“I’ll make sure everyone is aware,” Gideon said.
It destroyed me to think of the Wardens having to be warned to stay away from Zayne. That was why I came here, but... “He’s not completely bad yet. There was a part of him that did recognize me. That’s not wishful thinking, because he could’ve done some serious damage to me. He could’ve killed me, but he didn’t. He’s still in there, and the Throne told me what I needed to do to bring him back before it becomes too late. I just...”
“What?” Dez asked.
“I just... I’m not sure how what I’m supposed to do won’t actually kill him.”
“I’m going to need details, Trinity,” Nicolai said.
I rubbed my palms over my knees. “The Throne said that my grace would never harm someone I cared about. That I needed to use it to strike at a heart encased in chaos.”
“The Sword of Michael.” Nicolai’s brows rose. “I’m guessing that means you’re supposed to stab him in the heart with the Sword of Michael.”
“Pretty much.”
“How will that not kill him?” Danika’s eyes went wide.
“That’s what I’m wondering, but the Throne was all like, ‘You got to have faith,’” I told them.
“I can’t imagine the Throne lied to you,” Gideon said.
“Really?” came Dez’s response. “Angels don’t often outright lie, but they sure as Hell leave a whole lot of truth out.”
“Thrones are different, though. They are the speakers of truths and seers of lies,” Gideon argued, and I thought of all those creepy eyes. “If the Throne told her this, then it has to be true.”
“True or not, I have to do it.” My hands stilled. “Zayne’s out there right now, and I have no idea what he’s doing. Hopefully he’s napping or eating unhealthy food. That’s probably not the case, and the Throne...he warned that it could already be too late. That all those things he felt when he Fell, what he’s feeling now, could’ve already...infected him.”
Danika turned her head away, and I knew she, like me, couldn’t bear the thought of that.
I took a shaky breath. “If I don’t try to bring him back and take that risk, he will become evil. He’s going to do things that Zayne would never do.”
“He already has, by the looks of it,” Nicolai said softly, staring at me, and I knew what he saw. New bruises.
The truth in that burned. “I can’t let him turn into a monster. I won’t do that to him. I won’t let that happen to him. I can’t.”
“Agreed,” Dez said without a second of hesitation.
“Then what’s the game plan?” Nicolai placed his hands on the desk. “What happens next?”
Shower? There was dirt and mud on me. And blood. I doubted that was what Nicolai meant. I also doubted there was time for that. “I’ll head out there and look for Zayne. He found me once and I guess he’ll find me again. The Throne made it sound like he would be drawn to my grace. Then I will...I will bring him back.”
“Okay, then.” He turned to Dez. “Let’s roll out.”
It took me a moment to realize what that meant. “You guys can’t go out there looking for him. I told you that he’s back so you all stay away from him.”
Nicolai faced me. “We are in this with you. You head out there to find Zayne, we’ll be there with you.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think that’s wise. He’s very—”
“Confused. Possibly even dangerous to us. Yes, I know. We all know, which is why you shouldn’t be out there on your own.”
“You’re a Trueborn,” Gideon said. “That’s pretty cool. And it’s also something I should’ve figured out, especially Zayne being your Protector. You’re strong and deadly in your own right, but he’s a fallen angel, Trinity. He may not be fully Fallen, as in the sense that he’s completely lost to us, but you’re going up against a very powerful class of angel that may not be able to stop himself from doing some major damage. You can’t do this alone, and I doubt he’s just going to allow you to walk right up to him and stab him. You’re going to need us to distract him.”
I tensed, humbled by their willingness to not stand by and also downright terrified. “Look, I appreciate the offer, but I didn’t come here to ask for help—”
“I know. We all know that,” Nicolai stated. “You came here to warn us off, and I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m not offering our help. You’re getting it.”
A knot formed in my chest as I tipped forward. “And what will happen if Zayne takes one of you out?”
“That is a risk we would take,” Nicolai answered.
“Gladly,” Dez tossed out, and when I looked over to him, I saw Gideon nod. “We would gladly risk our lives to help bring him back.”