Page 106 of Phoenix Burn

His energy settled during part of that reply. I gritted my teeth and lifted him into the air. His arms and legs windmilled uselessly as I carted him to the open cell and flung him in.

I slammed the door shut, and the lock engaged.

Cara had managed to coax Cody to the foot of the stairs. The Sabre glowered at me, but I caught the shame radiating from him.

I fixed him with my best cold stare. “When you first started questioning him, did you mention Talakai before he did?”

The eyes flared copper at me, but I sensed the answer a moment before he admitted. “I might have. I was so angry, I can’t remember.”

I ground my teeth together. Aaron would do whatever it took to transfer blame elsewhere. His life could depend upon it. And that be what I’d sensed in his energy.

Cody’s eyes closed. “I shouldn’t have come. I thought I could control it, but I failed.”

Cara’s hand tightened on the Sabre’s arm, and I had no doubt she be working her calming magic on him. “Come with me,” she coached. “There is nothing more for you here.”

I trailed after them as they mounted the stairs. The Sabre’s frustration, and shame, flowed from him in waves. I’d seen Cody fight and respected him as a warrior. But this had struck to the very heart of what he be.

They’d taken his children. No one could be expected to have that happen, and not bleed.

So the answers I’d sought here might be clouded with lies. I’d have to seek them elsewhere. When we reached the hall, Cara glanced back at me.

“What now?” she asked.

I had a name, but until I could confirm it—I couldn’t tell her I’d gained it in a dream. “I will consult with Jacques,” I said.

Cody turned his tortured gaze on me. “Find the truth,” he implored. “Whatever it may be.”

“That, my friend,” I replied, “Is my goal.”

28

Anna

The pills should have kept me asleep for hours, but I was awake soon after the dream ended, and I was sure Matt was too.

I lay on my bed, my mind drifting. Mari had still not returned, and without her and Trix, the room seemed far too quiet.

Without Matt, even more so. I longed to rise, cross the hall, and curl up with him in his bed. But that would only lead to more activity than either of us were ready for.

The dream had been powerful. And for a few precious moments, I had felt replete. Like I was linked to more than just Matt—I could almost swear that I’d sensed Sebastian and Talakai as well. I’d been swirled up in an energy much like when the three of us had run together.

But then it was gone, and something deep inside me ached for its absence.

The room door opened, and Mari came in. I turned on my dresser lamp for her.

“Still awake?” she asked.

“Awake again, more likely,” I said, aware that my face had heated.

She plunked herself down on her bed, which groaned ominously.

“Does meditation help you relax?” I asked.

Mari sighed. “Yes. Usually, anyway.”

I waited for her to say more, but she just rolled over and moments later, started snoring. I envied her ability to fall instantly asleep.

My gaze fell on the dresser, which now held Talakai’s stack of books. I’d selected five that were written in Formal, which were close enough to English that I could understand them.

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