Emryn couldn’t sleep. Her pain hadn’t lessened. The implants ached in both her back and arms. If she looked over to her right she could see the cracks she made when she crushed Adnan against the wall. She had been too careless. Overusing her power like it was limitless.

A part of her was also afraid of what she might dream of. She didn’t want to wake from nightmares again.

Sleep wasn’t going to come to Emryn that night. Not without something to distract her from the pain. Being tired but at the same time restless was a bothersome feeling.

Emryn went out into the hall. Listening intently for voices of life through Zaiden’s door. She heard his heart paired with another. One was quieter, indicating they were asleep.

Emryn slowly pushed the door open. Zaiden was leaning against the headboard, shirt discarded due to the heat of the room and a book in hand. Curled up against his side was Braun, fast asleep. As soon as the door clicked shut, Zaiden looked up at her.

To his credit, he didn’t ask questions or even seem surprised. Zaiden patted the side of the bed next to him, silently calling Emryn over.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she mumbled as she laid at his side. Braun was snoring soundly. His head rested on Zaiden’s lap while the older ran his fingers through his brown hair.

“I figured,” Zaiden whispered, careful not to wake the sleeping boy. “You can stay here until you do.”

Emryn nested further against him, laying her head over his chest so she could hear it beat better. Zaiden’s heart had always been soothing. The rhythmic hum did wonders for her anxiety. Then he ran his hand up and down her back in calming motions, luring her further to sleep.

Emryn stared absently at Braun, who was still sleeping heavily. She wondered if he often slept in here and why.

As if reading her thoughts, Zaiden softly spoke. “He gets night terrors.” Zaiden gently touched the top of Braun's head. “He has trouble sleeping alone.” Emryn took the little boy's hand but didn’t say anything in response. In some ways she knew what it was like. Oftentimes she found herself lying awake because she feared about what she might dream.

“My body is weak,” Emryn said, breaking the silence.

“What do you mean?”

“If I use my ability too much it makes my body break down from pain. That’s why I keep passing out after using it. My body can’t handle the unnatural power,” she mumbled.

Zaiden paused his movements. “Is there a way to fix it?” he asked gently.

Emryn took some shallow breaths. Memories of the operations flooded through her. Echoes of the blades and the feeling of dried blood. She never wanted to go through that again.

“Will I lose my value if I can’t—” She couldn’t finish her sentence. A few tears came out of her eye and she quickly wiped them away. Zaiden had taken her in because of her power. It was the only thing that gave her a place here. If she couldn’t be used then she didn’t have a use.

Zaiden lifted her chin and gently kissed her. “No,” he whispered. “Not to me.” He pulled her closer, removing the hand on Braun to wrap his arms around her in a tight hug. Emryn found herself finally feeling warm again. Her fingers traced the outline of a few scars on Zaiden’s abdomen absently, distracting her from the pain enough for her to drift off.

——///——-///\\\——-\\\——

Alarms rang through the halls and shouts came from everywhere. Warning bells were ringing while lights flashed. The radio on Zaiden’s bedside table kept going off. Braun started to cry and he wrapped himself around Emryn. The combined chaos made Emryn’s ears bleed. She slammed her hands over them. This wasn’t what she imagined she’d wake to.

What was going on?

Zaiden was out of bed, putting a shirt on and frantically looking around the room for something. Emryn stood with Braun still clinging to her. Her body was aching all over and his added weight wasn’t helping.

“Zaiden,” she called out. He turned as if just noticing her. His eyes widened when he looked at Braun.

“Stay here with him!” Zaiden yelled over the sirens. “Please don’t leave this room. I need to get to the ground floor.”

“What’s going on?” she yelled.

Zaiden slung a large gun over his shoulder, yelling into the radio as he staggered out the door. Emryn tried to follow but Braun wouldn’t stop crying. A few seconds passed and Emryn held him to her stomach, eyeing the door Zaiden just went through.

The ground shook. She tightened her hold to stop the boy from falling but it didn’t stop his panic attack.

Kneeling down to get eye level she calmly rubs his arms. “Braun, look at me,” she instructed. “Breathe.”

Braun frantically wiped his tears away, taking heavy breaths until he could get words out. “Zai,” he cried.

Emryn bit her cheek. She needed to find Zaiden, not just for Braun’s sake. “He’s busy right now but he’ll come back later. I need you to tell me where Dede is.” Dede was the first person Emryn could think of to watch Braun, everyone else would be busy fighting the threat. Emryn had to push down the anger she felt about Zaiden leaving her to fight it on his own.

She wasn’t weak. When she told him about her pain she didn’t think he’d want to leave her behind.

Braun shook his head. “I don’t know,” he sobbed.

“Okay, it's okay,.” Emryn pushed his head into her shoulder. Lifting him up, she left the room. The sirens were even louder in the halls but at the moment she could only cover one ear. Emryn quickly went to her room to grab her chakram and strapped it to her shoulder. She couldn’t push the feeling she’d need it later.

