[Ayla’s POV]I stare down at the raging river below me as my feet dangle in the air. How many times have I thrown myself into that damned river to try to wake up, only to find myself back in this place? Again and again, it continued to happen, making it more and more clear that I wouldn't be able to wake up—not this time.Was this the end? Had the thing I dreaded finally happened, and that was why I couldn’t get back?As this thought hits me, I throw myself forward once more and close my eyes while the wind whips my hair around, but just like the other times, the minute my body connects with the rocks, I feel solid earth beneath me.Sighing, I lean back as a large shadow covers me and a familiar energy presses against my skin."You’re back?" I ask, lifting my gaze to meet Barren’s. "How goes it in the real world?"From what I knew, Barren had also been arrested when I was and was currently sitting in a prison cell awaiting a trial due to the murders he and I were both accused of.As f
[Ayla's POV]Fire envelopes me, attempting to lick at my skin but not doing any damage. However, even if the fire wasn't a real threat, the large beast towering over Alphonze was."No, you don't!" I hiss, lifting my arm, so a flame thrower appears. "Don't you fucking touch him!"A scream of rage escapes me as fire explodes from my outstretched hand and wraps around the beast's throat like a whip, so I can yank him back and hold him in place while Barren deals the finishing blow to his chest.Once it stops moving, I rush forward and kneel in front of Alphonze so that I can try to calm him."Hey," I murmur, reaching out and grabbing his hands. "You're alright."I wait as Alphonze's gaze flicks from me to the flames and then back. Deep within it, I can see the fear that is burying him alive and realize that it is similar to my own fear of the darkness I harbored."Alphonze," I announce more firmly, grabbing his cheeks and making him look at me. "Focus on me."As long as he could see the
[Aera’s POV]"Well?"Barren’s face is calm as he stares me down. It’s clear that he is already convinced that I will agree to his terms since he is the only one who can find Ayla since she has gone missing."Listen here," Silas snaps, shooting a glare toward Barren. "I don’t think you’re truly in any position to be bribing. I could just torture you until you’re willing to help us find my niece. We are simply giving you the courtesy of helping us freely.I bite back the laugh that wants to escape me as Barren’s smug expression falls.Ha, it served him right for trying to act so fucking cocky. He didn’t know who the fuck he was messing with."Do you think I’m afraid?" Barren suddenly asks. "Do you know who my father is?"Actually, everyone knew that Frank Holding was a dangerous leader and would do whatever was needed to have his way, but to think he would use those tactics on his own children was a bit..."Whatever you can do, I’ve probably already been through," Barren continues. "Whi
[Ayla's POV]I spin around in Barren's computer chair, trying to entertain myself until Barren returns from wherever it was that he went. I wasn't quite sure why he left so urgently after helping Alphonze, but before I could ask any questions, he disappeared."I wonder if anyone I know is sleeping," I murmur, unable to just sit around and do nothing. "Maybe he... No," I hiss, remembering the videos I saw before I became trapped here. "He probably doesn't want to see me anyway."I was sure that Aera believed I was responsible for killing his father, especially given his past prejudices, and even though somewhere in the back of my mind I wished he would believe in me, I couldn't stop the fear that he didn't."Stop doing this to yourself, Ayla," I mutter, leaning forward and placing my hands on the keyboard. "Let's search for someone to keep me entertained."After entering the code that Barren had taught me, I take in the screen and the small dots that indicate who is asleep.Once I have
[Aera’s POV]"This is just fucking great," I growl, staring down at the chains that clamp tightly around my wrists. "When I get my hands on that bastard, I’m going to kill him."After being tricked and left wrapped in vines, it was easy enough for my father’s men to arrest Silas and me. Now, we were stuck in the same fucking cell that we helped Barren escape from with the same ability suppressing cuffs, so I was damn near human."If you had better judgment from the start, we wouldn’t be here," Silas points out, remaining too fucking calm for my liking. "Tell me again why you trusted him to begin with.""Because Ayla trusted him," I respond immediately. "And since I swore I’d trust Ayla and her judgments, I let my guard down."Growing quiet, I wait as Silas processes what I’ve said."And how does Ayla know him?"For a moment, I’m not sure if he’s asking to see if I actually knew about their past, but when I don’t find any hints of ulterior motives, I realize that maybe Ayla never told
[Aera’s POV]Silas and I stand to the side while Marah sits in the middle of what I now see is a pentagon with a map in front of her while chanting something in a foreign language. Soft light radiates around her, swirling like it’s on a wheel while growing brighter and brighter.When it begins to grow brighter, a segment of it breaks off and explodes into the air, then shoots down like an arrow, landing on the map, where I can only assume Ayla is located."Here," Marah announces, placing a blood-red nail on the spot that is now burned. "Is where our girl is."I remain in place as she slowly gets to her feet and begins to bow to each candle before blowing them out. Only once she is finished, she steps out and comes to join us."Do you recognize this area?" She asks, holding the map up so we can see the burn mark that her magic created. "It isn’t either of your territories, correct?""That’s right," I confirm, feeling my anger grow even more. "That’s elementalis territory."That bastard
[Alphonze’s POV]Benny rolls me up to the front door and then lifts a finger to ring the bell. At first, it doesn’t seem like anyone is going to come, but then Corinna appears, looking confused by my sudden appearance."Alphonze?" She says, raising her brows. "What brings you here?""I came to see your brother," I explain. "Is he home?""Of course, please come in."Nodding, I motion for Benny to grab my chair and roll it in while Corinna disappears to find Barren."I don’t know how you roped me into doing this," he mutters once he’s sure we are alone. "Aera is going to kill me.""I’ll handle him," I counter. "Anyway, I don’t even know where that boy has gotten off to.""He’s probably busy trying to find the one responsible for your father’s death."Nodding, I try to ignore the sudden pang of pain I feel. Due to the corruption that was taking place around me, I didn’t have the time to try to mourn the loss of my father. Even if he wasn’t much of a parental figure, he was still the man
[Aera’s POV]"Could you please drive faster? I know you’re old, but do you seriously have to drive like a grandpa?""I’m going as fast as the car will take us," Silas snaps, shooting me a glare in the rearview mirror. "If you’d like, you can fucking run there if I’m not going at the speed you want.""Man, I feel bad for Ayla," Marah sighs from the front passenger seat. "She is going to have to put up with both of you for the rest of her life."At her words, I shoot a glare but don’t bother responding.I turn my focus out of the window beside me and take in the scenery as it flies by. How long have we been driving now? An hour? Maybe two?‘More like thirty minutes,’ Rayze counters. ‘Your sense of time is horrible.’‘Shut up.’Each minute felt like a fucking eternity when I knew that Barren could be doing anything to Ayla. I needed to get to her and see with my own eyes that she was fine."This is as far as we go," Silas announces, pulling the car to the side of the road and cutting it