They ran out of the Council Room and down the hallway. Guards scurried about, helping others as the Dome shook and dust fell from the ceiling. Adie took off toward the High Perch.
“Wait!” Gossamer shouted, running as quickly as he could after her.
As Adie neared the High Perch, she slowed and stared at the sky. She lost her breath, seeing the exact image that she’d seen from her nightmare. This is Fate telling us where we are meant to be.
A deep red filled the sky as a dark cloud grew from the north. She looked down, seeing the inhabitants in the Town Square rushing and screaming.
The Announcer ran up to her, blowing his trumpet frantically. The white hair on his long ears stood up straight.
“Go! Get to safety!” Adie shouted at him. She turned as Gossamer headed toward her. The High Perch shook and cracked beneath her feet. Gossamer ran to her as the High Perch teetered. She quickly reached out, grasping her uncle’s hand. She brought her other hand to the Rokis as the sensation of falling made her stomach drop. Gossamer held on to her as they plummeted toward the Town Square.
“Take me to Aura.” She felt the light pull at her, wrapping her in a gust of wind, before she fell onto a staircase that shook violently.
Gossamer lay a few steps behind her, wincing in pain.
They’d made it to the tower.
“Go! Go! I’m right behind you!” Gossamer shouted, holding his hip and trying to stand.
Adie tried to steady herself while making her way to the top of the stairs. A door stood a few feet in front of her. The tower shook violently, and she flung herself toward the door, opening it.
She fell forward into the dark room as the spark of light from the portal continued to grow. The ground shook again, making a thunder-like sound which echoed around her.
Slowly rising, she turned as Gossamer came toward her, but the door slammed shut in his face and locked. Gossamer!
Adie turned around and surveyed the dark room. Gossamer beat on the door.
Adie ran and tried to unlock it. “It won’t unlock!”
The ground trembled and Adie lost her balance, falling onto the cold stone floor.
“I’ll find another way! Hold on!” Gossamer shouted.
She stood and walked toward the portal. Aura, what have you done? As she neared, an eerie quietness settled around her, and she sensed something behind her. She turned.
There stood Aura. The whites of her eyes had vanished, replaced with pitch black.
“Aura, you have to stop this.”
She snarled. “You should’ve trust me!” Laughter escaped between her sobs.
“You don’t know what you’re doing. This is dangerous. Let me help!”
Her laughter stopped, and she winced. “I’ve already started opening the portal. It’s the only way to save you all. You’ll never even know this happened. Please, I can’t fight much longer. This is the only way.”
Can’t fight much longer? “Aura, it doesn’t work that way. You can’t change the past! What is meant to be, will be!”
“No!” Aura said, red sparks dancing around her hands.
The blue light from the Rokis pulsated on Adie’s chest as Aura shot sparks through the air, whirling toward her. The pendant’s light beamed forward, meeting Aura’s powers halfway, causing a surge of energy throughout the room.
Adie flew back and hit her head against the wall, and Aura fell to the ground.
An eerie laugh escaped Aura, bouncing from wall to wall and echoing in Adie’s ear.
“Aura, there’s no need for us to fight,” she said, rubbing her head.
“I don’t wish to fight you, sister.” Her voice grew deep.
“Then stop this!”
Aura screamed and brought her hands to her head. “I can’t stop it. It’s becoming a part of me.” She stood, regaining her balance as she went from maniac laughter to weeping.
Adie kept her back against the wall.
“Adie, I can feel it coursing through my veins. It burns. You have to leave. I can’t—” She shook her head. “No. No!”
“Aura.”
She trembled and twitched as she spoke. “The voice won’t stop, and before this makes me fulfill my destiny of destroying everything, I have to stop it. This is the only way. I’ll go back and make sure I die. If I don’t survive my birth, the curse won’t exist! I can save everyone. I can do this. You have to let me.” Aura closed her eyes, pulling at her hair as she whispered words so softly Adie couldn’t hear.
