He goes slow at first, his strikes coming at me in almost slow motion as he teaches me how to dodge and when to strike. I can’t help but appreciate all the time he’s spending with me and training me. Ican feel my body moving in muscle memory. I don’t tremble when he throws a real punch at me, either.
I can see why he’s Ryker’s best friend. He’s quickly becoming a great friend to me as well—not that I have admitted that. I should probably tell him, but I don’t want things to get weird. Plus, what happens on the off chance that Ryker and I don’t Bond? Would Trysten still want to be friends?
When he claims I’m stepping before throwing my punch, he moves me back to the bag, asking for permission before gripping my hips and kicking out my legs. After several rounds of adjusting to the correct position, we return to the center mat. I can feel the difference with each punch to the pads on Trysten’s hands as he swats me away.
“You’re doing great,” Trysten praises. “And getting stronger, too.” I smile at the praise before asking to go again.
By the time we call it quits, I’m exhausted, but I feel strong, I feel alive. Trysten and I are stretching when Ryker enters the gym, looking like he’s been napping. Trysten teases him about it.
Before I leave with Ryker, Trysten says again, “Great job. We’ll keep working on different attacks and how to get out of holds, but I think soon, you’ll even be able to fight Ryker off.” The beaming smile I give Trysten makes Ryker scoff.
“We’ll see about that,” Ryker teases. “C’mon, little warrior, let’s get you to bed.”
“Can I tell you something?” Aolyn asks as she sits down on her bed, brushing out her long, dark hair. She looks nervous as she glances at the door once.
“Yeah, what’s up?” I slip into a black nightgown to dress for bed. She grabs our tablets and Prisms, shoves them into the bathroom, turns on the water, and then closes the door. My full attention falls on her.
“Raea, I think…” She shakes her head. “I think something bad is happening with my father. I was talking to him about your Sgya incident, and he mentioned that she wasn’t happy about it. When I asked him who, he said,” she gulps, “the dark one.” Goosebumps erupt over my arms, and the hum of my power rushes to the surface.
“The dark one?”
She nods. “Over break, there was a lady in the palace. I never saw her face; she was always cloaked in dark robes, but something was off with her. And her powers—” She shudders. “I think she controls the shadows.”
Bile rushes up my throat at the same time I hear the voices in my head. I focus on Aolyn. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because,” she moves to my bed, sitting beside me. “I think,” she swipes at a tear. I’ve never seen Aolyn cry. “I think they’re planning an attack or something big. I overheard her speaking with my father about the veil being close, and then he said something to her about you.” She looks up at me, those icy-blue eyes shrouded in tears. “I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner, but I don’t think it’s safe for you to stay at school.”
“A,” I whisper, “I need to tell you something too.”
So I do. I tell her everything that happened to us on Sgya—the real story—and then about the magic and prophecy. I don’t know why I tell her, but she’s my friend, and she betrayed her father’s trust by telling me.
“I think it’s time to go home, Raea,” she sighs. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
That night, I go to bed thinking of a girl shrouded in shadows, whispering to them like they’re her pets, ready to do her evil bidding.
“Please, help!” I scream.
“Stop fighting us,” the eerie voice snarls, wrapping around my mind.
I grab my throbbing head and bend over, willing the voices to stayout. Around me, the colonies are arguing with each other. Some have been consumed with anger, tearing into the next person they see. Some are filled with lust so intense they seem almost inhuman, animalistic in the way they move, like nothing else matters but fulfilling their deep-seated desires.
The one thing they all have in common is that they aren’t themselves. Onyx mist fills the air with its nefarious voice and tangy taste, and there’s nothing I can do but watch the colony destroy itself. Swirling onyx mist sits like a blanket between the shops and homes, forcing people to walk through it.
Whispers and voices chantingKill…Take…It’s all yours,filling the space between the shouting and chaos.
“Give it to me, and this will all stop,” the voice chants.
I feel like I’m going to be sick. I scream, squeezing my head because it feels like I’m being ripped in half, and my body feels like it’s burning from the inside out.
“Give it to me,” it demands.
“No!” I shout. “No!” Hands wrap around me, gripping me tighter. “No!” I shout again, thrashing to get free.
My people need me. My whole body shakes, the grip growing tighter. I summon my heat, ready to burn, when I feel a cooling calm wash over me.
“Hey, hey.”
I snap my eyes open to see Aolyn and Ryker standing over me. Ryker has his hands on me, pinning me to the bed. Aolyn looks terrified, her fists clenched at her chest, a look of pure terror in her eyes.
