“And Milo’s training? Is he anywhere close to being able to do an Inquest?”
“No,” I say with a frustrated sigh. “You would think having a Spiritualist for a mom would have given him a boost in subtle use of his power, but he’s just so forceful. He can shield himself almost as well as I can, which is great, but trying to get him to understand the delicate nature of pushing your own awareness into someone just isn’t clicking with him. He thinks he can just jump into things head first and everything will work. He’s so eager to get the Ciphers out that he’s pushing too hard. I don’t know. I’m going to have him work with Casey tonight. Maybe she can make him understand.”
Lance shrugs. “If anyone can, it’s her. I’ve never met a more patient, calm, quiet person. I constantly feel like she’s sneaking up on me.”
“That’s just because you can be like Milo at times—brash and impatient. At least when it comes to stuff like this.” That’s really what’s most frustrating about not being able to make Milo understand how to use his power better. With everything else, Milo can be very sweet and thoughtful. He used to spend hours just stroking my hair or running his fingers across my skin. He can be soft and delicate. Just not when it comes to destroying the Guardians and freeing the Ciphers. There’s too much anger in him when he uses his talents.
“Libby, if Milo can’t help you when it’s time to free the Ciphers …” Lance stops when I glare at him.
If he tells me one more time that I need to let Braden give me his Oath, I’m going to slap him. It was bad enough before with the sudden, unexpected bursts of desire I had for Braden every time we were together. Now, I find myself thinking about him even when we aren’t together, feeling the dull beat of his life force every second of the day. Every time I fall asleep, I wish he were with me, mostly because I still can’t seem to sleep decently without him around, but I’d be lying if I said that was the only reason. The way he seems to find ways to take my hand or touch my skin whenever no one else is around doesn’t help either.
A sudden vibration on my hip nearly makes me stumble. I slow to a stop and pull my phone out. Speak of the devil. I can feel my face flushing with pleasure. Lance can, too, and he smirks at me. I turn away, and say, “Braden, what’s up?”
“Libby!” he says, the panic in his voice instantly putting me on edge, “I know who they’re going to take! The Guardians are going after Saia. Can you get to her? I’m driving, I’m on my way to you, or I’d do it myself.”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll go right now.”
“Give the phone to Lance so he can tell me what’s going on.”
I toss the phone to Lance and sit down on the crinkly summer grass.
Inhale.
Exhale.
I feel my spirit lift away from my body and open my eyes. The swirling beauty of the spirit world lies ahead of me. I leap forward and pass through the barrier with barely a thought. Spirits surround me as soon as I enter their realm. I scan their faces desperately.
“Saia? Where’s Saia?” I ask the crowd. “I need to talk to Saia. Somebody find her, please. I can’t wait.”
Braden’s old friend Daniel, as well as a few others who have been integral in preparing the Ciphers, push up next to me as I try to find Saia.
“Libby, what’s wrong?” Daniel asks.
“They’re going to take Saia! We have to find her and warn her.”
Daniel’s eyes widen. Everyone around me picks up the pace, a few even jumping away from me to travel faster, a task I still haven’t mastered. Daniel, however, stays by my side. “She was in the Central Expanse just a few minutes ago.”
That’s not far from here. I’m about to ask Daniel to take me there when I see her. Someone else must have gotten to her first. Her normally angelic face is wrinkled with concern. I speed up and try to reach her. We’ve never before been able to find out who was going to be taken before they disappeared. I don’t know what to do now. How can I stop this from happening? There must be a way. I am two steps short of being able to reach my friend when her spirit ripples. Terror paints her face as her body freezes and distorts again. I can hear myself screaming as I lunge for her.
My hands swipe through empty air as I topple to the ground.
“No,” I cry, “no, she can’t be gone already. No. No. Daniel, I have to get her back!”
His wizened hands grab me firmly as panic starts to take over. I try to pull away from him but he yanks me around to face him. “She’s gone, Libby. There’s no getting her back now.”