Adie’s heart crumbled. “But you’re my sister.” She tried to speak clearly, but her words were muffled by her cries. “I can’t live without you. Please let me help. We’ll find another way. We’ll find a way to stop the curse.”
“There is no way. The creator said it herself!” Aura’s hands balled into fists. “Adie, you can’t miss what you never knew.” She began to tremble.
“Tut can help you with the powers. Fight it. I know you’re strong enough!” Tears filled Adie’s eyes. She looked at Aura, who shook aggressively now. We will find a way. Please.
The blackness faded from her eyes, and Adie could see Aura’s glistening with tears as the emerald returned to them. The sparks in her hands dissipated, and she walked slowly toward Adie.
Adie froze, unsure of her sister’s intention. The pulsations of the Rokis slowed. Adie held her breath and stayed still as Aura faced her. Aura quickly embraced her and held on tight. She wept, and Adie wrapped her arms around her, silently thanking Fate.
“Thank you, Aura. Thank you. I promise I’ll help you,” she said, caressing her sister’s hair.
“I’m so sorry. I thought I could fix it myself.” Aura blubbered and sniffled. She buried her face in her sister’s arms and whispered again, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—” Aura stopped and a violent scream escaped her.
“Wha—” Pain sliced into Adie, forcing the breath out of her. Hot, searing pain.
Her heart beat grew rapid as Aura stepped back, gasping, and closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face. The ground shook below them. Aura step back farther as Adie stumbled forward.
“No . . . no! I didn’t . . .” Aura sobbed, looking at her hands, stained red. “It wasn’t me . . .”
A warmness oozed from Adie’s side, and she felt the hot blade in her abdomen. She looked down at the black handle sticking out from her stomach and opened her mouth to speak. She glanced at Aura, horrified as she tried to take in as much air as she could.
The ground trembled again, and Adie didn’t have the strength to keep her balance. She fell on her side and rolled on her back, struggling to breathe. The pain coursed through her body, and tears streamed down her cheeks. No, Aura wouldn’t do it. This is just another nightmare. Breathe. Breathe. She begged herself to keep breathing. Wake up. Wake up!
But the pain remained.
Adie turned her head and looked at Aura, who had fallen to her knees, staring at the blood covering her palm.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated. She crawled over to Adie and brushed the tears from her cheeks.
The puddle of blood grew around Adie.
“I will fix everything, I promise.”
Adie tried to speak, but she couldn’t gather the strength. A coldness swept over her body, numbing the pain that ripped through her veins, and she felt herself fading.
A loud, thunderous bang came from behind them. Aura turned as Gossamer burst in.
Aura stayed balanced despite the trembles that continued to shake the tower. Dust fell onto their uncle’s face as the ceiling cracked.
His eyes widened, seeing the pool of blood beside Adie. She used what strength she had and raised her hand toward him.
He turned to Aura, his gaze unforgiving.
“Let me finish it.”
“Aura, you can’t—”
But it was too late. Aura turned toward the portal. Red bolts of light spread apart, circling a dark gray hole. She leapt in and disappeared.
46
Gossamer
Gossamer limped to Adie’s side and dropped to his knees. The blade was still inside her, and crimson blood soaked her dress.
“Oh, Adie!” Gossamer said. Tears filled his eyes.
Her lips moved, and he heard her whispering. He held her hand as the tower shook and more dust fell from the ceiling.
“Take it,” she said, pointing at the Rokis. “Please take it. Go save her.”
“Adie, stay with me.”
“Please,” she mouthed, and Gossamer watched the life drain from her eyes.
A beam from the ceiling fell to the floor beside him. He looked back at the portal as the gray hole grew smaller. He glanced back at Adie, remembering everything Ambrielle had told him. You were holding a baby.
“I will save her. I will save the other Adie, I promise.” He removed the Rokis from her chest and stood, facing the portal. The red bolts of light cracked around it as it continued to shrink, and he leapt.
The room spun.
