Chapter 27 #3
“Yes, very high. I don't remember the number—back then I didn't know exactly what it meant—but I remember he was respected. I'm not sure if this means anything to you, but he was known as an attack blocker.”
Breno's eyes widened even more.
“Attack blocker?” His hand squeezed mine. “You've got to be kidding me. Attack blockers are legends, Kay! They were the elite of the fae millennia ago.”
“And what's the difference between them and you?” I asked, confused.
“The difference is that they create power fields that can move, expand, and contract at will.” Breno created a barrier around us and moved his hands as if trying to push it, but nothing happened.
“See? Mine doesn't move. It's static—it only protects. But an attack barrier? Legend has it they could crush a person by contracting. They could throw people across the room and grind fae bones to dust from the pressure of the walls closing in.”
“And how does someone become an attack blocker?”
“We don't know.” Breno shrugged but went on eagerly.
“There's research on it, but no one's reached a definitive conclusion.
Some stories say blockers like that are high level, but since there wasn't a sonar to measure back then, no one can confirm anything.
Other books claim they're normal blockers who use a type of hand movement that creates patterns, allowing them to control the energy, but no one's discovered those patterns.
And there are other theories that say an attack blocker is simply born that way, as if it were a specific gift—a variation of normal blocking.
I always believed it was the third option and that this type of blocker went extinct over the years.
I'd give anything to talk to your father and ask.”
I looked down at our hands, trying to hide the sadness that had washed over me. I had no idea my father was different in this way. Truth be told, I didn't know anything about him.
“Yeah, I'd give anything to talk to him one last time too.”
Breno stared at me for a few seconds. I didn't meet his gaze—my eyes were watering, and I didn't want him to see this weakness. Then, unexpectedly, he put an arm around me and pulled me against his chest.
“I'm sorry, Kay. It was inconsiderate of me to complain about my family when you lost yours. I'm really sorry about your family and everything they did to you in the forests.”
I wiped my eyes on the sleeve of my sweater and stayed curled up at his side.
“Don't apologize, it's okay. The fact that I don't have a family doesn't invalidate your pain over Natali.”
Breno knew that Ross and Lagherta had died when I was little.
The memories I had of my father were even fewer and more faded than those of my mother, but every time I thought of the tall, red-haired man covered in freckles, my heart warmed, wanting to linger forever in those little scraps of memory.
We sat on that bench for a long while, talking about our lives as the colorful maple leaves swayed in the wind around us. Before I knew it, the hour had slipped away in conversation, and it was long enough for Zion to notice my absence and appear at the campus entrance.
“I didn't know you had an escort home now,” Breno murmured, looking at the general who was staring at us from the gate.
I sighed, getting up and giving Breno's hand two affectionate pats.
“I didn't know either, but some things changed after the party.” His fingers caressed mine, as if he didn't want me to leave.
“For better or worse?”
“For better,” I replied, blushing, and released his hand. I could feel Zion's gaze burning into us. “I need to go now, but we'll find a solution to your problem.”
“We will,” he said without much humor, and stood up as well. “See you tomorrow, Kay.”
“See you tomorrow, Breno.”
I said goodbye to Hiro and Aish before leaving and headed to the main gate. It was still 1 p.m., and I had a lot to deal with. Good thing the source of all my problems was right there.
“Why are you here?” I asked, keeping my expression neutral as I stopped two steps in front of him.
“I waited for you at home, but you didn’t show up. So I came to check if everything was okay and offer you a ride.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering if this was some remnant of his rule-following behavior or if it was actually a change born from the closeness we’d shared in recent days.
I studied him carefully, thinking about what the sonar had said.
I had the feeling that every day I discovered a new side of Zion’s personality, and the more sides I saw, the more I realized that the image I’d formed of him was nothing but an illusion.
Zion seemed to understand that something had changed in the past few hours and moved a little closer, lowering his voice.
“What did the sonar tell you?”
I had no idea how he knew my discomfort had something to do with the sonar, but now I was beginning to understand that Zion knew the man’s personality well.
I stared into his blue eyes with their hints of green. Green like the eyes of my people—our people, the ones he protected. I took a deep breath and said it:
“We need to talk, General.”