to fight in an immortal's war is kinda disruptive." She winked at me, and I nodded back. I was resentful that they'd chosen me. At the same time, if an angel hadn't given me my mark it was possible that I'd be dead now, or a Valefar. Jake's attack wasn't very forgiving. "When the angels realized that the Valefar were running amuck here, they saw the need to continue creating Martis over the centuries, so they did. The angels always made more Martis - until now."
My eyes were wide. This was weird. Why would I be the last person the angels turned Martis? What were they doing?
Collin articulated my questions before I could ask. "So, there's no way to know what the angels are doing? There's no way to ask? Because, this looks bad Althea. It looks like your kind is being..." he swallowed, not wanting to finish the sentence. A mixture of emotions was flowing from Collin, thick and uncensored. I sensed them immediately without meaning to, and looked over at him. He returned my gaze with worry in his eyes.
Al finished his thought for him, "Like we're being deserted." Her sterling eyes looked sharply at me. "Yes, it would seem that way. And no, there aren't any angels here to ask. Unlike the demons that control your kind, the angels left us to do what's best and fulfill our common goals without them."
The corner of Collin's lip pulled up in disbelief as his eyebrows pulled together, "They didn't leave any of their kind here? How are you supposed to contact them if you need help?" His voice rose as he spoke. It was like he couldn't believe the good guys had such incompetent commanders.
Al's gaze darted back to Collin, "We don't. The system operates on trust. We trust them, they trust us." She took a sip of tea and clinked the old cup against the saucer when she put it back down. Her hands were shaking. I'd never seen her like this before. She was always so self-assure, always certain that things would end well. A knot formed in my stomach and twisted tighter and tighter as the conversation continued.
"Al, that makes no sense. What does trust have to do with anything? The angels have more power. They could come here and end all this stuff, but they don't. Besides, the Martis have been screwing things up for years, and the angels didn't return. Will they really just leave things the way they are?" Collin turned to me, mouth hanging open at my outburst.
Al just looked at me with sympathetic eyes and smiled, "It worked well for several millennia. The entire system is based on trust; trust the angels to choose the right people, trust that we will transform them into equipped Martis to deal with the Valefar, and trust that we'll handle things here while they handle things there." She saw the look on my face and added, "I know you don't understand, dear girl. You've had so much taken from you unfairly, no doubt, that it's hindered you badly."
Bristling at her words my spine went straight. "I'm not broken. I'm not the monster they think I am. It's not going to happen." I said the words staccato, enunciating each one clearly.
Collin's hand slid over mine as he gently brushed a thought against my mind, That's not what she said. She believes in you. He smiled at me. Al watched the two of us closely before he added, "And so do I." Smiling at him softly, I nodded, apologized to Al, and slumped back in my seat folding my arms across my chest.
Al sipped her tea before saying, "Things are beyond comprehension now, Ivy. All we have is faith - faith that the person sitting next us will do the right thing - no matter what it is. No matter what it costs. We both know you're that girl; the one who does what's right no matter what. Don't forget who you are, and you have nothing to worry about. Anchor yourself to people who'll remind you of that, and ignore the words of others. They don't matter," Al said with utter certainty. I nodded. It was an easy thing to say, but much harder to actually do.
Collin cleared his throat, and tapped at the book on the table. "Althea, we found Eric's book, but the language predates my existence. We were hoping you could read it." He slid the book across the table to