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Despite his bold declaration, Alex’s concern only grew. Jordan’s ability exhausted even him over lengthy periods of use, and she knew it was exponentially more tiring for Kaiden to control the gifts he’d adopted from others. And yet, as they blurred into the mass of flying creatures and soared through their dark cloud without notice, Alex tightened her grip on him, realising that his quick thinking had saved them from a horrific encounter with the swarming beasts.

While veeyons were neither as large nor as intimidating as draekons, they weren’t small by any means, their sharp teeth and talons enough to incite a healthy amount of fear. Furthermore, Alex knew from her Species Distinctions class that they were capable of spitting venomous green sludge. That alone would have caused her to give them a wide berth, if given the choice, but the sheer numbers that surrounded them made that all but impossible.

“What,exactly, did you forget to tell us?” Alex asked Hunter, careful to keep her voice down even if she doubted she’d be heardover the speed of theValispathand the screeching veeyons—a noise she likened to thousands of crows all cawing at once.

“Somehow Aven’s controlling them,” Hunter answered. “It’s only recent—maybe a week since they were first sighted during a skirmish at Graevale, if that. We don’t know how he’s doing it, but since the creatures work like a hive mind following their leader, at a guess—”

It was Alex who cursed this time, cutting him off with a sharp exclamation. “You think he’s bonded with their leader?” Just like her bond with Xira.

“That’s my presumption, if it’s even possible.”

Alex was beyond words, soothed only by the light, reassuring stroke of Kaiden’s thumb along the back of her hand. She turned to meet his calming blue gaze, reading his silent promise that they would get through this, just as they had everything else.

“As long as we avoid their detection, they won’t be a problem for us,” Hunter said.

For now, Alex wanted to add. But she kept her thoughts to herself and her mind on the moment, not daring to think ahead.

With them invisible, she didn’t need to be cautious about their approach to the palace, since not even Meyarin sight could see through Kaiden’s transcendence. She considered the best place to deliver them, aware that many of the rooms were warded againstValispathentry, before she settled on sending them soaring through the walls and towards the library, a central place from which they could determine their next move. She assumed—or at least hoped—that Jordan, D.C. and Bear would be together, just as she assumed her parents would be with each other somewhere. Then there was Niida who they also had to locate, along with Grimm Helkin. That meant four different places to search out in order to collect everyone who needed to return from Meya with them. And Alex had no idea who to prioritise first.

But the choice was taken out of her hands when they landed in the corner of the Meyarin palace library only to discover that it wasn’t empty.

It took all of Alex’s willpower to keep from uttering a sound when she sighted Jordan, D.C. and Bear bound with Moxyreel at their wrists and strung up against one of the walled bookshelves, their hands high overhead, their bodies struggling furiously against their bindings. They were bloodied and bruised—D.C. had a nasty cut along her temple, Bear had a black eye that was almost completely swollen shut, and Jordan had what looked like fingernail marks scoured deep along his forearms—but otherwise they appeared mostly unharmed.

The relief Alex felt was almost crippling, enough that she mindlessly moved a step forward before she was tugged back into the corner by Kaiden. Only then did she have a care to look around the rest of the room and see that her friends weren’t alone.

ThreeZeltorawarriors were standing sentry and staring blank-eyed at nothing, while the blond-haired Calista Maine was seated casually at a worktable nearby. Beside her, to Alex’s increasing relief, was Grimm Helkin, the dark-skinned, beanpole-thin man looking just as he had when she’d first seen him atTaevarg.

There was no sign of Aven amongst the assembled audience, and she almost decided it was worth the risk to try and get their friends and Grimm out of there straight away and return later for her parents. But then Alex remembered that while Calista’s telekinesis wouldn’t work on her, it would on everyone else, with the same being true about Grimm’s gift. The threeZeltorawarriors were also a consideration, making her acknowledge that they needed a clearer run with less risk of failure.

Instead of acting upon her restless impulses, she silently activated theValispathagain, relocating them behind a backless bookcase separated from the walls and in an opposite, muchdarker corner from where they’d arrived. Protected from sight, Kaiden was able to release them from his transcendence, after which they each carefully removed a book at eye-level, peering through the unnoticeable gaps to watch everything that was happening in the middle area of the library.

… Which meant they saw when Aven strode in through the door only seconds later, a vision dressed in black, his head held high, his golden eyes bright with cunning intelligence. Signa Zu was barely a step behind him, the mind reader looking gleeful as he shadowed the footsteps of his master.

Alex sucked in a soundless breath—mostly at the sight of Aven, but also at the fear that they might have been wrong and Signa would somehow become alerted to their presence. But the mind reader didn’t even glance towards their corner of the library, easing some of her panic.

“I apologise for my delay,” Aven told her friends who had stilled upon his arrival, each of them paling rapidly, just like Alex. “I was in the middle of… breakfast.”

The way he said the final word while wiping away a red droplet on his chin caused bile to rise in Alex’s throat. She barely managed to push it back down, only doing so when Kaiden’s grip on her hand increased until it was nearly painful. She looked at him and he caught her eyes, wordlessly telling her to keep it together for the sake of their friends.

Hunter was also watching Alex carefully, the same message clear in his gaze, and she nodded at them both, indicating she wouldn’t do anything that might give them away. Until they collected her parents and Queen Niida, it would be suicide to call attention to themselves. They had to wait for the perfect time, after which they would only get one chance to escape.

However, that meant her friends were on their own until then, left to face the nightmare of a Meyarin in front of them.

“Tell me,” Aven purred, walking closer to the bookshelf where D.C., Jordan and Bear were bound side by side. “Where has dear Alexandra been hiding?”

Alex shuddered at his silky menace, prompting Hunter to shift soundlessly around Kaiden so that he was closer to her, apparently fearing she would do something stupid and he would need to intervene. But she was rooted to the spot, unable to do anything except watch what was about to play out before them.

“Come now, don’t be shy,” Aven said when none of her friends answered. “I’m sure you all know by now that she and I have a long history together.” His tone darkened. “Averylong history.”

The sound of his voice, the look in his eyes… everything about him had Alex quaking from head to toe. This was the monster who cared only for revenge, who wanted to wipe all mortals off the face of Medora. This was the monster who had once been her friend, who had once considered himself in love with her.

This was the monster she had created…

… and the monster she had to destroy.

“No one wants to tell me?” he asked, but rather than seeming angry, he appeared pleased; something that had Alex pressing her free hand to her middle as her insides churned with dread. “Then I guess I’ll just have to… motivate you.”

He moved faster than should have been possible—almost faster than Alex’s enhanced vision could follow. Before she could even consider what was about to happen, he drew a Myrox dagger from his belt and swiped it through the bindings holding D.C.’s arms above her head.