He growled at her—actually growled—before something caught his attention, prompting him to look towards the entrance of the room. He turned back to Alex with a menacing smile that caused her to shiver with apprehension.
“You have brave friends,” he said. “Foolish, but brave.”
She felt a moment of confusion before the doors burst open and Kaiden and Declan sprinted into the room. Kaiden had the Stabiliser out and immediately started shooting, but after only four shots—leading to four unconscious people—Calista reached out her hand and the weapon soared from his grasp to land in hers. A split second later, both boys flew through the air and landed next to Jordan. The four of them were standing together, frozen in a row.
“Kaiden James and Declan Stirling, my prince,” Signa announced. “They also go to the academy. But this one I can’t read, nor could I break into his mind earlier today at the Soori Outpost.”
Signa pointed at Kaiden, and Aven’s face turned pensive.
“I’ve heard of you, Kaiden James,” the Meyarin said. “You’re Master Athora’s talented protégé, correct? How long have you been studying under him?”
When Kaiden didn’t answer, Aven stepped closer to him. “I asked you a question. Answer me.”
Kaiden held Aven’s stare but his mouth remained closed. In the blink of an eye, the Meyarin threw his arm forward until it made contact with Kaiden’s torso, causing him to slam violently backwards and onto the floor, his legs bent at the knees and his feet firmly stuck to the floor.
“Hey!” Declan cried, trying unsuccessfully to break free of his captivity and help his friend.
Aven stood over Kaiden and stared down at him. “I’ll ask one more time. How long have you studied under Master Athora? He’s managed to evade me for many years and I’d thought him long dead, but I’ve recently discovered that’s not true, is it? So, answer my question, human, or you won’t live to hear another.”
Kaiden glared rebelliously up at Aven, and Alex felt her heart beat wildly in her chest at his show of defiance.
When it was clear he wasn’t going to answer, Aven shrugged carelessly and said, “Pity.”
Alex watched in dismay as he unsheathed a long, sharp weapon from his belt and raised it in the air. Even then Kaiden didn’t flinch, but everything blurred around Alex and she wondered if she was about to pass out.
When Aven’s sword slashed downwards to strike Kaiden, Alex reacted instinctively and jumped forward, throwing her hands out—hands that now held a long, ice-coloured blade. The weapon was slightly different from when she’d last seen it; not a dagger this time, but the length of a short sword. The two blades collided barely a foot away from Kaiden’s neck, and Alex had to brace herself to hold up against the Meyarin’s strength.
Aven pulled his weapon back quickly, his face startled, before he chuckled darkly. “It seems I’ve underestimated your gift yet again, Alexandra. I had believed your ability was limited to guard against mental manipulation, but it appears you’re protected against physical gift coercion as well. How… fortunate for you.”
He glared over at Calista and the woman looked shamefully to the ground as if it was her fault for not keeping Alex held captive.
“I won’t underestimate you a third time,” Aven told Alex.
She held his gaze and maintained her defensive position. Only then did he glance down and notice the weapon in her hands.
Aven’s eyes widened in surprise. He barked out an incredulous laugh before he held out his hand palm-first and said, “A’enara, come.”
Alex couldn’t keep the what-the-hell-are-you-doing-you-weirdo? expression off her face, and she wondered, not for the first time, if he really was insane. Just what she needed—an immortal, psychotic megalomaniac. Perfect.
“A’enara,” Aven repeated, his voice filled with authority. “Come.”
Still, nothing happened.
“It’s not possible,” Aven whispered, looking from the icecoloured blade to Alex’s face and back again.
Figuring his confusion was somehow related to the mysterious weapon that kept appearing and disappearing without warning, Alex deliberately tried to ruffle Aven a little more. Remembering a trick he’d pulled once, she ran her fingers down the edge of the blade, willing it to shrink. She tried not to show her amazement when it did so, and instead, she threw the now dagger-sized blade into the air casually and caught it by the handle. Twice more she repeated the gesture, and each time Aven’s expression darkened further, his fury growing with her continued flippancy.
