He didn't answer, just sipped at his tea.
"They haven't been seen on earth in ages. They don't exist anymore, if they ever did."
"Oh my dear granddaughter, the world is full of mysteries humans believe no longer exist. Consider what you saw last night. Consider it carefully. There's more to what happened to my daughter, your parents, than meets the eye."
I drank my tea in silence, thinking about last night, which seemed so very long ago. Could it be? Did that explain the differences I noticed. An Angel. A real Angel. What could this mean? My mind raced with possibilities, options, choices, and he seemed content to wait until I sorted my thoughts out.
"I have one condition," I finally said. "One condition to joining the Orders."
The Chancellor interlaced his fingers. "Go on."
"Tell me what the weapon is."
He looked into the fire again, thoughtful. "What do you know of the Nephilim?"
"They could fly," I said, knowing it gave them a large advantage when the war started. "Some of them had other abilities, commonly seen in Zeniths today. However, they were different from other Zeniths, because they fed on blood, and they could turn others into their kind." I remembered the propaganda… about killing the bloodsuckers, protecting your children from monsters… protecting your souls from the demons. I shuddered, knowing how this conversation would end, knowing what it would confirm once and for all.
"And which one of their abilities do you think was the most dangerous?" he asked.
"Turning others," I said without hesitation. It was worse, even, than flying. It gave the Nephilim huge numbers, more easily replenished than soldiers who needed years to train.
The Chancellor nodded. "It was their greatest power. Our own council considered creating a Nephilim army for the Orders, but we decided that if they ever turned against us, the cost would be too great. I wonder if we were wrong. If fewer friends would have been lost, if when the war started, we had some Nephilim on our side. Maybe the war could have been avoided altogether." He laughed, but without humor. "Of course, maybe our own Nephilim would have turned against us after all, and then we'd all be dead."
I'd thought about that, after the war, after I was older and could see through the propaganda. If I'd been in command, I wasn't sure what I would have done. "But if you could find a way to control them, an army of Nephilim would be a powerful…" The truth pounded into my mind, even as it raced to discover other options. But I knew. I had known for sometime, but feeding on Ragathon confirmed it.
"The weapon isn't a device," I said.
The Chancellor nodded, waiting.
"It's the last Nephilim."
Chapter 13
Girl of Silver
"You're as sharp as your mother always reported," the Chancellor said. "You'll do well here, assuming our deal still stands?"
He waited patiently for me to reply. I was still processing what this meant. What had happened to me last night? The man in my dreams, I didn't make him up. I woke up healed, different, with a thirst for blood and unexplained powers.
I woke up as Nephilim. Which meant I was number one enemy to the Orders. To Jax. To my Grandfather. To everything my parents had fought and died for.
I don't know if I made my decision despite that or because of it, but it changed nothing.
"I will join the Academy," I said. "But first, I have to go home. Just for a few days. I have to get my things. Say goodbye." My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. "Then I'll come back and begin my training. Deal?"
I held out my hand and he chuckled and reached for it. "Deal, granddaughter."
I had nothing to pack, so I was ready to go that moment. I stood. "I'm ready now. Can someone take me to the plane?"
"I'll have one of the soldiers give you a ride to the airstrip. The airplane's been refueled, checked and prepped for you." He looked at me more closely. "But I think you'll still go through the pre-flight yourself, won't you? You strike me as the type who insists on doing things herself to make sure they're done right."
I nodded sharply, remembering the lessons my dad had taught me. How important it was to check your own aircraft before flying. How you couldn't trust it to others when it was your life in that seat.
He chuckled again and walked me out. "You'll do well here, indeed."
True to his word, he called a soldier to take me to the airstrip. It wasn't a long drive, and we made it in silence, my thoughts spinning in all directions at what I was about to do with my life.
I could feel my body still changing, powers growing in me, hunger growing even faster. A part of me had known, but couldn't find words to describe what I knew.
Now that I had confirmation, it scared the crap out of me.
Nephilim.
Demons.
Blood suckers.
Enemies of the Orders.
The Destruction of Humanity.
A weapon my parents died to keep under lock and key.
And now I was one of them.
***
I stood alone in front of my father's plane, and I fought down the tears the sight pulled out of me. He should have been here with me, going over the pre-flight checklist, his calm, deep voice reminding me of safety measures I had known for years.
My hand caressed the smooth panels as I performed my surface inspection—checking the rudder, the ailerons on the wings. I confirmed that the Chancellor had indeed had both gas tanks filled, and oil levels looked good on both engines. I could do this in my sleep, but still I used the clipboard and checked off each item, as if this was just a normal night. As if I wasn't about to fly home to an empty house with the blood of my dead parents staining the grass.