I sat up straighter. “Really, I’m fine.”
“’Fine’ has many definitions.” Alex tapped his notes. “How about we start from the beginning? You, unfortunately, passed out and had to be woken up to complete the surgery. Your nurse said you babbled about Edinburgh. Why is that, Quinn?”
I swallowed. Should I lie or tell the truth?
“I had a dream,” I finally settled on. “About living in the future…”
The bright lights buzzed under the soft sound of “Let it Go” from Disney’s Frozen, playing on a small TV in the corner of my hospital room. My heart rate monitor steadily beeped as distant voices from the hall added yet another layer of noise.
So much noise, so familiar yet horribly…
I froze; the gauze wrapping my head was soft under my fingers. The beige walls seemed to pulse and shrink around me. I’d done this already.
The door opened, and a man, so similar to Xan, shuffled in. The walls returned to their original size, and I yanked my hand away from my head.
My heart rate spiked, making the beeping increase with it.
‘Breathe, stay calm. We’re trying.’ Ezra said in my mind.
I shoved my palms over my ears. Ezra was gone. He’d never really been. I’d woken up from a dream and lost everything I never had.
“Quinn, are you hurt?” Alex asked, coming to my side. “Do I need to call a nurse?”
I rocked. The pain of my loss hit me in waves. I didn’t remember the rest of my surgery. I didn’t remember much at all. My friends, my magic, everything I’d come to love and accept, good or bad, was gone that fast. I hadn’t been useless or a drain on everyone around me. I might still have been crazy, but people loved me for it. Cayden and Ezra had come to save me, and I’d helped them. Except… none of that really happened because they never existed.
‘Quinn, our girl, our light; breathe.’Ezra’s voice mixed with my sorrow. Memories of him, of Xan, of all of them rushed in, and I clutched my heart.
The room faded to nothing. Alex, still trying to get my attention, vanished as heavy loss obliterated the present. Tears streamed down my face. I cried until there was no water left in me.
I didn’t hear Alex leave, but as awareness of my surroundings came back to me, I found myself alone. Where was my dad? He should be here. We’d been attached at the hip, and he’d been watching my surgery. I scrubbed my eyes and searched for him, or if not him, his coat or any sign he waited by my bed, because where else would he be? We were each other's world. Nothing met my gaze: blank walls, a curtain, and a battered armchair under a window. That was it.
Alex cleared his throat from the doorway. I screamed in surprise. Suddenly, I was back in a room with Cayden’s grandfather. An image of him superimposed itself on Alex. The voices filled my head. I launched myself backward and off the bed. Before I could hit the ground, the world went dark.
Chapter 2
Alexander
Invaderswereinmyhome, inside my walls, and attacking my people. The sounds of screams and combat pierced the air. Rowan and I slowed our run as what appeared to be a Lawson slid into our path. Instead of his tie-dyed orange robes, a tunic made of the same material and leather trousers gave him more movement. A sharp, curved sword sat in his grip, pointed directly at me.
I had two options here.
Influencing the minds of others wasn’t an easy task, nor was it a long-term solution. If a person was bright enough, they could logic their way around whatever control I’d wrestled from them.If their thoughts were strong enough, they could fight my control with pure determination.
Rowan drew his massive sword, the sharpened edge burning with his cold elemental Majekah. The Lawson’s eyes turned into saucers, but he didn’t back down. Lines of green formed in his free hand as Rowan took a step forward.
How many of my people faced this same violence?
I’d already scraped the surface thoughts of every man inside my walls. If I closed my eyes, I could see a map covered in little dots indicating the placement of every sentient creature. Our storeroom was developing a rodent problem, which I’d have to deal with later.
Fortunately for me, the fifty-odd men invading my home were not strong. Paid mercenaries made up half the invaders, and Cayden’s zealot family filled in the gaps.
I could stop this violence; I just had to break my rules.
The Lawson fired his spell, and Rowan caught it on his massive sword, sending the chunk of dark green spinning into the sky.
The real problem wasn’t this man or any of the minions dueling it out with my people, but the three already in my Alun.
Rowan swung, and the Lawson dropped flat to avoid being cut in half. My indecision stretched the moment into slow motion.
