Chapter Thirty-Six

My head tilts back so I can take in the full height of the Eiffel Tower. I’ve only seen this monument in pictures. They don’t do it justice, and we don’t have time to gawk, as much as I would like to.

“So, where’s this park with the statue?” I look around and notice that we arrived at the Champ de Mars, and the only reason I know that is because in middle school I wrote a paper about it.

“I know where it is,” Sidelle says. It’s crowded today because it’s the weekend, so our sudden appearance goes unnoticed. “You still doing okay and can keep yourself invisible?”

“Good because it’ll be the fastest way to get there. Traffic is horrible this time of day. Believe me, I once lived here.”

“All right, you lead, Sidelle,” Kieran says. “Follow her closely and don’t deviate.”

I make myself invisible and turn to my friends. Kieran has his wings out, and we take back to the sky. Soaring above the Seine River, we head in the opposite direction, past the Le Jardin du Luxembourg and toward the Les Catacombes de Paris. Kieran points the landmarks out as we fly over them.

Up ahead lays green grass and a small lake within the gardens of Parc Montsouris. Sidelle descends, and we land near a bronze angel with wings opened wide. It’s patinaed in green, and her left-hand rests on an unsheathed sword. With her other hand gracefully on her hip and her face looking away, she’s very casual in her stance. But the wings are ready to whisk her into a battle.

“What do I do?” I notice that the angel is robed in a long gown. The pillar she stands on is quite tall. Good thing I have wings because a ladder wouldn’t reach her.

“What do you feel like you should do?” Kieran asks. “I don’t think we’ll be of much help.”

“Maybe fly up there and touch it, and see if it calls to you,” Sidelle suggests.

I do as she proposes and when I’m level with the beautiful angel, my body thrums with excitement. My hand hovers about the one that is holding the hilt. Light cascades around us, and I think I’ve found my sword. The moment I touch it my palm heats, but that’s all that happens. I lift my fingers and wrap them around the handle. Nothing. I gaze at my hand and back to the sword.

“Just a feeling. I felt it heat up my hand, but maybe that’s from the sun. She’s made of metal and basking out here in the summer months; she’ll be hot.”

Disappointment washes over me. My sister said that there are a few other places to look, so there is still hope. I pull out my replacement phone, a late birthday gift from Kieran, to text her and get the next location.

Stella: bummer that wasn’t it. I was almost positive it was. OK. Try Rome.

I show Kieran and Sidelle the text. We should have gone there to begin with since it’s where the Vatican is.

My Light is brought forth, and we head to Italy. We land at the Colosseum, another place I’ve always wanted to visit. Finding an angel with a sword here is going to be like searching for Waldo in one of those books.

“This is a holy city,” Kieran says. “We should start at St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s one of the largest churches in the world that stands for Christianity. We’ll make our way toward other angel statues.”

I nod. It’s the best plan for now. I try using my Light to find my sword, but there are too many potential places and too much ground to cover. The streets are littered with crosses, angels, and other symbols of the religion.

It’s interesting that as I fly over each building, my brain knows what it is and provides me a brief historical summary.

Keeping ourselves unseen, we fly over the Vatican Museums and the Osservatore Romano to the Apostolic Palace and land in St. Peter’s Platz. Pillars surround the white rotunda. Statues of martyrs, saints and previous popes stand on top of each, as if guarding the entrance to the sacred place of worship. The whole building is majestic. The gray paved ground doesn’t take away from the grandness of the center pillar that soars into the sky, with a bronze cross at its peak.

I stumble toward the entrance of the basilica, not watching where I’m going. It’s a good thing I’m invisible, otherwise everyone would see me face plant, multiple times.

The inside is as spectacular as the exterior. Patterned marble flooring greets us. Textured columns probably made of the same material as the floor lines the walls. Everything is gold trimmed. Each archway has angels. Alcoves hold massive angelic statues of saints. People mill around, snapping pictures of this impressive space.