“Do you name all your weapons, Aven?” Alex asked. “That’s kind of lame, you know. Geeky, even.”
“A’enara isn’t a name, you foolish girl,” Aven spat. “It’s an identity. And one whom you’re not fit to be in the presence of, let alone wield.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Alex said, deliberately sounding bored. “Skip the part where you insult me and jump ahead to where you let me and my friends walk out of here. I’ll make you a deal—the weapon for our lives.”
Aven stared at her for a long moment, then his expression relaxed and he started laughing.
“I truly do find you entertaining,” he said. Then his face hardened. “There’ll be no deal. I’ll take A’enara from you, dispose of your friends and return with you to the academy where you’ll escort me to Meya. In return for your obedience, I’ll allow you to live.”
Alex paled—not at the threat, but at the actual words. Or, more specifically, at the audience listening to his words. She could practically feel the questioning stares from Kaiden and Declan at the mention of Meya.
“That’s not going to happen,” Alex told him, and a trickle of foreboding prompted her to run her fingers along the blade to lengthen it again.
“It is, whether you agree or not,” Aven replied. “I don’t need you to cooperate for my plan to succeed.”
She was ready for him, at least. But she still staggered from the strength of his attack when he launched himself towards her, striking out with his sword. She managed to deflect his weapon, and she could see the surprise in his eyes before his expression turned calculating. Then he lunged forward again, and she forcefully shoved every distraction from her mind as she fought against her impossibly skilled opponent.
He was Meyarin, she was human. Even with his powerful blood rushing through her veins, he had a good thousand or more years of experience on her. He was faster, stronger and much more dangerous than she could ever hope to be. And yet… hadn’t she fought his apparently more skilled brother— wearing a blindfold, no less—and managed to hold her own until her human body had given way to exhaustion? Just maybe she would be able to keep Aven distracted long enough for the others to come up with an escape plan.
Aven attacked Alex at lightning speed, and she somehow managed to maintain a steady defence—thank you, Karter. She tried to let go and sense her surroundings, but she struggled to remember how it had felt when she’d fought with Roka, knowing that her current situation was entirely different. Then, she’d felt only surprise and a little anxiety, not true fear. Now, fear was messing with her attempt to relax and ‘listen’. Her defence became more and more difficult with the stress of the moment and the knowledge that if she failed, her friends would die. She refused to let that happen, so she decided to do something stupid.
She closed her eyes.
Alex heard Aven’s disbelieving laugh, but she blocked him out and focused on everything else. She focused on the room they were in, on where her feet were positioned on the floor, and on the weapon in her hands.
And then it happened.
Alex felt the shift as her senses expanded and she opened her eyes to see everything was so much clearer than before. She not only saw, but also felt Aven’s weapon soar towards her stomach in what seemed like slow motion.
She deflected the blade and thrust out her own sword, aware of the startled gasps in the room as she moved into an attacking stance. Blow after blow she met and returned, and each time she was just as aw
are of Aven’s shock as her own. Her focus wavered when he managed to graze her forearm with his blade, but she continued on, keeping pace with the increasingly astonished Meyarin.
After a particularly jarring strike, Aven pushed her backwards and paused his attack. Alex kept her weapon raised and her eyes narrowed, waiting for his next move. While she was panting for breath, he was barely winded.
“This is an interesting development,” Aven bit out. “I’d very much like to know how you’re keeping up with me, Alexandra. You fight almost as if you’re… No. You’re a weak human, bound by the limits of your flesh. So let me give you a warning. Thus far I’ve used but a fraction of the skill I possess. If you continue to fight me, you will lose.”
“Bold words, Aven,” Alex said, trying not to gasp for oxygen. “You look nervous. You’re not afraid of a teenage girl, are you?”
