Page 29 of Commanding Flame and Shield
“Which would mean…”
“A storm is brewing, Ally. We’ve all sensed it. All feel the urgency to listen for our callings and acquire them quickly. All sensed the value of training, praying, and seeking guidance. Trouble. It feels like trouble.”
I thought about the countless panic attacks in the months we tried to find August. The way my heart was racing indefinitely. The way I felt like I could not fail a single braid. Couldn’t give even one up. The pressing sensation that we needed all of them to ascend, with no time to waste. My visions, which had turned into fragments, more often than I wanted to admit. She wasn’t wrong. There was trouble vibrating in the very air surrounding the earth, an evil buried in its core.
“I’ve seen no visions of a King. Of a grand finale. Of an imminent war between dark and light.” I had seen a white horseman. Heard a reverberating bass voice growling threats. Neither of which seemed particularly connected to August.
“The war has always been, Ally. Think about it. The humans are always entangled with the enemy, constantly wrestling with his tricks. But the demons I’ve encountered have been...bolder. They’re not hiding anymore.”
“No. They’re not. But I haven’t seen any of what you’re describing. How could I miss something monumental like that?”
“You’re the closest thing we have to an omniscient mind, but being close doesn’t make you so. Even Alvara, second in command of Grayshell’s armies, the greatest reader of our time, is part human. Even you are fallible, my sweet girl.”
I took another breath, grounding myself. Forcing my focus away from her perfect face, I eyed the grand walls of the infirmary, stared at the luminous mist that was our ceiling, the omnipresent glow of white everything, and breathed in Saraya’s comforting scent of olive oil, sage and something sweet and floral. I didn’t want to think of myself as fallible. I’d yet to miss a vision that could affect the hierarchy. From the moment Aren led me to ascension, I had been the guardian of these halls. The watchdog. The last line of defense between us, and the evil that lurked all around us. Our little dimension, and the souls that lived within it, had not been attacked since I had joined them. And I took an immense amount of pride in that. Close calls? Yes. But never a downright mistake.
…Until yesterday. Until I was so preoccupied with my calling, that I didn’t see us being attacked by The Men of Renown. The fallen Nephilim of legend and lore. The enemy’s army against us. I shook my head, infuriated.
The periphery of my consciousness detected a kind, anxious energy making its way here. No thoughts encapsulated in the vibrations. My heart sped, and I smiled.
August.We’re about to have company.
I’ll take my leave.She smiled sweetly, moved the clattering metal trolly to the head of the bed, so it would be out of the way, and left the room.
ELEVEN
LIGHTNING BEARER
ALVARA
Only seconds after she’d vanished from view, I heard Saraya scolding August in the hallway. Relief trickled through me, when he insisted he’d eaten as she’d ordered and informed her unless she wanted to drag his dead weight away, that he was staying put. A laugh escaped her lips, and I could picture her charming smile as she walked away. Little did August know a soul Saraya’s age could easily scoop him up like a petulant child and whisk him to wherever she wanted him to be.
I had just taken a sip of water when he walked around the corner, handsome face stretched into a beaming smile.
“Good. You’re awake! Your hair kind of resembles a straw bale, but it's cute. Very human of you.”
I about shot water out my nose. Coughing, and spluttering on what had gone down the wrong pipe, laughter erupted between us. “I'm sorry, did I wake up in some teenage vampire book?!”
Heart hammering in my chest, I sat up and ran my hands through my hair, pushing it to part to the left, where I preferred it, and pulling the long ends around to the side, attempting to straighten the mess.
He shrugged. “They were super popular in high school and the girls there liked them. Some of them were cute.”
“Youread them?” I asked, incredulous.
“Don’t judge me.”
“I won’t,” I smirked. It was like sitting with an old friend again. If I closed my eyes, I could forget everything racing through my mind, everything Saraya said, and soak his energy up. There was no doubt that we shared a past life or two. “I read them too. But I read most things the humans like. It helps me…relate to them a bit more.”
“I find that hard to imagine. You’re…well…the lightning bearer.”
“Oh God, not you too.” I closed my eyes, feigning pain.
“It’s got a good ring to it.”
“No, it doesn’t.” I shook my head.
He chuckled, and I opened my eyes to survey his handsome face, his strong jaw, the shadow of stubble having deepened since we sat together last. His wavy hair was looser without the gel I’d grown accustomed to, but I liked it better that way. And those eyes. Mercy, those eyes. They were hauntingly familiar, and the longer I held his gaze, the more something in me swelled and settled into knowing. Knowing him—he was soul group, no doubt. Although Alec and I had no known tangled lives before he found Fae, there was a huge gap between this incarnation and Agincourt, so the possibilities were endless. He held my gaze for a long moment, and slowly, the humor and lightheartedness drained away.
“Alvara.” His voice was husky, and the sound of my name on his lips made my stomach squirm uncomfortably, like a sudden drop of an elevator, or ride at a county fair. He cleared his throat and ran his hands through his thick curls. “Why didn’t you call for backup sooner?”
