Page 33 of Avelina

“Oh, how kind of you,” I said. “Please, Aaron, don’t be afraid to say what’s on your mind.”

Aaron chuckled. “Let’s go,” he said, slipping on his pack.

Before we could take two steps out on the trail, however, he stopped short, motioning me to stay hidden. I crouched like a frog between two evergreens.

I didn’t know if he’d seen a person or a predator, but if he said hide, then I would hide. Rogue, ever observant, slinked over to stand just behind me, pressing his body against mine. It was comforting, but I didn’t know how helpful that would be if I needed to get up and run but instead tripped over his big body.

Aaron silently pulled two knives from his vest, one of which was longer than my forearm, then he crouched down in front of me, listening. The air around him heated up, and I leaned away from him and into Rogue. My heart pounded loudly in my ears as I watched him for signs that I needed to run. After a moment, his knives glowed a reddish orange, as if they had been pulled from a forge. He glanced at my surprised expression and gave me a little smirk.

I shook my head, looking down at the ground. It was covered in soft pine needles that smelled faintly of citrus, and I rolled one of them between my fingers to calm myself down, accidentally crushing it. When I touched the ground to pick up a new one, I got a flash of something like what I’d felt from Aaron, but fainter. I poked my fingers into the ground to touch the soil beneath the pine needles, and the feeling strengthened, revealing wary excitement and bloodlust.

Carefully, I touched the back of Aaron’s arm. He turned to look at my face, questioning, but then saw what I was doing. I searched for the emotion again, found it, then passed it through Connection to Aaron, similar to what I had done with my Protection fragment. His eyes widened, then darted left to right and back again, trying to make sense of the feeling.

I broke contact with him, then pointed out beyond our hiding spot. He nodded, then shook his head in awe. Through Connection, I had sensed not only what that person or creature felt, but also where they were while feeling it. I could sense their movement. Don’t I have to be touching skin directly to feel that? Perhaps the thing was barefoot. An animal then?

There was no way to know what was out there, but it wasn’t friendly. I reached for the emotion again. It grew more distant, passing us. Then, it stopped. I could feel surprise and a growing excitement. Whatever it was had sensed me.

Oh, crap. Lina, get ready to throw up a shield!

A shield? It was that weird, insistent voice again, and so loud that it was as if I shared mental space with Aaron. Was that even me thinking that?

I had no time to figure it out. My Connection fragment shoved back against me so hard that I physically fell backward, but Rogue pressed against my back, keeping me from falling to the ground. I grabbed Aaron’s arm again, both to steady myself and to jump into that shared mental space. Aaron sensed my fear and let me connect deep enough to allow telepathy.

It knows we’re here, I thought. It sensed me. I’m sorry.

He looked at me, eyes wide, then thought, Seleca.

Aaron was terrified, much more so than he had been during the dragon attack. I don’t know if I can protect you, Lina. You have to run. I’ll hold her off. Go!

I stared at him, uncertain. I couldn’t just leave him there. He wanted to be noble, but it felt wrong.

Go, Lina!

I’m not going anywhere, I thought to him. Tell me how to shield. There’s no time to argue, Aaron.

I . . . he closed his eyes, racking his brain. I think it’s the same as healing but directed inward. Seleca can invade your mind by force, even with Protection. She could turn me against you. Please, just run. I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you.

I saw his memory then, buried as deep as a corpse and haunting him every day. I experienced the whole thing at once, as if time didn’t exist. It shot through me like a lightning bolt, only more painful.

He was in the school dormitory with his roommate, Ellis, who practiced Transformation by twisting metal ingots into rings and crossbow bolts. Ellis was only moderately talented but aimed to join the Metalworkers Guild. His future was bright.

Aaron lounged on his cot, reading a book. Sixteen years old now, he’d been hiding his Evocation for about a year and never practiced in front of others, especially not inside.

His roommate’s little brother, Ward, came in to watch Ellis practice. Ward was a brand-new underling and had only been there for a few weeks, so he was still in the honeymoon phase and eager to learn. His Transformation reservoir had manifested earlier than anyone had ever seen. He would be a powerful fragmentor, but right now he was just a cute kid with auburn hair, skinny as a sapling.

He looked like a miniature version of his brother, who was also a redhead, except Ward was energetic and friendly where Ellis was quiet and reserved. Aaron was fond of the boy and spent a few nights tutoring him in beginning fragment theory. He couldn’t do more than that because, as far as anyone knew, Aaron had no greater reservoir and would soon be forced to leave the school.

Aaron just wanted to finish his general studies so he could apply for a scribing apprenticeship with the Caravan Traders. He had always been among the best in reading and writing. No one cared, since he had no greater reservoir, but he would need an income while he waited for the supposed “dog girl,” if that ever happened.

A few minutes later, the door to the dormitory opened and Seleca slinked in without knocking. The three boys stopped what they were doing, shocked, then knelt before her, eyes lowered, as was required.

This was the Holy Daughter, the offspring of the goddess Eve, pure and perfect in every way, and more beautiful than the stars in the sky. Though he knew it was wrong, Aaron had fantasized about her more than once, about what her blue-green eyes would look like underneath him as he took her. Never mind that she was the most powerful fragmentor alive and could kill him with a flick of her wrist. She would kill him if she knew his thoughts and he would deserve it.

Seleca didn’t say anything at first, just walked around the boys as if selecting an animal to slaughter for dinner. She wore her usual yellow pants and blue shirt, not that anyone looked up to notice. Her boots scuffed the ground, making a soft noise. Ward, only eleven years old, giggled. He didn’t understand the danger they were in.

Seleca stopped to look at the boy, then glided over to stand next to Aaron. Without a word, she placed her hand on his shoulder, sliding it up to his neck to poke her fingers inside the collar of his shirt. Aaron jumped at the sudden touch, fighting to remain still. His skin tingled, and he felt himself becoming aroused but remained frozen, hoping to conceal it.

She tried to force her way into him using Connection, but he was protected, and she couldn’t get in deeper than superficial feelings. She could feel his arousal, though, and she made a sighing sound that only amplified the feeling. She laughed, then said in a husky voice, “Knock, knock. Let me in and maybe later I’ll return the favor.”

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