Uncle Tim was staring at the sword in his grip like it was a ghost. “I don’t think any Hermit has been given a sword—”
“They haven’t,” Bentley said as he walked up to us. “This isn’t a Hermit sword, it’s a you sword.”
“Huh?”
“What does that mean?”
“That makes no sense.”
“In non-riddle plain English please?”
Haven cursed. “Show us.”
Bentley held his little arm up and everyone gasped. Beneath his V Mark were two lines written in elegant black script. The Goddess had sent us a message. My pulse quickened. Everyone just stared.
“W-wh-what does it s-say?” Uncle Tim whispered. “Haven? Read it?”
“Blessed be the heart Marked twice…” Haven read the first line, then looked up to Uncle Tim with glistening eyes. “A gift for the soul who’s paid the price.”
My heart stopped. A hot lump formed in my throat and I felt my body tremble like it wanted to sob hysterically. Tears filled my eyes. “It’s…it’s…for you.”
Haven and Uncle Tim both stared down at the sword in silence.
Jackson crouched beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “We all agree he deserves it…but what does it mean? Surely it’s more than just a sword?”
Tegan stood behind Haven with her hand on his shoulder. She was staring into the distance in front of her like she was deep in thought. “Does it…is there an inscription?”
Haven leaned forward and his eyes widened. “Yes.”
“Read it.” Tegan licked her lips. “Timothy, read it. Out loud.”
“Oh, right. True. Okay.” He cleared his throat and held the blade point up. “Valinainya.”
Golden light flashed from within the blade — and then the blade turned to solid ice.
We all gasped.
I frowned. “Is that…angelic?”
He nodded. “It means magic.”
Tegan grinned. “That’s an angelic sword.”
“Like Michael’s?” I tapped on my left forearm. “The one Haven has?”
“No, but not entirely dissimilar.”
We all jumped at the sound of Riah’s voice suddenly breaking through our silent confusion.
“Riah,” Saffie said with a swoony smile and a sigh.
“Sorry, y’all, I called him out here.” Tegan tapped on her temple. “I have guesses but all I know for certain is this is an angelic sword. I thought perhaps Riah might know more since…well, since he knows angels.”
“Do you actually know angels?” Willow whispered with wide eyes.
Riah nodded. “I’ve met all the ones who have come here, but I was closest to Michael.”
“You said this is not like Michael’s?” Haven stood and narrowed his eyes at him. He tapped on the gold lines on his arm and Michael’s glowing six-foot-tall sword appeared. “But is this not an angelic sword?”
“That is the sword of Heaven, an angel’s sword.” Riah gestured to Uncle Tim’s. “That is an angelic sword made by an angel.”
I looked up at him and frowned. “How do you know that?”
He held is hand out to Uncle Tim. “May I?”
Uncle Tim stood and then held his new sword out. “Please.”
Riah took the hilt in one hand and held the blade tip in the other. He gazed over the inscription, then flipped it over to reveal a symbol. “Do you see this symbol?”
“Yes,” we all said in perfect unison.
“Haven— I apologize, Tennessee?” He nodded toward the sword in Haven’s hand. “If you hold Michael’s like I am, the Heavenly power will ease so you may read it.”
Haven’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
He backed away so he wouldn’t hit people, then lifted Michael’s sword to mirror Riah’s pose — and the glow simmered to a soft shimmer. We all gasped. There was an inscription except instead of one word it was a sentence that spread down the entire blade.
“What does it say?” Jackson said softly.
Haven read the words in angelic language and a chill slid down my spine.
“That’s beautiful,” Saffie purred. “But what does it mean? It’s been a long time since I’ve read the angelic language.”
“Do not unsheathe me without reason, do not wield me without valor.” Riah’s voice boomed as he spoke.
Jackson’s eyes widened. “You know angelic?”
“I know Michael and that sword.” Riah smirked. “Now turn it over.”
Haven flipped it and then lifted it higher and his jaw dropped. “It’s the same symbol as Uncle Tim’s, look.” He held it out for us to see.
We all looked back and forth between the two.
Uncle Tim frowned and scratched the back of his neck. “I am not familiar with that symbol.”
“You wouldn’t be. It is a rune of Heaven, one not used or seen on Earth. It is the symbol of the archangel. The chief-prince of Heaven. Michael.” Riah held the sword back to Uncle Tim. “There are angels who walk your Earth who were not born as angels. They are the children of angels. If they choose it, upon their death they may pass to the afterlife or they may be reborn as an angel. Upon rebirth, they are given an angelic sword by their Heavenly parent. The symbol is a mark of that.”
My heart pounded in my chest.
“But Michael was not my father,” Uncle Tim whispered.
Riah looked to me and then to Haven. “Michael is a man of little words, not unlike his grandson. This sword is his gift to you for the sacrifices you made for his grandchildren.”
Uncle Tim’s eyes watered as he looked up at Riah.
“Ice was your hand for a long time. This is his way of giving a small piece of that back to you.” Riah smiled and put his hand on Uncle Tim’s shoulder, and then he spoke in our ancient language. “Heaven has claimed you, whether you’re of their cloth or not. Be honored, no human has ever been blessed this way.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Saffie
“Safferella, it’s been like four hours. You don’t have to sit down here by my side.”
I sighed and pushed my hair off my face. “You died Savannah.”
She rolled her big blue eyes and sat up in the bed Katherine had forced her into hours ago. “And here I am. Alive and thriving. Even Katherine isn’t clinging to my side.”
“Katherine is checking on Kenneth too. And so have I.” I glanced to the empty chair that Gigi had been sitting in. “Where’s Gigi?”
Savannah sighed and leaned back against the headboard. “She went to the bathroom.”
“Are you two okay?” I knew the answer to that was no, I just wanted her to talk to me about it.
“It’s hard to not be mad at her for what happened today, even though I know it’s not fair.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m trying to act like everything is fine. I’m trying to be fine.”
“But you’re not.”
She cringed. “Truth is we haven’t been fine since you disappeared on Christmas. And before you apologize for that, I realize now it’d been coming. I think we were all each other had in Salem. Despite living in a city of witchcraft we were surrounded by humans, so we bonded over being not human.”