10
Promenade of the Gods
When the train pulled into Chicago, Calli and Bella hurried off to buy supplies in the city. They’d certainly need them if we were going to get Tessa and Gin back. This thing was big. Really big. It didn’t feel as simple as some rogue vampires trying to grow their armies. The fire elemental I’d interrogated had mentioned my sisters’ magic, how they’d been set apart because of it. There was something there. Calli had been tight-lipped so far, but sooner or later I was going to figure out what she was hiding.
Jace’s team drove ahead with their mercenary prisoners, but he chose to walk to the Legion office. And I joined him. I’d been sitting still for too long.
“Why didn’t you go with them?” I asked Jace.
“I like to walk the Promenade of the Gods when I come here,” he told me. “It’s a reminder of the gods’ generosity, of their gifts of magic to us. And it’s a reminder of their power. It’s humbling to feel so small in front of the gods and their temples.”
“Perhaps your father should visit this place to humble himself.”
“He does.” Jace’s eyes twinkled. “But it doesn’t help.”
Chuckling, we entered the Promenade, a lakeshore path that led past seven sparkling skyscrapers, each one a monument to one of the ruling gods.
The first was the Temple of Valora, the Queen Goddess. Diffused light reflected off the stone walls. As the clouds rolled past, revealing the sun, the building seemed to change color completely, adjusting to the new light and weather conditions. The building was very regal, an example of tasteful opulence at its best.
The second temple we passed along the Promenade had been constructed in honor of Ronan, Lord of the Legion of Angels, God of War, God of Earth’s Army. Between its high towers, thick castle walls, and retractable drawbridge, it looked like a military fortress. The building had a life to it, a vibrance. That life buzzed against my skin, a constant hum.
“Parts of the castle can be rearranged for different purposes,” Jace explained, looking up at the skyscraper temple. “But Lord Ronan tends to prefer the battle-ready look.”
The third temple was that of Faris, the God of Heaven’s Army. Beautiful, bright, and white, it looked like a little slice of heaven on Earth. In the gardens that surrounded the outer walls of quite possibly the most upscale high-rise apartment building on the planet, diamonds dripped from gold trees like icicles, jingling like silver sleigh bells.
Next came the Temple of Meda, Goddess of Technology. The skyscraper was a single gigantic clock tower, accented with exposed gold and bronze gears that made delightful clinks as they moved. Mechanical sculptures of all kinds, including a set of moving metal statues in a fountain, decorated the front lawn.
The fifth temple belonged to Meda’s sister Maya, the Goddess of Healing. Big red climbing roses grew up the sparkling walls. The skyscraper look like a fairy castle in a romantic fairytale forest.
The Temple of Zarion, God of Faith and Lord of the Pilgrims, was the sixth one along the Promenade. Tall, dark, and dramatic, it looked like a gothic monastery. Hymns poured out of the open windows, the beautiful, eerie voices raised in song.
Finally, we came to the Temple of Aleris, God of Nature. His skyscraper was a building of opposing elements and reminded me a lot of Storm Castle and the Elemental Plains it sat upon, where all the elements were represented. Fire lanterns lined the path to the enormous front double doors. Koi fish swam peacefully through gentle streams with wooden bridge arches. Wind chimes sang silver songs, and pinwheels hung from the trees. These weren’t simple children’s pinwheels, however; they were elaborate magical constructions, woven by a master elemental. And magic light glistened over it all, soft and sparkling. Every blade of grass, every leaf, every petal was perfect. Nothing was wilted or yellowed or broken. Everything existed in perfect harmony.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to find a message from Nero. Are you safe?
He must have heard about the explosion in Purgatory.
I’m fine, I wrote back.
Where are you?
Where are you? I asked.
On a mission.
Same, I typed out.
Where are you? Nero asked again.
Snickering, I wrote back, Where are you?
There was a pause. Then a block of text popped up on my screen. I will find out what mayhem you are up to, Pandora.
If text messages could glower, his would have. Honestly, I was kind of shocked my phone hadn’t exploded yet.
I speedily typed out, Don’t get your feathers in a twist, General.
I was about to tuck my phone back into my sweatshirt when it buzzed again. I looked at the screen and found a message from Harker this time.
Stop flirting with Nero, Leda. It’s distracting him.
I’m not flirting, I told him.
Keeping secrets from an angel is just daring them to hunt you down, replied Harker. It’s foreplay. You might as well toss your panties at him.
It’s not my fault angels are so weird, I texted back.
There was another pause, during which the two angels were probably bitching about me, then another message from Harker popped up. What are you up to?
I tucked away my phone. I didn’t tell Harker what I was doing either because he was such a by-the-books, goody-two-shoes angel, and he would report what I was doing back to Nero. And what would be the fun in that? He and Nero had been friends for decades, though their friendship had experienced its share of bumps.
A rush of homesickness washed over me, except it wasn’t homesickness for a place. It was for Nero. You know how they say home is where the heart is? Well, my heart was with him. I missed him so much.
My phone buzzed again. I glanced at it.
As though he were here, reading my thoughts, Nero’s text read, I miss you. I want to see you again.
Smiling, I teased him, You just saw me.
No, I didn’t. Not really.
How he could sink that much innuendo into a plain text message was a mystery. Or was it just my own wanton mind that was reading into things? We’d reached the Legion office, so I put away my phone before I got distracted.
The Chicago office of the Legion of Angels sat at the end of the Promenade of the Gods, right after the last temple. The building shone like a sleek sheet of blue glass, reflecting the beautiful blue summer sky, along with a few scattered puffy white wisps of clouds.
The inside was as grandiose as a palace. Like in the New York office, murals of gods, angels, supernaturals, and mortals were painted on the walls and ceilings, enacting scenes out of Earth’s history. That was a common theme in Legion buildings. In addition to the collage of the Earth’s past, the walls showed battles that had been fought here and the angels who’d led this territory over the years.
“Your father looks so much more personable in his painting,” I commented.
I pointed at a beautifully painted Colonel Fireswift, awash with soft lighting and heavenly glows. His golden hair fell to his shoulders in soft waves. He wore a white and gold battle tunic and gold boots. And he held a glowing gold sword high in the air as he stared down a huge flying monster. Gold, gold, and more gold. I was sensing a recurring theme here.
Jace looked at the portrait. “The painter took some artistic license.”
That was the understatement of the century. For as long as I’d known him, Colonel Fireswift had worn his hair trimmed to exactly one inch long.
“When they add my portrait to the wall, I’m going to ask them to paint me with a crimson battle gown on.” I smirked at Jace. “And a tiara.”
“Only angels are added to the wall, and I’m ahead right now.”
“Don’t get complacent,” I warned him.
“I learned long ago not to underestimate you,” he admitted. “You fight dirty.”