Chapter 33

I did a flyby of the entire perimeter of the cathedral in an attempt to locate a back door, with no luck. The only entrance seemed to be located right in front of the massive structure. Three formidable looking iron bound doors lined the block long city sidewalk – each one deeply recessed within several arched openings carved entirely out of stone.

It didn't sit right with me to waltz up to the front door of a church and try to break in. But it's not like I had much of a choice. Besides, the place looked like it was locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

This time as I prepared for descent, I mirrored Vycandor's movements and gave a couple of circular wing beats to slow down my landing, before folding back my wings to allow my feet to gently touch the ground.

It almost worked.

Right up to the point where I spied the gleaming richness of a stained glass window depicting an angel in flight with impossibly long red hair and outstretched wings that were completely engulfed in fire. But it was the face of the angel that got my attention the most. A face that glowed with a magnificent brilliance.

My face.

I was still trying to figure out how my likeness got on a freaking stained glass window when I abruptly changed course to get a better look and ended up crashing into...well, I ended up crashing into myself. Thick glass and even thicker metal shattered into a canopy of spider-webbed colors that nearly pinned me to the ground as I skidded down the middle of a mile long row of wooden pews like my own personal landing strip. On second thought, maybe the row of pews wasn't exactly a mile long. But my ass sure felt like it was.

A calm voice came out of nowhere to penetrate the deepening silence. "When I asked God to show me a sign of your impending arrival, I didn't mean literally."

I gasped and sat up, nearly banging my head on an inordinately large piece of twisted metal that had once contained a fiery wing. I guiltily folded my own, snuffing out the flames as they disappeared beneath my shoulder blades, leaving ghost-like tendrils of smoke to linger in the air like hell's own barbecue.

This was a real first for me. I'd never been inside of an actual functioning church before, let alone to experience the majesty of a cathedral of such epic proportions. Heavy on symbolism, the opulence of the decor was a veritable feast for the senses with lifelike statues of saints, lavish stained glass windows and multiple tiers of burning candles, while the spicy aroma of incense tickled my nose and the peaceful chants of Gregorian Monks filled my ears.

I might have even enjoyed the experience if I wasn't in such a hurry to save Thomas.

"Yeah?" I replied with a scowl. "Whenever I ask God for help He never answers me, so count it as a blessing."

A young priest appeared out of the shadows, wearing a long black robe with red trim and a deep violet sash tied around his narrow waist. "Maybe you're just not asking the right questions."

My eyebrows crinkled together in frustration. "Here's a question for you...how did my face get on your church?"

The priest shrugged noncommittally. "I have always believed that in the last days, a pair of angels will unite to rid the world of evil. That's what inspired me to create the stained glass art in the first place. I had a vision. A vision of you and another angel." He paused to point at the colorful remains of shattered glass – now littering the highly polished marble floor like precious gemstones. "I paired the the two of you side by side, your glowing red and golden wings proudly displayed as a shimmering beacon of hope for all the world to see."

I realized for the first time that he was referring to the very same legend Thomas had told me about. I was so shocked at seeing my own face, it didn't register that the window also contained the image of another angel.

Damn! If only I'd been paying more attention.

Filled with regret at being so self-absorbed, I dropped my eyes to scan the broken glass for any clues as to the identity of the other angel. But it was no use. The once iridescent glory of the priest's vision was not only smashed beyond recognition, it now served as a haunting reminder of the mystery I had yet to solve. After all, the priest couldn't have envisioned Vycandor as the second Odyssey because his wings were blue, not red. And certainly not golden.

Climbing out of the wreckage, I met the priest's unwavering stare with one of my own. "You mentioned something before about asking God to show you a sign. What did you mean?"

The priest nodded knowingly. "You are the Chosen One, yet you lack faith."

"Faith?" I repeated, voice going all high and screechy. "I don't have time for faith. Have you looked outside lately? We're under attack by a legion of demons. Or hadn't you noticed?"

The priest nodded again, clearly unfazed by the alarm in my voice. "Yes. I'm aware the last days are upon us."