“It’s not here.” Besides being awed like all the other visitors, I feel nothing. “We should move on.”

“I don’t think the angels would hide it in such a tourist trap,” Sidelle says. “Since they went to the trouble in hiding the sword, they’d use some place a bit less conspicuous. Just my opinion, though, from what I know of angels.” She nods to Kieran.

“Okay, where to next?” I ask, taking one last look around the magnificent building.

“I guess let’s just cover as much ground as possible,” Kieran says. “If anyone notices any sword that could be what we’re looking for, text each other.”

We leave the plaza, taking flight. I keep myself low to the ground and still invisible to humans. Spiraling outward from the Basilica, I spot what looks like a castle. A Castle of Angels, perhaps. At first I think it’s an odd place to have one, but by the state of it, it’s old. Part of the walls are crumbling away. The arched bridge that runs over the River Tiber is caked with green and black moss. Statues of angels escort the tourists to the main door.

Sweeping the pathway, I inspect each angel. None are holding a weapon. As I approach the main building, rising out of the roof is a bronzed figurine. With his right hand, he’s unsheathing a sword.

I fly close enough to inspect it. No humans are allowed on the roof. The angel is green from the elements, and the sword’s blade shines in the sunlight. It’s either what I came to see, or it’s been modified.

I hover next to one of its colossal wings and reach out toward the long blade. My fingers graze it but nothing happens. Wrapping my hands around the hilt and letting it bathe in my Light still doesn’t do anything.

Sighing, I move away and continue my search. The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Piazza Venzia are all passed. No tingling felt.

Hours pass as I fly over the Baths of Caracalla and outward to Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella. I’m high enough that the whole city of Rome is placed within a circle.

The moon is rising. We’ve been searching for most of the day. I pull out my phone and text Sidelle and Kieran.

Me: I haven’t found anything. I’m at some nature reserve to the west of the city.

Looking around and not finding anyone, I make myself visible and stroll on the vibrant green grass. Rolling hills swell across the land and round hay bales dot the ground. I barely make them out, but my sneeze tells me that I’m correct in my thinking. The ping from my phone disturbs the crickets’ song.

When Kieran finds me, I’m sitting yoga-style on the grass when my wings twitch. I’ve come to know that feeling is when other angels are around me, so I know Kieran is close, even though he’s still unseen.

We don’t wait too long and from the expression on her face, her search has also come up empty.

“Don’t fret, yet,” Kieran says. “Europe is a lot older than the U.S. There’s tons of places to look.”

Me: Next option? Oh, and tell M & D, I’m staying at K’s tonight. I’ll let them know, too. Just so we have our stories straight.

“Don’t count out South America,” Sidelle says. “There are tribes there that date back before Europe. And some places in Asia, too.”

Stella: Nothing, really? Um, weird. Ok. Off you got to Ukraine. I have a good feeling about this one. OK about the sleep over. 😊

At least one of us does. I show my phone to the others, but before we take off again, I send a text to Shay. I know he’s probably worried sick since it’s taken way longer than we said we would be gone for.

Me: I’m sorry this is taking so long. Love you, miss you, and thinking of you. I’m safe.

Shay: Quinn came over and was asking if you found a sword yet.

Me: Really? Did you tell her anything?

Shay: I kept it vague.

Me: She has to be reporting back to Aiden.

I show them my text. We all shake our heads. “Zoe, you need to rest,” Kieran says. “You still need to eat and sleep, too. We’ll worry about Quinn later. We really haven’t shared anything with her that Aiden didn’t already know about.”

“Save it, Z,” Sidelle says. “Your wings are drooping. They need a break.”

“We don’t.” Kieran pulls me to him and grabs my phone. “But we’ve both had our wings for centuries and have had lots of practice flying. You’re new at this.”

I flex them and they twinge. Frowning, I know they are right. I need to rest, but we need to find my sword and get back home.

“Come on.” Kieran drags me under a maple tree. “Let’s get you settled in.”

