by Nina Walker
All I could do was nod.
“I can’t help but wonder, why didn’t your parents turn you over to us sooner? Surely they are law-obeying citizens.”
It was a threat; I knew it the moment the words came out of his mouth. “They didn’t know.”
“Strange. I think most parents know their children, secrets and all.”
“What are you saying?” I couldn’t care about pleasantries any longer. I wanted him to spell it out for me.
“Nothing yet. Just that you’d be smart to fall in line here. Get yourself in control of your abilities. Get a handle on the red. Do that, and I think I can overlook your lawless parents.”
I gaped, pushing down the urge to spit out a string of angry words.
“Father, may I cut in?” Lucas interjected.
Lucas put his hand on my back, but I skirted away from both of them. My fingers were still locked in the king’s tight grip. Up close, the resemblance between Lucas and his father was stronger than ever.
So, how could they be so different? Or were they?
The threats against my family were tearing me apart. No, these men, this family, these people here…they were ripping me in two.
“Actually, I think I am done for the night.” I turned my back on Lucas as, thankfully, the king released my hand. “Thank you for the dance, Your Highness.”
I quickly curtsied and turned, promptly fleeing the ballroom. I’d had enough politics for one night. Enough guardians. Enough alchemy. Enough royals. Enough.
It wasn’t until I was back in my bedroom that I noticed the sharp tingle in my right hand. The pinprick of sensation filled me as blood slowly returned, one by one, to my bruised fingers.
The next morning came too quickly, and I was back to work. I woke early and dressed in casual clothing for another day of training. I wondering if we would be returning to the gardens or heading into guardian territory. The very idea of the latter left me shuddering with nervous energy. Lucas picked me up at my door. When he opened his mouth to say something, I shook my head.
“Not today, okay?” I was tired of his apologies.
Thankfully, he only nodded and led me down the hall. From the direction we were headed, my fears were confirmed. Training would be spent at the GC headquarters. A nervous flutter arose in my belly and I willed it to go away. I could do this.
We rounded a hallway and walked through the guarded doors. I knew it was GC not only because of its modern design, but because of the people dressed in black. One by one, they all turned to stare.
Let them stare. I don’t care anymore.
We walked down to the ground floor.
There were even more people, which meant more gawkers. Hadn’t they seen enough last night? Of course, there were others here who hadn’t been at the party. Younger ones. There were a lot of small children. Most of them couldn’t have been older than Lacey.
They’re practically babies. My heart ached for their forgotten parents.
I could tell who the trainees were, because they were dressed in gray. The actual initiated guardians, who were mostly teens, were dressed in black from head to toe. And again, I recognized the royal officers dressed in their white uniforms, the same style Faulk wore.
Didn’t they believe in color around here? Apparently, they used it for alchemy but didn’t actually wear it. Maybe my emotional experiences yesterday were the reason. I too was wearing black.
Lucas led me through a few of the hallways. It seemed that the farther in we went, the more the rooms were empty. We passed a large gymnasium filled with people working out. It had glass walls, so we could see inside.
They looked beyond fierce. Fighters.
What—are they trained soldiers, too?
“There she is.” Reed bounced into step with us. He was dressed in the black uniform that he always seemed to wear with pride.
“Where to, boss?” he asked Lucas sarcastically.
Lucas only glanced at him and continued walking.
“More studying?” I asked, catching up to the prince.
“There’s a lot to learn.”
“I bet you’re tired of reading about energy centers.” Reed laughed. It was true. That was the only training I had done since the garden. And quite honestly, I hadn’t made it through half of what Lucas had assigned me.
Lucas led us into one of the glass classrooms. It was filled from top to bottom with plants. The humidity was dense, and right away I could tell it was an actual greenhouse. He flipped a switch, and the glass wall facing the hallway turned opaque, giving us privacy. I’d never seen anything like it. I walked over to the switch and flipped it a few times.
“Your mouth is hanging open,” Reed observed wryly.
“What was that? Did that have anything to do with alchemy?”
“No,” Reed replied, walking over to me and wrapping his heavy arm around my shoulder, “just good old technology.”
Something about Reed’s touch bothered me. He was too confident.
“Are you two done yet?” Lucas asked.
“Knock knock!” Jasmine opened the door and joined us. She was dressed casually, in a simple cotton dress. Why does she dress differently?
“Good, the gang’s all here,” Reed said sarcastically. I think he liked being the only other alchemist here before Jasmine showed up.
“Before we get started,” I said, “I have some questions. We never got to go over them the other day. Can we do that now?”
“Sure,” Lucas replied. “We can, but it’s already hot in here, so just a few for now.”
Where do I even start?
Images of Lacey flashed through my mind. Of gray blood. Of the way she hadn’t remembered what I’d done.
“I’ve seen things lose their color and turn gray. Why is that?”
“The color has to go somewhere, doesn’t it?” Jasmine said. “When an alchemist uses their abilities, whatever we’re using as the source of color gives itself to us. We can choose where it goes. For example, does it go back to the original plant or does it go somewhere else?”
“Okay, but it wasn’t like Eliza turned green when you healed her.”
