So much he wouldn’t believe.
Alex did the only thing she could. She untangled their hands and forced a smile onto her face.
“Thanks for escorting me here,” she said. “I’ll make sure someone walks me back once I’ve finished, um…”
“Sharing the news that the human race is in mortal peril?” Kaiden offered when she was unable to finish. “And the other races, too?”
Alex winced at his candour. “Something like that, yeah.”
Kaiden watched her intently before he sighed and said, “When you’re not holding urgent meetings about saving the world, come find me. I need to talk to you about that weapon of yours.”
At that, Alex stood up straighter. “You’ve learned something about A’enara?” she asked, remembering that before the Kaldoras break, he had offered to research her mysterious blade.
“Nothing that can’t wait.” Kaiden gave her a gentle nudge towards the doorway. “And I have a feeling most of it you already know by now, anyway.”
Alex shook her head. “I hardly know a thing about it.”
“And yet, I’m guessing after your time spent in the past, you know more than you did the last time we spoke.”
Alex swung to look at him so fast that she failed to note a crack in the stonework and tripped forward. But since Kaiden was close enough to be nudging her towards the door, he was also close enough to wrap his arms around her, catching her just inches before she hit the ground.
With his firm grip encircling her waist, Alex twisted around to look up at him as the blood drained from her face.
All she could manage was to wheeze out a choked-sounding, “What?”
But at that moment, the headmaster’s door opened, drawing Kaiden’s attention. Alex, however, remained speechless and gaping up at him.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Hunter said, sounding anything but sorry. In fact, he sounded downright amused, which prompted Alex to tear her eyes from Kaiden. In doing so, she realised she was still wrapped in his arms, their contact misleading given the circumstances—and easy enough for Hunter to mistake as an intimate embrace.
“This isn’t what it looks like,” Alex blurted, pushing Kaiden’s chest until he released her and took a step back. She chose to ignore the laughter in his eyes as she added, perhaps a little too desperately, “Really, Hunter. I fell.”
“Uh-huh.” Hunter’s tone made it clear he didn’t believe her. And also that he didn’t care. “We were about done waiting for you to come to us, so if you don’t mind…”
He left the sentence hanging and Alex knew that was her cue to skedaddle into the room where presumably Darrius, Fletcher and Caspar Lennox were all waiting.
Despite knowing she had a lot of explaining to do, Alex was torn about entering the room. And that was because of the bombshell Kaiden had just dropped on her. How could he possibly know about her travelling through time? No one knew, other than Niyx and Lady Mystique, and now Jordan, D.C. and Bear. Not even Kyia and Zain knew, since their memories of Alex—or ‘Aeylia’, as she had been known to them—had been altered by Lady Mystique to preserve the timeline. Heck, not even Aven remembered that Alex was the main reason he now hated mortals—and humans in particular.
So… how on Earth did Kaiden know?
“Anytime you’re ready, Alex,” Hunter drawled pointedly.
Kaiden caught her eye and said, “I’ll catch you later.”
“But—”
“Later, Alex,” he repeated, a promise in his tone. He turned to Hunter and said, “Don’t let her walk back to the dorm alone.”
If Hunter had any objections to the command in Kaiden’s voice, he didn’t say anything. All he did was raise an eyebrow and nod, before gesturing for Alex to advance through the doorway.
Short of demanding answers from Kaiden—answers that would lead to questions she didn’t want Hunter and the other teachers to wonder about—there was nothing Alex could do. So she walked into Darrius’s office, bracing herself to share the tragic news regarding the fall of Meya.
Two
Alex didn’t see Kaiden the next day.
Or the next.
… Or the next.
In fact, she didn’t see him at all for the rest of the week. Not in the classes they shared, Combat and SAS, nor when she attempted to hunt him down, going so far as to ambush his roommate and closest friend, Declan, demanding he reveal Kaiden’s whereabouts. But all Declan knew was that Kaiden had been called away from the academy urgently, and he had no other details for her.
