“You’re full of shit, Fifth,” Ravi shouts, pulling all our attention.
“No, she’s not. You don’t know fuck-all,” Calix shouts back.
“How about you tell us then, Calix. Like, where did you go off to and where’s Crimson?”
As soon as that question’s out, the room falls silent. It’s not my place to spread the news. It’s Calix’s decision as to how much of the truth he shares.
“She’s dead. Fighting for exactly what we are now. So, you better shut the fuck up and listen.” Calix’s voice grates with the pain of his sister’s death, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop the replay of how my brother snapped her neck right after she stabbed him in the chest.
Raiden and Capella at least look shocked by this. Crimson was their friend, and I see the grief hit them both. But not Ravi or Azur.
“Calix, we’re so sorry.” Raiden steps towards him and bends at the waist, offering a small bow, as does Capella. He just shrugs. But I know Calix better than that now. He’s hurting.
“We’re not here to cause trouble, we promise. But thereisa fight coming. One where people will choose sides.”
“Who are you fighting, Ever?” Raiden asks.
“My brother. He took me from Kirrasia. Kidnapped me, tortured me and Ten, and killed Crimson.He’sthe one I’m fighting.”
“Sounds like you’ve got that covered. What do you need from us?” she asks.
“Nothing. I’ll ask nothing of any of you. The decision and the side you take in this must be your own. But I am warning you that there will be a choice, a side to take. The Warriors are preparing. There’s a bigger fight here than just my brother, and it may spill out to affect you. Please understand that everything is at stake—everything in Kirrasia.”
“Ev...er!” Lyle’s strangled cry pierces the air, and I turn back to see her on her knees, her hands clutching her head, as she’s pulling at her hair.
Ravi and Azur are standing to the side, their hands over each other’s, and Azur’s attention is on Lyle.
“Stop it!” I yell as I watch Lyle in pain. Anger pulses, red hot in my veins and power is suddenly magnified within me, screaming to lash out, and right at my fingertips. I push my hand out, and Ravi is knocked backwards by a stream of water, a storm, all directed right at him as if I’ve turned his own magic back on him.
It answers so easily, without any thought. Just like the invisibility, I can just do it. But it also feels unstable and deadly, like a slip of my hand might have the rain and wind suddenly fill the room and drown us all.
Golden threads of magic hang in the air, just like in Nehandun and what I saw from Fenix. I see them now, weaving through the space between us.
Lyle’s still in pain, Kalan’s crouching next to her, and the sight of her stokes my power further, calling it to act. The rain and wind funnel into the room, threatening to block out the light, and the fire that’s always burned in the food hall turns to smoke. My storm grows, pelting down on Ravi and Azur, attacking them, until their connection to Lyle drops.
Azur sags backwards, and I waste no time, splashing through the rain pooling on the floor, and I stalk right up to him. I swing hard, my fist landing against his jaw and knocking him to the ground.
“Don’t ever attack someone I love again.” I shove my finger in his face, “You should know it’s rude to play your little mind tricks on someone, or have you forgotten what it feels like?” I remember what it was like in that maze he set for me, and the trick he played on me when I first arrived and how my own mind turned it into a trap for him.
As I stand over him, the rain eases, and I see Ravi get to his feet. “We’d never fight beside you. You are everything wedespise.”
Those words spear me through the chest, and I’m transported back into that cell. They’re the same words that Micah said to me as he turned me over to my brother.
“Who told you that? Who told you those words?” My power lashes out, beating against the walls of the well, but it’s unruly now, and I can’t control it. Strands of dark smoke leech out into the room and curl around Ravi’s ankle.
“See? You’ll take everything you want if someone doesn’t stop you.”
“No. You attacked a defenceless person. You don’t get to complain when you pick on someone who’s bigger than you.” My magic explodes. “This is on you.”
The black shadows grow, smothering the air, replacing the rain and wind from a moment ago.
“And you’re always right? Your side in this fight is the right side. Why, because you said so?” Ravi’s words taunt me.
“I’m fighting to stop Kirrasia from falling into ruin,” I defend.
“And who said it isn’t already. Why is your version better? Maybe we’re sick of the way things are, of our choices already being set for us, and of having to hide the power we have, just so others can have a better life. What about our lives? Is that fair? Not from where I’m standing. So, if that means fighting you, then so be it,Fifth.” He spits the moniker at me.
“Like you’d stand a chance,” I warn. I raise my arms, as if it’s the next step, as if the power inside of me is desperate for me to call it—to use it.
