Page 219 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
The shock was almost too overwhelming.
“I…I don’t know what to say.” How else was she supposed to react to this sort of news? She needed to tell Kase, and Jove—probably their father, too. They needed to know exactly who she’d saved. It was dangerous to have him here for multiple reasons. What would happen if Correa found out where he was?
Though she hated to think it, Ben might make a valuable bargaining chip if the Stradat Lord Kapitan’s plan was truly to negotiate for peace.
“I’ve collected Soul from a few plants to give to Asa to aid his recovery. If he wakes up while I’m there, that will be helpful. He needs to know about Filip and what his death now means, though they were not close. After, we can go inspect that site.”
Fely led her around the corner and down an even more secluded area of the ward to a solitary cell with three guards glaring at any and all passersby. Made sense—Benwasa war criminal, after all—but three soldiers made it quite conspicuous that someone important was inside. Granted, the only Jaydian who knew his greater importance was Hallie.
She stood several feet away, unsure if she wanted to approach. Who knew what version of Ben waited inside?
She clutched the strap of her satchel. She expected the heat of her power to react to her feelings, as chaotic as they were, but it stayed at the same consistent, pleasant warmth instead.
It probably hadn’t recovered from saving the stars-blasted newKing of Cerulene.
Hallie still didn’t quite comprehend it all. Part of her thought maybe she’d never awoken after saving him with her power, and that Kase’s proposal and this revelation were all part of some elaborate dream.
She pinched herself to make sure. It hurt. Blast it.
Fely spoke softly to the guards, but they shook their heads. She said something else, something more forceful. The answer was the same.
The Rubikan woman walked away, jaw clenched. She reached Hallie and muttered, “On orders to not let anyone in except for the Stradat Lord Kapitan. I’ll have a word with him and Saldr soon. Are you set on this plan of yours?”
Hallie nodded once. She could not be swayed.
Fely sighed. “Let’s go and get this over with, shall we?”
Hallie followed her, taking one last look at the cell. The soldiers stood unmoving, hands on their flashpistols.
Maybe if Hallie figured something out with the Gates, she could also free the man she’d known as Ben Reiss. Despite his duplicity, he hadn’t acted like betraying them was strictly his desire—or even his choice. It was like the Essence power itself was controlling him. In the Gate chamber, the difference between Ben and his Essence-wielding self had been like night and day. The real Ben Reiss hadn’t wanted to hurt Kase and Hallie.
Fely wove in between a few patients, nodding to medics and nurses alike. None of them stopped her or Hallie. They were too overworked to care. If she wasn’t worried about her own well-being, then fine. They had fifty other injured or dying to worry about in her place.
She’d hoped the ward would’ve started emptying out as people filtered back to the surface. However, that didn’t seem to be the case. Many of those she passed had inky black patterns like spider webs on their wrists or ankles. A few had it on their necks. One elderly woman had it near her temples. It took a second for Hallie to realize that they were veins. Black veins.
What had caused that? An elderly gentleman nearby had several of the veins going up his neck and one connecting to his eye.
Could these be the people affected by the Yalvar fuel exposure? Since her Essence power training began, she hadn’t been in the ward much enough to study the effects and the patients, and she hadn’t had much time to chat with Petra about it. These people weren’t in any pain—visibly at least—but they did look rather tired. Made sense. Everyone was exhausted. Hopefully they would be moved to the surface soon.
She stopped by the supply tent and grabbed the pair of shears someone had been using to cut bandages. She stuffed them in her satchel and left the ward with Fely.
Walking the corridors, there didn’t seem to be anything too crazy going on. The one that led toward the central cavern and hangar beyond was a little louder than the others, but that wasn’t new. Hallie allowed her fingers to trail along the wall as she walked. Partly an unconscious habit, partly seeking the warmth of Essence power, hoping to find a Passage brick.
Her hopes fell flat when they finally reached the end of the Catacombs and no warmth found her fingers. Not that she’d expected it to be that easy. With a silent sigh, she grabbed the lantern from the hook and took it with them into the dark.
It was difficult to see much other than the crude stone floor, but the golden haze around Hallie’s vision tipped her off. They were close.
She set down the lantern and fished out the journal and shears.
“Keep watch, if you don’t mind. I need to use this for a moment,” Hallie said with confidence she didn’t feel. Her palms had healed considerably over the very little time it had been since she’d last used the journal. She’d lost track of just how much time it’d been, but not enough to fully heal the wounds.
Yet, all that was left of the previous cut was a thin white scar.
She tried not to think about how it was probably her power that had fixed it.
Chewing on the inside of her lip, she pressed the sharp edge of the shears against her palm along the faint white scar and winced against the pain. She tucked them back into her satchel and flipped the pages of the journal. She passed another sketch of something, but she didn’t stop. The page she settledon was the messiest of all, nothing written in a straight line. Hopefully she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself.
“And exactly what should I be looking for?” Fely asked, coming closer. “Because I’m not aware that using your blood here will do anything. Asa’s, maybe, but not yours. Not in this case.”
