backward—no matter what, it moves. I will do whatever I have to do to stop you from having any reason to go there, but if I fail, I don’t want to see you that broken, that vulnerable. I want you to be fierce.”
“How do I know it will not pull you further away? The old man made it seem as if we were to guide others to some point, some rapture.”
“I have to know that you can defend yourself.” My lips brushed across hers. “There is nothing you could ever do that I would not forgive you for. No point in time that I will not defend you with my last breath.”
“I just don ’t understand.”
I caressed her hair. “I don ’t either. I don’t see myself in those visions as I am today.”
Fear engulfed her stare. “You feel the same, though. Your energy does.”
“Shh,” I whispered, touching my lips to hers once more. “That’s not odd. That side of The Fall causes us to reveal deep parts of our soul, hidden ones. The path can be hard or challenged.”
“Did none of them seem familiar?”
I let out a deep breath and bit my bottom lip before I spoke.
“I ’ve been asleep, Skylynn. At my birth, an Allurest told me I shared my soul with a dark twin. That for me to have a future, any hope of one, I would have to destroy him. That is all I have focused on. I stand at my post, I train those that must travel there, those that are becoming fewer as the years move by. I gaze into history, questioning the path of mankind. Even though I find reverence with it, I become incensed that tragedy is, more times than not, what it takes to awaken souls, that they must lose it all before they discover what they had.
“For a time, I was grateful that I had nothing to lose, one task to occupy me. I admit, I thought that it was a waste of an existence, that there had to be more to my purpose. You ’re the only thing that has ever made me want to figure out what that is.”
“You ’re happy in some of those visions. You’re worried. But you were happy all in all,” she said as she furrowed her brow.
“I didn ’t see happy, I didn’t see calm. I saw a blind search. And I know why. I may not have known what I was looking for, but I felt empty. I felt empty because my soul knew that somewhere you were in pain. I want to change this. Stop it.”
“I don ’t think we can.”
“I already have two plans: protect you from going at all, and if I fail, then your promise to me that you will be a warrior, that you will not let anyone take advantage of you. That you will keep your intent, your focus, and claw your way to me. And when you find me, you do not rest until my foolish soul awakens once more.”
She reached to caress my face. “I don’t know what an Allurest is, but I think they were wrong.”
I raised my brow.
“I don’t think you are supposed to kill him.”
Before I could question her, a screeching alarm erupted through the palace. My vim had pulled me to the window that instant. Everyone was rushing to the shores of The Fall.
I was at her side in the next breath. I wrapped my arms around her and moved her to my grandfather’s study, to the only man I trusted to keep her safe. Tarek didn’t even flinch.
“It ’s all right. You’re safe,” I said quickly to her, then vanished from her side.
I reached the shore just in time to see a young girl slip from the hold my men had on her and dive in the swirling waters.
I doubted she could make it to The Fall at all. The only comfort I had was that when The Fall opened at this twilight, no darkness dared to enter. I dove in after the girl and soared as fast as I could to her.
Today was a day of firsts. The Fall was temperamental. It was a living, breathing entity that judged everyone that dared to pass its borders. Even the most practiced of The Selected had to ensure that the timing was perfect. No one made it through as it was closing.
Not today. I watched as the waterway began to close completely, then as if it recognized the girl engaged in a
“How do I know it will not pull you further away? The old man made it seem as if we were to guide others to some point, some rapture.”
“I have to know that you can defend yourself.” My lips brushed across hers. “There is nothing you could ever do that I would not forgive you for. No point in time that I will not defend you with my last breath.”
“I just don ’t understand.”
I caressed her hair. “I don ’t either. I don’t see myself in those visions as I am today.”
Fear engulfed her stare. “You feel the same, though. Your energy does.”
“Shh,” I whispered, touching my lips to hers once more. “That’s not odd. That side of The Fall causes us to reveal deep parts of our soul, hidden ones. The path can be hard or challenged.”
“Did none of them seem familiar?”
I let out a deep breath and bit my bottom lip before I spoke.
“I ’ve been asleep, Skylynn. At my birth, an Allurest told me I shared my soul with a dark twin. That for me to have a future, any hope of one, I would have to destroy him. That is all I have focused on. I stand at my post, I train those that must travel there, those that are becoming fewer as the years move by. I gaze into history, questioning the path of mankind. Even though I find reverence with it, I become incensed that tragedy is, more times than not, what it takes to awaken souls, that they must lose it all before they discover what they had.
“For a time, I was grateful that I had nothing to lose, one task to occupy me. I admit, I thought that it was a waste of an existence, that there had to be more to my purpose. You ’re the only thing that has ever made me want to figure out what that is.”
“You ’re happy in some of those visions. You’re worried. But you were happy all in all,” she said as she furrowed her brow.
“I didn ’t see happy, I didn’t see calm. I saw a blind search. And I know why. I may not have known what I was looking for, but I felt empty. I felt empty because my soul knew that somewhere you were in pain. I want to change this. Stop it.”
“I don ’t think we can.”
“I already have two plans: protect you from going at all, and if I fail, then your promise to me that you will be a warrior, that you will not let anyone take advantage of you. That you will keep your intent, your focus, and claw your way to me. And when you find me, you do not rest until my foolish soul awakens once more.”
She reached to caress my face. “I don’t know what an Allurest is, but I think they were wrong.”
I raised my brow.
“I don’t think you are supposed to kill him.”
Before I could question her, a screeching alarm erupted through the palace. My vim had pulled me to the window that instant. Everyone was rushing to the shores of The Fall.
I was at her side in the next breath. I wrapped my arms around her and moved her to my grandfather’s study, to the only man I trusted to keep her safe. Tarek didn’t even flinch.
“It ’s all right. You’re safe,” I said quickly to her, then vanished from her side.
I reached the shore just in time to see a young girl slip from the hold my men had on her and dive in the swirling waters.
I doubted she could make it to The Fall at all. The only comfort I had was that when The Fall opened at this twilight, no darkness dared to enter. I dove in after the girl and soared as fast as I could to her.
Today was a day of firsts. The Fall was temperamental. It was a living, breathing entity that judged everyone that dared to pass its borders. Even the most practiced of The Selected had to ensure that the timing was perfect. No one made it through as it was closing.
Not today. I watched as the waterway began to close completely, then as if it recognized the girl engaged in a
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