“She’s Walker’s grandmother or something too, right?”
“That she is,” says Dad. And the way he says those words, it’s clear that marrying both a ghoul and a thrax prince aren’t the weirdest things Aquila has done. A sinking sensation moves through my stomach.
Please don’t let Aquila be a flake.
“So,” I try my best to sound casual. “How many times did Aquila marry mortals anyway?”
Dad shakes his head. “I’ve lost count. And Aquila doesn’t remember clearly, either.” He gives Lincoln a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry if this comes as a shock, but Aquila is a rather free spirit.”
In Dad-speak, that means she’s a total flake. Crap.
I straighten my spine. Maybe there’s something we can salvage here. “Perhaps Aquila can help in another way. Lincoln and I were doing some planning for a mission to Earth. The Wheeler Institute has a summer camp going now, yes?”
“That they do,” says Dad.
“Great. So we were thinking…Maybe Lincoln could pose as a teacher, and I could go as a student. That way, we could infiltrate the school and look around. Could Aquila help us with that?”
“No, yet I have some contacts who might.” Dad taps his cheek, which is his move when he’s contemplating doing something non-archangel-y. “You’ll need to enter the school separately, however. I can get Lincoln in tonight.”
On reflex, I curl my upper lip at the idea. “Really? We should go in together.”
“Not a chance.” Dad folds his arms over his chest. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but the two of you are so in love it’s obvious you’re a couple. You don’t want to risk blowing your cover before the mission has even started.”
I’m all out of toddler-class responses, so I simply nod. “All right. You convinced me.”
“What about the rest of the after-realms?” asks Lincoln. “Aldred has gotten approval from my father to place both Myla and me in prison. Everyone will wonder where we are.”
Dad’s face lights up with a million-watt smile. “I’m granting you sanctuary.”
“You can do that?”
“Sure. Where do you think humans got the idea? Heaven has always offered sanctuary to those being persecuted.” Dad bobs his head, thinking. “Only, you’re supposed to spend the time in seclusion and quiet meditation. I’ll pretend you’re staying here in the clubhouse.” His eyes narrow. “There’s a catch, though.”
Of course, there’s a catch.
“What is it?” I ask.
“No contact with the outside world. If you go down to the Wheeler Institute, you can’t reach out to Walker, your mother, or anyone else. Officially, you’re staying here with me and meditating. End of story. Can you do that?”
I’ve spent most of my youth sneaking around on my mother, so this is no biggie to me. “Sure, that won’t be a problem.”
Lincoln does that chin-nod thing that guys do. “Same here.”
My brain tries to process all this news so fast, my head starts to hurt. “Before we go any further, let me get this straight. Acca has stolen the Rixa Codex. It’s probably hidden away at the Wheeler Institute, where there’s a handy-dandy Acca patrol to guard it while they’re also looking for Lucifer’s coin. And, oh by the way, if they find said coin, Armageddon will be freed from Hell so he can kill me, Lincoln, and our families.”
“That’s close,” says Lincoln. “But you forgot the part about how Armageddon probably won’t stop with just murdering us. Once he’s free, he’ll go on a rampage and wage war across the after-realms.”
There’s almost an audible ping as Lincoln’s words flip the “Armageddon freak out” switch in my father’s brain.
“Never!” Dad raises his fist. “I’ll build an army before that happens. In fact, I’ll muster my troops today.” My father’s eyes glow blue. This is not an act, either. Dad will really herd his troops around. Plus, after what I saw at the gates? Those angelic warriors will do whatever Dad wants and fast.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I raise my hands palms forward in a very clear “calm the hell down” gesture. “Armageddon’s not free yet. And if he is getting out of Hell, it’s only because Aldred made a deal with him: the coin in exchange for the throne of Antrum. Armageddon gets revenge by killing me, Lincoln, and our families…While Aldred gets the throne. After that, the King of Hell goes back to where he came from. That’s really the worst-case scenario here.” Which is a total lie. It’s not the worst-case scenario by far. Even so, I don’t need Dad freaking out. Normally, my father’s lie-detector ability would catch my falsehood fiesta, but I’m banking that he’s off his game right now.
Lincoln arches his brows. He’s not at all sure about the direction I’m going. “Myla…”
I shoot Lincoln a look that says “give me a chance” and speak super-slowly. “Don’t you think it’s best if we focus on the Wheeler Institute, rather than starting a major war?”