Page 38 of Gift from the Nexus

“Lyker, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You got him away from me and that’s what matters most. We’ll find him, them, in time. But I need Aria’s help. Where is she?”

“Right here, babes,” Aria calls out, strolling up to me with Oakly at her side.

For the first time since falling into Tillman’s arms, I step away from them and embrace my friends. There’s just something about a hug from your girlfriends that makes everything so much better and just seeing these two makes my heart feel lighter.

“Thank you both for coming to get me,” I mumble with my chin sitting on both their shoulders as they hold me back.

“If you ever pull some shit like this without me again, I’m gonna freaking rage, Willow.” Oakly mumbles murderously, causing me to snort but also makes my throat close up.

“I’d never in a million years let you endure something like this. Ever. Either of you. It had to be me, only me, and we just have to accept that for now,” I tearfully murmur.

For another moment, we just sit there, and no one disturbs us, but after watching more and more hostages be moved out, the numbers dwindle dramatically within a few minutes, and Ipull away to ask Aria for her help, knowing we’re about ready to go home.

“I need you do to something for me. My…Franklin’s outside and he’s high on the Mastery’s roster. If you can, I need you to weave a rune around his mind so the Summum-Master doesn’t kill him off before we can try to get answers from him.”

“Absolutely. Is he being moved to Rebel Castle?” she asks.

Not knowing the answer to that, I turn to Tillman, but it’s Caspian who chimes in first, “I say we kill him now before the Summum-Master gets the chance.”

“As much as that would please me, he has answers, a lot of them. Both about the Mastery, and…and me. I need those, Cas,” I plead when I see the decision already made in his eyes. He knows better than anyone what that man has put me through, and he wants to rectify that here and now. But we can’t.

“Yes, he’s being moved to Rebel Castle,” Tillman dictates when Caspian takes too long to agree.

“We’ll move him for you and Aria will get the rune weaved. If there’re any issues, we’ll let you know.” Lyker easily volunteers, and to my relief, because I’m not quite ready to face Franklin at this moment, Tillman nods along, happy with letting them take care of that.

“What do you want to do with the guy you got trapped in the fire, Willow?” Dyce asks.

Oh shit. Trex.

“What guy?” Caspian, Draken, and surprisingly Corentin ask as the latter walks up, while simultaneously Tillman asks, “Who the hell is Trex?”

“Uh, Trex is…” I don’t know how to describe who Trex is without getting him killed, honestly.

“Why would we need to kill him, little warrior?” Tillman asks dangerously low, taking a purposeful step closer to me with his eyes narrowed.

He’s hardcore eavesdropping right now, but I’m not going to block him out. He’s listening in so closely because he needs it, and I want the safety of knowing he can hear me, but I need to explain this before he gets a whiff of Trex’s role in all of this and flies off the deep end.

“Can we just put a pause on questions and answers for right now, and I’ll explain everything when we get home, please?”

“Did he hurt you?”

“Not…It’s hard to explain, Tillman. Just trust me for right now, okay?”

He doesn’t mentally respond. The clipped nod is all he gives me in terms of agreement, so I just have to go with that for now.

“He needs to go to Rebel Castle as well. Let’s move. It’s time to go home,” Tillman declares, and as if on cue, the palace team pops back in, empty-handed from the last transport of hostages to the healing wings.

Not going to lie, I’m incredibly nervous as we walk out of the building and head toward where I left Trex captured in my ring of fire. I’m not confident I made the right decision capturing him rather than letting him die or escape.

When we approach the flaming wall of fire, I hear nothing coming from the other side, and for a split second, I freak out thinking I accidentally let him burn to death. That reaction alone answers, my last mental thought, so it’s obvious I don’t want him dead, but I still don’t know why.

“Trex,” I call out.

“Willow, what are you still doing here? What’s happening?” he fires off furiously. So not dead.

“His gift is mind transference, and his element is water,” I tell my Nexus, and well, everyone else, so they’ll be prepared for when I let the wall down. There’s no telling how he’s about to react, so better to be ready than caught off guard.

“I’ll do it, little wanderer,” Draken says, stopping me as I raise my hand to call my flame back to me. I didn’t think about it taking any of my magic to summon it, nor do I think it really would, but I don’t argue, not willing to risk it just in case.

---