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.Aive stifled a sigh."Fine."They went out the door, and it was suddenly obvious this was the real main entrance.Stone tiles in varying shades of cream and taupe covered the ground creating a meandering path that disappeared around the building corner.Flora of ferns and hedges grew as if they were a part of the house.Jolden led them around, following the lazy path of the tiles.The view of the mountains changed to a view of the ocean.The vast blue water stretching to the horizon reminded Aive of that very first dream."I dreamt about the ocean," Aive said."That's why I came." He walked to the white stone banister and leaned over, as if that could bring him closer to the distant waves."Isela mentioned something like that.It shows your bond with Sobal is strong.""So Sobal did send the dreams?" Aive turned to face Jolden."I doubt he knew he was doing it.He probably was unconscious for the last four months, at least.""Why four months?""We need open skies.The gods above send us nourishment." Jolden leaned against the railing next to Aive."Angels are proud and stubborn.If you manage to capture one, the only way to get them to cooperate with you is to starve them of the sky.Eventually they break, and they can be controlled.""What about Sobal?""We'll see when he wakes up."The panic which had lessened since finding Sobal built again to new levels.He had found Sobal, but from Jolden's words it sounded like Aive was too late."But he was there for almost a year, maybe more.What if—""Don't jump ahead of yourself.We've been known to last longer than that.""How will you know if he …"Jolden's frown deepened in a way that caused dread in Aive."It's not very simple, unfortunately.The true test is whether or not he will do his captor's bidding.Since I have no intention of seeing Sobal in the same room as whoever imprisoned him … time will tell.""So there's another way to know?""If he can't fly, but his wings are so damaged he couldn't fly anyway.We will see.If we find he has been so badly damaged, his recovery will be … difficult.""But he can recover?""To a point." Jolden pushed off the banister and resumed walking on the pathway.Aive hurried to catch up.If Sobal was injured, Aive would help him heal.Just like Aive had learned to accept the missing memories, Sobal could learn to live with the after effects of his ordeal.Aive hoped that it wouldn't be necessary, though.They walked in silence and came around to view the mountains again.Aive was struck with how profoundly different the land was here compared to his home in the Eastern Plains, where if he looked, even as far as the eye could see in all directions, there was nothing but golden fields of wheat.Not a tree, not a lake, not a hill.Jolden clasped his hands behind his back, drawing Aive's attention to the tattoos on each of his hands."You have two marks." Aive winced.That was probably an incredibly rude statement.Jolden chuckled."Yes.One is mine.I was born with it.The other is Isela's.When we marry, we give our spouse our mark.If you were an angel, you'd have two, and so would Sobal.His mark is particularly elaborate.It must have been … irritating getting the twin." Aive shrugged.He'd give almost anything to be able to remember how irritating it had been."Don't worry.When Sobal wakes, he can tell you all about your time together.He'll be recovering for a while, yet.You have time.""Time," Aive spat out.The worry morphed to fury."There's been too much time.Sobal looks like death warmed over.I don't even know this man who … " The man who was in my heart."Whoever did this to us, I'm going to kill him."Jolden stopped and faced Aive."Is that really wise?" he asked calmly."It would be better for you to go to Hel F'Nin where this can't happen again."Just as quickly as worry had turned to fury, fury turned to guilt—acute guilt.Sobal had wanted to go to Hel F'Nin long ago, but Aive had refused.Why hadn't he gone? None of this would have happened if Aive had only listened to Sobal.Remembering the dreams, he was furious with himself.He wanted to strangle the Aive of over a year ago and tell him to go to Hel F'Nin as fast as they could.But he couldn't change the past.Instead, he had to be content with the knowledge that they probably saw some nice piles of rocks that were monuments to long-dead men, but he couldn't be certain they were nice or interesting or worth it because he didn't remember.Aive took a breath, trying to calm himself, but he felt no calmer."Aren't you supposed to want justice?" Aive asked."Aren't you the infallible arbiters of human affairs or something?""Of course, and I intend to see the man who wronged you eviscerated, but Sobal needs to heal.I will take care of this."Aive shook his head."Well I need to know that whoever did this is not going to do it again.Ever."Jolden considered Aive seriously for a long moment and nodded."That is fair.You do have claim, too.I don't suppose you know who we're looking for?""Not really." Aive kicked at one of the squat pillars holding up the railing."I think Sobal knows.I ran across an acolyte in the dreams and on the beach.It can't be a coincidence, especially since he was on the beach so close to Sobal."Jolden sighed."Gods-damned human religion.They supposedly revere us, but then they capture us and use us to assert their claim to power.It's absurd.We.Are.Not.Their.God's.Creatures." Jolden spun around and walked briskly on."It wouldn't work." He sliced his arm through the air
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