“No, there has to be a way. I can’t do this without her.”
Grief colors his voice, but he doesn’t give in. “You have to, Libby. She’s gone. She’s dead.”
Dead. A crazy thought hits me. Only her body is dead. Her spirit is still alive. What if there’s still a chance to save her? If she finds a new body before the madness of becoming a Sihir sets in, can I save her? “Daniel, where was Saia being held?” I ask.
“In Albuquerque. Why?”
“Maybe there’s enough time …”
He’s already shaking his head. He opens his mouth to say something, but pauses. For some reason he touches my hair, my cheek. “You look like her,” he says slowly, “not exact, but close enough for a Sihir to make a mistake if it’s pointed in the right direction. She’s with you in Albuquerque, Libby. She’s close enough to kill you. That’s why the Guardians chose her.”
No. My heart lashes out at the idea of it. Not even the twisted minds of the Guardians would kill my friend just so her crazed spirit would do the same for me. Would they? I know they would, but I hate admitting it. Concern for my body sitting back on the grass unprotected pushes aside my grief. Then my body goes cold as I remember my body isn’t unprotected—not with Lance there—but it might be better if it were. Lance’s protection of me has put him in danger. If Saia’s Sihir shows up, she’ll kill him to get to me. And Braden is on his way! I don’t even say goodbye. My spirit flies back into my body in such a rush that it physically knocks me to the ground. I scramble up off the dry grass and scream.
Lance’s eyes are wild. He can’t see what’s going on around him. Only I can see the deranged spirit scrabbling at him and trying to rip out his life. Saia’s beautiful face is twisted in madness, her dark hair flying around her head like a halo of death. For a moment, Lance tries to fight her off before her hands plunge into his chest and he stumbles. I don’t know what to do. The only way to kill a Sihir is to let it have a new body and destroy the body once it’s inside. Lance slumps to the ground.
Terrified of watching him die, I race forward and fling myself at her. My body alone won’t stop her, but my spirit connects with her and rips her away from Lance. I hear the sound of squealing tires somewhere behind me. I can’t stop to look. The shock of me attacking her has worn off. The Sihir turns on me. Her dead eyes lock with mine. A shiver runs through my entire body as the recognition the Guardians were hoping for blossoms in her mind. Delirious glee spreads through her expression as she mistakenly thinks she has found her prize. She dives forward to claim my body for her own. Prophecy calls me the most powerful person in the world, but I freeze at her attack, sure I will never be able to stop her.
The icy plunge of her spirit hands into my chest finally pushes me to action. I fight with savage spiritual slashing against her efforts to tear my spirit out. I force her hands off and out of reach, but I know I can’t keep this up for long. The Sihir’s hands push closer to me and honest terror that I am about to die sinks into me. She won’t stop with me, either. Lance and Braden are screaming at me somewhere nearby. They won’t be spared if I fail.
I have to do something.
Desperate, I try to speak to her spirit. The frenzied nature of her state won’t let me, but it reminds me of something. It reminds me of rescuing Casey. Her hands are now inches away from my chest. Using every ounce of Strength I have, I wrench my body away from her. I have barely a second to dredge up my frazzled spirit and take hold. On the verge of abandoni
ng my body, something I’m not even sure is possible outside of the spirit world, I pause and pray to whoever will listen that I’m not about to kill us both.
Inhale.
Exhale.
My spirit leaps out of my body as I open my eyes. My physical body has collapsed, sending Lance into a panic. Braden seems momentarily stunned that I managed to leave my body and bypass the spirit world completely. I don’t think it’s supposed to work that way. The shock wears off and he too rushes over to my body. My body isn’t in nearly as much danger as my spirit is right now. I see through my spirit, but I’m not in the spirit world this time. I’m facing the being that used to be Saia. She falters at the sudden change, and I don’t let her hesitation go to waste. My spirit springs forward and wraps around hers.
