Angelus by Sabrina Benulis Page A

then?”
    Sophia stared deep into Angela’s eyes. She pushed away some blood-red hair from Angela’s cheeks and then cradled her face with both hands.
    â€œYou’re so sad again,” Angela said softly. “Why are you always looking at me like that?”
    Sophia kissed her on the forehead. Angela’s eyes watered and she looked down at her feet.
    â€œYou’ve come such a long way,” Sophia said to her. “From that self-loathing girl I met at Westwood Academy not so long ago. That young woman couldn’t separate dreams from reality. She’d been abused by parents who’d labeled her as a freak and a murderous monster even before she was born. Soshe shut herself off and shut people out. Because she thought it was better to be alone forever than to feel the pain of a broken heart. So what happened? Well, once she saw that even angels aren’t perfect, she learned to forgive herself. She stood taller every day and grew prouder of how she’d survived so much pain. Finally, she walked tall and I could only walk feebly by her side, admiring what she’d become. That was the young woman who braved Hell and the Devil to save me from death—or what she thought would be my death. That was the person who said she couldn’t murder me to save the world, because she’d learned there is light in that world and hope. Angela, you asked why Raziel chose your soul to be the Archon’s. You asked why he chose you to make the ultimate decision to save the universe or silence it like Lucifel wishes to.
    â€œHave you ever stopped to consider, it’s because of the person you are?”
    Sophia caressed the matching pendant resting on Angela’s chest. “I never knew how, I never knew when, but in the end, I always, always believed you would set things right.”
    She’s speaking in the past tense. How could she know I would set anything right if we never knew each other back then?
    Angela shook her head. She didn’t want to just drop the topic, but the time to escape was slipping by quickly. Without another word, she squeezed Sophia’s hand and looked back at the dreadful hole in the floor.
    â€œAre you ready?” she said.
    The heavy incense in the room smelled as sacrificial and ominous as Sophia had suggested. It was starting to choke off air as much as it screened light.
    â€œI’m not fond of entering potentially bottomless pits.”Sophia sighed. “Unfortunately, I know my answer has to be yes.”
    Angela commiserated with a frown. She knelt down and felt along the inside rim of the hole. Her fingers brushed metal rungs. “There’s some kind of ladder. Thank God.” She took a deep breath. “I’ll go first,” she said, trying to be noble and brave, but feeling less courageous the more she pondered what might be waiting at the bottom.
    Carefully, she maneuvered herself onto the first set of shockingly cold rungs. Angela had to force herself to hold on to them as her palms began to numb. Slowly, she used the sole of her shoes to feel below for the next rungs, one at a time. A dank breeze wafted beneath her black nightgown. Of course she was stuck wearing the worst possible outfit for whatever happened next.
    Angela was already in utter darkness when she heard the rustle of Sophia’s dress as she followed, both of them plunging deep into the shadows to survive.
    Angela couldn’t imagine how Troy, despite being a Jinn adapted to darkness and tunnels, could live like this for so many centuries. The thought of her made a cold knife of guilt twist in Angela’s soul.
    Is Troy even alive? She saved my life when we first entered Hell, but I never found out if she and her niece Juno escaped. And then I lost my memories. I wonder if she thinks I betrayed her? I wonder where she could be? More than ever, we could use her help.
    Angela knew that last thought was foolish.
    Certainly, wherever Troy was, she was