Chapter 1
Zeke
EIGHT MONTHS AR (AFTER REVERIE WAS TAKEN)
Isilently moved down the hallway, looking for my twin. The last time I saw him, he was questioning a prisoner we had captured during the recent battle outside Atlanta.
I pushed open the large door that led down to the dungeon.
Emberhold had rearranged itself since the attack on our world from the Dark Factions. A dungeon was just one of many changes. Every day, it seemed we woke up to more. Sometimes it felt like the academy was grieving my Treasures' absence, too.
When I reached the bottom of the long flight of stairs, I began to hear the screaming.
I smiled.
Since Reverie had been abducted, I’d become a different person. Every scream was like music to my ears, as it gave me hope that we were closer to finding a way to open a portal to reach her. I’d let my dark side take over, not trying to hide that part of myself anymore.
The awakening of my abilities helped with that. The monster inside and I would stop at nothing to get our Nexus back.
My smile faded when I thought back to the day Reverie disappeared; a day that would live in my memory forever. It went from extreme joy when Jet was marked, and our Faction was complete, to extreme pain when suddenly we were attacked, and I felt Reverie leave this world.
The door had burst open, and several members of the DF (Dark Factions) entered, accompanied by some of the most fearsome creatures I’d ever seen.
Later, John informed us of what they were and emphasized the danger they represented: The Cryptfiends were towering, grey-skinned beings with long arms and clawed hands.
He explained that they were restless corpses, cursed by their past misdeeds.
Drawn to life’s warmth, they fed on more than just flesh—they consumed memories and breath, leaving victims hollow-eyed and soulless.
They had lived in the dark corners of Aurathia, waiting to hunt any who were foolish enough to wander into their territory.
Those of us unfamiliar with the giant, zombie-like creatures had frozen at the horrifying sight. Luckily, the older Aurathions knew precisely what we were dealing with and, after a gruesome battle, were able to dispose of them.
Somehow, the DF managed to control these creatures and use them to attack us. One of many horrors at their disposal, all in an effort to try and kill the earthbound Aurathions and take over this world.
We’d managed to capture several of our Aurathion enemies, hoping to get information from them… unfortunately, when Jet returned, he was in the frenzy of a killing rage, and no hostages survived.
Chloe and Oliver came in immediately after and explained everything that had happened while we’d been distracted by our attackers.
Another consequence of that horrible day was that our existence was revealed to humans. The council has been very busy trying to smooth things over and reassure Earth’s leaders that we weren’t here to take over.
That wasn’t an easy task with the DF attacking at every opportunity. Some major cities had been nearly destroyed, and countless lives had been lost.
Jet had been invaluable to the council in dealing with human and Aurathion relations. Who would have thought that his spying would give us an advantage? The reports he had submitted before the attacks showed that we wanted to live peacefully with humans and trained daily to protect this world.
Truly, we were their only hope, and the powers that be knew it.
“Where are you going?” A deep voice startled me out of my thoughts.
Nathan was standing in front of me, covered in blood. “I’m looking for Zane.”
“He’s cleaning up.” Nathan nodded toward the door he’d just come out of.
“Did you get any new information?” I asked as I walked toward the room.
“No, but we have a lead on another attack they have planned.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Where?” I stopped, waiting for his answer.
Oren had surmised that if they could be caught just as they entered our world, we might be able to commandeer their portal and reach Reverie. It was the best idea we’d come up with so far, and everyone agreed on this plan of action.
Getting all of us to agree on anything these days was nearly impossible. Reverie was the glue that held us together, and without her, everything was falling apart. The only thing uniting us now was our grief and determination to get her back.
Nathan’s expression was smug. “The town where I grew up. Jesse was right, they’re trying to find Adelaide. Finally, they seem to be taking the bait.”
It felt like my heart was going to leap right out of my chest. “Do any of the other guys know yet?”
“No, I’m on my way to tell them. We need to finalize all of our plans and be ready to go in two weeks.” He pulled a rag from his pocket and wiped his face—smearing the blood around more than anything else.
“Shit! Two fucking weeks?” I knew this was good news, but we’d been without our Nexus for months now—two more weeks seemed like an eternity.
