Page 31 of Claim the Light
“It’s beautiful here,” I whisper, taking a deep breath of the clean air and inhaling the scent of summer.
Opposite me, Isaac continues to hold Beatrix’s hand, and she makes no move to break the contact.
He slowly releases his wings and shakes them out, appearing more comfortable in this form.
“Now that the Avenging Angel has returned to us,” he says, “the veil is regaining its original beauty. The sky has started repairing itself and soon, I hope, some of the trees will return to this area. It’s difficult to imagine now, but there was once a meadow right here, with grass instead of stone.”
“You went a long time without an Avenging Angel, didn’t you?” Beatrix asks, gazing up at him.
“Too long.” Isaac sighs. “When the dragon’s light was stolen, it didn’t only impact the dragons. It affected the fabric of our world too. Even the veil’s core started to degrade—starting with the prison levels and extending into the space around the core.”
“The core?” I ask.
Isaac gestures to the lone structure that rises into the air about thirty paces away.
It’s a spiral staircase that seems to hang by itself in the middle of the bright space. Its lower step is positioned on the white marble floor, while the rest of it soars upward for about fifty feet and curves to the right. Each plank is wide and appears deep enough for several people to stand on at the same time.
It doesn’t appear to have railings at the sides for safety or, for that matter, any beams supporting it from below. At the top, it simply stops, the uppermost step suspended in nothing and appearing to lead nowhere.
Beatrix cranes her neck to see around it, quietly exclaiming, “How is it staying upright like that?”
“I’ll explain everything,” Isaac says. “But for now, I’d like to take you all to the infirmary so I can make sure there are no lingering effects of the ash. We can talk on the way. I’m afraid there are some warnings I must give you so that you can proceed safely around the veil.”
He grimaces. “As I said, the core started to degrade, so there are a number of dangers you need to be aware of.”
He proceeds toward the staircase with Beatrix at his side while Micah and I follow. Still holding my shoes, I reach out for Micah at the same time he reaches for me, our free hands entwining, our arms pressing together and brushing comfortably as we walk.
Isaac continues. “Micah has already experienced this space, but Sophia and Beatrix, you need to know that these steps are currently the only way to move around the veil’s core. The bottom step begins your journey. After that, you must take each step to your destination.”
“Every step?” Beatrix’s dark eyes are narrowed and her forehead creased. “Do you mean we can’t skip steps?” At Isaac’s nod, she asks, “Why not?”
“I’ll show you.” Isaac’s right wing edges closer to her, as if he’s on the verge of wrapping it around her. Possibly to allay her concerns.
“Leave your shoes here and follow me,” he says, bending to place his boots neatly beside the bottom step before urging Beatrix to do the same.
Then they ascend the bottom step together.
I’m confused when nothing happens when they step on it, but I’m startled when, the moment Isaac’s foot ascends onto the second step, a door appears on both sides of that step.
The bottom of each door sits flush to the surface of the wide, wooden plank but otherwise hangs in space with nothing around it.
I catch Micah’s smile, and I pick up my jaw.
Then I focus on Isaac as he explains, “Behind each door is another pocket of the veil. Some are vast and some are small, but you must trigger each door in turn or the doors on the next level won’t appear to you.”
“So we can’t fly up,” I surmise.
“Correct.” It’s Micah who replies. Even though the bright light is exposing the exhaustion in his expression, his smile lights up his eyes. “I had the same question when I first saw this staircase, but I’m told that here, in the veil, the path is as important as the destination.”
Isaac inclines his head. “That’s right. This staircase leads to wonders as well as to darkness. The prisons are located through the doors on these lower levels and I advise you not to go near them.”
“The Roden-Darr are imprisoned here, yes?” Beatrix asks as she takes the next step up, at which two new doors appear. She pauses there for a moment while Isaac joins her.
The Roden-Darr were the rogue Sentinels who rose up against Lana. They were supposed to be her followers—her army—but they betrayed her and followed the fire dragon, Dominus Audax, instead.
“They’re behind that door,” Isaac says, pointing to his right. “For now, they’re suspended in soul light. A kind of hibernation until they can be returned to the heavenly realm for final judgement. While they’re in that state, they don’t require sustenance and for that reason, they can be left alone.”
“What about the other prisoners?” I ask, glancing at the door to the left of the step Isaac and Beatrix paused on.