The leaves are bright green. The moon is high, and stars sprinkle the sky. Fireflies blink off in the distance. A lone wolf, or a dog, howls in the distance.

The sun is up, and the air is warm. Rolling off from Kieran’s chest, I grimace.

“Um, sorry about that. I guess I was tired.” I wipe my mouth, hoping that I hadn’t drooled on him.

“You can tell me I was right later.” He stands and helps me up. “But we should get going. I’ve already texted Shay and told him that it might be a day or two more.”

“Up and at them!” Sidelle smiles. She knows I’m not a morning person. “Here’s a bagel and an apple. Eat up and we’ll take off.”

In a flash, I’m glancing over Serbia, Romania, and then Moldova. We land in the only city I know that’s in the Ukraine. Kiev.

As we descend from the skies, two glistening spots shine like beacons, beckoning us to them. Two angels are facing each other, as if they are watching over the square. What is this place?

“Do you think it’s a coincidence that we’re seeking an angel statue in Independence Square?” Sidelle asks.

Long cement pavers create an ornate pattern on the ground that leads to four levels of steps. The area is in shape of a hexagon, and in the center stands a four-sided temple, for lack of a better word. Each entrance passes through to the opposite side. The archways have two pillars on each side. Gold accents the columns, the archways, and the base of the tower. On top of the tower rests one of the angels.

Upon closer inspection, it’s not an angel but a girl. She’s wearing a dress while her arms extend out. In her right hand, she’s holding a golden branch. It’s like she’s wearing a shawl, and the ends are blowing in the wind, which made me think that she was an angel. Gold is accented along her belt, the wrap, and shoes.

If I thought the church in Rome was breathtaking, I don’t know what to call this monument.

“It’s called the Independence Monument,” Kieran whispers. “Isn’t it beautiful? I can’t believe that Ordinaries made it.”

I look high into the sky. She’s not carrying any weapons, only what I think is a peace offering.

Directly opposite is a much smaller yellow and white structure. It reminds me of the Soldiers’ and Sailors Arch that stands in at the Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. On top of the building in front of me is a warrior angel. He’s gripping a shield in his left hand and a golden sword in his right. His wing tips are decorated in gold, along with the trim of his cape, breastplate, and boots.

“Nope, but I can see how you would think that.” He pokes me in the ribs. “This is the Archangel Michael.”

I’ve only met Michael a few instances during my life. Yes, he lived across the street as I grew up, but Kieran always said that he was traveling on business. Then when Shay was rescued from Hell, Michael was at the safe house, trying to heal my boyfriend from his injuries. But the few times I saw him he had worn normal clothes, not battle gear like the statue.

“Michael changes his form to what he thinks is the best way to show himself to humans. So actually, this is really close to his true appearance. His wings are longer and broader, plus they don’t have any gold.”

“There is only one way to find out.” I double check my surroundings, and I float up toward the sculpture. I hover in front of Michael and bow my head. I know that this isn’t the real one, but it still feels like the right thing to do.

My hand extends toward his sword. Sparks emit from my fingertips, and the golden sword glows with radiance. Electrical currents bounce between us. The closer my hand gets to his, the more painful it becomes.

My body glows with purple Light as it’s pulled toward and merges with the statue. I’m in the same pose and when I wrap my fingers around the hilt, bright light fires into the sky. I have no idea what other people are seeing, but my own vision is crystal clear as memories flash in my mind.

Soothing music calms me. Voices carry an ancient language. They are muffled, so I can’t hear them fully, but I know what they are saying. Words like joy, love, and harmony.

I clutch the sword as it pulses in my hand. The blade turns metallic silver. Where the blade and hilt connect is the triquetra symbol that matches my wrist. Again, the symbol is repeated at the pommel. Two daggers form the cross-guard, and each of their hilts are shaped into wings.

The blade itself flows with power. It reminds me of mercury and how it shimmers. The edge of the blade has a unique shape, like that of holly berries.