Crais(8)

“Why haven’t you jumped up all crazy-like and demanded to know what happened to Brace?” Lucy’s question drew my attention.

I faced my oldest friend. I’d been avoiding her, knowing she would read my anger and devastation better than anyone. Worry exuded from her, her blue eyes huge and shiny. I could see the red rimming her lashes; she’d been crying.

“I already know,” I said.

There was movement in the room as everyone shifted. A range of emotions crossed their faces, but the strangest expression was the relief on Josian’s.

“What’s with the relief? What did I miss in the last few hours?” I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him.

“I’m relieved – and curious – that you already know, since I have no clue.” He fiddled with his shirt.

I’d never seen him so rattled.

“We were fighting and I knew Que was playing with us, but I couldn’t figure out why. And then when he laughed ... well ... it was at that moment I sensed the presence of something else. Something powerful that merged with Brace.”

Just hearing those words hurt.

“Then Que disappeared with the rest of his men. And while Walkers don’t usually run my instincts said we needed to get the hell out of there.”

Que was not only Brace’s father, but he was also the leader of Abernath, the most powerful Walker clan. He’d challenged my father to a battle, wagering myself and Talina, another half-Walker from the planet Spurn, as the prize. Whoever controlled us halves controlled the Seventine. I was currently on a mission to travel to each of First World’s youngling planets to find the native half-Walker. So far I only had Talina, but it was clear that as I collected each girl the interest in us would increase.

And the danger.

I faced Josian. It was time to alleviate everyone’s curiosity.

“It’s the first of the Seventine. It controls Brace. It said he was the only vessel strong enough.” My voice was flat.

“How do you know this?” Grantham’s eyes narrowed.

I laughed without humor. “It visited me in my head somehow. It made a rather interesting attempt to bargain with me. It will release Brace if I assist in freeing the third of its brothers.”

“Why didn’t it kill us at the field?” Lucy asked.

“Brace fights it and it cannot fully break the melding bond. Until it does it will not be able to utilize his strengths and harm us.” Gods, I wished this conversation was over.

Josian sighed. “It will figure out how to break that. And I wouldn’t take that deal seriously, baby girl. It will be some type of trap.”

I nodded. I wasn’t really considering it. I just wished the words would stop running through my mind.

“How can you prevent it from contacting you, Aribella?” My mother spoke up, her gentle voice harder than usual.

I smiled. “It’s okay, Mom, I know how to stop it.”

I’d been the one to touch the golden cord. If I could manage to stay away from it, we’d all be okay. The cord had to be the remnants of my bond with Brace, like a direct connection between us.

I stood then, sick of everyone towering over me. I hardened my words as I spoke. “Alright, I’ve had enough of the Bracentine for today.” Yeah, I’d given them a couple-nickname. “I’m running out of time, so I need to pull myself together and get out of here.”

“Running out of time to do what, Abigail?” Lallielle spoke again.

As usual, during discussions on Walker matters, she’d stayed back. But when it came to her children, she did not hesitate to step into her role as mother. I loved how gentle her features were as she smiled at me. First Worlders, like Walkers, do not age, so physically she’d eternally look like a beautiful thirty-year-old. But her eyes held depths that no thirty-year-old had.

“To finish my mission and leave for the next planet. I’m running out of time to find the girls. Who knows when this creature will break Brace and release its brothers? I felt its power. No one could fight against that for long, even though …” My voice cracked and I only just realized that tears were tracking along my cheeks. “Even though Brace is fighting for us; he promised me he would always fight for us.”

And I was going to figure out how to save him. I’d continue my mission, but if it took me a thousand years I’d get my mate back.

Suddenly I missed him so much that for a moment, as I sucked in a breath, I couldn’t force it out of my lungs. I was crippled with the pain. Eventually though I managed to resume normal functioning. As I worked to lock in the pain and loss, my thoughts flashed back to the moment of his possession, and another face exploded across my mind. One that instantly had my blood at a lava-like boil.