it closely for a long moment.

  When he finally spoke, his voice was soft. “You’re aware that this is the first reply she’s sent, yes?”

  “I am. She had a pile of over a hundred letters on her table when we met and told us that those were only from people who were of particular import,” Isalla replied, a smile flickering across her lips as she added. “She hadn’t had time to read all of them, let alone reply.”

  “Ah. I suppose that might be an issue, and one which I hadn’t considered,” the officer admitted, and behind him Isalla saw the guards exchange looks, understanding appearing on their faces as well. She suspected that none of them had considered that possibility, though as relatively common soldiers it wasn’t a surprise.

  Isalla waited patiently, suppressing the butterflies of nervousness within her midsection and calling on all her training to try to look impassive. She doubted it fooled the officer, but it was the attempt that was important to her. He waited a little longer, then nodded and handed the letter back to her.

  “It appears that your letter is genuine, so I will escort you to the Heavenly Wing. If you would follow me?” the officer asked, gesturing at the door.

  “Of course, sir. It’s why I’m here,” Isalla replied respectfully, putting the letter away again. She suspected she would have had a significantly harder time getting in if she hadn’t had the letter, though Rose likely wouldn’t have had much difficulty.

  One of the guards opened the door for them, and they quickly stepped into the wide, airy halls of the spire proper. Few other species built hallways that were truly intended for angels, as keeping their wings fully folded wasn’t always comfortable, so she appreciated the space she saw, and let out the faintest sigh of relief as she let her wings relax a little.

  “I’m Second Sword Anteroth. May I ask who you are so that I may announce you to the Heavenly Wing?” the officer asked, and at the question Isalla opened her mouth to reply, then paused, hesitating despite herself.

  She had been using the Order of the Phoenix as her surname for so long that it almost felt wrong not to use it anymore, and yet at the same time it also wasn’t appropriate, especially not here. Isalla struggled with herself, trying to decide what to do… then finally made a decision. Letting out a sigh, she replied softly. “My name is Isalla, of Soaring Heights.”

  “Isalla? The name sounds familiar, but I can’t quite place it…” Anteroth mused, and Isalla’s heartbeat quickened with near-panic at the thoughtful tone of his voice. She hadn’t thought he might recognize her name, but fortunately he shrugged after a moment, continuing. “Ah, it doesn’t matter, I suppose. There’s plenty of people with the same names in the world, particularly among mortals. I must say, I’m impressed that you got to meet Lady Anathiel, after as many of our messengers as she’s rebuffed.”

  “I was fortunate enough to have a friend who she trained while she was away,” Isalla replied simply, bowing her head as they ascended a staircase. “Otherwise, I suspect I’d never have had the opportunity.”

  “Ah, luck, that thing which can make all the difference in the world, yet which can only be hoped for,” Anteroth said, chuckling softly as he smiled. Leading the way to down the hall, he came to a door and knocked, murmuring more softly, “Here we are.”

  “Enter!” a woman replied, her voice a little deeper than Isalla had expected, and Anteroth opened the door, stepping in.

  “Heavenly Wing, May I present Isalla of Soaring Heights? She comes bearing a message from the archangel Anathiel,” Anteroth said, standing at attention as he stepped to the side, allowing Isalla into the room.

  Across the room from her was an angelic woman with black hair that had been cut short and a stocky, powerful figure. The woman was staring at Isalla with eyes almost as dark as pitch, while she wore the uniform of a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

  The room was somewhat cluttered, but in the way that Isalla would have expected. A table next to a cabinet of maps had a large map of the north weighed down on it, while an armor rack sat next to a weapon rack, both bearing armor and weapons. The desk and chairs were scarred from where people in armor had sat or worked, and the only hint of more pleasant surroundings was the door to the balcony behind her, but even the windows there were small, and the door was heavily reinforced.

  “Thank you for escorting her here. You may leave, Anteroth,” Janel Ironheart said, and Anteroth saluted.

  “Of course, ma’am!” he said, and the angel quickly left, latching the door behind him.

  Even with him gone, Isalla stoo
d there uncomfortably as Janel stared at her. There was something about the woman’s gaze that made her uncomfortable, almost like Janel disliked Isalla. It didn’t make any sense, since Isalla hadn’t ever met the angel before.

  “Isalla of Soaring Heights,” Janel said, a definite note of distaste in her voice as she looked at Isalla, almost sneering. “So you’re the brat who ruined Roselynn’s career.”

  Suddenly the pieces fell into place, and Isalla winced, wishing Rose were here more than ever before. At least now she knew why Janel didn’t like her.

  It still wasn’t a good way to start their meeting.

  Chapter 34

  “Yes, that would be me, though I had no intention of ruining her career. Neither of us did,” Isalla replied, her stomach almost churning as her mood sank. It was entirely possible that their hopes of convincing Janel to help or believe them were going to come up short.

  “I don’t care what you intended. What I care about is what you did,” Janel replied, her tone almost spiteful as she looked at Isalla in disdain. “Drummed out of the order at last, though? At least there’s some justice in the world, after Roselynn was disgraced trying to protect you. I wonder if you even care that she’s gone missing.”

  “Oh, I care. I cared enough that I went to rescue her, even when it seemed like my chances of success were pretty much impossible,” Isalla retorted, her worries suddenly vanishing as anger blazed to life within her, glowering at the Heavenly Wing in turn. The woman seemed slightly taken aback, but Isalla continued, her tone biting. “In fact, I even succeeded, I’ll have you know. I rescued Rose from the plots of those who’d betrayed her, with the help of others. Then we decided to come here to get help, as you’re one of the few people she trusts. Unfortunately, those same traitors decided to try to kill us again. They almost succeeded, as a matter of fact, and Rose is currently recovering in the care of Lady Anathiel.”