The Legion of Angels

As soon as I heard it, I realized Rose was right. The gods bestowed powers on the soldiers of the Legion. One of those powers was Ghost’s Whisper, the ability to connect telepathically to those close to you, no matter how far away they were. No other ghost in the world could help us find Zane because no other ghost knew him. So I would just have to gain the ability I needed myself. The solution was so simple, and yet so impossible. So dangerous, so deadly, so insane. It might just work.

But Calli would never go for it. Not in a million years. Which was why I wasn’t going to tell her.

Bella came back with a glass vial. She was crouching down to give Rose a few drops from the bottle when the ghost began spasming. I held to her hands, trying to steady her, but her convulsions were too wild. I couldn’t hold her still. The drops splattered across her face, never making it into her mouth.

Calli hurried into the room with two paranormal police officers and a trio of witches. They were too late. Calli stood by in stone-faced silence as her friend breathed out her final breaths—and then she was just gone.

Beside me, Bella was weeping sadly. I wrapped my arm around my sister, hugging her to me. She’d always been sensitive. So sweet, so kind. It made her perfect for the job of healer, but it wouldn’t help her in the Legion. Of all of us, only I could join. I was the only one with any chance of making it in the Legion. Calli had always said I was stubborn and hardheaded. That stubbornness might be my only chance of surviving the Legion. Many of their initiates never lived past the first stage. No, best not think about that. I needed to use that strong, stubborn will of mine, to wrap it around myself like a cloak, like a shield. And never let anything pierce it.

We stood there for another few hours as the police questioned us. Calli did the talking. She didn’t mention anything about Zane or dark angels, only that we’d come to see an old friend before bringing Bella to school. They didn’t question us further. They expressed their sympathies, then the witches carried away Rose’s body.

The sun was rising on New York by the time we finally stepped outside again. We headed over to see Calli’s friend Sam, who was looking after Tessa and Gin. Sam lived above a diner she owned, and when we arrived, the former bounty hunter was frying up pancakes. We joined her and the girls for a solemn sunrise breakfast, then walked over to the New York University of Witchcraft.

The city’s premier school for witchcraft was awash with style. The campus was made up of five buildings situated around a flower garden in the middle that grew all the ingredients the students might need. Each building looked like a very large mansion—or a small castle. We took a path lined with rose trees and a pond of sculptures on our way to Building 3. The sculptures dug and dipped, scooping up water and spraying it out in a dance of mechanical movements.

Inside Building 3, which housed the dormitories, a glossy wood floor shone in the morning light pouring in from the windows. Twin grandiose staircases embellished with red runners arched up to the next level. A standing vase exploding with colorful summer flowers stood on either side of the staircases, and gold bannisters curved gracefully along the edges. Chandeliers alight with enchanted flames dripped down from the high ceilings. I felt like I was inside of a fairytale.

Except this wasn’t my fairytale. It was Bella’s. My path led in a very different direction.

We brought Bella upstairs, quickly finding her room. It was modest compared to the grand entrance hall downstairs, but I liked it even more. The pieces of furniture were all antiques. Each and every one of them had a history, if only you could find it. There were two desks and a bed on either side of the room. A small bathroom lay between, decked out with a myriad of complex shower appliances.

“I wonder when my roommate will arrive,” said Bella, looking around with excitement. “And if she’ll like me.”

“Everyone likes you,” I told my sister. “But just try not to snore.”

“I don’t…” A smile curled her lips. “You’re teasing me again.”

“I have to get it all out of my system now. I won’t be seeing you for a while.” If ever.

Bella watched Calli and our younger sisters step onto the balcony, then she turned to me. “Leda, what’s wrong?”

Oh, nothing. I’m just about to give up my life. But all I said was, “I’m sad to see you leave.”

Bella smiled at me. “I will never leave. I’ll always be your sister. Our bond is stronger than blood, stronger than magic. You remember that.”

Then she gave me a look that made me swear she must have had some inkling that I was about to do something crazy. She was right.

“Hey, Bella, you have got to have a look at your balcony,” Tessa said, coming back inside. “It’s so grand. So romantic. You’ll be like a princess in a castle, looking down on your kingdom.”

“A kingdom of Fairy’s Breath and Dragon’s Bark,” said Calli, smiling. “It’s a lovely view.”

“The windows are resistant to attacks both magical and mundane,” Gin added with a shy smile. “And there’s a spyglass that allows you to look all across the grounds and even into the city.”

Gin often helped Calli out in the garage, taking care of our vehicles and weapons. She had quite a knack for the work.

I gave Bella one last hug, then stepped back, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. “You’re going to do great.”

Gin, then Tessa, then finally Calli hugged her too. After that, we left her to settle in before the school’s orientation session began.