A voice so scrambled, so inconsistent that she could not tell if it was male or female came from the figure in black. "You will not. He is ready to serve."
"Thank you for your service. What do you require of me in payment?"
The Disrupter considered for several moments before speaking. "A favor from the Queen, at a date and time of my choosing," said the disquieting voice.
Once again Seraphina locked in her sigh. She did not like being beholden to others, especially the Disrupter, but she had no other choice—no one ever did who worked with him. "You have my word."
The figure nodded its head and left without leave.
She directed her attention to the Commander. "Is he ready to fight?"
"Yes, My Queen. Without delay."
The globe beside her pulsed red, letting out a low hum. The Queen closed her eyes and looked inward, searching, seeing, discovering, then smiled a small smile. "Very good. Beleth's son has just turned a human without leave of this Court. We have a Nephilim to punish. Rise… Ryder of Nightfall, and take your place amongst the Emzara once again."
Ryder stood, his movements echoing through the hall. One of the Queen’s men had found him up in the mountains, bleeding from his eye but alive. Finally, he had been returned to her. And though Seraphina knew his next words would pain him, he would say them anyway. "As you desire my Queen, it shall be done."
TWENTY
The Soft Phrase of Peace
BELETH
Rude am I in my speech, And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace.
— William Shakespeare, Othello
TWO MONTHS LATER
BELETH SAT UNDER the weeping willow tree watching his tiny granddaughter throw stones into the lake. Her chubby little hands worked so hard to get the stone to skip, but they all just sunk gracelessly into the placid water.
Still, Ana didn't lose her patience. A unique child, indeed. She kept at it, tossing stone after stone, until he brought his large dark hand to her small white one and tilted it.
"You're trying too hard, child. Toss the stone sideways and let it find its own path to the water's surface. If you launch the stones into the water, they will continue to sink."
She looked up at him with big blue eyes so like her parents'. So like his son's. "Like this?" She tilted her hand like he'd shown her.
Beleth smiled and nodded, his dark wings unfurling behind him in the warmth of the sun. "Like that."
She tried again, this time skipping the stone twice before it sank. She jumped up and yelped, then threw herself into his arms.
Unaccustomed to children, or physical contact, or hugging, Beleth had to force his body to relax and welcome the child as he cushioned her body to keep her from falling to the ground. She held a hand up to his wings, running one finger over the dark glow of them. "So pretty, Grandpa. Will I get wings someday like you and Mommy and Daddy?"
He ruffled her blond hair and smiled at the child who had stolen his heart. "Someday. When you're ready to become fully Nephilim."
"I can't wait," she said, curling into a ball on his lap and laying her head against his chest. "Someday I'll fly, just like you. Someday I'll be big and strong, just like you."
He kissed the top of her head and enjoyed the smell of sunlight, grass and happiness. "You are already strong. Stronger than all of us, child. Never forget."
This child would surpass them all in power, when the time came. Until then, he would protect his new family with everything in him.
Ana ran a hand over his arm, tracing his tribal tattoos. "Tell me another story, Grandpa. About the Nephilim."
"Another story? Aren't you tired of all the stories? I think I have told you most of them at least twice."
"I'll never get tired of them. Just one more. Pleeease?"
Beleth wrapped an arm around her and leaned against the tree. "Very well. Do you know the story of The Gray Watcher?"
She shakes her head against his chest. "No! What's The Gray Watcher?"
"Many, many moons ago, Nephilim were at odds with one another in a great civil war that lasted generations. Those who were born under the Sign of Sunrise—Nephilim like you, born with the blood of our people—divided against those who were created under the Sign of Nightfall, people like your mother. They fought for centuries, murdering each other in an effort to gain control over all of Nephilim."