Read Online White Heart of Justice by Jill Archer - Free Book Online

and a shimmering wrap. Since Angels loved ornamentation, I fastened the wrap at my throat with a star-shaped diamond cloak pin.
    That night, I stood in front of my dorm room mirror, assessing. Ivy, who’d had no small part in helping me select my attire for the night, was sprawled across her bed. I couldn’t help but remember the last time I’d dressed for an event at Empyr—the Barrister’s Ball, our first semester. It was the night I’d rejected Peter’s plan to use the Reversal Spell to reverse my magic. The night I’d first told Ari I loved him.
    Something sharp pricked my finger and I looked down to see that I’d managed to stab myself with one of the pins from Ivy’s hairpin box. A small drop of blood welled.
Damn,
I thought, grabbing a tissue. I fight every day with weapons forged from fire and magic and it’s the prick from a small metal pin that makes me want to cry. I viciously pinched the tip of my finger with the tissue.
    â€œDo you think Peter will be there?” Ivy asked.
    â€œI hope not,” I said, tossing the tissue in the trash can.
    â€œDo you think Rafe will be?”
    â€œI’m not sure. I haven’t seen him since the festival Friday night and he never said anything about it.”
    â€œDo you miss—” Ivy stopped suddenly and I stilled. I knew what she’d been about to ask.
    Did I miss Ari?
    Yes. I did. Every day. Still.
    But it wasn’t as if I wasn’t getting on with my life.
    â€œDo you think it’s a mistake?” Ivy said instead. “The headband? I mean, on you, it almost looks like a crown.”
    But not the crown I want,
I thought, smiling at my reflection. It was true. The white sapphire headband I’d found in Ivy’s hairpin box did look vaguely crown-like when combined with the rest of my outfit. Even I had to admit, I looked impressively regal. And the best part? Amongst all the white satin, sparkling gemstones, and shimmering silver, my demon mark looked even darker.
    Who could refuse the woman in the mirror?
If dressing for a ceremonial oath had been an Artifice assignment, Glashia would have given me an A. The only thing marring my appearance was my lost tooth. Maybe I should have taken Rafe up on his offer of an illusion.
Too late now.
    I turned to Ivy, wanting to leave on a profound note, with some sort of proclamation befitting the woman in the mirror, but all I could think of was
don’t wait up
and
make sure you lock the door behind me
. I squeezed Ivy’s hand and she wished me Luck’s presence.
    *   *   *
    E mpyr was a restaurant. But calling Empyr a restaurant was like calling the Gridiron a playground. Empyr was a showcase. In it, the Angels exhibited their flair for the dramatic, their love of the refined, and their superb taste in decor, food, and wine. Unlike St. Luck’s campus, which had no less than eight buildings sprawled across three city blocks, the Joshua School housed everything (dormitories, administration offices, classrooms, libraries, archives, their eatery, and more) in a thirty-three story skyscraper. It was one of the tallest in New Babylon. Empyr was located at the top. It was said the Angels had heaven in mind when they’d built it.
    I entered the Joshua School and was about to hand over my invitation to the lobby clerk when he motioned me toward the winder lift. Either my outfit was already working or I was expected. I pressed the button for the lift and nervously waited for it to arrive. The ride up was solo and silent. Unlike the winder lift in Rickard Building, the Joshua School lift didn’t have an operator. (My guess was the Angels thought winder lift operators were old-fashioned throwbacks; Angels were all about modern aesthetics.) When the lift finally reached the top, I stepped out.
    I hadn’t been to Empyr since the month of Blostm, eight months ago. The decor was unchanged, but the murmur of voices and the