Perhaps it was for the best, since even without the paranoia of wondering what Kaiden knew—and how he knew it—Alex already had enough to deal with. Her meeting with the headmaster hadn’t gone very well, mostly because it wasn’t just Darrius, Hunter, Fletcher and Caspar Lennox who had been there. The entire academy’s teaching staff had been called to attend, many of whom point blank refused to accept Alex’s dire warnings. Most notably outspoken against her claims was the crotchety old librarian, who believed she was overdramatising the situation and it couldn’t possibly be as bad as she’d inferred. Professor Marmaduke had nodded emphatically along with him, but her pale features had indicated her solidarity was driven by fear and the hope that Alex might be wrong.
On the opposite end of the scale were those who believed immediate—and impulsive—action should be taken. Finn thought they should gather the human army and storm the city of Meya, arguing that a surprise attack would cripple Aven and his forces before he could rally his own defences. Varin was all for that plan, if only because it meant action, and the heavily armoured Species Distinction instructor wasn’t one to sit around waiting for disaster to appear on his doorstep.
There were also a number of teachers who were on the fence, accepting what Alex had to say but remaining unconvinced that Aven was an urgent threat. Professor Luranda, Fitzy, Doc, Tayla and Administrator Jarvis all believed more evidence was required before taking any action.
Alex had wanted to hit them over the head.
The only people who seemed to understand the gravity of the news were Darrius, Hunter, Caspar Lennox and Fletcher, as well as Karter and, surprisingly, Maggie.
Or… perhaps that wasn’t so surprising, given what Alex discovered about her Archery instructor the moment she’d stepped into the headmaster’s office.
Magdelina Llohilas was a Meyarin.
The teacher had always looked like an actress straight out of a fantasy movie, but Alex’s enhanced senses now allowed her to see that Maggie’s appearance was of the otherworldly, immortal kind, and not just blessed human genes.
Other than a swift inhale, Alex hadn’t outwardly revealed her shock. As for Maggie, aside from a slight widening of her eyes, the instructor had given no indication she’d noticed anything different about Alex—namely, her golden skin. For the entirety of the meeting, both were careful not to expose the other, but Alex had mentally scribbled Maggie’s name to the top of her follow-up list, knowing they would need to have a conversation—and soon.
“… know you have reasons, Alex, but I still think we should all come with you.”
Jolted from thinking about her teachers, Alex turned her attention to her friends. They’d been back from holidays for almost a week—a week where the academy staff continued to debate the pros and cons of various plans amongst themselves while Alex followed their order to attend classes as if there wasn’t a war brewing; a week where she spent every frustrated minute painfully aware of the time passing and what Aven might be doing while they sat around twiddling their thumbs; a week where she failed to find Kaiden and learn how he knew about her trip to the past; and a week where Alex didn’t hear anything from Niyx through their mental bond or in any other way. Despite her Meyarin friend having warned her that he was surrounded by mind readers and other gifted humans and he couldn’t risk discovery, his continued silence still put Alex on edge. But she wouldn’t endanger him by reaching out just to ease her anxiety—not when he was in such a perilous position.
Instead of dwelling on everything currently outside of her control, she focused on what she could do, and that was continuing her own plans to spread word about what was coming. While it hadn’t gone well with her teachers, Alex refused to give up. Now that the weekend had arrived, she would reach out to those with the real power in Medora—the royal family.
“It doesn’t make sense for anyone other than Dix to come,” Alex replied to Jordan, ordering an extra side of eggs from the food court menu. “And besides, once we’re done, I’ll be heading off to Draekora on my own, anyway.”
“I get that Zain and Kyia are protective of Roka,” Bear said, spreading peanut butter across his toast, “but surely they won’t mind if we tag along. It’s not like they don’t know us.”
Alex shook her head. “I’m guessing the surviving Meyarins will be really tense after everything that’s happened. I don’t want to risk upsetting them more, not until I make sure they’re okay with you coming next time. Better to be safe than sorry, especially if they’re all a bit… trigger happy.”