She ran down the hallway looking for anyone that could take Braun off her hands. His nails were starting to claw at her skin. “Braun,” she said, removing his hand from her collarbone. “Remember what I said. Just breathe. In and out.” The ground shook once more but this time the tremors were followed by screams.

Emryn ran faster. This couldn’t be happening. Abrax was under attack.

It had to be Seth’s doing. He actually came for Kiarra. Emryn clenched her jaw. He came back for her.

That idiot.

Turning the corner she almost hit Elias. The big muscular soldier looked at her in surprise but couldn’t do anything other than try to stamper out words. Emryn cut him off, pushing Braun onto him.

“Get him somewhere safe,” she ordered and ran off toward the holding cells. There was no doubt Zaiden had reached a similar conclusion and would also be there soon.

Emryn sprinted through the chaotic evacuations and armed soldiers. Weaving through the maze of rooms and halls, she finally made it to the hanger full of hummingbirds. The prototypes were locked up and the scientists were long gone. Packed away in a hurry.

Speeding through the stronghold, Emryn had one thing on her mind. She needed to get to the cell before Seth did.

Rounding another the corner she slammed right into someone’s chest. Both parties lost balance and Emryn’s tiredness added on to the pain she was still in made her tumble forward. Malcolm’s arms caught her before she could fall to far. Emryn barely had any time to comprehend what was happening but once she saw Malcolm she felt relief she didn’t know she needed.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Are you okay?” they both asked at the same time.

The ground shook again, causing Malcolm to tighten his hold. Emryn threw her arms around him and pulled him in for a strong embrace. “You’re okay?”

Malcolm slowly hugged her back and replied, “I’m okay.”

But if Malcolm was out here instead of the cell guarding Kiarra then that meant only one thing. Emryn pushed back. “What happened to Kiarra?”

Malcolm looked away. “Wolf-spiders came from underground. O’Connor should have her back by now.”

“How? I thought Abrax was built to combat that?” she exclaimed. The shifting underground plates were meant to keep out wolf-spiders. If the monsters tried to dig through the ground, the plates would crush them. Had they not worked?

“You’ll have to ask Alex that.” Malcolm grabbed her wrist, causing Emryn to flinch slightly due the pain she was already in, and dragged her away from the cells. “We should get going to. It’s not safe here.”

“Where are we going?” she asked as they rushed down the hall. Malcolm had an echo cannon strapped to his back. Emryn watched it swing back and forth in a hypnotic daze. He was prepared for a fight.

“Zaiden should be down this way,” he answered.

Just up ahead the ground started cracking and the two rushed to a stop right as a wolf-spider clawed through the floor. Malcolm raised the gun to shoot but Emryn used her ability to crush it before he could fire. She didn’t want to hear the deafening siren.

Emryn cries out after she killed the beast, falling back on a very concerned Malcolm. The aching pain drowned out her surroundings. She get Malcolm turn her around and check for wounds, but she had to blink her eyes into focus to see him.

Horror was written on his face as he pushed up her jacket sleeve. She could tell he was yelling at her but her ears rung too loud to hear him. Looking down, Emryn saw the blood staining her bandages. Bleeding so much it dripped on the floor. Malcolm pushed her sleeve back down and pulled her up, using his side to support her as they walked.

After a while she could hear again, in time to hear Malcolm relentlessly insult her. “What’s wrong with you? Are you insane?” he yelled.

Pain is just a reminder you’re still alive. But this didn’t feel like living.

They staggered down the corridors together, fighting took place close by, she could hear it but she couldn’t see it.

“Where’s Zaiden?” Emryn asked, slowly trying to turn her head. It ended up against Malcolm’s shoulder but the rough steps and constant shaking made her lift it back up.

“Don’t worry about him. He can take care of himself,” he chastised. Malcolm looked down at Emryn’s drained form. “You, on the other hand, need medical attention.”

“I’m fine.”

He scoffed. “I can see that.”

“Take me to the fight, Malcolm.”

“Not happening,” he argued, roughly dragging her down the hall.

“Malcolm!” a voice yelled. Alex ran up to the pair, sweating and bleeding. Simone wasn’t far behind. She quickly turned to shoot something at her back then continued to chase after Alex. Once the two saw Emryn they pulled her off of Malcolm.

“What happened to you?” Alex or Simone, she couldn’t really tell, yelled at her.

“Emryn what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” she grumbled as she pushed away from them. She was standing on her own again, breathing roughly. She could feel herself healing, slowly but surely. “Where’s Zaiden?” she asked once more.

“He’s with the others fighting,” Alex said.

Emryn moved towards the direction of the chaos, hoping to make it to Zaiden before anything happened to him.

Malcolm hooked her wrist. “You’re in no condition to fight.”

Emryn pulled the chakram from her back. “I can take care of myself.” If she avoided using her ability, she would be fine. There wouldn’t be any more episodes.

The other three reluctantly followed her, Alex looking like a scared puppy. Simone matched her stride and led the way. “We’re with you,” she said.

