/Feeling lost, Bea closed the bedroom door and walked to an empty bed for the first time in forever. She stared at the empty balcony, below which was a crowd singing farewell to the six masked angels marching through.

Their bond would be severed in a few minutes.

She couldn't let that happen.

The curtains made way as Bea flew through the open window out of their room and into the night sky. The gate to Palaestra was miles away, but speed was her thing. What good was an angel that can’t deliver God’s word immediately?

She glided past the towers and through the gates, racing against the chosen ones.

|Don’t go|, Bea pleaded quietly in case her partner could still hear her voice. |You know you don’t have to go.|

But the six did not stop. Instead, their leader signaled them to go faster. By the time Bea reached the entrance to Palaestra, guardians were already locking the gates./