Jordan, D.C. and Bear all grimaced, likely recalling their first encounter with the Meyarin race when Kyia had threatened to shoot them with her bow.
“I don’t like the idea of you going off on your own without us,” Jordan said, his eyes concerned. “You won’t have anyone with you for backup.”
“Dix’s parents know we’re coming,” Alex told him between mouthfuls. “It’ll just be the four of us having a quiet chat, so there won’t be any backup needed.”
“Then I don’t like the idea of you going to Draekora on your own,” Jordan said, relentless. “You have no idea what you’ll be walking into up there.”
“All the more reason for me to go alone.” Seeing his furrowed brow, Alex put down her fork and reached across to lay her hand over his. “I promise, Jordan. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”
Alex ignored the guilty churning of her stomach, hating that she couldn’t tell her friends the real reason she needed to be alone that afternoon. Normally she would take them with her to Draekora despite the edgy Meyarins, but at the end of her SOSAC class on Tuesday, Caspar Lennox had reminded Alex about his promise to contact someone who might be able to help her strengthen her willpower gift. The unknown man owed the Shadow Walker a favour and had grudgingly agreed to meet Alex and judge whether he thought her worthy of his time. But the only way he would see her was with a demand for secrecy. No one was to know about their clandestine meeting—not even the people she trusted most in the world.
If there were only one or two humans Claimed by Aven, then Alex wouldn’t need this stranger’s help. She could just hunt down the individuals and Release them the same way she’d freed Jordan. But there weren’t just a few humans Aven now controlled—there was a worrying number of them, as well as an entire city of Meyarins. So it was vital that she learn the scope of her gift and whether or not she could somehow amplify it and share it with others. Then perhaps everyone under Aven’s Claim could be liberated, all at once. That was her hope, at least, and the reason she was willing to meet with Caspar Lennox’s mysterious friend—to find out if it was even possible.
“Dix will be back for lunch and I’ll be back in time for dinner, I swear,” Alex said, before draining her apple juice and rising to her feet.
“If you’re not, we’re coming after you,” Jordan said, everything about him showing how serious he was.
“Even if we have no idea how we’ll do that,” Bear added, just as serious, “we’ll still find a way.”
D.C. stood and offered Alex a smile, which was enough to help settle her nerves, at least until the princess said, “Let’s go tell my parents about the end of the world.”
Alex couldn’t fathom how D.C. managed to sound so upbeat given her doomsday declaration.
Reading Alex’s look, D.C. laughed, and even Jordan and Bear managed to brush aside their sombre moods to chuckle with morbid humour.
Wondering if they’d overdosed on dillyberry juice without her realising, Alex headed for the exit with the still-snickering D.C. following behind her. Once outside, she reached into her coat for the authorised Bubbler vial Darrius had provided and threw it to the ground, watching as the glass disappeared and the colourful portal rose up in front of them.
“You want to go first?” Alex asked her friend, gesturing towards the bubble mass.
D.C.’s face was devoid of her previous humour when she replied, “What I want is to know the real reason you don’t want any of us to come with you to Draekora.”
Alex’s eyes flickered, but she wasn’t overly surprised. More than anyone, D.C. knew Alex well enough to sense when she was hiding something.
“I can’t tell you,” Alex said quietly, not wanting to lie to her best friend, but also not willing to risk forfeiting her opportunity to meet Caspar Lennox’s contact.
D.C. swallowed. “Is it—Is it because of Jordan? That you don’t trust him after… everything?”
Frowning, Alex said, “Of course not.” Then, seeing D.C. chew her bottom lip, something she only did when she was anxious, Alex asked, “Why would you even think that? What don’t I know?”
D.C. was quick to shake her head. Too quick.
“Dix,” Alex said, stepping closer. “Talk to me.”
Shaking her head again, D.C. said, “It’s nothing.”
