A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink Read Free Book Online Page B

childhood everything else will seem normal as well. You had a childhood like any other? There were no strange games? No specialized lessons? Nothing to make you think you might have to escape one day or perhaps even fight to protect yourself?” His eyes dropped to the pendant visible atop her gown. When he spoke again, his voice was a notch softer—perhaps even kinder—than it had been before. “No inexplicable gifts?”
    She swallowed against the lump that formed in her throat, thinking of her parents. Of fencing and chess. Of Find the Way Out and tea at Claridge’s followed by strolls through the very same neighborhood she had traversed in her nightdress to find Darius and Griffin.
    None of it—
none of it
—was an accident.
    Darius’s eyes burned into hers in the moment before she dropped her gaze.
    “I thought so.” His voice was missing the satisfaction she expected.
    This time, she didn’t let the silence settle for long before lifting her head to look at Galizur. She was grateful that her voice sounded stronger than she felt. “I’m listening.”
    He nodded.
    “Over the past months, the Keepers, along with their families, have been executed, one by one. It was alarming enough in the beginning, for with the loss of each Keeper, Earth’s future grew more and more uncertain. At first, the Dictata appointed replacements right away, but they, too, were killed, almost as quickly as they could be appointed. Now, new appointments have been suspended until the executioner can be found.” Galizur gestured toward the Orb. “And as you can see, the demise of the Keepers has had a profound effect.”
    Helen’s gaze slid to the massive, rotating globe. She was captivated by its beauty, yet its movement suddenly seemed laborious, even to her. She felt it struggling to stay alive. To keep turning.
    “Assuming I believe you, what can we do?”
    Darius’s voice came from her right. “For now, stay alive.”
    “How do we do that? If what you say is true, I haven’t even come fully into my… knowledge.”
    Helen was surprised to hear Anna’s voice, soft but strong. “We’ll help, Father and I. It’s our task to oversee the Keepers. To ensure their safety and continuity. It has become harder, of course, but it’s still our charge. One we’ll die fulfilling, if necessary.”
    Darius flinched at her words but said nothing.
    “There is one more thing,” Griffin said.
    “What is it?” Helen could not imagine anything stranger than what she had already heard.
    “Those who hunt us are hunting something else as well.”
    “What?”
    “Perhaps it will be easier to show you.” Helen followed Galizur to the Orb. Stopping in front of it, he gestured to the floor beneath the Orb. “This is the gateway to the Akashic Records. And there is only one key.”
    Helen looked down, her eyes settling on a tiny pinprick of blue light emanating from the ground. She didn’t know how she had missed it before. The light seemed to pulse with an energy that made the floor buzz beneath her feet.
    “The Akashic Records are an accounting of everything that ever has happened or ever will happen in the history and future of mankind,” Griffin explained, his voice ringing through into the cavernous room.
    “I know what the Akashic Records are,” Helen said softly. “But I thought they were a myth. A legend.”
    Galizur nodded. “It’s standard protocol for things of this nature to be presented in such a way to the young Keepers.”
    She lowered her eyes to the blue light in the floor. “If they’re as real as you say, how can they be accessed from here? And what does this have to do with the murders?”
    Galizur tipped his head toward the light. “This is simply the gateway. The gateway to everything.”
    Anna approached, her eyes kind. “It’s dangerous for mortals to have access to the records, Helen, which is why no one knows where the key is hidden.”
    “But that’s not keeping someone from trying to find it,”