Chapter 19
KALLIE
They had only stayed with the villagers for a few hours, helping where they could and providing comfort where they couldn’t.
Ellie had told the Tetrians to go to the castle, to tell Queen Cetia what had happened, what they had seen in exchange for shelter, food, and protection.
Most of the survivors were too shocked to understand or parse what had happened.
The attackers didn’t stay long, only flew over the village to drop the explosives that had set the village aflame before darting back east. A few of the villagers had even spotted the Frenzian crest on the assailants’ breastplates.
From what Kallie and Ellie could gather, the creatures that had attacked the village were the new humanoid experiments Myra had mentioned.
Humans bearing large wings—Kallie hadn’t believed it when Myra told her, and she struggled to believe it now. Yet, the evidence was right there.
As Kallie stared at the aftermath of the destruction, she debated returning to the castle. With the war already having begun, what was the point of continuing down this path? Domitius had already started attacking. They needed to gather troops.
"There’s still time," Ellie had said when she had seen the doubt creeping into Kallie’s eyes. "You can still end this before more people get hurt."
Kallie was no longer sure, though. How many more people would die before then? How many more attacks would befall innocent civilians?
But as she took in the sight of the Tetrians rallying around each other, neighbors wrapping wounds, mothers squeezing their children’s faces and wiping away their tears, Kallie knew there was no other choice. She had to continue. She had to reach Domitius. Now more than ever.
So as they made their way through Borgania, Kallie shouldn’t have been surprised that Ellie returned to the other urgent matter Kallie had repeatedly ignored.
"You need to practice," Ellie said, folding her arms over her chest. They stood along a river as the horses rested. Birds chirped as they bounced from branch to branch. It was strange to see the forest untouched after witnessing such destruction.
Kallie kicked a rock and sent it bouncing deeper into the woods. "We need to keep moving."
Whenever they stopped, Ellie would ask Kallie to practice manipulating her. While Kallie knew she should use her power, she found every excuse not to. She needed to relieve herself; she needed to sleep; they needed to get going. It didn’t matter what the excuse was; she found one.
At first, Ellie didn’t push her too much.
While Ellie hadn’t admitted it, Kallie had suspected the warrior could hear Kallie’s mind spinning with worry—worry over the friends they left behind, worry over the path ahead, worry that Graeson would find them before they reached Domitius.
But as the hours and days slipped by, Ellie’s patience grew thin.
And with the situation advancing and becoming more emergent, it was practically nonexistent.
Kallie snatched her bag from the ground.
"What are you going to do when you face Domitius and your gift fails you?
" Ellie pressed, stepping into Kallie’s space.
The stench of old smoke smacked Kallie in the face.
Despite the distance they had put between themselves and the burning village, the aroma still lingered on their clothes and in their hair.
"It won’t." The lie was ash on her tongue, but she didn’t have the strength to face it right now. They needed to keep moving.
"But how do you know?" Ellie snapped. "Dani warned me what happens when someone doesn’t use their power for an extended period, Kallie. This isn’t healthy. You need to use it."
"My emotions are fine!"
Ellie quirked a brow.
Kallie groaned. "This—my anger, my frustration—has nothing to do with not using my power.
It has everything to do with what we just saw!
The war is already here, Ellie, yet what are we doing?
What is everyone doing? Wasting time." Kallie took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she steadied her breathing.
She was in control.
She was in control.
She was—
"You don’t have to do anything crazy. All you need to do is have me pick up a stick or something," Ellie said.
Kallie put her hand on her hip, her knuckles digging into the sharp bone. "What would be the point of that, hmm?"
"At least then you would know you can still access your power!" Ellie shouted, making the birds in the nearby trees flee from the branches.
Kallie’s gift stirred in the pit of her core, eagerly awaiting her to use it, to pull from it.
It twisted inside of her, teasing, taunting.
It was second nature. She grabbed onto it, coaxing it.
All it took was one touch, one thought, and it was soaring through her bloodstream, pouring down her fingertips. It was honey and sweet and—
Kallie released it in an instant, tossing it away. "Accessing it isn’t the problem." She spun on her heel and stormed toward Winter.
