The Secret (43 page)

“Well,” Kostas muttered, “this is awkward.”

Damien stepped forward. “Brothers, we are—”

“Out of time.” The captain of the Library Guard stepped forward. “I know who you are, Damien of Bohemia. The enemy is here. There are Fallen in the Library as we speak.”

“Is it Jaron?”

“How did you know that?” the captain asked.

“Jaron is an ally. For now,” Malachi said. “But there are others who are not.”

The captain did not question him but nodded briskly and spoke to his men. “Distribute the weapons. Take one for yourself and others for the men under you, then head back to the Library and join those protecting the council.”

Malachi saw Kostas swipe another blade. He must have had almost a dozen hidden in his robe. He tugged on the heavy wool and nodded toward the doors just as the captain of the guard turned back to them.

“I recognize you too, Malachi of Sakarya. I fought with your father. I will trust the son of Ilyas and Hanna would not betray his brothers.”

“You trust rightly.”

“Then go. We need all the able warriors we can spare,” the captain growled. “This city has been soft for too long. Politicians and financiers are not warriors. They forget what it means to fear.”

Damien, Kostas, and Malachi ran down the hallway as more guards flooded in. They ran up the stairs and out the main entrance, which was completely unguarded.
 

“Damien?” Someone shouted across the empty courtyard.
 

Malachi turned his head. It was Sari.

She came to her mate, completely out of breath. “The humans. They’re gone.”

“What do you mean, they’re gone?”

Malachi walked toward one of the larger courtyards in the Hofburg, searching for the bustle of tourists or the honking of taxis.
 

There was nothing.

Cars sat empty on the small side streets. Horses snuffled and shuffled, waiting for empty carriages to roll.

“Heaven above,” he whispered.

Who had done it? Jaron or Volund? More importantly, where was his mate?

He walked back to Kostas, Damien, and Sari, who were all frozen in the center of the courtyard.

“This is Jaron’s doing,” Malachi said. “Or one of the other angels.”

“It’s a city of ghosts,” Sari said. “What have they done with them?”

“I don’t think any of the humans will be harmed. They’re just… away. More importantly, where is Ava? Which angels were in the library?”

Sari said, “It was Vasu first, then Jaron and Barak. I’ve just called Renata and told her, Rhys, Max, and Leo to meet us here. She checked the elder singers’ homes this morning, and every one had been ransacked. The Grigori have been watching.”

“They know the singers have returned,” Damien said. “And your men, Kostas?”

“I’ll call.” The Grigori pulled his mobile phone from a pocket in his robe before he handed a gold blade to Sari with a wink. “That’s for you. Matches your hair.”

Sari frowned at Damien but took the blade. “Is this—”

“We’ll explain later,” Malachi said. “For now, let’s head into the library. If the enemy has finally reached Vienna, we need a plan. And I want to see my mate.”

AVA’S eyes were closed, but she heard the whispered command.
 

“Go.”

For a moment, she was still in her dream, then her eyes blinked open and three angels stood over her. Jaron and Barak she knew. The third was a frighteningly pale figure with icy gold eyes and face cut from pale marble.

“Yes,” he whispered, and with his voice she knew.

Volund.

But Ava didn’t have time to be frightened before Vasu was there. He wrapped his arms around Volund from the back, then with a wink, both angels were gone.

Jaron held out a hand. “Come and stand with your people.”

“What just happened?”

“You are no longer under my shields,” Jaron said. “Be wary. Vasu will keep Volund occupied for a time. You have no defenses against him except the words my brother spoke to you. Do you remember them?”

Ava nodded.

“Good. Use them if he comes near.”
 

He began to walk from the room. Barak followed.

“Where are you going?” she asked. “And can’t you just… blink away or something?”

Jaron smiled, and for once, it appeared to be a true smile. “Only Vasu can do that without cost, as it is in his nature. For us, transporting takes power I would rather save for now. I am not, after all, a god.”

“Oh.”

Jaron looked around to the crowd of still-staring Irin. “These women and their kind are precious. Will you protect them?”

Daina stepped forward. “I give them my protection.”

Jerome joined her. “As do I.”

“Ava!”
 

She heard her name from down the hall. Jaron spared her a single look before he melted into the facade of her old doctor from Istanbul, then he and an older man with a beard slipped out of the hall as if no one had seen them transform.

Malachi stormed into the room, Damien, Sari, and Kostas on his heels. He ran down the stairs and caught her in an embrace.

“You’re here,” he breathed out in relief. “You’re safe.”

The elders around them were silent, but Ava could feel their eyes.

“So you are the scribe,” Abigail said, “who mated with the daughter of the Fallen.”

It was a little more complicated than that, but Ava didn’t feel like explaining.

Malachi simply said, “I am. We are
reshon
.”

She heard the concerned muttering around the room.

“What is your name, brother?”

“Malachi of Sakarya. Right now, we must—”

His words were cut off when a dozen solemn men marched into the library. The remaining scribes parted as they headed for the stairs and sped down, surrounding the Irin and Irina elders.

“Elders,” the captain said, “we must make you safe.”

“No,” Carmina said. “We are the strongest singers in the city. We need to face this threat and defend our people.”

“No, sister,” Daina counseled, “we must make the council safe. For the Irina council to be wiped out now—just when we’ve finally reformed—would be devastating to our people. We will let the captain guard us and trust our sisters to play their part in the battle.”

Several of the elder singers glared, but none contradicted Daina. They knew the woman was right.

Sari stepped forward. “We believe that Grimold’s children are in the city. The human population appears to be gone. They have come for us.”

