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Falling forward, I barely caught myself before falling completely into the basin, groaning as the cold water gathered in the bottom reached up my forearms and splashed my chest. Before I could recover, Ember lit a candle and filled the room with dim light, enough for me to see the offending obstacle.
"What is this place?" I asked, wiping my hands grimly on the front of my robe.
"I don't know. But I know it's safe from prying eyes and that's all we have going for us right now."
I wiped at the wet spots speckling my chest, but my efforts were no good. Instead, I felt the cool droplets soaking in and reaching my skin, giving me a clammy feeling that matched the atmosphere.
"Is this where you guys-"
She arched an eyebrow at me, daring me to finish my question. I fell quiet.
"This is where I completed my training," she said quietly after a tense moment.
I sat with my discomfort for a little while, not sure if I should apologize for asking something so personal. But the muffled sound of footsteps outside made both of us freeze, and then the door slid open enough for Kiango to slip inside. The look on his face was enough to make me anxious.
"What's wrong?" Ember asked, the two words sounding ominous and much too loud.
"The orb is missing."
"What? The orb? But who would have any use for it?"
Kiango hissed at me, silencing me in an instant, and then went to light another candle.
"Imrys. It explains everything."
"Excuse me? What is everything? You haven't even told us what happened," I argued, earning another powerful glare from him.
"Sit and listen."
I did as I was told, looking up at him like a starry-eyed child about to receive a bedtime story. Only this was going to be bad. I could feel it all the way down to my bones.
"What I saw out there was not a typical storm. It was wild, and it seemed to have an objective."
Under any other circumstances, I might have scoffed at the idea, but instead, I recognized the feeling immediately. That's what I had faced, too.
"When we met it, there were only three of us. Imrys's ship was nowhere to be seen. For a while, it seemed like we were winning. The storm was receding, and we were pushing it back. And then...all the sudden..."
His words trailed off and his eyes grew distant as he relived the memory, searching for an explanation.
"It exploded," I whispered, remembering the way the power had pulsed unexpectedly.
His eyes met mine and there was understanding, unspoken confirmation.
"Two Guardians were lost. Their ships were destroyed completely. It was only by Re'Utu's grace that I made it out alive. But as I was fleeing, I could swear I saw Imrys's ship hovering between the flares."
"But why?" Ember asked, her voice trembling.
Now that I could see both of them clearly, I was struck by the worry lines that creased their faces. Kiango looked like he had aged ten years in the minutes since we had left his room. Ember looked like she was just barely keeping it together, but she might fall apart at any second. And then there was me. I was standing there, so confused by everything that was happening, I didn't even have words for what I was feeling. It was impossible to be scared or even angry anymore, because the scope of the enemy had changed so rapidly that I could no longer aim my fears accurately. All I knew was an overwhelming sense of dread and an even greater desire to bring Anya down here and hide her away from whatever was coming.
"What do we do now?" I asked, finally finding my voice amid my tumultuous thoughts.
"We go ahead with your training. We have no choice."
"Down here? I can't call upon Re'Utu from down here! It won't work."
"I'll help you," Kiango said sternly. "With the orb, we could have channeled His energies all the way down to the planet's core if we so desired. Without it, things will be more difficult, but we can still manage. You just have to trust me."
It was so strange hearing those words come from Kiango. He was my mentor. Of course I trusted him. An intrusive thought stopped me in my tracks. Should I trust him?