The commons room was painted red. Mangled bodies were nailed to the walls and littering the floor. The area was almost completely destroyed. But Abrax was still fighting.

The enemy consisted of wolf-spiders and a few Mallax soldiers. Emryn didn’t see Seth, for that she was grateful, but she also couldn’t see Zaiden.

She couldn’t focus on him right now.

“Get down!” she yelled. Abrax soldiers looked at her and ducked down. A few Mallax soldiers were smart enough to follow before Emryn threw her ringed blade. The chakram sliced through two wolf-spiders, their golden blood spraying out like a web, staining the carpet and anyone close enough.

Emryn knew the wolf-spiders would be the hardest for Abrax to fight, so she targeted them first. Emryn used her blade to cut through as many as she could find, all the while searching for two people.

Seth and Zaiden were most likely fighting each other. She hadn’t seen either of them anywhere. Moving desperately through the massive building, she kept searching. Not entirely sure what she wanted to see.

By the time she spotted a familiar head of black hair she had already killed almost twenty wolf-spiders. Zaiden was fighting hard with a few men at his sides. He looked different when faced with the scorn of battle.

Emryn’s eyes drifted through the large chamber. Her stomach dropped when she saw Seth near one of the beasts. He looked as though he were waiting for someone, and at the same time watching the fight, bored.

In the midst of the chaos, neither man had seen her yet. But for Emryn, the world turned slowly.

She saw it all. The way Zaiden’s movements were getting slower, the eerie calm on Seth’s face, and the hatred between both sides.

Malcolm and the others finally caught up to her, Alex bumping her side as he stumbled forward. Meanwhile Malcolm looked like he’d kill her for running away earlier.

Simone shot out her gun and guarded their rear, and Alex fought off his nerves to aim his gun forward.

“Are you insane?” Malcolm shouted at her.

“I don’t know,” Emryn shrugged then nodded in the direction of the main fight. “We need to help them.” She didn’t wait for the others.

Emryn pushed past Alex with Malcolm on her heels grumbling curses under his breath. It was as much corporation as she was gonna get.

Emryn threw her chakram and felt something pierce her shoulder. She caught the blade on the return and spun around. Another wolf-spider. She smirked. Easy kill.

Simone cut off the leg impaling Emryn’s arm with her glowing axe, gun now at her hip. Emryn wasted no time. She ripped the access off and threw it into the beast’s eye. Tossing the chakram again, Emryn cut off more of the monster’s legs until it couldn’t fight back. She climbed its back and began pounding its skull. The frustration and terror she felt was resurfacing. Seth’s betrayal, Zaiden leaving her, and her inability to use her power. She needed an outlet. Blow after blow, her hands got coated in more blood. Even after it died she kept hitting.

“Emryn!” Zaiden yelled and she finally stopped while the fight around her continued. Emryn descended the wolf-spider’s back to face him. Zaiden was bleeding in a few places but for the most part was unscathed.

The others gathered around him. He only briefly met Emryn’s eyes. Like he wasn’t surprised to see her here. “Alex,” he called. “What happened? Why were our defenses down?”

Alex scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know. They were working yesterday but when I went in today, everything was malfunctioning. By the time I called it in, Mallax had already breached us.” He was shaking but not lying.

“Malfunctioned?” Simone asked, shocked.

“Convenient timing,” Zaiden said looking behind where Seth was still casually leaning against a wolf-spider. Even amidst the chaos, he didn't have a care in the world. Emryn turned just in time to see Kiarra appear beside him.

They failed. Kiarra was escaping and Seth wasn’t captured. If Emryn could use her powers this wouldn’t be happening.

The wolf-spider beside Seth started digging. They were going to escape.

Seth finally looked over and noticed her stare. Brief shock followed by a smirk. Then Zaiden aimed his gun at the Mallax leader and Emryn’s heart stopped.

“We need him alive,” Malcolm reminded but Zaiden didn’t lower his gun. Seth noticed the weapon aimed at him but he didn’t waver. “Zaiden!”

Distracted by Malcolm’s shouting, Zaiden glanced over, lowering his gun slightly. “I know—”

A knife pierced his shoulder. Zaiden grunted and fell a few steps back. Emryn’s gaze shot from him to Kiarra. She glared as she watched the Mallax soldier jump down the hole the wolf-spider had dug.

Emryn wanted to kill her.

“Emryn stay back,” Malcolm instructed, shooting at the remaining wolf-spiders. The echo cannon was weaker than usual. Emryn didn’t bother covering her ears. They’d heal soon anyway.

Zaiden pulled the knife out. The blade hadn’t gone too far in and the cut wasn’t that deep. But he was still bleeding enough for Emryn to crave retribution.

“We need to catch O’Connor and put an end to this,” Zaiden grunted, vincing as Alex held his wound.

Seth whistled to his soldiers, calling them back and one by one they entered the tunnel. He caught Emryn’s eye and smiled. Raising two fingers to his brow, he saluted, graciously falling back into the underground tunnel.

Emryn clenched her jaw and ran after him. She couldn’t let him go again.