“What do you mean ‘gone?’” Konrad asked.

“Just that,” Damien said. “They are not here. One of the archangels appears to have put the city in stasis.”

“The whole city?” Jerome asked. “But—”

“It doesn’t work on any with angelic blood,” Ava said. “Jaron told us. So there may be humans with Grigori blood roaming around really, really confused. Other than that, yes, they can do it. I’ve seen Jaron do it before, and it may be something that other angels can do too. The humans aren’t gone, they’re just… elsewhere right now.”

“Vienna is under attack,” Malachi said. “The elder singers’ homes have been invaded. We need to get guards checking any Irina safe houses in the city.”

Constance stepped forward and said, “I will tell the captain where they are, but I only trust the Library guards.”

Jerome sighed. “Constance—”

“The Library Guard or we stay in hiding,” the singer said with an ironclad will. “These are not warriors. These are teachers and healers. And I will not trust these women to any but our strongest.”

“How many?” Damien asked. “How many of your Irina are in the city right now?”

Constance glared at him, but then looked between him and Sari and relented. “No more than forty. Some are capable of defending themselves. But if we are overrun—”

“There is a Rafaene house in the second district near the Carmelite Church. Your sisters could take refuge there. The scribes would be bound to protect them.”

Constance nodded. “They are mostly in the first district. That could work.”

“Let the Library Guard protect you and the other elders,” Damien said. “When my men get here, I will give them the task of helping your sisters to the Rafaene scribe house. No one will be able to touch them there.”

“Very well,” Constance said. “And the rest of us?”

The fourteen elders stood solemnly, watching the captain of the Library Guard.

“Come with me,” he said. “We have defenses set up to protect the Council.” He held out a hand when the secretaries and other assistants stepped forward. “Only the council.”

A pale scribe asked, “But what should we do?”

“Fight,” Malachi said. “Or stay out of the way of those who will.”

VASU materialized in midair, tossing Volund’s body into the sculpture rising from the stones of the Graben. The normally bustling pedestrian mall was empty, thanks to Jaron’s manipulations, and no one was there to hear the archangel scream.

“Did that hurt?” Vasu taunted. “Surely not. Surely an archangel has more fortitude than to be hurt by the petty constructions of man.”

“You?” Volund roared and flung himself across the street, tackling the younger angel from his perch near the column of a nearby building. The stone cracked as they rolled into it, and the towering structure groaned. “Galal killed you!”

“Obviously not.” Vasu laughed and blinked away, appearing to perch on top of the marble and gold angels of the plague column, the grand Baroque sculpture in the heart of Old Vienna some human ruler had commissioned to thank their god for mercy.

“Why do the humans make angels look like babies?” he mused. “It’s insulting.”

He ducked to the side as Volund leapt for him, his hands and feet crumbling the marble like so much dust as he crawled up the column.

“You do like to hear yourself talk, don’t you?” Volund sneered.

“Yes.” Vasu stood balanced on one foot at the very top of the twenty-one- meter column. “I’m very clever.”

“You’re very irritating. I’m going to kill you now, whelp. Then I will deal with Galal.”

“You can try. But don’t worry.” His voice lost its humor. “I have my own plans for Galal.”

From his perch, Vasu could see the shadows of Grigori slipping into the city. But he couldn’t look long because Volund grabbed his foot, flinging him from the sculpture and slamming him into the stones below.

He’d forgotten how much impact could hurt in this form. How irritating. Still, it was better to be able to shift quickly.

Volund’s lip curled. He stopped playing and drew a flaming sword from his side. “Do you remember this?”

Vasu’s eyes gleamed. “Oh yes.”

“I will slay you with it and feed your body to your children.”

He ignored Volund but not the sword. “A Guardian’s sword. Oh Volund, I should be afraid, shouldn’t I?” He paused, looked his enemy in the eye. “And yet… I wonder.”

“You won’t have to wonder for long,” Volund growled.

“Would Jaron trust me with her location?”

Volund froze.

“I could be there in a heartbeat.” Vasu smiled. “Did you think your secret was safe?”

The other angel bared his teeth.

“I’ve always wondered what would happen if one of us killed her. Killed your
mate
.” Vasu sneered.

Volund roared and swung his sword at Vasu. He flipped and spun, an expert with the angelic blade. And yet Vasu had been created to be a messenger of the heavens. His speed exceeded even the most dangerous of the Creator’s guard.

“Would it hurt, Volund?” Vasu appeared behind Volund. “Would you bleed if she died?”

Volund turned and flung the blade at Vasu, only to have it come spinning back when its mark dissolved seconds before it hit.

“Is that why you hate her
so much
?” he whispered in Volund’s ear.
 

And he was gone.

“Where is Jaron?” Volund spun in a rage, kicking the stone as shattered pieces of the old buildings rained down on the gracious streets below.

“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?” Vasu was perched on the plague column again, sitting on the head of a fat cherub, leaning his dark head against the gold. “You won’t find him until he wants you. Just like you won’t find your
mate
.” He sneered the word. “But I can. Jaron hasn’t hidden her from
me
, has he?”

Volund moved with lightning speed, leaping from the corner of his building and climbing up the sculpture. But it was not fast enough for Vasu, who blinked away again.

And appeared at the top of a building one hundred meters down the Graben. “Of course, maybe I already know where she is!” Vasu shouted. “Is that why you let Jaron hide her from the world? To protect yourself?”

With a roar, Volund jumped over the rooftops, raining stone and glass down on the street below. Just as he swung his body over the last one, Vasu grinned and blinked away.