“That’s true, but the green just transforms into matter. The colors are also very pliable, living in so many small little cells of light, that they can move into almost any matter easily.”
“I don’t understand.”
“In science class, did you ever learn how cells work? What about atoms?” Reed interjected. “Everything that we think of as matter holds space, as well. Nothing is actually solid.”
I thought about that for a second. I actually did remember learning that. The teacher had pointed to his chair and said there were particles small enough to pass through it.
“Okay, so the green went into Eliza—or the empty spaces in her atoms? How did it heal her?”
“All living things have energy centers,” Lucas said. “And we can all access them, all the time. It’s alchemists who can also access energy centers outside of ourselves. So in the case of Eliza, Jasmine used her own green energy center to draw out the healing properties of the green plant, and then she gave them to Eliza. Eliza then accepted them, drawing those healing properties into her own green energy center. From there, it took over.” He placed his hand on his heart.
“And she was healed,” Jasmine finished.
My mind was spinning. As much as I hated to admit it, so much of this felt…well, spiritual. We’d never gone to church when I was a kid. Church was allowed in New Colony, but very few families participated in my area. I hadn’t ever contemplated anything as esoteric as energy centers. Could it be that there was a whole world beyond the one I could see?
“Okay, I think I’m starting to understand. But the gray—what does that signify? What happened to the plant? I saw part of it change.”
“It died. It gave its energy away.” Reed stepped forward, pointing to the lush greenery all around us. “But it’s just a plant. There’s plenty more where that came from.”<
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I’m in trouble. I always thought that maybe I’d done something to help Lacey when I’d changed her blood. But actually, it was the opposite. I could have killed her. If Reed was right, I could have sucked the life right out of her.
I took a step back, processing this information. Should I tell them?
“I think we’d better move on.” Jasmine smiled.
“So it seems you showed Jessa what we primarily use green for, then?” Lucas asked Jasmine.
I nodded, remembering again the way the green had flowed from the plant and into Eliza, healing her.
“It’s pretty amazing stuff,” Reed said.
“Reed will do another demonstration,” Lucas replied.
“On what?” Reed scoffed, motioning to the room full of lush plants. “It’s not like you took us to the medical ward. There’s no one to heal.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow, then reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small, shiny pocketknife. The blade popped up thin and razor sharp.
“Are you going to cut yourself?” I asked, shocked. Lucas shook his head.
He handed the knife to Reed. “Go ahead, Reed. Cut yourself.”
12
Lucas
“You’re crazy,” Reed flared. “I’m not doing that. We can practice on something else. Someone else, if we have to.”
I considered how to handle his reaction. Part of me knew I was being childish. I knew we had other options. But after Reed had told Faulk about the slatebook and after the way he’d danced with Jessa, I was more than willing to let my childish tendencies lead our session.
“If you’re scared, then I’ll do it,” I said moving the edge of the blade to the palm of my hand. I would, too. Jessa’s training needed to be kept under wraps as much as possible. I didn’t want her doing anything that could hurt someone else. And the more people got involved, the more nervous she’d become.
“You wish,” Reed said, his pride getting the better of him. “Give me that thing.”
I handed it over and he held it to his open palm. He grinned back at Jessa, obviously trying to impress her.
“Don’t faint on me,” he said to her. Then he cut a deep incision.
It didn’t take long for the blood to start gushing. He reached out toward a nearby plant, but Jasmine stopped him just in time. “Just a minute. Let Jessa try.”
Jessa shook her head vehemently. “No way.”
She stared sheepishly at Reed, who was holding his hand, putting pressure on the wound. His face was pinched, but he nodded. “I can handle it.”
I took one of her hands and placed a small green potted plant in her palm.
“Now place your other hand on Reed,” Jasmine said. “You don’t have to even touch his hand. Anywhere will be fine.”
She carefully grabbed his arm.
Reed interjected, “Relax, I’m fine. You can do this. Just picture your own energy connecting with the plant, and then imagine it crossing to me.”
She closed her eyes, and after a few seconds of nothing, asked, “Why isn’t it working? I don’t feel anything.”
“Trust yourself,” Jasmine said. “The green energy knows what to do. It knows who, and how, to heal. But you’re the bridge. You are the power.”
After a minute of concentration, she opened her eyes again and looked at Reed’s hand. The blood was beginning to splatter on the floor. Its deep color contrasted with the glossy white surface. Reed was looking paler by the second. How deep had he cut? I was beginning to think he’d underestimated just how sharp that knife was.
“Are you okay?” I asked. I hadn’t wanted to actually hurt him.
He blinked rapidly. “I think I need to sit down.” Just as he bent his knees, his eyes fluttered, rolling into the back of his head. He fell to the floor, out cold.
“You have to do something!” Jessa cried, looking at Jasmine. “Please help!”
Then she kneeled next to Reed, who had completely passed out.
I held my hand to stop Jasmine from stepping in. Jessa could do this. “Jasmine, please step outside. I’ll call you in when we need you.”
“What?” Jessa gasped.
