Page 14 of Stealing Embers
“Nef-a-what?”
“Nephilim. Everyone here is descended from the union of a human woman and an angel of darkness.”
“Wait . . . you’re telling me my father is an angel? Or, an angel of darkness?” The phrase feels awkward and clunky. “What even is that?”
“You ready to take a seat yet?” Sable asks as she crosses her arms over her chest.
I nod.
Yep. I think it’s time to do that. Sitting sounds fantastic right now.
Wide-eyed and attentive, I drop my butt onto the soft bedding and gesture for her to continue.
Sable shakes her head and silky hair brushes over her shoulders. “The original couplings of disgraced angels and humans was just the start of our lines. It’s very unlikely your father was a fallen angel—those we simply call Fallen. The original hybrids were born several millennia ago. We haven’t heard of a child of a Fallen and a human woman in over two thousand years. Those of us that exist today are descendants of the original hybrids.”
She takes a seat next to me, the bed dipping slightly with her added weight. “There are academies like this one smattered all over the globe. Our young come here to learn and train until they are old enough to fight on their own. We’ve brought you to one of the safest locations for our kind. For your protection, and also to learn about who you are and what you can do.
“There’s quite a bit to tell you, actually. It’s going to take a considerable amount of time to get you caught up to speed, but for now you need to know that there is a war going on. One fought in the spiritual and mortal realms between angels of light, and angels of dark—the Fallen.
“Whether you knew it or not, you were born into this conflict, but you are not alone. Everyone here at Seraph Academy is like you—an angel-born child.”
My head still hurts. That was a massive information dump. Bringing a hand to my forehead, I scrub my palm down my face. If I hadn’t been accused of it so many times myself, I would have called her out as insane or a liar.
Could her story be just unbelievable enough to be true?
And . . . a war? I have a hard enough time getting through the day. I don’t need to be dragged into what appears to be an ancient grudge match between good and evil.
“So, you want me to believe I’m not . . . human?” That last word was a little hard to push out. I never felt as if I fit in, but not human? That’s a stretch.
“Exactly.”
“And that a fallen angel is lurking somewhere in my family tree?”
“Yes.”
I count to sixty as Sable and I stare at each other. I’m waiting for her to break. To yell “Just kidding!” or start crazy-laughing. But it never happens. She doesn’t so much as flinch, and it starts to make me nervous.
“I’m going to be honest. I have no idea how to react to all this.”
“I can only imagine.” Sable’s expressive eyes soften and she lays a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Most of our children grow up knowing exactly what they are. It’s very rare for a Nephilim child to be raised by non-angel-born. Your life up until this point must have been very challenging . . . as well as confusing.”
I bark out a humorless laugh. She has no idea.
“I’m going to be straight with you.”
After all her deception, I should hope so. I tilt my head, waiting for her to continue.
“You’ve been on our radar for years now. We just didn’t realize you were one of us. There are a very small percentage of humans who can see through the veil into the spirit realm. We have a division dedicated to identifying these individuals and monitoring them, if only loosely. We rarely interfere with human lives, and only intercede when we think they’re a danger to themselves or others.”
Hold on a second.
“You’ve . . . known about me? And you let everyone believe I was crazy? You letmebelieve I was crazy? That’s messed up.”
I scooch away from her until my shoulder touches the headboard and I can’t go any farther. I’m sure the look on my face is filled with disgust. Sable glances at the empty space between us then lifts her gaze to meet mine.
“Most humans come to their own conclusions about their visions, so we let them believe whatever they need to believe. It may seem cruel, but to bring them fully into our world would be much more dangerous. Up until very recently, we assumed you were one of these humans.”
“Maybe I am?” My life may be a confusing mess, but I think I’d rather be a messed up human than a Neph-a-whatever.