Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 130619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
I follow up my success by almost dying by tiger attack. Those white tigers really want to eat me, and I’m too zapped from all the things I’ve been boiling to rift. Micah grabs me, rifts me to the edge of the forest, and declares us done for the day. Next up is the library, where we are awkwardly alone and back to reading about demons.
This time, when he orders his meatball sub, I order a sub of my own. Egg salad, extra-large, and I down two bottles of water. It’s only when we’re eating that we finally have a small conversation. “Why are you so mad at me?”
“I’m not mad at you, Ember.”
“Then what is this?”
“I told you. This can’t be about us. Neither of us has done a good job of remembering that. I can’t protect you. And you can’t protect any of us if you aren’t prepared. My role here is to make you a badass who makes it to the Diviner without allowing the serpent to control you.”
“And you think the best way to do that is to treat me like I’m nothing to you? Because all it does is make me feel alone.”
“I’m sitting right here.”
“Okay.”
“Ember,” he says softly, a plea in his voice. “If I get any closer to you, I will not be objective. I will not know if you are ready.”
“I know,” I say. “I do. I know.” I discard the rest of my sandwich and pick up a book. “The next demon is the werewolf, who we’ve already discussed back in the garrison. What I don’t know is how to get by how strong he is.”
For a moment, he stares at me, and I think he’ll circle back to the topic of us. Instead, he says, “He’s not stronger than you. And you can always boil him to death.” He laughs. “That’s a new one. I’ve never known anyone who can boil people.”
“That sounds like a disgusting way to kill him.”
“Or her. And you could just shove a star in the heart. They’re technically a lower-level demon based on their magic capacity but they don’t fully operate in that category. In this case, just like in human fables, silver is deadly to them.”
“Speaking of, when you’re in battle, do you just spellcast more stars?”
“If we have a big enough stock, yes. We manufacture them in the garrisons, where the magic is woven into them in advance by a group of elite weapons masters. And if freaking Jeremy doesn’t bind our powers.”
“Do you know how to get by that? Because what good is my fire if he can bind our powers?”
“I’m not sure he can bind your powers.”
“He already did.”
“When you didn’t know you had them and couldn’t use them.”
“I’m feeling the passing of time today.”
“I know, but it’s not the same here. That’s hard to understand when you haven’t experienced it firsthand. We stay the course. We train. We make sure you’re ready when we step foot outside Elysium. You’re not ready.” I’m not. He’s right, but what if I’m never ready? Eventually, my destiny will force us to leave Elysium, whether I’m ready or not, one way or the other. And I doubt destiny will be gentle about it.
The minute I enter the octagon where Silas waits for me, he curls his fingers at me in “bring it” fashion. I laugh and rift to stand in front of him, feeling myself again and ready for battle. “You’re not afraid of Micah?”
“Scared shitless,” he says, “but he told me he was wrong about going easy on you. He told me to let loose.”
“The day I beat your ass is going to be embarrassing for you, isn’t it?”
“Embarrassing and scary as fuck,” he says, “but necessary, so let’s go.”
And so, it begins.
Hours later, I manage to rift to my bedroom. I’m standing with my back to the door when a knock sounds only moments later. “Ember.”
I don’t know how Micah knows I’m there, but I whisper. “Yes?”
“Can I come in?”
“Only if you rift. I like the door too much right now.”
He appears in front of me, and I start to slide down the door, only to have him catch me and carry me to the bed. He feeds me the serum, and I curl up on the bed. “I know I need to shower—I’m disgusting—but can you magic me?”
A moment later, I’m in a robe, smelling like flowers, and I pull my knees to my chest. Micah pulls a blanket over me. “Who won the battle?”
“Neither of us. That’s the problem. Unless I boil him, I can’t beat him.”
“Don’t boil Silas. I’ll give you some tips in the morning.”
“I’d like that.”
He settles behind me and wraps his arm around me, and it’s everything and more. “I don’t think this is a good way to remain objective,” I murmur.