Alex brushed her hair off her face and considered her next words carefully. Every night that week, she had awoken to find D.C.’s bed empty. The first time she hadn’t given it any thought, but when it continued, she’d been concerned enough to seek out the boys, only to discover Jordan missing as well. Worried, both Alex and Bear had stumbled out onto the snowy grounds long after curfew, finally spotting D.C. and Jordan huddled together beside the frosty lake. They had looked so peaceful that Alex and Bear had retreated without disturbing them, and Alex hadn’t brought up the midnight search to D.C. in the time since then.
She had no idea why her two friends visited the lake every night, nor what they did while out there. And given everything Jordan had been through, Alex couldn’t help feeling as if their time together was… important. A time of healing for him, where D.C. offered whatever he needed to get through the darkness of what Aven had done to him.
But D.C.’s line of questioning had Alex wondering—did she really think Alex didn’t trust Jordan? Or… was D.C. perhaps fighting her own inner battle, dealing with uncertainty and fear when it came to the boy she cared so deeply for?
The princess rarely brought up her childhood; rarely shared any details about her past. Alex knew D.C. had grown up building walls around her heart, and her trust issues were beyond compare. But with Jordan… if there was any hope of D.C. getting through to him, she would have to be vulnerable with him—something the princess was no doubt struggling with.
While Alex felt like the worst friend ever since she was so focused on her plans to rally the mortal races against Aven, she still wanted to offer whatever support she could. No matter how scarred Jordan was, Alex knew D.C. was perhaps the only person who could help him heal—just as long as D.C. didn’t surrender to her own insecurities before she could get through to him.
“I know you’re missing sleep to be with Jordan,” Alex said quietly, meeting D.C.’s surprised gaze. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like for him, spending so much time trapped under Aven’s command. I know his pain must run deep, even if every time I ask how he’s doing, he laughs it off and says he’s fine. I’m so glad—” Her voice broke, but she cleared her throat and tried again, “—I’m so glad you’re out with him every night. I’m so glad he’s not alone in this, even if he might want to be.”
Tears welled in D.C.’s eyes as she whispered, “I don’t know if I’m helping him. I don’t even know how to help him.”
Alex reached for D.C.’s gloved hands and gave them a firm squeeze. “It’s enough that you want to,” she whispered back. “I’m not sure what’s going through Jordan’s head these days, but I
do know how he feels about you. Aven may have stolen his will, but he couldn’t steal his heart. Don’t ever doubt that, Dix.”
A tear leaked down D.C.’s cheek, dropping off her chin and onto the snow. “It’s just—it’s so hard, Alex. I hate seeing him like this. I hate not knowing how to make it better. I hate not knowing if I even can.” Even quieter, she admitted, “And I hate being afraid of why I so badly want to try.”
Alex wished she knew what to say to ease D.C.’s mind, to ease her heart. She called to mind the wizened old Lady Mystique and the counsel she might offer. “Nothing worth anything is ever easy,” Alex said. “If you open yourself to him, we both know you won’t regret it. Give him time, give him comfort… give him you. And whatever you do, don’t give up.”
A final tear escaped before D.C. straightened her spine, her blue-green eyes steeling with resolve. “I’m not going anywhere. Even if that means I have to freeze my backside off every night from now until summer.”
That’s my girl, Alex thought, prouder than she could say. She offered a smile and another hand squeeze before releasing her grip. “Warmth is overrated.” She wiggled her brows and added, “And besides, you could always use him as a human-sized hot water bottle. A little snuggling might be just what the doctor ordered.”
D.C. snorted, wiping her glove across her face to dry the remaining wetness. “Maybe you should listen to your own advice and find someone to—”
“We’re not talking about me,” Alex hastily cut in, not wanting to hear whatever her friend might have been about to say.
“You’re no fun,” D.C. teased, her humour returning. She did, however, let Alex off the hook, and instead went on to say, “Now that my emotional crisis has been dealt with, how about we go and have that chat with my parents?” She gestured to the waiting Bubbledoor and invited, “After you.”
Moving forward, Alex made sure to imagine the palace’s receiving room clearly in her mind before she stepped into the portal. Within seconds, she was transported thousands of miles away to Medora’s capital city.