Gossamer had a hard time focusing his eyes. He heard screaming and tried to sit up. Turning slowly, he saw his own face staring back at him, lifeless and pale. He shifted his weight back and tried to stand. The Rokis, its center gem bright blue and vibrating, remained in his hand. He gazed about the room.
He was in Ambrielle’s chambers at the Dome, but something felt different. Soft moans came from the bed on which his sister lay. He eyed her belly, swollen with child. She looked at Gossamer, her features twisted in fear. Everyone around him was dead. A body moved in the corner, drawing his attention.
Aura wept on her father’s chest, who lay dead, an expression of anguish on his face.
Ambrielle screamed, and Gossamer ran toward her. The Rokis on her chest had gone gray, and the center gem was fractured.
“Gossamer, what . . . what is going on?” Ambrielle asked as she tried to breathe through the pangs of labor. She moaned and grabbed her belly.
Gossamer heard the sound of a baby crying behind him and looked back at Ambrielle. “There’s still another baby,” he whispered. “I’m going to need you to push. I know it hurts. I know, but please, I must save her.”
Ambrielle nodded. Bearing down, she took in a deep breath. Gossamer grabbed a nearby blanket as she pushed with every ounce of life she had left in her. Her guttural cries pained him. She fell back on the bed and smiled with her last breath as she heard the sound of the baby cry.
Gossamer stood and swaddled the baby in the blanket. “I will save you,” he said, looking at baby Adie. He held the Rokis tight.
A crazed wail from behind him made him turn. Aura stood, limping toward him. Her tear-stained face surveyed the room. She looked back at Gossamer, and he froze.
“Look what you’ve done. This happened because of you. You should’ve trusted me!”
“Aura, it wasn’t safe, opening the portal and jumping through. We tried to warn you.” The ground below his feet trembled. He balanced himself and looked back at her.
“If you would’ve just let me finished. If you would’ve given me more time to open the portal correctly—”
“It wasn’t going to work, Aura,” Gossamer interrupted. “Changing the past is impossible. It only creates an alternate timeline.”
“THIS IS YOUR FAULT!” Aura shouted. Her gaze turned from Gossamer, and he wondered if she was yelling at him or herself. She closed her eyes and grew silent. When her eyes flew open, they were black as night.
Terror consumed him, and he pulled the baby closer to his chest.
Dark clouds began forming around her. “You will pay for this!” she said in a deep, guttural voice.
The smoky clouds made their way toward Gossamer. He glanced as the light from the Rokis pulsated in his hands and saw that baby Adie’s hand had fallen across the center gem. A familiar pulling sensation tugged at him, making him stumble forward.
Cold wetness fell on his face, and he looked up.
Just as his sister had described it years ago, the tall building stood before him with the blue symbol Ambrielle had drawn for him. His eyes fell back to baby Adie, her tiny hand still on the center gem. The pulsating had slowed, but the blue light still shone strong.
He walked forward and winced at the pain coming from his hip, and a whimper came from the bundle in his arms. He cradled her closer and continued forward. The cold rain drenched him.
He reached a covered area as a woman walked out from the building and paused. She looked at Gossamer curiously. He limped forward a few more steps and stopped. His black uniform torn and covered in dirt from the crumbling tower back in Thindoral.
Her eyes were wide as she looked down at the bundle. Baby Adie squirmed in his hands.
“Sir.” Her voice shaking. “Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”
Gossamer nodded. The woman’s nervousness disappeared momentarily. He wavered as his hip ached, but gathered his balance.
“Sir, do you know where you are?”
Gossamer gazed at her, confusion flooding him. He tried to speak, but his throat tightened as he forced back tears, realizing what he had to do.
“Sir, you are at Memorial Hospital in Huntsville, Texas. Are you seeking medical attention?”
Gossamer looked at baby Adie and kissed her forehead. “I promise, I’ll come for you again. You’ll be safe here,” he whispered as he gently laid baby Adie on the ground in front of him. His eyes met the woman’s. “Adie.”
The woman nodded as if she understood and hurried toward the bundle.
