Page 112 of The Order: Rise of the New Empire

Forest asked him to kill her once they safely removed the child from her uterus. Forest knows Elyon does not have clarity on her pregnancy and, as a result, will react to seeing her bleed from the procedure. That is her one and only chance to ensure the blade pierces both of their hearts.

Or, at least, that is the assumption I have drawn.

Being able to linger in the minds of those around me has always been a gift I both dread and love.

Sometimes, it's entertaining, other times, it leaves me wondering why humanity deserves a second chance.

"So, if we are successful and the Prophet and Forest are gone, what does that mean for the Marked?"

How much curiosity can one person have?

I need to stay focused.

The minute all hell breaks loose, I have to find Forest.

I have to find a way to lure her back to the cabin and give her what she needs.

Everyone else thought I was bringing her back as a hostage, but I know she will do nothing unless that child is free from her womb.

I sensed it long ago. Back when she and Xavier were in New Haven.

She thought she was in my mind, but I was buried in hers, already aware of her crazy plan.

Perhaps if I had the courage to come face to face with the Shifter running the Underground, I could have let him in on her little plan.

For some reason, every time I am within the vicinity of Mason, it feels suffocating.

I know he was looking for me, trying to find clarity as to how I have done half of the things I have.

But something about him tells me to run for the hills anytime he is near me.

"That's it. No more Marked. Forest was the last person capable of creating our kind. Conception and blood are the only way, and without Forest or Elyon, we will become a dying breed."

"So, that sort of makes me and you the last of our kind? There's not many Marked back in the Underground that are our age."

"Once our kind dies out, no more blood. No more ways to stay youthful."

"Aging normally?” Elias jokes. "At what point did that become an odd concept?"

Staying silent, I keep walking.

"Have you tried blood?" he asks after a few moments of silence.

Great. Questions.

"That's how Elyon kept me in the condition he wanted," I whisper. "Never enough to stall my aging, but just enough to make me a weapon he could use at any point."

Kicking rocks as he walks, Elias stares forward.

"Was it lonely in confinement?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I keep on a cold front.

"Let's just say, it's nothing I'd want to experience again."

Screams tear out through the air, forcing us both away from this prodding conversation. Whipping our heads toward the main strip of the Precipice, we both become rigid with adrenaline.

"I thought they were supposed to give you a sign," Elias exclaims.

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