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Talon’s left leg began to shake, something I had noticed he did when he was exhausted or nervous. But he hid it in every other way, his chin still tilted up and his shoulders squared. A moment later, the elite spun on their heel, flinging their arms out toward the dome. While none of us saw anything, I had a feeling they were sharing what they had learned with the techies powering the dome.
Captain Zade pushed Talon forward, sending him past the silver shine and into his nightmares.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nova
“Celeste asked me why I cry in my sleep now. I lied and told her that I sometimes have nightmares about the hangings. I don’t think she’d be very happy if I told her it was actually because I dream of them all growing old and dying, their bodies washed away in waves of wasted haya.”
-From the journal of Nova Tershetta, 9272 AS
Watching as he walked to the center was like doing so myself. As brave and strong as Talon was, this moment would inevitably be difficult.
Would they go easier on us all today since it was our first time? I couldn’t imagine they would. Not when that would look like encouraging weakness. But how could they force him into his deepest fears right away? That had the potential to send far too many of us to an early grave.
All at once, the scene unfolded, my view of the projected illusion through the dome slightly blurry and disconcerting. Talon became surrounded by towering glowing trees and moving forms. They looked like people, though unidentifiable. That was, until Talon began to speak to them.
“Cal, wait up!” he yelled, darting forward as if to catch the person. Suddenly he stumbled, grabbing his head, shaking off the illusion.
At my back, Dofrel gasped, the nickname the other cores used for him apparently a surprise coming from Talon’s mouth.
The scene changed, now only a lone figure surrounded by elaborate furniture, the person catching Talon’s attention and holding it. Glowing arms moved in furious motions, getting closer to Talon, who backed away with his hands raised in defense.
“No, I didn’t mean that, Dove. It’s not like that.” He was pleading to who must have been his sister, now following her as she walked away. Again, he stilled, rubbing his temples and muttering something to himself. “They won’t change.”
Again and again, Talon chased and begged, each new person sending him further into a spiral that he became unable to break out of. Snickers broke out when he fell to his knees and cried out for his mother to please not leave him.
I spun, leveling the long line of trainees with a glare. “When you all piss your pants and vomit on the floors during your illusions, it won’t simply be laughter that we hear. It will be my slow claps and the echo of your inevitable screams. Whoever laughs next can answer to the akhata and all the horrible, wretched things I learned to do from my eadi parents.”
Elders burst out laughing, his normally calm demeanor making way for a rare moment of humor as the line of trainees fell eerily silent. Dofrel gave me a wide smile and a wink. I didn’t bother to acknowledge them, turning back to face Talon.
He was standing once again, reaching out for a single figure.
“Supernova, come with me. Be with me,” he implored. Me? He was speaking to me? The figure—me, apparently—looked off to the left. My heart sank as a new figure walked toward me. “Nova, get away from him!” Talon screamed.
The towering figure grabbed onto mine, pulling me into their arms and away from Talon. While there was no reason for me to know who it was, I felt certain I did.
“I swear to the stars, Azazel. Let her go or I will kill you where you stand,” Talon threatened, his tears dry and his jaw tight. Fury rippled through him in noticeable waves as he flexed, readying for a fight that would not come. Altair’s figure gripped what had to be a knife, moving it to the throat of mine, his head tilting mockingly. Whatever he said had Talon’s next words coming out in a sort of growl. “In your dreams you entitled prick.”
Then, surprising us all, Altair’s figure dropped the knife, spun mine around, and kissed me.
Without meaning to, I looked over my shoulder, catching that cold, grey gaze. We mutually sat within our disgust, wishing we could unsee it but knowing it now sat there for us to have nightmares of our own about. A singular moment of solidarity between us. But then his appalled scowl fell, making way for a contemplative pinch of his brows as he stared me down. That was when I faced forward again, unwilling to be perceived by him.
Talon was being guided out of the dome by a medic, her soothing coos not enough to stop him from leaping my way when he spotted me. I sucked in air when his firm grip latched onto my upper arms, squeezing my biceps so tightly it hurt. Amber eyes wild, he appeared to be still halfway in the illusion.
“Nova, please, you have to see that he only wants to hurt you. I’m the one who understands you. I see you for all you are. Every day I work to guide you toward your potential. You know that, right?” The medic grimaced behind him, Talon’s broken voice probably something she had heard before. Maybe that was why the medics didn’t use their masks in the same way the otherelites chose to. They were there to give us the only bit of peace we would find here.
While I couldn’t be any more than an ally to Talon, I could help push him toward that peace now. “Yes, I know that. You’re the only one I trust in this place, Talon. Now please, go with the medic so she can make sure you’re well.”
The medic sighed in relief, attempting to gesture Talon away, but he shook her off, maintaining his grip on me. The pain had turned to a throb. That would bruise for sure.
“No matter what he offers you, just know it’s a lie. He will kill you the second he can, even if that means getting between your legs first. That’s why he wants you. When he watches, it’s because he’s hunting. But I love y—”
“Bravo, Talon. What a spectacular show,” came the deep and unmistakable taunting tone of Altair. Why had he made his way to the front? Just to tease an already tormented soul? It was foul and low, even for him. This was a fellow core. Had he no respect for the ridiculous values they all claimed to uphold?
“Get away from my girl!” Talon shouted, shoving Altair back. Captain Zade’s face was growing redder by the moment, her urge to stop her son obvious. But it seemed they weren’t allowed to interfere, because not a single elite or captain helped us contain Talon.
“Oh, your girl, is she? Odd. I seem to remember her being in my room the other night.” Altair shook his head, smiling in a way that sharpened his features. “Sorry, let me rephrase, she was beneath me upon the floor. You remember, right Talon? You walked in on us after all.”