Okay, so she was goading him. But she had to hope that her friends were making use of the time she was giving them. She wanted to get out of there alive—she wanted all of them to get out of there alive—so she would continue to play her part until an alternative plan was offered.
“I revoke my earlier offer,” Aven said, raising his sword again. “The idea of your death is too appealing. Once you’ve given me what I need, you’ll die just like your friends.”
“We’ll see,” Alex returned, and she launched herself towards him once more.
She quickly discovered that Aven hadn’t been bluffing about holding back. Within seconds of their renewed fight, Alex knew she was in trouble. She was exhausted, which wasn’t helping her focus, and Aven’s increased vigour was startling. The fight was also extremely damaging to her body, which sustained more injuries with each attack.
“Give up, Alexandra,” Aven told her after slicing his blade across the side of her thigh. It was a shallow wound, but it was one of many he’d given her in less than five minutes. “You can’t fight against a Meyarin and win.”
“But I can try,” she said through gritted teeth, lunging towards him with her blade.
He deflected her easily, and just as she was about to attack again, the doors burst open. They both turned, and Alex felt her stomach plummet with dread when she saw the rest of her classmates and Samson standing at the entrance to the room.
“Look, dinner and a show,” Skyla said excitedly.
Alex would have groaned if she’d had any air left in her lungs.
Without waiting for Aven’s order, Calista stretched out her arm and the new arrivals soared through the air and were planted on the ground beside Jordan, Kaiden and Declan.
“More of your friends, Alexandra?” Aven said, his golden eyes glinting with malice.
She didn’t respond; she was too busy realising that their situation had worsened yet again—if that was possible. She needed an escape plan, and fast.
Samson made eye contact with her, giving her an idea.
“Thanks for your hospitality, Sir Oswald,” Alex called out to the elderly man who was glaring at her from the other side of the room. “Great party. But I think my friends and I have overstayed our welcome.”
She shrank her weapon into a dagger, flipped it around so that she held the blade, drew back her arm, and launched it into the air. Her aim was perfect and the pommel end of the weapon slammed into the side of Calista’s head. Stunned by the blow, the woman staggered and fell. She wasn’t knocked unconscious but she was dazed enough that Alex’s companions were instantly freed from her telekinetic hold.
“Jordan!” Alex screamed, ducking as Aven swung his blade furiously in her direction. “Samson’s balls!”
That was definitely something she never wanted to say again.
“My prince!” Signa cried. But he was too late to warn Aven about whatever thoughts he’d just read, because Jordan had pulled the juggling balls out of his coat and thrown them onto the floor. Dark smoke instantly rose up around them, clogging the air to a near-suffocating point and hiding everything—and everyone—from sight.
“Run!” Samson’s grisly voice called out from somewhere in the darkness.
Alex hoped the others were following his order and she spun around in the direction of the exit. But she wasn’t quick enough to escape the hand that grabbed her upper arm and yanked her backwards.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Aven hissed into her ear. “Not until you take me to my city.”
She couldn’t see him and could barely breathe. The polluted air burned her lungs and she started coughing as she struggled uselessly against his unyielding grip. She fought him in the murky darkness but he wouldn’t let her go.
Alex began to feel faint from the lack of oxygen. Just when it seemed her legs would not be able to hold her weight any longer, she heard Aven grunt in surprise and he released his iron-clad grip on her arm. She collapsed to the floor, but just before she blacked out, she felt a pair of warm arms scoop her up and sprint her off towards the door.
compou nd.
Nineteen
“Alex, please, you have to wake up.”
A gentle hand stroked the side of her face and she released a pain-filled groan with her return to consciousness. The following inhalation of clean air sent her into a violent coughing fit. She sat up, gasping for oxygen, and tried to clear her lungs of the noxious smoke. All the while, her rescuer ran a comforting hand up and down her back.
“Just take a few deep breaths. In and out. In and out. That’s it.”
Alex did as she was told until she was able to breathe normally again. She turned her head to see Kaiden kneeling beside her.