“Libby, no!” Braden screams. He knows exactly what I’m about to attempt. He screams it again, but I don’t listen.
If I don’t try, we’ll all be dead in a matter of seconds. Saia fights me viciously, clawing and pushing to get me off of her. Pain electrifies me from head to toe. I push harder, stretching my spirit to try and cover every inch of her. My vision and strength begin to falter under her barrage. One hand lurches away from me and latches onto my physical body. Desperate, I fling myself backward, away from Lance and Braden, pulling her along with me. Tapping every ounce of power I have, I throw myself around her. I’m so close to wrapping her up completely! My power beats against her spirit. Braden is still screaming at me to stop. I push harder, stretch further. Suddenly, she is completely under my control, all but her last trailing link to the spirit world. I have to break the connection. One more slice with my Spiritualism, and the link snaps.
Agony rips through me. I can feel my spirit being torn apart. I can’t take it.
I’ve just killed myself.
Then all at once … the pain vanishes.
I’m dead.
“Libby! Libby, open your eyes!”
Should I be able to hear people screaming at me when I’m dead?
I risk opening my eyes.
Braden’s face lights up. Then he rushes in to kiss me. What flashes through me at his touch is just as intense as the explosion, but filled with joy instead of pain. He pulls away before I can even react. I’m too delirious to understand why he’s trying to shake me to death all of a sudden.
“What were you thinking? You could have killed yourself! I told you to never do that again. If I hadn’t been here to shield you after the blast you would have been torn to shreds!” Braden yells.
“I … she … she was trying to kill Lance,” I stutter.
“I don’t care! You almost got yourself killed!”
Shaking off both the explosion and the kiss, I finally manage to sit up. I push Braden back weakly and stare at him. “I couldn’t let her hurt Lance, or you. You would have done the same, and you know it.”
His shoulders shudder and fall. Anger dissipates and is overwhelmed by relief that he didn’t just watch me die. “For you, yes, I would have risked my life,” he says. His frenzied expression turns mildly joking. “For Lance, though? I don’t know about that.”
“Lance!” My eyes dart around for him, and find him lying only a few feet away.
“He’ll be alright,” Braden says. “The blast didn’t hit him that hard. He was behind my shield for the most part. He’s just shook up. He was actually yelling at you a minute ago.”
As if on cue, Lance groans and rolls onto his side. I grasp his hand and gently pull him up to sitting. His hand goes to his head, but he looks fine otherwise. I throw my arms around him in relief. A second later, another set of squealing tires races up to us. Milo jumps out of his car and rushes over to the three of us still sprawled out on the ground.
“What on earth just happened?” he demands.
“Libby just tried to destroy the world by getting herself killed,” Braden says seriously.
Everybody turns to stare at him. What is that supposed to mean? My being alive is supposed to destroy the world, isn’t it?
Chapter 2
2
Goodbye
“We have to go back,” I say. I try to push myself up off the ground, but my head starts swimming right away and I nearly pass out. Only Braden catching my arms and pulling me into his lap saves me from smacking my head on the concrete. That sets Milo off. He rushes forward to yank me out of Braden’s arms, but Braden is too smooth for that. He stands and carries me to his car before Milo takes three steps. Milo catches up, though, when Braden reaches the car and stops to open the door.
He grabs his arm, almost making him drop me. “Where are you taking her? Get your hands off her, Braden!”
Braden’s usual calmness snaps. He rounds on Milo and says, “She almost died, Milo! She needs to get to a hospital, now.”
“Wait,” I say weakly, but nobody listens to me.
“What, and I’m incapable of taking her? She’s my girlfriend. I’ll take her to my dad. Now let go of her!” Milo growls.
“You aren’t taking her anywhere. I’ve seen you drive.”
Okay, I have to agree with Braden on that one. Milo is a maniac behind the wheel. He’s almost as bad as Lance. I don’t bother voicing my opinion, though. Milo’s already barreling over anything I might have said.
“My driving is fine! Give her to me. You don’t know what she needs half as well as I do,” Milo says.
