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Two more sets of footsteps approached, and a harried pair of guards appeared. "Sir," the shorter one said. "Please hurry! Get into a shielded room. We only have moments before it hits!"

Tye's golden eyes hadn't left me, nostrils flaring as he clenched and unclenched his hands.

I lifted my chin.

If he wanted me so badly, I'd make him pay for it in blood. I was a fierce fighter and in this small cell, I'd have the advantage.

"Stubborn Witch," he snarled. "I'll be back once we've docked." Then he stepped back, slammed the cell door closed, and locked it.

He shot one more furious look over his shoulder before rushing out with the guards.

My mind spun, and I slumped against the cell wall as whatever had possessed me to stand up to him faded away.

Gods, it had felt good, though —

Even before the door squealed shut, prisoners started talking over each other.

"What the fuck was that?"

"What are they running from?"

"Kaiya, what's going on?"

What was going on?

"I don't know."

The panicked talking continued as I wilted against the wall, strength disappearing as Tye walked further and further away.

"Do you hear that?" Liam said to everyone. "Listen! An alarm."

Through the metal walls, a muted alarm rang.

The sound sent my heart racing, and I had to wipe my clammy hands on my pants. That was the same alarm that had sounded when an engine room fire had nearly sank the ship shortly after we'd arrived.

It was a warning … but for what?

"Stay calm, everyone." Mrs. Harlsted's voice was firm and steady. "It's too early for us to make a break for it, and we don't know what we'd be walking into. We just need to wait a bit longer."

A sound pricked my ears, and I looked around for the source.

Then, like a wave, a loud hiss poured over me, filling my ears, making my vision swim.

I struggled to stay standing as some invisible force bombarded my senses.

Struggling, I bit out harsh breaths, feeling for something —anythingto stop whatever was happening.

A pain, not unlike the mind mage's power, bore into my skull, and — a painful heat growing in my chest.

Hells! It felt like hot coals inside me, I'd burst into flames any second if I couldn't getit to stop!

It grew and grew, and I collapsed to the ground as it increased sharply.

Sweat poured from my skin as I writhed against the rough floor, desperate to escape the pain.

But there was no escaping this — I'd only experienced something similar one other time.

The drilling in my skull shifted and swung, slowly coalescing into … voices?