I had to swallow hard past a lump of fear forming in my throat. The calmness he so casually displayed when faced with Earth's impending doom was freaking me the freak out.

"Screw the last days, buddy. We're in the last hours! I've got to destroy these creatures before they find and destroy someone I love, uh...I mean..." My voice trailed off guiltily. It felt more than a little wrong to admit I loved Thomas in front of a priest. Especially a judgy priest who knew damn good and well I was destined to be with another. "I...uh, make that someone I care very deeply about. I just never expected to have to face any of this on my own."

The priest held up his hands in surrender as if he were the one under attack. "You need not torment yourself, my child. God has been with you on your journey since the beginning."

My eyes went wide. "Oh, yeah? Where was God when Serenity locked me in the Devil's Soupbowl? Where was God when I subsequently got kicked out of Heaven for my troubles? And where is He now, huh?"

The priest slowly lowered his arms and then folded them over his chest. "Can I ask you a question?"

I gave an impatient shrug.

"What's your favorite color?"

If possible, my eyes opened even wider. "That's a little random, don't cha think?"

"Just answer the question."

I blew my breath out in a huff. "My favorite color used to be purple. Are you happy?"

"What do you mean, used to?"

Geez. This guy just wasn't giving up. I didn't quite know where he was going with this line of questioning, but I felt compelled to answer nonetheless. "It's just that, lately, I've been seeing the color purple on people and places everywhere I go."

It was the priests turn to shrug. "Such as?"

I didn't want to relive the past, any of it, but the words were suddenly there as haunting images flashed through my mind. "I've experienced the color purple in a place you can only dream about, called the Tree of Sorrows. I've seen it in Serenity's entire house and every single piece of clothing she owned. I've seen it in Sebastian's jeweled tone eyes. Hell, I've even seen it on your scarf." I paused to point before throwing my arms up in the air. "See what I mean? I'm sick to death of the color purple!"

The priest smiled knowingly at me again. "Have you ever stopped to think that all of those things you mentioned might be a sign from God?"

"A sign, really?" I meant it as more of a statement than a question. "Why would God use my ex-favorite color to show me a sign?"

He paused to open his arms invitingly. "To show you that He cares. To warn you. And also, to prove to you that you are never alone."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Why not show me something useful then? Like how to defeat the demons He helped to create in the first place."

The priest glanced down at the shattered glass momentarily before meeting my eyes once more. "God has already provided you with every tool you could possibly need. And then some. The rest is up to you. All you need to do now is have faith."

I opened my mouth to argue and had to snap it shut when something outside caught my attention. My gaze whipped past the remains of the stained glass window, only to be met with the vivid glare of bluish-purple flames that repeatedly shot high into the air like flares from a fireworks display. If this was Vycandor's idea of trying to warn me that the Angels of War had found him and he was currently under attack; I didn't just need a shit ton of Holy Water to save his ass, I also needed a way to transport it clear across town as fast as possible, as well as a way to unleash it on the creatures in a seriously big way.

And I knew just the thing.

My attention returned to the priest and then the unthinkable happened. I agreed with him. Sometimes miracles really can happen. "Ya know what? You're right. I do need to have faith. And since there's no time like the present, I have faith that you can bless 2,000 gallons of water with a single prayer."

A glimpse of dismay lit up the young priests face. "What could you possibly need that much water for?"

My smile felt weird. Well, weirder than usual. "Forgive me Father, for I am about to sin."

I shot forward to tackle him before he had a chance to ask any more stupid questions. Instead of knocking him to the ground, my wings unfurled from beneath my shoulder blades in an explosion of smoke and feathers as I wrapped both arms tightly around his waist. The forward momentum made it easier to accommodate the extra weight, but I had to flap my wings that much harder just to lift us off the ground, while at the same time keeping our bodies perfectly centered and not turning to either side too suddenly. It was either that, or risk tipping in order to allow my fully outstretched wings to clear the lofty height of the jagged window and avoid another tailspin. Besides, I wasn't in the mood to go splat and end up as sidewalk art.