The holograms feel so tangible, but as I reach out, my hand slices right through the projection. A sudden clank of metal pulls me back into focus. This is the pivotal moment where I decide to fight.
With a surge of adrenaline and determination, I throw my hand back, activating a small jet of air that propels me forward. I land solidly with a thud, my boots magnetizing to the hull of their ship. I don’t waste a second, throwing myself forward as I race toward them.Each step is heavy with the weight of the magnet’s pull, and I know I’ll need to practice running in these.
The first assailant charges me, and I manage to get one shot off. He disappears, leaving the two others still running toward me. My gun throws an error at me, probably intended, but I’m out of time. I’ll have to do hand-to-hand.
I slide across the surface on my knees, hearing the screech of metal on metal, keeping the edge of one boot attached to the hull so I stay anchored. With a swift movement, I kick out the knee of the second soldier, but before I realize it, he tumbles onto me, and we become locked in a rolling wrestle. Out here, he feels almost weightless. The energy shield I rely on when on planet doesn’t protect me here. Every hit I take feels like a physical blow, leaving me breathless.
In a moment of focus, I reach for their helmet. While they throw punches at my sides, I manage to dislodge it, and he vanishes from the simulation, leaving me one more opponent. She doesn’t hesitate, lifting me effortlessly—I guess antigravity helps with that. She screams, hurling me from the ship, but follows after me, colliding mid-air. With a firm grasp on me, the battle begins.
A cracking sound alerts me to the splintering glass of my helmet as my head snaps back. I gasp as the screens inside my helmet glitch and then disappear, leaving me staring into the dark form of my attacker. These suits are designed to withstand extreme temperatures and are lightweight enough that I can move with ease, but if the glass breaks, I’m dead in a single heartbeat.
The third hit almost splinters the glass, and I realize she has a chunk of something in her hand. I throw my hand into her stomach, blasting a quick stream of air at her, but she doesn’t let go, her grip tightening around my neck. Fear tries to lodge itself in my throat, but I shove it into a box quickly before it overtakes all logical thought.
I will not be weak.
My Hallo gun is finally ready, and with another loud, splintering crack to my helmet, I fire off a shot to her side, hitting her just below the plate of armor. She disappears instantly, becoming nothing more than a blur of colors as the simulation lifts along with the lights.
I find myself on the floor, gasping for air, and it takes a second for me to come back to reality. I’m still at school…in the simulator…not in space. I pat my face, finding no helmet there. I gasp for another breath while gazing at the black domed ceiling now filled with bright lights.
The sound of clapping and laughter fills the air. I turn my head to find the entire class behind the glass wall already snapping photos of me on my back having a minor anxiety attack over a dumb simulation. My gaze shifts to the two men taking up too much space.
Really?
Anders and Trysten are also there discussing something when Anders and I lock eyes. He flashes me a warm, genuine smile—dimple and all. I groan internally. He has a knack for always showing up when I’d rather he not.
We hold eye contact for a moment, and it’s enough to feel and see the ripple of light between us. My core heats, and not from embarrassment that I almost got my ass handed to me. I hold his gaze for another heartbeat before glancing back up at the dome.
Who cares why he’s here?
“Well done, Princess Raea,” Professor Ainslyn says over the speaker. “That’s a senior-level simulation, and you just passed with flying colors.”
I close my eyes, still coming down from the adrenaline coursing through me. I have some choice words for the professor right now, but I swallow them down, letting oxygen flood my system and chase away the jitters and nausea that are now threatening me.
Anders and I find a small alcove not far from the simulation room, where we can talk. I can see that he’s stressed about whatever it is he wants to talk about, as he continuously shoves his hand through his hair. I’m not even sure he’s aware he’s pacing.
“Something is wrong.” His hand brushes through his dark locks. “Please just hear me out. You’re the only one who might understand.” My face scrunches in confusion. “The veil…I…” He looks down the hall both ways, assuring we’re alone. “I think I can feel its power, and something is draining it.”
I grab his wrist, halting him in place and flinch, swallowing the surge that threatens to consume me. “How?” I bite out. “How do you know?” I take a deep breath and relax back into the pillows. Anders sits across from me, elbows resting on his knees with his hands clasped in a prayer.
“For the past year, I’ve been able to feel the magic around me. When I’m around Bonded couples, it’s like they have a certain aura around them. It started as a feeling…” He shakes his head, groaning.
“And now?” I whisper.
“I can see strands of light; not like the Bond itself; it’s different. I haven’t been able to figure out which colors are associated with what, but today, the colors vanished for forty minutes. While you were in the simulator, they came back. And you…” His sapphire eyes meet mine. “Raea, you have magic.”
I swallow, my throat feeling dry as my heartbeat quickens. “What do you mean I have magic? I haven’t Bonded, I swear.”
“I know that,” he assures me. “But, Raea, whatever magic you have, it’s flowing through you now, and I don’t know why I know this, but it’s a different kind of magic. It feels…old.”
“What you’re saying is ridiculous!” Voices silence me as we both wait for them to fade again. “Anders, I don’t have magic.”
“You do. But I need to know…do you believe me about the veil? Something is going on. I should be getting reports on behalf of my mother, and I’ve heard nothing.” He pauses, looking both ways again. “Which means either nobody knows, or someone is intercepting the Proto reports.”
My heart stammers.
The reports from our space military, Protos, are the only thing keeping the crowns informed. What he’s suggesting is treason. “You can’t know that.” The look he gives me suggests that I need to wake up. “But who would stop the reports? Our kingdoms need those.”
“I don’t know. But I need to find out. In the meantime, will you help me? I can’t trust anyone else.”
