Page 55 of The Divide that Binds Us

Malice returns to pet the cooing dragon’s snout.She looks at Katarzyna and gives a jaw-dropping half-smile.

“Thank you so much for your help,” she says.

Katarzyna shoves the phone away and walks into the meadow, keeping her nerves steel cool.She exhales and claps her hands together and whistles off tune.Her thoughts fumble with every way this can go wrong unsure if she’s ready for the consequences.She’s not even ready to fight.

“Yeah, of course.I’m happy to help.”

A few minutes roll on before Malice looks at Katarzyna again.“Have you heard from your grandma?Can we go see her?”

Katarzyna pulls her phone out and tries to keep her hands steady to see if anyone has responded to her distress call but nothing.She’s assuming they did and are heading over without a reply.Somehow, she has to make it believable.

“No.But maybe calling is faster,” Katarzyna says.She chooses Rio’s number, but it goes to voicemail.Make it believable.“H-Hey, grandma!I know I just left but I wanted to see if you and Wren were still there so I could swing back by.Call me back, thanks!”She puts the phone away and gets closer to Malice and the dragon.

“Isn’t he cute?I have a soft spot for these fellas,” the girl says.She’s so different from the time she faced Rio.Katarzyna almost wonders if this is the same person, but those eyes couldn’t belong to anyone else.

A ray of sun peers right through a tree and shines on Malice’s smooth face, illuminating the almond shape of her eyes and the gleam of her black eyebrows.Such random features no one would typically notice suddenly seem more apparent to Katarzyna in this strange glow.

Her phone vibrating startles her.She pulls it out but fumbles it out of her hands.Malice reaches to grab it, but with a quick glance at the screen, she frowns.

“You have a text from Rio Shackler stating he’s almost here,” she says as a matter of fact.Her stare hardens.“Pretty clever of you, I’d say.”

Katarzyna swallows and steps away.A deep growl curdles in the dragon’s throat as they fix their bronze stare onto her too.The sun disappears, leaving a gray, chilly, overcast above them.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Shut it,” Malice hisses.She snaps her fingers and Katarzyna braces for the moment she’d finally see Skylar appear, but instead, the dragon takes flight and soars upward out of the meadow.Branches and twigs rain down on them as a passing jogger gasp from the sudden exit.

The Elite member stares at her, long enough that Katarzyna wonders if that was all her snap was for.The meadow grows quiet from walkers, joggers, visitors on the path until Katarzyna only hears ringing.She looks back, goosebumps rising from the sight of Skylar standing behind her.With each flap of his wings, Katarzyna’s pale hair flies up in multiple directions.

Her thoughts swirl.Holy Superior, I’m gonna die.

Seeing him in person feels like Katarzyna’s gray world is full of color for the first time.He’s half-human and half-bird—maybe a phoenix or a swan, composed of crystal with white feathers that materialize at the flap of his wings.

“Skylar.”The girl points at Katarzyna.“Her.”

Katarzyna is quick to react; Skylar strikes within seconds of the order.She ducks out of the way, avoiding his long razor arms.With little recovery time, Skylar kicks Katarzyna against a tree trunk.Her Trace Mark burns, but after all these years of suppressing her powers, she can’t risk losing control again.

The girl frowns.“Not using your abilities?Wow, what a waste of a Spirit User.”

“I’ll c-call the Guards on you,” Katarzyna grunts.“Y-You’re attacking a civilian!”

Malice crosses her arms, bending over to smirk down at Katarzyna.“Didja forget we’re no longer considered civilians when we join these organizations?You’re with Ultima, intending to ambush me.This is justified.”

Pain throbs through Katarzyna’s body as the ringing grows unbearable.The creature stands in front of her before she can scramble to her feet.His silver crystalline structure allures her until she’s paralyzed from his presence.Skylar doesn’t have feet or hands, but his legs and arms end in sharp points.He stabs one right into Katarzyna’s thigh.

Adrenaline swells through her body.She thinks about Vinyl, Wren, her parents, Ultima, her childhood friend, and Rio until finally, her mind settles on Skylar.A tidal wave of regret slams through her, seeping into the cracks of her scars, burning what’s left of her hope.The world is fuzzy, and everything is tilting.The agony finally strikes, demanding her attention.

Malice stands next to her companion.“Withdraw.”

Skylar’s crystal form melts into a silver puddle.His structure regenerates into a thin artifact Katarzyna can’t process with her blurred vision.Her hands twitch over the hole in her leg as blood gushes through the cracks between her fingers.She strains to look at Skylar’s new form, but realizes he’s gone, so it’s just the girl standing over her, holding a long stick.

A scythe.Skylar turned into a scythe for her.

Katarzyna whimpers with snot running parallel to her tears.“P-P-Pleeeeeeaaaaasseee.”

Malice laughs.“You’re gonna beg now?You almost had me—”

“STOP.”

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