Defiance Rising

EIGHTEEN

  A near constant gust coils around me as I plant my feet and face off with the tornado. Bastien’s hand falls away from my arm as he mirrors my stance. I can feel his fear and hear the rapid pulse in his neck.

  Blinking, I realize I can hear more than his frantic heartbeat. I can hear the branches overhead clacking out a disjointed staccato. Hear the groaning of the pine trees as they release their needles to the might of the vortex. I can also sense the steady breathing of a man within the eye of the storm.

  I have no idea how the man can actually be within the deadly vortex, but he is there. I can feel him, even if I can’t see him.

  Look at Bastien.

  My gaze turns, as if in slow motion, to focus on the man beside me. I notice how pale his skin is, the way his neck cords as he struggles to swallow, and the rise and fall of his Adam’s apple as he fights to control his panic. When his fear-darkened eyes swivel to meet mine, I feel it, like an explosion of fireworks within my belly. Heat boils over as it seeps into every fiber of my being.

  Bastien’s mouth gapes open. “Your eyes─”

  “I know.”

  I turn to face the tornado, now less than a quarter mile away. All hint of fear has fled and been replaced by black fury. The whispers rise in my mind, drowning out everything around me as I take a step forward.

  The winds break against me, like waves against a rocky shore. I hear Bastien call to me but I ignore him. I continue to advance, slowly descending, facing off with my enemy.

  You have great power, Illyria, but do not let it control you, Kyan warns. Harness your power, unleash it, but do not kill that man.

  Why not? I can hear the unnatural growl attached to my words. It sounds dark and guttural, altering my usual voice.

  Killing changes a person.

  I’ve already killed, back in the factory and in the woods.

  There is silence from Kyan’s end. His hesitation makes my confidence waver slightly. Deal with this. I will help you learn control afterward.

  I feel him withdraw from my mind. His sudden departure leaves me feeling both alone and rebuked. As I plant my feet, nearly fifteen feet ahead of Bastien, I realize Kyan’s disappointment actually bothers me, that he would think I meant to kill those Squaddies.

  “Illyria, come back! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

  I shake my head, unsure if Bastien can even see the movement against the deluge of debris spiraling between us. I watch as a clump of trees at the bottom of the hill cleaves from the earth and flies into the air. The sky is full of saplings, shrubs and pencil straight trees.

  The ground ruptures underfoot, the soil parting, shifting. As the tornado begins its ascent up the hill, I hold my ground, staring down the black clad figure I can scarcely glimpse through the vortex. The cyclone contorts, violently shuddering as it appears to thrust upward, expanding in breadth along the cloud base and narrowing along the ground until only a tight funnel remains around the man. Buttery eyes of the fair-haired man rise to meet mine.

  “You are either very brave of very foolish,” the man bellows.

  “I bet you’d like to know which, huh?”

  “Not many have the guts to face off with me. Certainly never a human, but then Commander Drakon doesn’t think you are human, does he?”

  “The jury is still out on that one.” I shift, flexing my hands at my side. The heat in my fingertips is nearly unbearable. I begin to wonder if all I’ll be left with are singed nubs when this is done.

  The man watches me with great intensity. I breathe deeply, catching a hint of his fear on the air. “You have two choices. You can run back to Drakon with your tail between your legs or we can fight. You’re choice, but personally, I’m aching for a fight.”

  The cocky grin that stretches across my face feels foreign and I realize that I am no longer in control of this situation. Something has assumed the reins as the whispers form a hushed mob in my mind, dispelling any hint of trepidation on my part.

  The man’s stance stiffens at my insulting challenge. A vein running the length of his forehead, from scalp to the bridge of his bulbous nose, pulsates madly. “You dare speak to me like that!”

  “Are all Caldonians this pompous?” I roll my eyes and plant my fists on my hips with an air of exaggerated mockery. “Of course I dare!”

  With the rush of a thousand winds, the tornado descends over the man and eats up the terrain separating us.

  Well, I’ve done it now, I silently grumble as I raise my hands and prepare to fight.

  Instinct drops me into a crouch. I honestly have no clue what to do, or how to begin fighting a force of nature, but I close my eyes and wait.

  I can feel a presence in my mind, like snakes slithering over my skin. The feeling is both repulsive and enthralling at the same time. The whispers rise in my mind, cheering wildly, taunting me to seek revenge. Mentally I cower away for their calls for my enemy’s demise.