Jasmine caught my eye. She seemed to understand. Her presence was a handicap to Jessa. She only paused for a moment before leaving us alone with the unconscious, bloody Reed.
“Just try one last time, Jessa,” I said. “That’s all I ask. Thirty more seconds and I’ll bring Jasmine back in.”
I knew she was upset, but she had no time to think about it. Just to act. Exactly as I’d planned. She closed her eyes, mind focused.
“Healing,” Jessa whispered. “You are healing Reed. You are healing Reed with the green from this plant.”
She gripped the plant in one hand and put the other hand on Reed’s chest.
Sure enough, a cloud of green formed around the plant, pulsing and rising from the small leaves. It jumped up and connected to Reed. She opened her eyes and watched, dumbfounded. The gushing blood from Reed’s hand stopped. The color reddened in his complexion.
Jessa glared up at me. “You are such a jerk! How could you? Jasmine was right there.”
“It’s my job to teach you. You wouldn’t have learned anything if Jasmine did it for you. I assure you, I had it under control.”
“You call this under control?” She stood up and held out her hands, slick with blood. “You’re sick!”
I opened my mouth to argue, but my words got caught on my tongue. I could only stare at what was dripping from her fingertips.
“What? What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Jessa, you did it.”
“Okay, thanks, I got that already.”
“You’re not understanding. You did it. Look at your hands.”
She turned them toward her and saw it too. She knew exactly what I meant. The blood that was on her hands wasn’t red. It was gray. And hovering just above us, ever so slightly, was a churning mist of deep crimson energy. The red alchemy pulsed, awaiting her instruction.
“What do I do now?”
I wasn’t sure what to tell her. She’d done this so fast, and I hadn’t expected her to manipulate blood. This was unchartered territory. Reed coughed, waking up.
“What happened?” he asked, rubbing his head and sitting up.
“Jessa healed you. You passed out.”
“Oh right, because you made me cut myself!”
“Calm down, Reed,” Jessa said. “You’re okay, right?”
He took a deep breath, visibly relaxing. “Dang, that knife must have been like a razor.” He peered at his hand, examining the now healed wound. By then, any gray blood had returned to red. It looked like nothing had even happened. Gratitude washed over me that Jessa had been able to return the red. Had she used any of it?
“I’m sorry,” Jessa said to Reed. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“It’s okay.” He obviously hadn’t woken up in time to see the blood on her hands. Nor had he seen how she’d managed to access red alchemy, because he didn’t say anything. He just studied his healed cut, shaking his head. He gave out a little laugh.
“You’re good! I better get cleaned up. I’ll be right back,” Reed mused as he looked at his clothes.
As he was about to leave the room, I called after him, “Will you ask Jasmine to give us another minute?”
“Sure thing, Your Highness,” he said, the door closing behind him.
“Listen, Jessa,” I whispered as quietly as I could. “Don’t tell anyone what just happened. I mean, you can tell them about the green, but don’t tell them about the other thing.”
“Why? What healed him? Green? Or...”
“Shhh,” I cut her off. “Green. Don’t say anything else. Reed could be listening to us right now, remember?”
“Isn’t that why I’m here, though?”
She didn’t have to say it. We both knew she was speaking of the red.
“Yes and no. It’s why many people want you here. But not
everyone. It’s complicated. But please, promise me, don’t let them know.”
She studied her hands, but the blood was all back to normal, drying into a scaly red crust.
“If it had stayed gray,” she whispered, “would it have killed him?”
“I don’t think so. It wasn’t that much. But I’m telling you, gray isn’t good. It’s the opposite of life.”
“This is disgusting,” she said, looking at her hands. “I need to wash them.”
“You can. But first, promise me you won’t say anything.”
“What about Reed and Jasmine? Can I tell them?”
“No. Especially not Reed,” I say. “He doesn’t have your best interests at heart. I know you like him. But don’t say anything to him. Or even when he’s near. He can spy, remember? I think he’s too out of it right now to spy on us or else this conversation wouldn’t be happening. I’m not sure about Jasmine yet. To be safe, just don’t say anything. You need to trust me on this.”
“I need to trust you? I don’t even know you. It’s been pretty obvious over the last few days that you’re not looking out for me.”
“What are you talking about? I’m probably the only one who’s been looking out for you.”
She opened her mouth but didn’t have anything to say. That alone burned a hole in my chest. I didn’t want to be hurt by this girl.
“Please, Jessa,” I pleaded one more time. “Promise me you won’t tell.”
How could I help this girl? I meant every word. She needed to trust me.
“But it’s my family, Lucas. They’re keeping them from me. I don’t have a choice.”
“You do have a choice. You always have a choice.”
“Maybe you’re not close with your parents. But my family is everything to me. I can’t put them in danger.”
“Listen to me Jessa. What you don’t get is that by telling anyone about what you can do, you will be putting them in danger.”
She stared at me. “Why?”
“Because alchemy is more dangerous than you can ever imagine. And I wish I could tell you more, but I’m not even sure it’s safe to talk right now. To explain myself with someone like Reed so near. You’re just going to have to trust me. I’ve said too much already.”