guilt; if it hadn’t been for her meeting Riley in the first place, they wouldn’t be here today.
Mikah can feel her worry and the pain she is feeling in his wings; they begin to burn.
“Vivienne, do not blame yourself, this is not your fault. You see, your daughter— Have you thought of a name yet?”
Vivienne responds by shaking her head.
Elizabeth half smiles but continues. “Your daughter will have the power to overthrow the devil, and the devil knows that. He is so blind to the truth that he will stop at nothing to ensure his survival.”
“What do you mean ‘the truth’?” Vivienne asks.
Elizabeth starts to pace again. “The battle between good and evil will never end. It can’t end.”
Everyone in the room looks to each other, confusion written all over their faces.
“There are two reasons for this,” Elizabeth says. “One being that the devil, like Dia , can appoint an heir. So even if we overthrew Link, his heir would take over.”
“Does Link have an heir?” Mikah asks.
“No, though if he fails to capture Vivienne, he will seek one as quickly as possible.”
“Why would capturing me be to his advantage?” Vivienne asks. The question that has been bugging her since Elizabeth first mentioned it.
All eyes are on Vivienne, and it seems to her that the others already know the answer.
Zirah steps forward to answer. “Capturing you means that your daughter, though of the purest angelic blood, would be raised by the devil himself, therefore giving him the weapon he would need to overthrow Dia . You see, the path an angel takes is based on how they’re raised and the choices they make. If your daughter were to be raised by Link, he would have control over her and she would learn no other way but his.”
Everyone is silent for a moment.
Vivienne can’t think of anything to say. She knows that no one in this room would ever let that happen, including herself and Mikah, which means that Link will have to find his own heir. She guesses Link wouldn’t be the type to settle for second best; he’d want one of his own. He’d just need the right woman to help him along in that scenario.
One name runs through Vivienne’s head, a name she hasn’t thought about since that dream in the hospital. “Nyssa,” she whispers.
TWENTY-ONE
“Whoa, who?” Mikah says.
“When I was in the hospital, right before we left—” She glances at Mikah. “—I had a dream. A dream where I was in a dark cave. I couldn’t see anything or anyone, but I heard voices. Riley was there, though based on what I heard, he was either dead or unconscious. And someone, I’m assuming it was the devil, was talking to a girl who said her name was Nyssa.”
Mikah recognizes the name but doesn’t understand the significance behind Vivienne’s realization.
“Do we know who Nyssa is?” Elizabeth asks Vivienne.
“No, I never saw her face, but I know a Nyssa from the diner I used to work at.”
Elizabeth stops in her tracks and turns toward Vivienne.
“Do you think they are one and the same?” Elizabeth asks.
“I can’t say for certain, and I’m not sure I want to find out. But I’m also not sure when in time this happened. Or will happen. In the dream I was pregnant, further along than I am now, so I’m guessing it hasn’t happened yet.”
Ideas begin turning in Elizabeth’s head, and she turns to Red. “Can we figure out who this person is?”
Red takes a step in Elizabeth’s direction. “We will do whatever we can to try and find out. Though I’m not convinced she’s significant.”
“Good point, but I’d rather try and figure it out before Link does.”
Elizabeth goes back to pacing. “As far as Riley is concerned, we’re aware that he is not acting alone. Though Link has a lot of confidence in Riley’s ability to complete the task he’s been sent to do, he doesn’t trust Riley enough to send him out on his own. Which is why I
Mikah can feel her worry and the pain she is feeling in his wings; they begin to burn.
“Vivienne, do not blame yourself, this is not your fault. You see, your daughter— Have you thought of a name yet?”
Vivienne responds by shaking her head.
Elizabeth half smiles but continues. “Your daughter will have the power to overthrow the devil, and the devil knows that. He is so blind to the truth that he will stop at nothing to ensure his survival.”
“What do you mean ‘the truth’?” Vivienne asks.
Elizabeth starts to pace again. “The battle between good and evil will never end. It can’t end.”
Everyone in the room looks to each other, confusion written all over their faces.
“There are two reasons for this,” Elizabeth says. “One being that the devil, like Dia , can appoint an heir. So even if we overthrew Link, his heir would take over.”
“Does Link have an heir?” Mikah asks.
“No, though if he fails to capture Vivienne, he will seek one as quickly as possible.”
“Why would capturing me be to his advantage?” Vivienne asks. The question that has been bugging her since Elizabeth first mentioned it.
All eyes are on Vivienne, and it seems to her that the others already know the answer.
Zirah steps forward to answer. “Capturing you means that your daughter, though of the purest angelic blood, would be raised by the devil himself, therefore giving him the weapon he would need to overthrow Dia . You see, the path an angel takes is based on how they’re raised and the choices they make. If your daughter were to be raised by Link, he would have control over her and she would learn no other way but his.”
Everyone is silent for a moment.
Vivienne can’t think of anything to say. She knows that no one in this room would ever let that happen, including herself and Mikah, which means that Link will have to find his own heir. She guesses Link wouldn’t be the type to settle for second best; he’d want one of his own. He’d just need the right woman to help him along in that scenario.
One name runs through Vivienne’s head, a name she hasn’t thought about since that dream in the hospital. “Nyssa,” she whispers.
TWENTY-ONE
“Whoa, who?” Mikah says.
“When I was in the hospital, right before we left—” She glances at Mikah. “—I had a dream. A dream where I was in a dark cave. I couldn’t see anything or anyone, but I heard voices. Riley was there, though based on what I heard, he was either dead or unconscious. And someone, I’m assuming it was the devil, was talking to a girl who said her name was Nyssa.”
Mikah recognizes the name but doesn’t understand the significance behind Vivienne’s realization.
“Do we know who Nyssa is?” Elizabeth asks Vivienne.
“No, I never saw her face, but I know a Nyssa from the diner I used to work at.”
Elizabeth stops in her tracks and turns toward Vivienne.
“Do you think they are one and the same?” Elizabeth asks.
“I can’t say for certain, and I’m not sure I want to find out. But I’m also not sure when in time this happened. Or will happen. In the dream I was pregnant, further along than I am now, so I’m guessing it hasn’t happened yet.”
Ideas begin turning in Elizabeth’s head, and she turns to Red. “Can we figure out who this person is?”
Red takes a step in Elizabeth’s direction. “We will do whatever we can to try and find out. Though I’m not convinced she’s significant.”
“Good point, but I’d rather try and figure it out before Link does.”
Elizabeth goes back to pacing. “As far as Riley is concerned, we’re aware that he is not acting alone. Though Link has a lot of confidence in Riley’s ability to complete the task he’s been sent to do, he doesn’t trust Riley enough to send him out on his own. Which is why I
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