Page 164 of Gift from the Nexus

My entire Nexus, Oakly’s, and my brother’s all grumble and sigh, knowing that means he’s most certainly going to get sick. That first transport, and the second and third, is pure hell.

“My Nexus, Ry’s, Lyker’s together. Jamie, be ready. Oakly, can you transport us all at once?”

She scoffs, shooting Tillman a withering look like how dare he offend her in front of all these people. “Of course I can.”

With a determined tilt to her chin, she links her fingers through mine and Aria’s while the others find an appropriate place to touch her. She shoots Tillman a smug smirk and a nod, then she whisks us through the darkness like a pro.

Stepping out of the transport, I move to the side to avoid any sickness that may come from Keeper. Apparently, though, I’m the only one who gets physically ill around here. He’s a shade of green that suggests that was unpleasant, but he keeps himself together, raising his face to the sun that’s beginning to fade.

Caspian’s shadows slink out of him slowly, cocooning us all in a thin layer of darkness that obscures us from sight. The large group of us are nestled in a shallow tree line that separates usfrom a rocky pathway that leads to the mouth of a cave. The distance is short enough that it’s easy to point out the ten or so Mastery members mulling around the plateau in front of the cave. Once we step out of this small cluster of coverage, there won’t be anything to hide us from view.

“Teams two and three, set up a perimeter. Any rebels you come across, quietly take down. Go. Ry, are those the only ones you sense?” Tillman asks, whispering low.

“Yeah. There’s no one in that cave, Willow.”

“She’s in there,” Me and Keeper say simultaneously. His eyes bore into the cave with such longing, eagerness, and relief, I’m surprised he’s holding himself back. He feels her.

“Then we’ll move out as one, take down the ten, and break through the ward. In and out—” Tillman’s instructions are cut short as the buzzing of his communicator in his pants sounds loudly.

Answering with a tense noise in the back of his throat, I don’t have to hear what’s coming through from the other side to already know what’s happening. The disturbance in the air is unnatural, rotten to the core. The all too familiar chill that slithers down my spine like a venomous snake has me straightening my shoulders, searching for him.

“Donald’s here. So is the Summum-Master.”

My men surround me protectively and their sudden guardedness spurs the rest of my family to react. Oakly and Aria are shoved in the middle of the makeshift circle with me, while their Nexuses join mine, creating a formidable force field around us.

“They’ve already arrived. We’ll send you an imprint,” Tillman says before hanging up. “Oakly, can you get them our location?”

“Yeah,” she mutters, never taking her eyes off the cave entrance where mine are glued as well.

The air rushes from my lungs when multiple figures begin walking out the darkness of the cave mouth. Seeing Donald will never get easier, but he isn’t the biggest threat right now. He’s nothing, a nuisance, compared to what I’m staring at.

From head to toe, he’s dressed in all black. A black robe, shoes, I’m assuming shirt and pants as well. The only color is the red borsh holding his robe closed. There’re no features I can make out of the Summum-Master, nor will my revealing spell work on whatever powerful concealment he has. His mind is a fortress. I’m positive it would’ve been easier to enter the gates of hell back in the nonmagical realm than it would be to infiltrate his mind.

His aura is the only read I can get, and it strikes enough fear in me that I lock my knees to keep my legs from crumbling.

It’s black.

Blacker than any shadow, any darkness, abyss, or void I’ve ever found myself staring into. This type of black is the remnants of souls he’s taken, making it layered, deep, a boundless pit of despair.

Aria’s ethereal ability reaches out, caressing my gift as she aims it at the Summum-Master and I’m all too aware of her searching for something the rest of us can’t physically see.His soul.My arms break out in chills when she shutters, releasing a low gasp.

“Willow…” she says my name in a broken whisper.

“I know,” I murmur, squeezing her hand.

If his aura alone makes me feel like the life is being sucked out of me, then his soul is just as tainted, ruined. There’s no coming back for him.

“Come on out, granddaughter. No need to hide from me.” His voice booms through the small space like a grenade going off.

My breath quickens as transports open, leaving Mastery members lining the path between me and him. He’s arrangedthis like a show. My red-carpet moment. He expects me to just strut down the sixty-foot catwalk right to him as he demanded.

“We have them in numbers and strength, but we don’t know what he has planned, little warrior.”

“I know, but we can’t abandon her. He’ll kill her. Or worse…use her as a weapon.”

“What’re you thinking then, princess?” Corentin asks.

“We’ll step out together. Hear the bullshit spew from his mouth and hopefully come to a peaceful agreement today. But if not…”

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