Was I really about to do this? I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to live with myself if I did. But then again, I’d just killed my sisterand committed a Kinetic massacre, so what’s one more morally questionable act to add to the mix?
The lamp on the bedside worked only half the time, illuminating when it wanted to. I could easily use my magic to fix that, but there was no way I could risk exposing my energy to the Kinetics who were undoubtedly tracking me. I wondered what the king had told the people had happened to me.
And Peri…
Fuck. Peri.
My heart shredded into millions of pieces and sliced my throat every time I thought of her, which was a lot. I deserved to suffer for what I’d done. I did worse than fail her. It was a betrayal regardless of the fact she had sacrificed herself for my freedom. It was too much to cope with.
Liquor bottles filled the small trash can in the room, so I’d started a neat little line of them against the drab wall. I wanted to be drunk for what I was about to do next, but I couldn’t. There was no room for error, so I needed a clear head.
If only Valik would hurry up.
I checked my body for the meager score of weapons that Onyx had shoved into my palms following my escape from the King’s Palace, ensuring I still had the three Elemental blades I’d taken from my locker.
While everyone had been congregated in the lobby, Onyx had slipped me past into an adjacent hallway and snuck me out a forgotten door. Though it had been locked down like the rest of the building, it still didn’t have a chance of holding up against my magic. And I’d killed any Kinetic who’d witnessed us without a second thought. Hopefully, since I’d used my electromagnetic abilities to fry the cameras, they didn’t have evidence of Onyx aiding a traitor.
Once outside, he’d shoved extra Kinetic blades into my hands and urged me to run to literally anywhere besides the King’s Palace. “I’ll tell Slate.”
“Only Slate. And maybe Hazel,” I’d insisted. The fewer people who knew I was alive, the better.
Onyx had nodded, assuring me he’d grant me that final wish. “Take it easy. And stay alive.” His warm amber eyes drooped with sadness. “We’ll miss you, man.”
I swallowed, trying not to succumb to the unyielding agony in my heart. I’d lost everything. Sixteen years old, and I had nowhere to go. No money. Nothing. And my sister was dead.
Continuing to pace back and forth in the motel room, I grew impatient waiting on my mysterious, otherworldly ally.
The familiar white light blasted through the sickly atmosphere of the room. I squinted my eyes, shielding them from the pain the brightness induced.
Valik stepped through, presenting himself to me with a somber expression. Not a trace of his humor or sarcasm marred his features. Wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and black pants, he shoved his hands into the front pockets. “You ready?”
“As ready as I can be,” I said on a sigh.
He nodded his head in understanding. “I get how hard this is. Trust me, but please know this is your only chance. If you’re sure you want to go through with it, know there’s no going back.”
I inhaled a deep breath, trying not to gag from odors that had sunk into the carpet and walls, becoming a permanent fixture of the room. If there was one thing I could do, it was protecther. I’d failed my sister, but protecting Gray one last time would be my final act before figuring out where to go from here.
“I’m sure.” What little remained of me would be tattered and strewn, but I had nothing to lose at this point, anyway. As long as she was safe, then that’s what mattered.
“Very well then, Prince. I can only hold it open for roughly ten seconds before it collapses on me. I’ll be watching from afar, and once you’re ready, I’ll know and reopen it for you to come back. In and out, Chrome. No time to waste.” The warning in Valik’s tone sent chills down through my body, knowing what the consequences could be if I blew it. I wouldn’t. Not this time.
I stepped back as Valik reconstructed the portal of white light. Once again, he exerted every ounce of strength to open it and hold it in place. “Go!”
Unsure, I nodded and stepped toward the portal, nervous to enter something so foreign and unknown. I glanced at Valik, sweat dripping down his forehead and his face strained. Feeling precious seconds slipping away, I walked forward, stepping through the white light.
Crossing through, the floor shifted from the dank and stained carpet of the motel to the plush and pristine white carpet of the King’s Palace suites as the portal snapped shut behind me. Valik had led me to the exact spot I needed to be to avoid any contact with guards or Warriors. I had never been more grateful for the man.
As it was past midnight, the room was dark, and most people, aside from those on their shifts in Guilds, were asleep. Slate was on patrol tonight, and he would draw the king from his suite by falsely claiming that an Elemental attack was coming to the palace.
Before me, a large four-poster bed sat on a platform, plush in its comforter and mattress. Moonlight trickled through the thick curtains that hung from the floor-to-ceiling balcony door, highlighting the peaceful expression on the princess’s sleeping face.
I didn’t have long. Slate was distracting the king, but it wouldn’t be long before someone detected my energy, especially given how high alert everyone must be at the moment.
It was cruel to disturb her from her sleep, so maybe I could get away without waking her.
Careful to silence my steps, I made my way to the edge of the bed and admired her beauty one last time. I took in her peaceful emotions and relaxed a fraction, knowing she was okay. A lock of her black-and-white hair fell across her eyes, blocking a solid portion of her face. And if this was my last time seeing her, I wanted to see her face at its fullest.
Gently, I pushed her hair aside, tucking it behind her ear.