  Let me show you what I am capable of, a voice hisses.

  Images fill my mind── a field of mangled, severed limbs, and lifeless eyes pooled with blood. I walk among the dead, my clothes drenched in Caldonian blood…but it’s not only my enemy’s blood. I can see piles of humans rising to the sky, broken and tortured but hanging on to a shred of life. They plead to me as the stench of their burning flesh rises from the burial pyres, as they’re set alight. I walk past without any offer of aid or sympathy.

  Kyan? What the heck is that?

  The Shadow, he responds. It is powerful but as long as you can focus, you will be able to control it.

  The brutality of the images sickens me and I try to look away, but the Shadow laughs at my weakness. Release me and I will show you real power.

  “No!”

  I thrust out my hands toward the tornado and cry out as energy ripples down my arms. The air shimmers with gold and obsidian, a coiling inferno to rival my enemy’s. It rampages forward, charging with increasing speed to consume the heart of the Caldonian tornado. The man within releases a blood curdling scream as the vortex alights with brilliant flames, licking up higher and higher to consume the clouds. The forest illuminates with an intense explosion of light as the blackened clouds and tornado appear to implode and vanish from sight. Warm sunlight spills onto the valley once more.

  I fall to my knees, weakened and gasping for breath. Bastien rushes to my side, wrapping his arms around my shoulders as he shifts in front of me, cupping my face. “Are you ok?”

  “I…I don’t know.” My voice wavers as the whispers in my mind taper off. The presence retreats, but I can feel its approval. Slowly I regain control of my senses.

  Bastien’s thumb brushes along my cheek, his gaze staring fixedly into my eyes a slow smile tugs at his lips. “Your eyes are so beautiful.”

  I snort weakly, collapsing into his embrace. “Black becomes me, huh?”

  “No. I’m a sucker for girls with violet eyes.”

  I laugh and lean my head against his chest, breathing deep. “Is it over?”

  He cranes his neck to see over my head and nods. I glance up when I notice his entire body tensing. “Did I…did I kill him?”

  I stare into his handsome face, silently pleading with fate to be kind to me just this once. Bastien smiles and shakes his head. “I don’t think so. He seems to be breathing, but I’m guessing he’s gonna have a nasty headache when he comes to.”

  “That he will.”

  I whip around to see Kyan standing less than ten feet from us. Bastien instinctively reaches down my back toward my dagger, but I still his hand.

  “How did you find us?” I ask, amazed by how perfectly composed he looks, not a hair out of place.

  Kyan approaches slowly, cautiously, never blinking as he watches Bastien. “I’ve been here the entire time. Joce is one of the best trackers we have. I knew if anyone could find you, it would be him, so I kept my distance until I saw him power up. It’
s hard to miss him once he sets his eyes on his target.”

  “Who is this guy?”

  “This is Kyan,” I say.

  A low growl rumbles in Bastien’s chest. “You let her fight him, knowing she could’ve died?”

  “No,” Kyan shakes his head. “I let her fight him because, without her, you and I would both be dead right now.”

  Bastien glances at me. I can tell he’s frustrated with this answer. “Welcome to my world,” I mutter.

  When Bastien helps me to my feet, I brush off layers of debris from my clothes and try to shake most of it out of my hair. “Why are you here, Kyan?”

  “I told you I would find you.” He glances beyond me to the blackened grass, singed by my tornado. “I’m sure by now you have a lot of questions. I need to give you the answers.”

  “Why should we trust you?” Bastien challenges.

  I glance over at him. “Weren’t you the one saying we should search the City for him to get answers?”

  “Yeah,” he nods, glaring at Kyan. “But he didn’t have to know that.”

  Kyan smiles and drops his gaze. I can tell by the glint in his eyes that he’s doing more than listening with his ears. I lean close to Bastien. “He can read minds, too.”

  “Now you tell me,” Bastien mutters, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Raising his hands in a show of surrender, Kyan closes the gap between us. “I’m not here to make enemies, Bastien. I only want to help Illyria lean how to control her abilities. You’ve seen what she is capable of. If she can’t learn to harness the Shadow within, the devastation you see before you is what the entire earth could look like. She’s getting stronger with each day. I fear what will happen the next time.”

  “What is this Shadow you refer to?” Bastien asks.

