I am rarely away from Freya anymore. As a Virtue I am strong enough to only need brief rests in heaven, and while I have not given up on the hunt—Simmah has a new lead that I am following—for the most part I have allowed Anathalie and Orison to do their good work. I spend every hour that I can with Freya. And so I was there last night when Neige came to her room. I was on guard, but…
There are some things that were said between myself and Freya which I will not repeat. They are for us alone, and she has asked that they stay that way. I am happy to keep them private for her. I did not go to her last night, knowing what I knew and that she knew that I knew. What a tangle all of this can be! There is so much uncertainty and fear when a relationship changes. I have a…
“Ace,” Kara said to me this afternoon, “tell me about the Repository.” This was an odd question, coming from Kara. Such a sweeping question is more typical from George, who wants to know everything for the sake of knowing it. Kara is far more practical. “What do you wish to know?” “You can use it to see other angels’ memories, can’t you? Hear what they heard, see what they saw?” “Yes, of course.” She nodded, frowning at nothing. “Then I…
This evening, my training session with Freya and the others was longer than it usually is, due to the arrival of an unexpected visitor. I was in the middle of answering yet another of George’s questions when her gentle call interrupted me. “Ace?” Freya asked when I went silent. “Everything all right?” “Yes,” I answered. I looked down at the three of them. “My Elder would like to come and speak to you—you in particular, Freya. She simply did not…
I was with Freya this evening when Simmah found me. She was in a low mood. Kara and George had gone out tonight, and Kara has been pestering Freya to do the same—“you need to get out more, Cobb, you’re becoming a weirdo. Sitting in your room and talking to yourself.” “That’s not exactly fair to Ace,” Freya replied mildly. “Ace doesn’t count. No offense,” Kara added to me. “None taken,” I replied. “I happen to agree with Kara. It…
Asoharith is back to her old tricks, creeping around the edges of our lives and trying to spoil them. I am pleased to report, however, that these tricks are not nearly as effective as they once were. I am getting ahead of myself. I only know this because with Freya’s help, I have managed to get a lock on the connection that was once between myself and Shannon. She has not finished her writing—not even close—but she managed to put…
George had a friend who passed away this week. Jesse lasted much longer than anyone expected he would—two years ago, doctors were giving him six months. Healers know better, of course, and Brid’s friend Firyal has done excellent work sustaining and protecting him all this time. But even miracles can only be stretched so far, and so today George went to Jesse’s funeral, and I went with him at his request. It was a hot day, with thunder growling in…
I am back on the hunt, but I have not been having much luck. All we have heard of Asoharith from Kasfe is that she has tried a few times her old trick of convincing the Fallen to make forays for her, and all unsuccessful. The word of what happened in the duel, and particularly what my friends did to Ivan-Turel and to Neige, has spread all through the lost lands, and no one will go near them. Just a…
Early this morning, Kara went for a walk on her own. I went with her, keeping myself invisible so as not to disturb her. There has been something on her mind and heart for the past several days, but I was uncertain whether it was something that she wanted to share, so I have simply tried to make myself available to her. It seems that what she wanted to discuss was not something she wanted to share with Freya and…
Well. This was unexpected. Freya, George, and Kara took a long weekend off as a way of recovering from their ordeal. It was meant also to be a celebration, but seeing as that was not quite the mood they were feeling, they canceled their beach trip in favor of staying a few days with Esther. Freya has been hesitant to accept her mother’s frequent invitations, worried about continually having to lie about how things have been since her “breakdown”. The…