"And you've never killed?"
He stays silent as he keeps pace with me.
I smile. "You and TR are more similar than you think. You'll both do whatever it takes to win." I raise an eyebrow at him. "And if I knew you better, perhaps I would notice more similarities."
He chuckles. "So you want to know about me?"
"Yes. Tell me more about your life."
"When you have thousands of years to choose from, it's hard to pick what to share."
"Then tell me about your week." I stop near a large white rock and sit on it, emulating Rodin’s Thinker.
Zorin rolls his eyes. "I did some research to catch up on the times, learned the new Pope likes tournaments."
"New?"
"Well, new for me. How about you? How was your week?"
I shake my head. "We're still on you."
He sighs, then speaks rapidly. "I started the week buying more marshmallows. Then I painted part of the Cathedral. Then I had a snack. About mid week, everyone was asleep, and I considered getting a dog for company. But then I thought about the smell and the poop, and I thought what if I ever get hungry, would I really be able to resist? So, I decided no dog. That enough?"
I grin. "For now."
"Now your turn." He pulls a bag of marshmallows from his cloak and starts snacking.
I jump off the rock and grab one for myself. "I saw a play. Nox Aeterna."
"Oh, yes. I've seen it. Not particularly historically accurate."
"That's what my roommate said."
"Who's your roommate?"
"Princess Corinne of the House of Ravens."
He freezes mid bite. "That's a dangerous roommate to have."
"It gets better. Her father's coming to New York. To capture Nightfall."
He hides the marshmallow bag back in his cloak. "If Varian is coming here, we must be extra careful. I've seen him fight. You are not ready for him."
***
After my news, Zorin insists on training right away. We walk into the Cathedral and he tosses me a practice sword and tells me to repeat the Way of Nyx. After twenty minutes, I sigh as I keep running through the drill. "Zorin, I need to fight. To fly."
"You need to practice your form."
"I've done it a million times. Can't I learn the other six now?"
He rubs his head as he reclines in one of the golden chairs. "Trust me, I know what's best. You need to learn patience. You're an immortal now. Stop acting like a whiny human girl."
I groan and continue the drill. At least I can keep it interesting by talking. "New subject, I need your help with something. I need an apartment in the city. My new friends at school were getting suspicious about me leaving, and I needed a cover."
Carter walks in with a cup of water. "I'm happy to set that up for you, miss. Is there a particular part of the city you'd prefer?"
I look at Zorin. He shrugs. I take the water and sip. "I don't know. Someplace fun, artsy. Someplace my friends would believe I would pick."
Carter bows. "Consider it done. You will have your keys by the end of the weekend."
"Thanks."
Carter returns upstairs and I continue training. To keep the conversation going, I ask a question I've been curious about since finding out what I am. "How do you turn someone into Nephilim?"
He pauses. "You're losing focus, but okay. First, the person must be drained of blood."
"So you feed from them."
"Yes, but if they lost blood another way, say an injury, that would suffice."
I stop my training for a moment. "Did you have to feed off me?"
"Yes. You were bleeding out, but I needed to speed up the process. There was an Angel there, after all."
I resume the drill, performing a block, then a strike. "What next?"
"You feed the person your blood, usually by cutting open your wrist. The Nephilim blood replaces the human, and the person begins to change."
"How long does it take?"
"It's different for everyone, but it often takes a while to awaken."
I remember waking to find the Angel gone, my parents dead. I finish my form, a thought occurring to me. "Zorin, if you knew where I could find the Angel, would you tell me?"
His face is cold. "I'd tell you what you needed to know."
I see he is conflicted. I need—
"Important news, Scarlett," says Evie.
"Show me."
An image of an apartment building surrounded by Bruisers and Officers appears. The reporter speaks. "As you can see, the Zeniths have taken everyone in the building hostage, and the Inquisition has the area surrounded. The terrorists don't seem to be part of a known group. We don't know if any demands have been made—" I stop the video and message TR and Trix.
"We need to rescue the hostages," I say over the eGlass.
"We can't go against Zeniths," TR replies. "Not publicly. Let the Orders handle it."
"I don't trust them. If Inquisition messes this up, both the hostages and Zeniths will die."
Trix speaks through the eGlass. "One of our guys has eyes on the area. Looks like the Zeniths have snipers at the windows. There's no way in."
I unleash my wings and fly out of the Cathedral. "I'll find one." I tell them my plan.
"You can't save everyone," says TR.