Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Look at me.” Gaia rushes over and grabs my arm. “Look at me!”
She’s taking a huge risk, daring to get near me when I’m an explosion just waiting to happen. But her touch grounds me.
“What do you feel, Aruan?”
My voice is dead along with my heart. “Nothing.” Only the rage lives and grows.
“If she were dead, there would’ve been a body.”
Maybe there is. I wouldn’t even know where to look. We’re only connected as long as the bond is alive.
“Think about it.” Gaia’s command is more of a plea. “You thought she was dead once, and it wasn’t the case.”
Her words hook into my brain, clearing the fog of rage a tiny bit. “She was on Earth.”
“Yes,” she breathes. “It’s a possibility.”
A slight one, but still…
The rumbling of the walls stops. The ground ceases to shake. The sun returns, casting light on the destruction visible through the windows.
I still don’t give a dragon’s ass about what I’ve done, the terrible emptiness battling with the fury inside me. Yet that possibility, that tiny sliver of hope… “Why would she be there?” The hollow voice barely sounds like my own. “How would she even have gotten there?”
“If Tarix is nowhere to be found on Zerra, maybe he’s hiding on Earth.”
I drag in a breath, the sliver of hope expanding before my fury rises again, along with the simmering power. “You think Tarix took Elsie?” With effort, I keep the power contained, the hope just enough to make me want to do so despite the rage burning me up inside.
“I don’t know, but it’s possible.” Gaia squeezes my arm. “Think about it, Aruan. After someone tried to poison Elsie and tampered with the bridge, Kian read the minds of everyone in the palace. The only minds he couldn’t read were yours and Elsie’s because you blocked them from him. However, he never got an accurate reading on Tarix’s mind. He thought the vagueness was just because Tarix is a little dumb.”
“Except maybe he’s not.”
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that Tarix is the one who tried to kill Elsie. The mere idea feeds the dark power inside me. Moon cycles of lightning flash outside, raining down from the sky.
Gaia gives a start and worriedly eyes the flashes of light through the broken window. “We won’t know for sure until we find him, and if he created portals for the Phaelix to bring slaves from Earth, he’s capable of going to Earth himself. What better place to hide?”
I’ve considered that thought, that Tarix is on Earth, but I first wanted to be sure he’s not on Zerra. Gritting my teeth, I tamp down my power as Gaia says, “Mother should be able to help. Let’s go see her.”
She pulls me toward the archway, and I let her drag me along, the ember of hope flaring brighter within me. If there’s a chance that Elsie is still breathing, I need to stay in control.
I need to save her.
My mother is dabbing a cloth to a cut on my father’s forearm when we enter her quarters. A big bruise blooms over her forehead. Kian is pouring a potion from a flacon into a goblet, presumably something for the pain. The room is a mess of fallen stones and broken glass. Their injuries are no doubt a result of that.
My parents stare at me, white-faced, neither of them asking the question on the tips of their tongues. What happened? Why did I lose control of my power? They’re too scared that talking about it will set me off again.
Instead, I do the asking as I look at the deep slash on my father’s arm. “Where’s Vitai?” My voice is as emotionless as it is harsh.
“Tending to Incus,” my mother answers. “A stone from the ceiling fell on his head.”
I feel no guilt. Nothing. The numbness has set in at an alarmingly fast rate, much quicker than before.
“Elsie is gone,” Gaia blurts before turning to Kian. “Can you tap into her mind?”
The gaze he trains on me says he knows I’m not using a protective barrier to prevent him from reading her thoughts. Averting his eyes, he gives a single shake of his head.
“Then she may be on Earth,” Gaia says.
“What makes you think that?” my father asks.
“Mother sent her there once. What if Tarix has done the same?” She turns to me. “You should go look for her there.” She pauses before adding in a pained whisper, “At least then you’ll know.”
The tension on my mother’s face eases slightly. “Gaia is right. You should go.”
So if my power flares out of control again, it’ll be on Earth, not on Zerra. They don’t say it, but I can see it in their eyes.
Nobody’s even mentioning the council that would normally have to approve this. They’re only too eager to get rid of me.