Chapter 63.3

The inside of Zadkiel’s cabin might as well have been a dream, though Vee expected nothing less from a home nestled deep in The Wilds that housed a real, actual, honest-to-God archangel. The entrance led her to a large den, the most notable feature of which was a dark stone hearth against the back wall. A silvered cauldron rested amongst a series of strange bottles and pouches that hung from thin twine strands. The fire burning underneath the cauldron was surprisingly small, but stranger still, she had trouble identifying its color. At times it appeared as a collection of familiar reds and oranges, but at others it seemed to shimmer with the cold hues of blue and silver.As the seconds passed, she found the changes in color were due to the presence of several different beams of light illuminating the room through a series of tall windows opposite the hearth. Though each window showed the clearing she’d just walked across, they all depicted it in the midst of different types of weather. Through one, Vee saw the clearing decorated with a fluffy blanket of snow, while through another she saw a beautiful, multicolored lightning storm dancing through the sky.

The wall surrounding the hearth held a massive bookshelf that stretched from floor to ceiling. Vee saw countless books from every imaginable year and genre, every single one of which appeared to have been read dozens, if not hundreds of times. In front of this wall were two large, plush armchairs and accompanying side tables. The table on the right held only a piping hot cup of tea, while the table on the left held a massive stack of books, all with different bookmarks in them.

As she finished looking around, Hope skipped into the room ahead of Vee and grabbed her hand. “This is our home! We’ve got a magic bookshelf that fills itself with all sorts of books from all over, and it even picks out books it knows you’re going to like!”

Although slightly overwhelmed, Vee found herself smiling in the face of Hope’s endless cheerfulness. “It looks like a lovely home, Hope. And Zadkiel, Archangel of Mercy.”

“Bah,” Zadkiel waved dismissively at her. “Don’t bother with my title. Just Zadkiel, if you please.”

Vee shuffled her feet nervously at the thought of addressing the most powerful creature she’d ever imagined meeting so casually. “Okay, um… Zadkiel. Well, look, I know you’re worried about safety, but I really need to leave. We have a friend in desperate need of our help, and we’re running out of time.”

Zadkiel walked further into the room and seated himself next to the cup of tea, which he gingerly took into his hands as he talked. “Out of respect for my daughter, I am choosing to stay my hand, but do not mistake my lack of action as permission to come and go as you please. You claim to know the same Evelyn that helped us arrive here? Then very well, explain yourself, and we can make a decision from there.”

“I mean, there’s not much to say,” Vee muttered. Following a silent cue from Hope, Vee took a seat in the armchair opposite Zadkiel. “I’m dating Evelyn’s daughter.”

“Omigosh! Really?!” Hope excitedly sat on the floor, halfway between Zadkiel and Vee. “That’s amazing! I never got to meet Aunt Evelyn until recently, and she’s nice and pretty! Ugh, I wanted so bad to ask if I could meet her daughter, but daddy said it would be too risky.”

“It too risky, Hope dear,” Zadkiel said. “What happens if Heaven finds you? Or worse, Hell? Young Vee’s presence here might be proof that our protections are failing.”

“Okay, well, go ask Aunt Morgan about it,” Hope said with a shrug. “Isn’t she the most powerful witch that ever lived? If anyone could answer this for us, it’s her!”

“You know she comes and goes as she pleases, Hope. I couldn’t get a message to her even if I tried.” Zadkiel set his tea down, then looked back at Vee. “You claim time is of the essence. Why is that?”

Vee swallowed nervously. “We have a friend back on Earth that was bitten by a werewolf. We traveled here in search of a cure, but the magic only works if we can return home before the next full moon. If we fail, our friend will be forced to spend the rest of his life afraid of his own instincts, always aware that the light of the full moon could turn him into a killer.”

“Who did you travel here with?”

“Amara and Tadghán, the werewolf that bit our friend. We have the cure, but on our way home, we got ambushed by a dragon.” Vee’s eyes began to water as she thought back to the last time she saw Amara. “Its attacks separated us, and I have no idea if they’re safe, a-and Amara doesn’t have her powers right now so she can’t defend herself if something else attacks!”

“That’s as good a place to start as any, I suppose,” Zadkiel said. He closed his eyes for a moment, and soon Vee felt an unbelievably powerful pulse of magic emanate out from the archangel. “Tadghán and Amara are safe, and both still remain in The Wilds.”

Feeling as if an incredible weight had just been lifted from her shoulders, Vee sighed with relief. “Thank Heavens. I was so worried.”

“I will admit, their presence adds veracity to your story.” Taking a deep breath, Zadkiel clasped his hands together in his lap. For a moment, the ambient light from the windows seemed to bend towards him. “That being said, you must understand my concern. There is nothing I would not do to keep my daughter safe, and if that means keeping you here, that is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

“Daddy!” Hope jumped to her feet and angrily clenched her fists by her side. “If you do that, I’ll never forgive you! As much as I would love to have Vee be my new best friend, we just turn our backs on those who rely on her!”

As Zadkiel looked at Hope, his expression changed. For a brief moment, Vee swore she caught a glimpse of the true depths of Zadkiel’s presence, at the thousands of years guiding his decision in this moment. Despite everything he was, and everything he represented, the enormity of his presence paled in comparison to the love Vee saw in his eyes.

He almost seemed sorrowful.

Vee spoke up before the archangel found his words. “Zadkiel, I can never understand everything you’ve gone through. I only heard a small fraction of your story secondhand through Amara, and even then, Evelyn hid parts of the story for the sake of your anonymity. You exist on a scale that is impossible for me to understand, but in spite of that, we have so much in common. We both have someone we love more than anything else in the world, someone we’d risk anything to protect. I didn’t set out to fall in love with a demon, and I tried to fight it when I discovered the truth of my feelings. But… in spite of everything the Church taught me, it was a fight I couldn’t win. Every time I look into her verdant green eyes, every time we soar miles above the world on her delicate, iridescent wings, my heart swells with joy that’s impossible to describe.”

Hope and her father briefly exchanged confused looks at Vee’s last statement, but they both stayed quiet as Vee continued talking. “You fear that I might sell you out to Heaven, and I will never fault you for trying to protect your daughter, but that Heaven? The one you’re so afraid of? They’ve already decided my fate. They are punishing me for my actions, stripping away the Miracle that holds me together and gives me strength. For all I know, I might not exist next month, so I can promise you that letting me go will not endanger you or your daughter.” Tears fell from her face into her lap as she finished speaking, terrified to once again stare her impending dissolution in the face.

Zadkiel, however, seemed confused. “I’m sorry, you say they’re stripping you of your angelic nature?”

Vee nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Yes, Sir. Every day I grow weaker, my powers fade further away, and I’m sure it is only a matter of time before I vanish as well.”

“Is that what the Church we installed on Earth is telling their wards?” Zadkiel asked. He shook his head briefly, then continued. “That’s not true in the slightest. Heaven is not taking your power, young Vee, for it is not theirs to take. Your power is your own.”

With a quiet gasp, Vee looked at Zadkiel in shock. “I… what?”