Closing her eyes, she pictured herselfsurrounded by the glow, and then she started to imagine the glowfading away and her skin returning to normal. It was so vivid inher mind she could almostfeelit.
She could practically taste how badly shecravedthe image in her mind to become true. She yearned towalk free again in the human realm and the Gloaming and everywhereelse, including this rocky outer realm with its red sun and craggymountaintops piercing the sky.
In her mind, she was once again normal as shetipped her head back to bask in the sun beating down on her whileshe stood beneath its rays as a completely normal immortal oncemore.
When she opened her eyes, she swore her skinglowed brighter.
CHAPTER 19
By the end of the first day, Lexi wasdisappointed but hopeful. By the end of the third day, herfrustration was growing, and the niggling fear she would always belike this was taking a firmer hold on her.
By the end of the first week, she wasstruggling not to cry in frustration. Not only was she no closer tostopping the glow, but she was also exhausted.
When she wasn’t working with Kaylia to gaincontrol of herself, Brokk, Cole, and her dad were training her tofight better. She was stronger and faster without the potion tosuppress her strength, reflexes, and abilities.
Lexi had no idea what else was possible forher, as she and Kaylia were also failing to unlock that potential,but she could wield a sword far better than she ever could before.She still preferred a dagger and throwing stars, as she couldmaneuver the first better, and she didn’t have to get close to hertargets with her stars.
However, wielding a sword had its benefits.She was also learning how to battle someone in hand-to-hand combat,and it was kicking her ass.
Despite Sahira’s healing potions and her ownability to heal faster without the suppression potion, she wasstill sore, bruised, and exhausted when she crawled into bed everynight. ShesworeBrokk lived to sweep her legs out fromunder her so she would always fall on her very bruised and batteredass.
He laughed every time he did it, and Lexi wasbeginning to understand Kaylia’s dislike of him. When he offeredher his hand, she’d push it away and get up herself. She learnedreal fast to bounce up and away from him as the first time sherose, he swept her legs out again.
Cole had to leave after that move as theshadows stirred around him, his eyes burned silver, and he couldn’thide the outline of his fangs behind his lips. It was necessary forher to learn this and to realize she would always have to be onguard in a real battle, but he didn’t like it.
Her dad worked with her on defense the most.At night, they moved the furniture in the library aside so he coulddrill her on keeping her hands up, watching her opponent’s everymove, and trying to learn their weaknesses.
She and Cole mostly worked on weaponstraining, though the three of them weren’t against teaming upagainst her. She was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyesopen at dinner.
Once, when she fell asleep at the table, shewoke to discover mashed potatoes all over her face. Cole wanted herto take a day off; she refused.
She had to get through this, she had tolearn, and she had to get better if they were going to defeat theLord. The only problem was, she was getting better at fighting,weapons, and defense, but she wasn’t making any progress when itcame to her arach abilities… whatever those were.
And now, at the end of the second week, shewas feeling more beaten down and hopeless than ever. She would notlet this defeat her. She would figure it out, even if it tookyears.
Lexi tried not to think about the possibilityit might take that long. If she did, with as exhausted as she was,she’d start crying and probably never stop.
She also couldn’t think about the reality.And that was, they didn’t have years before the Lord sought todestroy them.
While Kaylia worked with her one-on-one,Brokk, Orin, and Varo stopped coming to the outer realm. They’dshifted their focus to preparing Orin’s troops for another war.
They’d also moved the refugees out of thetunnels beneath the manor. Lexi was sad to see them go, especiallyJayden, as she’d grown close to the little boy, but with therevelation of what she was, she’d realized it was more unsafe thanever to have them beneath the manor.
Her father had made sure no one woulddiscover the tunnels. However, if her heritage were revealed, theLord and Malakai would tear her home apart or destroy it. If thathappened, there was a chance the refugees could be uncovered andkilled.
For now, the refugees all resided in theouter realm where Orin’s prison was located, including the humans.It was dangerous to take humans into the shadow realms. When hefirst started gathering rebels, Orin had come to her to keep themortals safe in her tunnels, but they didn’t have a choiceanymore.
The humans should be safe at the prison, butthey wouldn’t be allowed to leave it. She was sure they were allmiserable there, as it didn’t sound like the most hospitable place,but at least they weren’t trapped beneath the earth anymore, andthey would be safer.
And soon, those who could fight might have todo so again.
Although, with the way things were going forher, they might never have to fight. Or they would have to fight,but they wouldn’t have an arach there to help them through becauseshe was failing at tapping into her powers.
She hid it well, but Lexi could tell Kayliawas becoming annoyed that she couldn’t figure out how to repressthe glow or how to trigger Lexi’s other arach abilities. If sheevenhadany other powers.
Lexi was beginning to question if the arachexaggerated their abilities and didn’t have any. It would explainwhy she was such an epic failure at this.
But no matter how much she was starting tohope that was true, it wasn’t. The arach helped create the trialsCole went through, which meant they possessed powerful magic. Theycommunicated with or controlled the dragons… somehow.