"Then what is?" Ellie shouted at her back.
Kallie mounted the horse. "We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s move."
Ellie groaned but got on her horse without another word.
I’m in control. I am not him.
Kallie awoke to the sound of rushing water. Her eyes sprang open, expecting to be drenched by a storm. But when she looked up, all she saw were white fluffy clouds and an ice-blue sky. She went to push herself up, and her hands sank into the soil—no, not soil, sand.
Kallie gasped and forced herself into a sitting position. Her gaze immediately flicked to the large boulder sitting at the edge of the lake. Her heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach as she recognized the Whispering Springs.
"He’s not here."
Kallie spun around, and sand flew into her mouth from the movement. "Terin?"
Her brother leaned against a tree at the edge of the beach. "Hi, Kals," he said with a weak smile.
Her attention flicked to his hair. The long waves were gone. "You cut your hair," she said, standing up.
He brushed a hand across his head. "It was time."
Kallie brushed the debris from her hands and looked around, confused. There was only one other time she had been here in this dream-state when Fynn wasn’t. "If Fynn isn’t here, why am I?"
"It was the easiest way to reach you. I wanted to let you know we arrived in Pontia."
"And?" Kallie asked, her heart pounding in her chest. Was something wrong? Was someone hurt?
"And mother is outraged, to say the least," Terin said as he approached, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets.
"Has she deemed you all traitors?"
Terin scoffed and flicked his hand dismissively. "No. That’s not why she’s outraged. Apparently, she was bluffing, knowing the threat would get us back home quicker. I should have listened to Dani when she said she was."
At Dani’s name, concern flooded Kallie’s body like a tidal wave. She hated sea-travel on a normal day, and she couldn’t imagine how the journey went for Dani while carrying. "How is Dani?"
"Her mother and the healers are currently suffocating her, but she’s doing well.
Her mother is beside herself that Dani wants to leave already.
" A half-grin appeared on her brother’s face as if recalling something amusing.
"Dani keeps trying to sneak away to join the council meetings to help figure out our plan of attack. Movement is slow on that front."
Kallie nodded in understanding. Then she recalled something else he had said. "Wait, if Esmeray isn’t mad that you all came to the mainland, then why is she?"
Terin’s mouth flattened into a thin line, and a knowing look passed across his face.
Kallie pointed at herself. "You can’t mean that she’s mad at me?"
Terin scratched his head. "She’s mad at me too, if it’s any consolation."
"Why is she mad at you? You did nothing wrong."
"For letting you go after Domitius. She doesn’t trust him, and she’s worried he will try to trick you."
She squeezed her hands into tight fists. "I can handle myself."
"I know. But she also knows who Domitius is. They have history."
"History?" Kallie asked, blinking.
Terin nodded. "She refuses to give any details about it, but she’s worried about you." Terin reached out a hand, but Kallie took a step back.
"I won’t turn around, Terin. I can’t."
Her brother sighed. "I know that, but Mother at least wanted me to try."
"Is that why you came?"
"Not the only reason," he said, shifting on his feet. His brows bunched together. "I also wanted to make sure you were all right."
Kallie rubbed a hand across her neck. "I’m fine."
His gaze flicked to her hand. A small patch of pale skin wrapped around her bare finger. "And is Graeson…?"
She dropped her hand and covered it with the other. "He hasn’t caught up yet."
Nodding, Terin stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Will you promise me something?"
"What?" Kallie asked hesitantly.
He took a step toward her but didn’t reach out. "If things go south and you see a way out, take it."
Kallie swallowed the lump in her throat as the world faded around them. The sun dimmed as if its flames were dying. The sky lost its vibrancy, the shade turning into a muted blue hue.
"Promise me, Kals," her brother pleaded, fear spilling from his eyes. "Promise me we will get to be a family again."
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she bit her bottom lip. She couldn’t promise Terin something she knew might be impossible to keep.
But before she could even try to lie, the dream slipped from her fingertips like raindrops falling into her palm.