“Where are we?” she asked, wincing at the raspy sound of her voice.
“In the gardens at the back of the mansion,” he said. “I tried to get us up to our meeting spot on the hill, but Sir Oswald and some of the others nearly caught us when I made a break for it. I thought it best to hide until you woke.”
“How long was I out?”
“Less than five minutes,” he said. “But you had me worried since your breathing was so ragged. And after your fight…”
Alex looked away to avoid the question in his eyes. She wasn’t ready to answer what she was sure he would ask. But he surprised her, and rather than beginning an interrogation session, he stood and offered her his hand. She took hold and he pulled her effortlessly to her feet. He steadied her until she was able to stand unassisted.
“Did the others make it out okay?” she asked as they began to walk back around the mansion, staying hidden behind the hedges and statues.
“Yeah, they’re all fine. Samson’s chemical cocktail made it almost too easy for everyone to escape,” he assured her. “Hopefully they’re waiting for us and not planning some kind of suicide rescue mission.”
“Unlike what you did,” Alex said. “Twice. Care to explain yourself?”
“What’s to explain?” Kaiden asked as he ducked under a statue’s arm. “The first time you and Jordan took way too long to get back to us that it was obvious something must have gone wrong, so Declan and I decided to investigate. We bypassed stealth and went for the surprise approach. Not that it did us any good. Who were those people?”
Alex figured his comment was rhetorical—or at least that’s how she took it—and she pressed for his continued explanation. “And the second time? How did you know Aven had me trapped in the smoke?”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw him shrug. “It wasn’t that hard to guess,” he said. “Everyone else made it out and said you were right behind us but I couldn’t see you anywhere.”
“How did you find me? I couldn’t see anything in that darkness.”
Kaiden hesitated, but then said, “I’ve told you before I have pretty good intuition. Plus, it wasn’t hard to hear your struggle with Aven.”
“About him…” Alex trailed off awkwardly. She drew a breath and said, “He’s not someone you want to go around talking about.”
“I’m not stupid, Alex,” Kaiden said. “Aven Dalmarta isn’t someone I’d choose to have as
an adversary. Unlike you, apparently.”
“That particular decision was out of my hands,” Alex huffed as she pushed a branch away from her face. “He’s been after me since the first day I arrived in—”
She stopped speaking, having almost said way too much. She mentally replayed her words and was relieved to note that she hadn’t given away anything too incriminating. But then Kaiden’s statement fully registered, and she asked, “How do you know his full name?”
Kaiden didn’t answer immediately, but Alex refused to break the silence or change the topic. When they were safely out of the gardens and heading up the hill he explained.
“I’ve never seen him before, but tonight wasn’t the first time I’ve heard of Aven. I know who he is, where he comes from and why he’s no longer a prince of Meya. I also know what it’ll mean if he makes it back there. What I don’t know is where you fit into the picture, and why Aven believes you can ‘escort’ him to Meya. Last I heard, the city was impossible to locate.”
She bit her cheek and avoided eye contact, even when she felt him waiting for a response.
“I also have no idea how you managed to fight like that,” Kaiden pressed. “I’ve never seen a human move so fast.” When she still didn’t speak, he added, “Alex, I’ve gone up against you in class and I’ve watched you fight others, but you’ve never shown anything close to the skill you demonstrated tonight. You held your own against a Meyarin. That shouldn’t have been possible.”
“Guess I’m just full of surprises,” Alex said, trying to make a joke of it but failing miserably.
“You saved my life tonight,” Kaiden said quietly. “I’m not going to force you to tell me anything, and I’ll make sure Declan doesn’t either. But you have to know that I’m… concerned. I was worried when I thought you had Marcus Sparker on your tail, but Aven Dalmarta…”
Kaiden trailed off into a sigh. He stopped walking and reached out for Alex’s hand, halting her beside him. Looking straight into her eyes, he said, “Just promise me that if you ever need help, you’ll ask.”