The Canodill Pass loomed before us, the gaping maw of granite and shale the only accessible entrance into the Glaith mines. With protected vantage points, elevation, and access to the forest, it was theperfectplace to defend—and that was without mention of Alicia’s ki shield. For when the Caledonian forces made it through the Grandmother’s distractions… they would come.
He’dcome.
I wasn’t fool enough to think I’d put him off forever.
But this next time, I’d be ready. All I had to do was win this inane argument with Josh.
“Mila, lass,no.”
“How can you say that, Josh? You really think they won’t come knocking at Elora’s door next? They’re coming for the Glaith in those mines”—I flung my arm wide, toward the Canodill Pass and the mountain beyond—“and we can’t let them get away with it. Wehaveto fight.”
“We’renotletting them get away with anything, you stubborn wee thing.” He ran a hand through his short brown hair, blowing out a frustrated breath. “We need t’gather therightresources. We canna just turn and fight an army of Elites as we are now! You’ve only just begun t’recover from the damage done by that infernal lion you love so much, lass. And I’d thinkyou,of anyone, should know better than that. Did you not see what happened in the caves? The High Priestess is a Trila-Glís, and she couldna stand against that man.”
Yes.Thatman.
Tracing the brand, I bared my teeth, pacing the threshold dividing forest and the rocky skirt of the mountain. Captain Rawlings, with his soft lips and insidious promises of protection and untold wonders. Pulling at me. Humming a beautiful, seductive song even through his banishment.
Tossing my hair over my shoulder, I put my feet to the loose shale, ignoring the sharp teeth nipping my soles as I stepped toward Josh once more.
Glaith. Abundant in the soil beneath my feet—the answer to everything, according to the High Priestess and her followers. But unrefined, virgin Glaith washungry. Each step cutting me off from the Grandmother and her ever expanding network of power, from the lion and her kittens. And from the captain, too, though he was still there. Muted.
“Mila,” Josh said, reaching for me as I paced, eyes gone soft. Pleading. “You canna truly believe you can take on a single Elite by yourself, let alone the whole army.”
With a snarl, I batted his hand away, returning my feet to the rich loam and the network of life and power hidden from mundane eyes. “Do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot do, Master Trapper.”
“What’swrongwith you, lass?”
I scrubbed at the tension etched between my brows. What was wrong with me? I laughed, fists clenched. “Shall I forget what they did, then? Be a good girl and run from the big, scary Elites? Submit to your perfect logic and ignore what that putrid did to my father—”
“I don’ know why you’re mad at me, lass. I’m not th’enemy here.”
“If you’ll do nothing, you’re worse than they are.”
Again, he swept his hand through his hair. “Just relax, Mila. I don’ understand why you see fit t’do this now, when we’ve finally made it to safety. Can we finish this insane conversation as soon as the scientists get finished installin’ that shield?”
“Insane?” I stalked toward him, braving the rocky poison beneath my feet. Fury crackling at my restraint.
He rolled his eyes. “If you could see yourself—bah! Never mind. I’m asking you as a friend, Mila, t’wait until we’re through the Canodill Pass and into the Glaith Mines. We can talk when we’ve got an impenetrable shield between us an’ them, yeah?”
For a moment, I merely continued to scowl, breathing hard. “Fine.”
“Right.Fine.” He returned my icy glare. “I’ll deal with you later.”
A sharp, hysterical bark of laughter burst from my lips, and before I could say—or do—anything that would destroy our friendship forever, I stomped away. Belle and the other Priestesses caught my attention, their soft, pure ki a beacon to the fire whirling through my heart.
“Come sit with us, sister.”
I flopped down on the ground beside their tight circle, rubbing at my temples. “The earth here is poison,” I hissed, tugging my sandals off their cord and jamming my filthy feet through the thin leather straps.
“Poison?” Belle laughed. “Hardly. It’s Glaith, sister. We’re close to the mines, that’s all. The soil is saturated with it,” Belle said, turning her pale face into the sun. “I find it rather enjoyable, truthfully. It’s peaceful without the burden of our gifts. Reminds me of the salt caves.”
“It’s poison,” I said again, turning my scowl upon the mountain. “I hate it.”
Belle chuckled, cracking one sparkling blue eye at me. “You’ll get used to it. I’ll teach you to meditate.”
When she returned to her sunbathing, I sneered. What use had I of meditation when the forest whispered secrets only I could hear? Secrets only I could understand? Why should I submit, when the Grandmother offered power enough to squash my enemies, if only I’d reach out and take it? Why would I hide my ki in the Glaith when even Captain Rawlings—the impossible, Elite parasite glued to the back of my ribs—couldn’t squash the power at my disposal?
I scowled at the misty peaks beyond the clouds, tempted to chew his brand from my flesh. What use had I of the mountain and the Glaith beneath it, if I had to sacrifice the darkness running wild through my veins? “How anything can survive in this barren void is utterly beyond me.”
