Stop

Feeling lost, Bea closed the bedroom door and walked to an empty bed for the first time in forever. The other side of the mattress was smooth, untouched, the pillow still holding the shape of no one. She stared at the empty balcony, below which was a crowd singing farewell to the six masked angels marching through.

Their bond would be severed in a few minutes.

She couldn't let that happen.

The curtains made way as Bea flew through the open window out of their room and into the night sky. Beneath her, the city fell into rows of pale rooftops and the colossal, iridescent temple she knew from every direction now, its glow the only steady thing in the dark. The gate to Palaestra was miles away, but speed was her thing. What good was an angel that couldn't deliver God's word immediately?

She glided past the towers and through the gates, racing against the chosen ones, the wind pulling her wings flat against her back.

Don't go, Bea pleaded quietly, in case her partner could still hear her voice. You know you don't have to go.

But the six did not stop. Instead, their leader signaled them to go faster. By the time Bea reached the entrance to Palaestra, guardians were already locking the gates.

On the other side, the singing had already stopped.