  “I felt it,” I whisper, curling my arms around my stomach as I stifle a shiver. “It was in my mind, showing me things.”

  “What things?” Bastien steps closer to me.

  I shake my head. “I won’t let that happen.”

  “It won’t. Not if you let me help you,” Kyan says.

  “And you think you can help her?” Bastien scoffs.

  I glare at him and he wipes the smirk from his face. I turn to face Kyan full on. “How do you propose to help me?”

  “By training you to control your emotions and harness your will. It will take time and no small amount of effort on your part. I can’t say it will be easy, because there’s never been anyone like you before, but I’m willing to try if you are.”

  Bastien throws up his hands in the air with irritation. “That’s just great. We’ve got a traitor Caldonian who’s willing to ‘train’ you but doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing. This doesn’t feel right, Illyria.”

  “I know.” And I do. I rub my hands along my arms, willing the goosebumps to disappear. The memory of that presence in my mind terrifies me, as do the images burned into my thoughts. “Kyan is the best shot I have. You thought so yourself, didn’t you?”

  “Semantics.” His face darkens with anger.

  Kyan appears at my shoulder. I stiffen but don’t back away for fear of the ensuing fight Bastien is sure to initiate. “I can help her, Bastien, but it’s going to take trust.”

  “Trust,” Bastien scoffs again, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, like she’s going to trust scum like you.”

  “I’m not talking about Illyria.” His pointed gaze makes Bastien stiffen.

  “Me?”

  “You are her protector, are you not?” I can hear the lilt of barely restrained laughter on his voice. Such show of chivalry must not be common among Kyan’s people.

  “I am.” Bastien raises his chin in defiance.

  “Then you are going to have to bring her to me each day for training and trust that no matter what I ask of her, I’m doing it for her benefit.”

  “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.” Bastien’s hesitation comes through loud and strong. I place a warning hand on his arm.

  “I understand, but this is the way it must be. Commander Drakon is aching to get his hands on Illyria. That much is obvious by Joce’s presence. He’s getting desperate. We can’t let Illyria be captured before she has learned control. The effects would be devastating.”

  “Not to mention it would totally ruin my day,” I grumble, thinking about the greedy glint I saw in the commander’s eyes the night he watched me take out his men. He’s power hungry, that much is for sure.

  “So what’s your plan then?” Bastien asks.

  “It’s simple. There is a rock formation about an hour south of your cave. Do you know it, Illyria?”

  I scrunch up my nose, thinking of the landscape. It’s a densely populated area with gnarled brambles and overgrowth of trees. As such, we have avoided that area for the most part. I’m not a fan of digging thorns out of my legs for hours on end, but I know of the place he speaks. There is a small arena in the middle of the brambles, about half the size of the Temple, which is surrounded by tall rounded boulders that create a nearly perfect enclosed circle.

  Eamon and I discovered it about a year ago when we were out hunting. A young doe managed to get herself trapped inside, her leg snapped in three places. I don’t like killing young animals but, upon Eamon’s assurance that the deer wouldn’t last the night with the wolves moving into our area, I made the shot. My only condolence is that she didn’t suffer.

  “I know it.”

  “Meet me there when the sun is high each day. I will be waiting.”

  “I can’t. Bastien and I are heading into the City.”

  “Why?” Kyan’s question comes out like a bark.

  “We’re hunting the Diggers.”

  “You won’t find them there.” Kyan glances between us. “It’s a waste of a trip and highly dangerous. It’s best for you to head back to camp.”

  “I’m not taking orders from you,” Bastien says as he steps between us.

  “It’s not an order. It’s a suggestion.” Kyan says. “You want to keep her safe, right?”

  Bastien’s jaw clamps down as he nods. “Of course I do.”

  “Good. Then take her back home and meet me tomorrow.”

  Kyan turns to leave but I call out. “How will you make it from the City each day? That’s at least a four hour walk.”

  “Who said I live in the City?” He turns and winks.

  Cocking his head to the side, Bastien scrutinizes the alien. “I’ve got one more question.”

  Kyan’s eyes narrow at Bastien and I can’t help but wonder if he already knows exactly what Bastien is going to ask. “Why do you care so much about Illyria?”

  For the first time, Kyan drops his gaze. “I have my reasons.”

  Bastien cross his arms over his chest, creating a rather imposing figure. “I look forward to hearing them.”