Page 43 (2/2)

For a long tiht"

The story poured out of her, and Daniel let it co time

When she finished, Daniel’s eyes ith tears

"What you call love does not sound very beautiful," he said slowly "Think of the e adore the Throne

That adoration makes us the best versions of ourselves

We feel encouraged to go further with our instincts, not to change ourselves for love If I were yours and you were mine, I would want you to be exactly as you are I would never eclipse you withhand Maybe Lucifer had discovered love, but this angel see wonderful

Suddenly, Lucinda was kissing Daniel, showing hiive her soul entirely to another They held each other, Daniel’s and Lucinda’s souls glowing brighter, two halves made better as a whole

Flash

Of course, Lucifer cae within him had swelled so much that he ice as tall as her

They used to stand eye to eye "I can stand the yoke no longer Will you coiance to our love?"

"Lucifer, wait--" Lucinda wanted to tell him about Daniel, but he wouldn’t have heard her anyway

"It is a lie formore Let us lory"

"How is that love?" she had cried "You adore your dreaht me how to love, but I cannot love a soul so dark it eats up others’ light" He did not believe her, or he pretended not to hear her, because Lucifer soon challenged the Throne to gather all the souls in the Meadow for the Roll Call

He’d held Lucinda in his grip when he e, but when he started to speak, he was distracted and she was able to slip away She walked into the Meadoandered a all along

Lucifer bellowed at the angels:

"A line has been drawn in the cloudsoil of the Meado you are all free to choose I offer you equality, an existence without an authority’s arbitrary rankings"

Luce knew he ht have thought he loved her, but what he loved was controlling her with a dark, destructive fascination It was as if Lucifer thought Lucinda was an aspect of him

She huddled next to Daniel in the Meadow, basking in the war, as Daniel’s na out across the Meadow

He had been called He rose above the riot of angelic light and said with calm self-possession, "With respect, I will not do this I will not choose Lucifer’s side, nor will I choose the side of Heaven"

A roar went up froels, from those who stood beside the Throne, from Lucifer most of all Lucinda had been stunned

"Instead, I choose love, " Daniel went on "I choose love and leave you to your war You’re wrong to bring this upon us," Daniel said to Lucifer

Then, to the Throne: "All that is good in Heaven and on Earth is made of love Maybe that wasn’t your plan when you created the universe--maybe love was just one aspect of a complicated and brutal world

But love was the best thing youThis war is not just

This war is not good Love is the only thing worth fighting for"

The Meadow fell silent after Daniel’s words Most of the angels looked dumbfounded, as if they did not understand what Daniel els’ na to their rank, and Lucinda was one of a handful of angels higher than Daniel It didn’t matter They were a team She rose to his side in the Meadow

"There should never have to be a choice between love and You," Lucinda declared to the Throne "Maybe one day You will find a way to reconcile adoration and the true love You have made us capable of But if forced to choose, I must stand beside my love I choose Daniel and will choose him forever she’d ever had to do She turned to Lucifer, her first love Without being honest with him, none of this would count "You showed rateful But love ranks a distant third for you, far behind your pride and rage You have begun a fight you can never win"

"I a all of this for you!" Lucifer shouted

It was his first great lie, the universe’s first great lie

Arm in arm with Daniel in the center of the Meadow, Lucinda had made the only possible choice Her fear paled in comparison to her love

But she never could have anticipated the curse Luce remembered now that the punishment had come fro: Both the Throne and Lucifer--out of jealousy or spite or a loveless view of justice--had sealed Daniel and Lucinda’s fate for many thousands of years

In the silence of the Meadow, a strange thing happened: Another Daniel soared up next to Lucinda and Daniel He was an Anachronisel Luce Price knew and loved

"I co spoke "If we must be punished--and, my Master, I do not question your decision--please at least rereat features of Your power is Your e and humbles us all"

At the time Lucinda had not understood this--but in Luce’s iven Luce the gift of a loophole in the curse, so that someday in the distant future, she could liberate their love

The last thing she rehtly when the cloudsoil boiled black The ground dropped out froue, their Fall Daniel had slipped from her reach Her body had fixed into immobility She lost him She lost all memory She lost herself