“I know. I’m not happy about the wait either, but it is what it is.” His face took on a sinister expression. “What helps me deal is fantasizing about what I’m going to do to the people who’ve held my Nexi all this time. You should try it.”
I dreamed of that on a regular basis myself. My methods of vengeance changed nightly, but they always ended the same. With the claws of my beast buried deep in their guts, and blood covering everything.
Nathan smirked. “I can see by the expression on your face that you’ve already tried it.” He slapped my back. “Tell Zane to hurry it up. We all need to plan for this one together.” Nathan turned and started up the stairs.
I pushed the door open just in time to see Zane open his mouth and incinerate the guy sitting in the chair. We’d both learned to embrace our abilities because we knew they’d be vital in rescuing our Nexus.
Since Reverie had been taken, we expected our abilities to fade or at least weaken. However, it seemed the opposite had happened. They’d actually grown stronger, and we’d even gained a few more.
Zane’s fire abruptly cut off, and he turned to me, “Zane’s mobile body disposal, you ax’em I ash’em.”
I didn’t acknowledge his morbid joke; he covered his pain with humor, and it had progressively gotten darker as the months had passed. “Nathan told me the good news—great job getting him to talk.”
“Yep. If the guy weren’t on the wrong side of all this, I’d have admired the son of a bitch. He didn’t give in until Nathan cut off his last finger." Zane went to the sink and washed his hands and face.
“I came down here to tell you that Chloe and Oliver are back from their assignment.” I pulled the hose from the wall and washed the ashes down the drain in the floor.
“Are Jet and Deshawn back?” He asked, walking to the sink, splashing water on his face.
“No, but Oren believes they’ll arrive in a few hours. Likely sooner if he tells Jet about the new information you found." I followed Zane out of the room and up the stairs.
The hallways were busy with everyone dressed in their battle gear. Classes were still taking place, but only for first years. No one had been initiated since the war had resumed. Dean Mathews was now allowing Potentials and their prospective Nexus to perform the ritual.
There had been no shortage mentioned of D’s wine, but I knew it was only a matter of time. For now, we needed strong, trained Factions, and we needed them as soon as possible.
Zane and I left the main building and headed to our house at the edge of the forest. After we returned, we applied for Faction housing, no longer willing to keep our relationship with Reverie a secret.
The details of how it happened were still under wraps, of course.
With Damien’s help, we convinced the dean that we had performed the ritual at our parents’ home before the attack. Damien and Hayes hinted to him that they’d brought a small supply of D’s wine just in case they needed it to reaffirm the bond with their Nexus.
I’m not sure he was thoroughly convinced. And even though forming the bond that way was against our laws without a council witness, he let it go.
Approaching our home, I pictured Reverie lounging in one of the overstuffed chairs surrounding the fireplace, waiting for me to prepare a delicious meal; knowing that wasn’t even a possibility was like a knife to the heart.
Every day I spent on this earth without my Treasure made me realize that without her, life was pointless.
The only thing keeping me from total insanity was the knowledge that we would get her back—no matter the cost. Our people, this world… nothing mattered but getting her back.
We entered, and Zane went straight to the cabinet, pulling out a bottle of whiskey, pouring a shot, and downing it in one swallow. “Do you want one, brother?”
I shook my head and leaned into the fridge to make some sandwiches for everyone. None of us had been eating enough. I knew we needed to be at full strength to retrieve Reverie, so I tried to fix that when I could.
“I’m going to head upstairs and shower before everyone gets here.” Zane downed another shot.
“Okay, I’ll have food ready when you get back.” He nodded, and reaching the top of the stairs, he didn’t enter his room but headed down the hall to Reverie’s.
All of us spent more time there than we did in our own rooms. As soon as our housing had been approved, we moved Reverie’s things in here with us. Chloe didn’t protest because she knew we were all on the edge of losing ourselves. We needed to feel close to her, even if it was an illusion.
I heard Reverie’s shower start up just as the front door opened.
“Is Nathan here yet?” Oren strode in, carrying multiple scrolls and large codices.
"Nope," I said, finishing the sandwiches and stacking them on a plate in the center of the island.
He dropped everything onto the large table that divided the kitchen and living room, then sat down and grabbed a sandwich.