He stepped back as the woman called out for help. He placed his hand on the Rokis as the light drug across his skin, keeping his eyes on the bundle until he could see her no more.
47
Aura
Aura flung out her arms as the dark clouds fell about the room. She looked at the spot were Gossamer had just been standing seconds ago in her mother’s chambers.
What have I done? This is my fault.
“No!” she shouted, a snarl appearing on her face.
It was their fault! If they had just let me come back and make sure I didn’t survive my birth, the curse . . . the curse would’ve never been.
A whimper silenced her thoughts. She froze. The whine came again. Aura stood and gazed around the room. It came again from the corner. She stepped over the bodies and knelt next to a dead lady-in-waiting. She turned her over. Trapped beneath her was a bundle of blankets. A little hand reached up from the center.
Aura gasped and picked up the bundle. She moved a corner of the blanket back, revealing a baby’s face, and tears filled her eyes. The baby sobbed, and Aura automatically rocked her.
“Shhh. Shhhhh,” she said gently as the baby continued to cry.
Aura walked toward the double doors leading out to the balcony, and they opened as she approached. She gazed out over Giriveen, at the smoke and dust rising. The silver rings of Thindoral’s largest moon illuminated clouds which spotted the sky.
“Shhhhh. It’s just us now.” Aura said, continuing to rock back and forth. She looked at the baby and held on to its hand.
She began humming the song Ambrielle used to sing to them, the same song Aura sang to Adie to calm her after her nightmares.
* * *
“Blue Bird, fly high.
Blue bird fly high into a cloudless sky.
I smile, and I take your hand.
One day, one day you will rule this land.
Blue bird, don’t give up.
Let your wings always take you high.
Blue bird, don’t you ever forget to fly.”
* * *
Baby Aura grew quiet and went to sleep.
Aura looked out over Giriveen as it crumbled around her. Dark clouds surrounded them as Aura’s eyes went black. As she touched the baby, dark lines snaked their way from Aura’s fingertips and moved through the baby’s veins.
“I promise, we will make them suffer a Fate as we have. All of them.”
Acknowledgments
I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for reading a
book that I spent most (if not all) of my twenties writing. This story helped me get through some tough times, dealing with night terrors, anxiety, and depression. It let me have some sort of control and holds so much of me in it. And now it’s in your hands. I hope you enjoyed it and you continue to follow Adie and Aura’s journey with me.
I want to thank my agent, Rebecca Angus at Golden Wheat Literary. She made me dive deeper, pushed me to be stronger, and dealt with my self-doubt by building me up and giving me constructive criticism to be the best writer I could possibly be.
This book could have never happened without my writer’s group and I owe so much to the original group members, Seth Bracken, Tiffany Biagas Munn, and Robert Allen. I am so glad we built this group together. Also, thank you to all my beta readers (including Kari Tilley, Yara Lott, Madison Hollingsworth-Curlee, my Mum, and many many, many others) who have read this over the past 8+ years. I am so sorry about that first (few dozen) drafts, and appreciative of your words to help me make this story even stronger than I ever thought it could be.
A big shout out to The Parliament House! Gosh, you guys are amazing. Shayne Leighton, thank you for an amazing cover and always answering my (sort of ridiculous) questions. This cover is more beautiful than I ever dreamed it would be and you are just an all-around badass boss-babe. Chantal Gadoury, thank you for taking a chance on my story and keeping me on my deadlines (and your pep-talks)! You’re such a kind spirit and I am so glad my story got picked up by you! And Rebecca Milhoan for being the best content editor a girl could ask for. Also, Ashley Conner for taking her time in doing my line edits.
Also a big thank you to the folks that contributed art work and music with The Halves of Us, including: Caleb Jackson for putting together the incredible map of Thindoral from the chicken scratch I sent him, Cal Spivey for your sketches of my characters. You helped me bring my characters to life, and I will forever be grateful, my grandmother, MommaMilly, for writing music to go with the lullaby – and my sweet cousin, Meredith Sanders for singing it so beautifully.
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