When We Were Still Human by Vaughn Foster (best ereader for textbooks .txt) 📕

of the aether, but at the rate things were moving, anything was worth a shot. Focusing the energy in her chest, Avia lit the cards on fire and threw them into the snow. She closed her eyes and imagined the conjuring, just like she’d done in the spirit world; only this time, it was anger that lit the spark.

Fire erupted from where the cards had landed. A moment later, two sets of hands punched through the frozen earth. Snow and ice within a five-foot radius melted in a clouding mist as two pale, white figures rose to their feet.

They were more beautiful than Avia could have imagined. Unlike her past soldiers, which had been born from girlish fantasy, these creatures could have been dragged from hell itself. The spade symbol was carved in the center of their chests, then colored with a dripping black ink. Similar marks scattered across their arms led up to silent, cold faces— or lack thereof. They were missing all traditional facial features, but instead bore a black spade symbol of their respectable card number.

Avia smirked as they silently bowed at her feet. When they lowered their heads, she noticed jagged scars along the base of their necks like they’d been hung by a noose.

With a wink to a horrified Castor, Avia stepped between her creatures and sat on their shoulders. In one motion, they lifted their queen into the air and grabbed onto her legs. Once she was secured on her perch, they began to march in perfect union.

“You guys coming, or what?” Avia called behind.

After another half hour, Avia felt herself growing tired. Even though she hadn’t walked the last two miles, she was exhausted. Last night, she’d been floating in the nothing. This morning, she’d met angels, vampires, and stars, learned she was supposed to destroy the world, and then was sent to the South Pole to find a sorcerer—not a terrible day. Just unimaginably tiring. Plus, the energy it took to sustain her soldiers was far more draining than she remembered it being in the aether. She could feel herself drifting off and the sway of their marching only heavied her eyelids.

“Look! A house!”

Avia raised her head to see what Castor was shouting about and breathed a sigh of relief. A small cottage sat delicately atop a mountainous snowbank some few hundred feet ahead. A billow of smoke snaked picturesquely from the chimney. Sending the single mental command of forward, she kicked her heels into the creatures’ chests and spurred them faster.

The sun had already hidden itself behind the outer drifts and nightfall was quickly approaching. A tiny house in the middle of a frozen tundra was suspicious, but they needed food and shelter. Perhaps they’d get lucky and the owner could point them in the right direction to Ys— especially since Castor’s directions had done them so well thus far.

Paris took control of her brother’s body, changing forms as she banged on the door. “Hello! Is anyone home?”

She lifted her fist to knock again and the door slowly creaked open.

“Oh. I wasn’t expecting any visitors…” A middle-aged man in a cardigan and pajama bottoms stood in the doorway, equipped with a steaming cup of tea.

Both parties stared in silence and Avia mused that everyone was equally surprised. The man had grey skin, long dark hair, and red irises. On his porch was a girl in all black, two towering, faceless creatures, and a woman covered in stars.

The man eventually shrugged and fully opened the door. “Come on, it’s freezing out here.”

Not needing another invitation, Avia snapped her fingers and the two soldiers burst into flames, then returned to her hand as cards. The man tilted his head for a moment but wasn’t particularly fazed. With a sip from his mug, he stepped aside and led them into the house.

It was a quaint home. There was a living area with a fireplace to the right of the doorway and a simple kitchen to the left. Avia glanced around and couldn’t help thinking about how her own condo back in Tallahassee could swallow the place whole. Even without the comparison, the house was beyond modest. The tacky, plaid-patterned chairs were… nice. And if you squinted, the living room lamp had character? Overall, though, the place lacked any personal touch that would detract from the “rustic cabin” vibe.

Their host motioned for them to sit by the fire, then proceeded to pull several large blankets from the hall closet. After handing them both two comforters, he retrieved his mug and took a deep whiff of the steam.

“So…” he said after they had gotten comfortable. “Michael sent you?”

“How do you know that?” Avia asked, hesitantly settling in front of the fireplace. Hearing him mention the angel king sent a chill down her spine, but she was in no position to do anything. She was exhausted to the point where lighting a candle would’ve been a struggle. A side glance at Paris revealed that Gemini was in a similar state.

“Well,” the man said, bringing her back to the room. “Mirage or not, you shouldn’t have been able to find this house. When a Celestial and a girl who’s bleeding magic show up at your front porch, by process of elimination…” He shrugged. “I’m sorry, I don’t have a spare bedroom. But please, make yourselves comfortable.”

“Thank you so mu—” Castor started, but was cut off by an enormous yawn. Paris hazily wiped her eyes and snuggled deeper into the wide recliner she’d claimed at their arrival.

Avia tried to keep her eyes open but the energy she’d spent on her fire and soldiers left her empty. Before she knew it, she was cocooning herself tighter in the blanket and drifting asleep.

“Oh my god,” Avia mumbled. She pulled herself to a sitting position and looked around the room. The hearth had