I nodded, pressing my forehead to the wall.
“Step back, Josh. Allow me.” Ki—brilliant and fierce—brushed over raw nerves as the High Priestess pressed her hands to my face. “Thank you, Mila,” she whispered, commanding the burned skin on my face and chest to cool, to knit and become whole. Effortless. “That was quite the show, my darling.”
When she finished, I sighed, head falling back, watching with hooded eyes. How? How had the High Priestess recovered so quickly, when I was too weak to do more than simplybe?Too drained, even, to reach into my pocket and drink from a well of Elite strength.
She smoothed my hair off my face, smiling as she said, “Here. Your Glaith.”
With a nod, I honored my promise. Grinding my teeth against the wash of icy cold nothing.
“Good girl. Now, go with your father and the others. I’ll be right behind you.”
“But—”
“I cannot leave my Priestesses behind. Go. I’ll follow.”
My father’s hands settled on my shoulder. “Up you get, Mila. Can you run?”
“I can carry her if you’d like, sir?”
“N-No,” I breathed, letting my father pull me up, dragging me behind him. “We can’t leave her—”
A streak of brilliant green light whooshed past my head, freezing a scream in my throat as the wall behind us collapsed in a puff of hot glass and bits of stone. The rubble spattered over me, and my father grunted, taking the brunt of it. Staggering and disoriented, I coughed, scrubbing at the grit covering my face. “Daddy! Goddess, are you alright?”
He groaned, a trembling hand finding mine as the dust settled all around us. “Yes”—he coughed—“I’m fine.”
Heavy boots crunched on broken glass. “Ah, there you are.” And through the haze of debris, I could see who’d spoken. Could see General Tilcot himself filling the ruined doorway. A smirk fixed to his lips. “We’d like a word.”
“Aword?”the High Priestess snarled, her fury punching me through the Glaith. “General Tilcot, you’ve broken more treaties than I can count! Howdareyou attack us here!” One hand pressed to the wall, she shoved filthy hair back from her face. “Get out of my house before I remove you.”
“Well, you see,” the General replied, stepping aside to reveal several more dark shadows at his back, “we weren’t the first to break treaties today, Your Grace. Your people are traitorous cowards, or hadn’t you heard? Caledonia was bombed this morning. By Tritan religious extremists.Yourpeople.”
“What—that’s absurd!” the High Priestess exclaimed. “Worship of the Goddess ispeaceful—”
“I’m not interested in your pathetic excuses, woman. You, and any other Priestesses you’re hiding in this little treehouse paradise, are coming with me. You shall be interrogated under the suspicion of terrorism against the Empire. Everything in these labs, including the rats cowering behind your skirts, are now property of the Empire of Caledonia.”
The High Priestess squawked, reeling back from the accusation. “Terrorism? Are youinsane?We are a peaceful nation, sir. We’ve hardly any military to speak of, and certainly none residing here at the bloodytemple!We are your allies, for the love of the Goddess—”
“Not after this morning, woman. What will it be? Will you demonstrate the ethics of your so-called peaceful nation, or are we in for another showing of your true colors?”
“Our true—GeneralTilcot. You will not lay a single finger on my people.”
“Oh, I assure you, woman. I’ll be doingmuchmore than that.”
The High Priestess slid her right foot back, summoning her ki in a whirlwind around her. “Senator Tannovic, you know where to go and you know what I expect of you. Now flee. I will take care of these pests.”
Face ashen, my father merely nodded, placing a trembling hand on my elbow as he tried to force me to move.
An evil grin twisted General Tilcot’s handsome face. “I thought so.”
“Mila. Let’s go, lass,” Josh hissed, joining my father in his attempt.
I swatted at their hands, lips pulled back as I glared at the general. “I stand with the High Priestess.”
“No, lass, you won’t. She’s a powerful woman. She can handle this. Now come, girl. Don’ make me throw you over m’shoulder.”
General Tilcot took another step, shifting a heavy looking weapon off his shoulder. At his touch, it began to glow a vibrant, poisonous green. “Fan out, Elites. I want every one of these Tritan scum hogtied at my feet in the next five minutes. My boots are in need of a good cleaning.”
With a laugh as savage as that of her rising ki, the High Priestess shook out her hands. “Do you plan to shoot me, General Tilcot? Because that’s the only way you can move beyond this room. I’ve taken your measure, Elite. You cannot hope to match my power.”
