Freya’s meditation routine is bearing fruit. She is now able to sense the other angels that take shifts when I am not there, though she cannot yet tell them apart. When it comes to me, though, her senses are greatly sharpened, to the point that she can tell what I am feeling even if I do not broadcast my emotions. This was awkward today, because there was something that I did not want to tell her.
“Ace, we’re a team, remember?” she said, following me through the house with the laptop in her hands. Her tracking of my physical location is getting clearer, too. “That’s the whole point, isn’t it? If something’s wrong, I want to know so that I can help.”
I do not know if this is something you can help with, and I do not want to worry you.
“Well, too late for that,” Freya said wryly. “And as for not knowing if I can help, why don’t you tell me what’s going on so we can figure it out?”
I sighed. I know very well how stubborn she can be. Besides, speaking logically, it would be better to be honest with her. But sometimes my protective instinct gets the better of me.
I told her all of this in my apology, and she shook her head, settling down on the sofa. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, just tell me what’s up.”
Kasfe has been hearing whispers that make us believe that Asoharith is planning another attack on you.
Her heart dropped, and her face grew solemn as she stared at the screen. “What kind of attack?”
We are not certain. It seems that since you are under such close guard, she has several plans at the ready, each with one of her followers ready to strike the moment they have the opportunity. We believe we know the names of at least one of these, but there are three others that we know about.
Freya read through this twice before she spoke, with forced calm. “So if these Fallen are watching for their chance, they have to be close by, right? Can’t you just find them?”
Not necessarily. They could be assisted by a Harbinger, who would not need proximity to see accurately. Still, we are taking all precautions. You are under watch by someone at all times, and whenever I am not with you, I am on the hunt.
She shivered. “What is that like?” she asked, though she wasn’t quite certain she wanted the answer. “Hunting the Fallen, I mean.”
For my part, I was reluctant to answer, but I could see that she asked out of a suspicion that it was painful for me.
There is little enough danger. I have been well-trained, and I am not often alone.
“Hmm,” Freya said, and she waited for more. After a moment, I told her the truth.
It is discouraging. I cannot quite forget that each of the creatures I take down was once an angel itself, and that I am only one poorly-lived life away from becoming one myself.
Freya’s aura flared in indignation. “You would never,” she said loyally.
Better angels than myself have fallen before.
“Not you,” she insisted. She took another breath and closed her eyes. “What does it feel like when a Fallen is nearby? I want to help watch if I can.”
I wasn’t sure I could properly relay the sensation, but I did my best, and I was rewarded—if I could call it that—with another, stronger shiver.
“How awful,” she whispered. “Maybe there isn’t a hell, but to live always like that, so cold and abandoned…no wonder they’re so hateful.” She clenched her fists. “Well,” she said briskly, closing the laptop with a snap, “if they come anywhere near you and me, we’ll put them out of their misery. Between the two of us, they don’t stand a chance.”
This is my hope, too, but I cannot shake my worry. Asoharith has shown herself to be cunning and innovative before. I can only hope to stay ahead of her, and that Freya can be an asset rather than a victim.