Pressed against Braden’s chest, I can feel his whole body constrict. Anger and frustration build in him. I can feel it rumble up his chest, about to explode. Milo is wrong. Braden has no Perception, but he’s told me that he can feel me now just as I can him. My pain is being echoed in him at this very moment. He knows exactly how battered my body and spirit are, and I know there’s no way he’s backing down. Flashes of Braden professing his love for me and running off with me in his arms like some fairytale prince gone postal almost sets me to giggling hysterically for some reason. I feel even worse than I did after breaking my block, but I dig up enough strength to reach up and grab Braden’s shirt, distracting him before he can blurt out something we’ll both regret.
“You aren’t taking me anywhere,” I say to him. Milo snorts and reaches out to me. “Neither are you, Milo.”
His lips press together in irritation. “What?”
“I’m not going anywhere with anyone. I’m going back to the spirit world, right now.”
They both just stare at me like I’m crazy. Braden is the one to say, “Libby, I don’t think you’re in any position to make demands.”
“That’s what you think.”
I don’t try to muscle my way out of his arms because I know I can’t. Instead, I simply leap out of my body, leaving it limp in Braden’s arms. Actually, staying in Braden’s arms is just about the only way I’m making it to the spirit world anyway. His power boosting mine is still barely enough to get me to the boundary. I practically stumbled through it, falling to my knees on the other side. I don’t even get the chance to try and stand up on my own. A pair of hands scoops me up into a familiar pair of arms.
“That wasn’t fair,” Milo says.
“Neither was the two of you trying to tell me what to do. I can take care of myself. Now put me down.”
He pulls me tightly against his chest, and says, “No.”
“Where’s Braden?” He better not be on his way to find me. I cannot have both of them here in the spirit world at the same time. I can’t imagine Milo convincing Braden to stay behind, not after almost watching me die.
“He’s taking care of Lance.”
“How on earth did you get him to do that?”
Milo shrugs casually, but I can see the smirk hiding underneath. “Lance was hurt more than Braden thought. He cut his head when he was knocked down, and might have a concussion. He went completely white and passed out right after you jumped. Braden is loading him into his car so we can take him to my dad as soon as I get you out of here.”
I feel horrible for leaving Lance when he is hurt, but thank g
oodness there was something to keep Braden from following Milo. The last thing I need right now is Milo finding out about Braden being my Companion. I’ve already got enough to deal with in this trip to the spirit world. My chest constricts thinking about why I was so adamant about coming back here. Tears threaten to escape and I demand one more time that Milo put me down. Stubborn to the end, I get the same answer as last time. No more discussion. He starts walking despite my arguing. I’m determined to get back on my own feet, but Daniel finds us before we get very far. He spots me being carried by Milo and sprints the rest of the way to meet us.
“Libby, are you all right? You disappeared so quickly I was afraid the Sihir got you!” Daniel exclaims.
I cringe, never even considering what jumping away like that might have looked like to the Ciphers. More spirits come running up behind Daniel. Their questions start flying before they even reach us. Wilting against Milo’s chest, I suddenly want to slip back into my body and escape them. Their panic and fear are so overwhelming. And they’re all looking to me for answers and hope.
“Where’s Saia?”
“Is Libby hurt?”
“What happened?”
“Are the Guardians going to take more of us?”
“Can’t we stop them?”
Questions bash against me relentlessly. For a moment, I can’t answer them. I suddenly have to face the reality of what I have to tell them. Their friend and leader is dead because of me, because I couldn’t figure out a way to stop the Guardians from killing her body and sending her into a deranged frenzy. She’s gone forever, and I did nothing to prevent it. I turn into Milo’s chest and hide my shame-filled tears. He strokes my hair gently as I try to calm myself. The Ciphers surrounding us quiet.
“Libby, what happened?” Daniel asks quietly.
Secret of Betrayal: Book Two of The Destroyer Trilogy Page 22