“Oh gods,” Amick mutters, and we whip our heads toward him. “His little sister, Laney. He’s always sworn that she loves Thayla more than him.”
My feet are already carrying me to my room before my mind catches up. Kyzen’s power rips across my body and in less than thirty seconds, the five of us are back in the living room.
Armor on, ready to go.
I strap one of my swords to my back and slide one in Thayla’s holsters. She gives me a single nod, but she can barely contain the shakes wreaking havoc across her body.
“Ellian, I’m serious, please don’t tell him. He’ll try to follow and I can’t have that.”
“I won’t say anything, I swear.”
She faces all of us.
“Ready? Straight to Lambrit’s house.”
“Stop,” Amick says, latching onto her wrist. “We’re going to find her, Thayla, but you can’t leave us behind. We’ve only seen the central area of Oddian when we passed through. We have no clue where the house is.”
She grips her roots for a moment, then releases a deep breath.
“V. Will you starshoot us?”
“Of course.”
The tension in her bleeds out a touch, but it’s swiftly replaced with an all too familiar glimmer in her eye.
Someone—a lot of someones—is about to meet their end.
“Laney is my one and only concern. Once I reach her, then I’ll worry about the rest.”
We nod in understanding.
“Now are we ready?” She can barely contain the rage in her voice.
“Yes,” we each say.
V gives us no warning hoot as his power wraps around us.
One second, we’re in our living room. The next, in madness.
People’s screams echo from every way down this dirt path we’ve appeared on. The abundance of noise takes us each by surprise for a fleeting second.
It’s rapidly washed away when Thayla bellows, withdrawing my swords from her back, and hauls ass toward the house in front of us. She quickly glances at the neighboring house before charging through the already open door.
“Laney! Laney!”
She screams, tearing through the entrance hall with us hot on her heels. A few steps in, she slams to a stop. So do I.
She falls to her knees beside a woman on the ground. My gaze stays locked on the…being standing beside her.
My entire body runs cold as he turns his attention toward me.
In an eerie slowness, he glances down, and my focus follows.
The air in my lungs turns to stone.
The man standing here is the same man lying on the floor.
Unmoving.
