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She returned to Endelle’s sitting room, sweating and trembling. She sealed the doorway again, her arms high and spread out, her power flowed, but she knew she didn’t have enough juice to complete the job.
“Merl,” she called out. “Need your help here. ” But Merl was already there, hands planted on the wall and she felt the entry point seal up.
She stepped back, staring at the darkening wall, watching it fade. In the great distance, she heard another blast but the wreckers were too late.
When she turned, Samuel took her by the arms. “Where the hell did you go?
Vela, don’t take off like that again. At least take me with, for Christ’s sake. Fuck, you’re shaking. ” He drew her into his arms.
She held onto him breathing hard. He slid his hand beneath the mass of her hair to the back of her neck and rubbed, which helped, but she struggled to process what she’d seen, how close the wreckers had gotten to her. Beyond that, what about the vision of herself lying naked, in the darkening, on a stone floor?
She couldn’t seem to calm the hell down.
Endelle turned to Alison. “Can you help us here?” Alison moved in and placed her hand on Vela’s head. The most wonderful warmth and compassion flowed and she finally too
k a deep breath. In slow stages, Vela began to calm down until she pulled away from Samuel.
An odd vibration passed through her, a kind of knowing, as she shifted in Alison’s direction. Suddenly, she felt Alison, all that the woman experienced on a deep level as she applied her healing gift. She felt Alison’s fatigue, her level of anxiety for her young daughter’s safety, that she worried about her breh, Kerrick, all that time.
On instinct, Vela met Alison’s gaze and as though flipping an internal switch, she turned the same compassion back on Alison, as though she reflected the woman’s power.
Healing warmth reversed, flowing out of Vela’s mind and heart into the woman whose hand still rested on Vela’s head.
Alison drew back, her brows lifted in surprise. She’d broken the contact and now stared at her hand. “What is that?
What just happened?” But the power still flowed, so she extended her palm toward Alison. “May I?” Alison stared at Vela’s hand for a long moment, then finally nodded.
Vela placed her hand on Alison’s forehead and as more healing flowed, the powerful ascender breathed a deep sigh of relief and murmured, “Heaven. ” Vela kept up the process, wondering how this was even possible, how she could actually give back what Alison had given.
When the sensation dimmed, Vela drew her hand back.
“What the hell is going on?” Endelle barked. “We have a warrior to save. What did you just do to Alison?” Vela stared at her own hand. “I’m not sure. I felt she was distressed and offered the same comfort she had just given me. ”
“That was amazing. ” Alison shook her head, her lips parted, brows raised.
“And I actually feel at ease for the first time in a long time. ”
“And that’s what you just gave me.
So, thank you. ” Alison smiled, her blue, gold- rimmed eyes full of light. “I’m just amazed. ”
“Okay, knock it off with all this touchy-feely shit. ” Endelle’s voice rang through the room. “Vela, what the fuck happened when you went into the darkening just now? And by-the-way, you sent your man into a shouting fit. I’ve never heard so much profanity bounce around a room before, unless I’d launched it. ” Vela glanced between Endelle and Alison then back. She knew something significant had just happened, more than just giving comfort to Alison, but the scorpion queen demanded answers now.
Fully restored, Vela set her attention on Endelle. “The darkening called me to the Seers Palace. A Third ascender has taken Owen Stannett’s place. I believe he’s the one that held Samuel prisoner all that time, the one called Sharav. ” She gave a description of him and Samuel nodded. “That’s probably him. ” Endelle turned to Merl. “Does that sound right?” He nodded, his brows drawn together.
“Fuck. ” Endelle released a heavy sigh and after a moment addressed Thorne. “I think we have our answer about what happened, and how the three generals knew where and when to attack. ”
“Seer information. ” Thorne, making use of his deep, gravelly voice, released his own stream of profanity. “I should get over there. I’ll take a division if I have to and tear that goddamn place down stone- by-fucking-stone. ”
“I think that’s a plan,” Endelle said.
“But right now, let’s get Duncan out. If this Third asshole also orchestrated Duncan’s capture, then he might decide to speed up the execution. ” Thorne nodded briskly several times, turning toward Samuel. “Since you’ve already been inside the grid, I want you to take lead. ” All eyes shifted to Samuel. “The only thing we’re not sure about is how to distract the wreckers so we can attack and get their weapons. We should figure out a way to move in from a flank position, maybe lure a squad of wreckers to us. But how do we trick them?”
“I know what to do,” Vela interjected. “When I was in the darkening, I slipped into Sharav’s head and saw exactly how this would go down, at least the first part of it. Trust me. ”
“What did you see?” Samuel scowled.
Vela switched to telepathy and told him what she’d seen in the vision, of herself, naked on the floor.
