Page 106 of Riftborne
A scream echoed through the corridor, and we were off in aninstant, racing once again through the darkness in trained formation. Briar summoned a trail of roots that blasted through the floor and crawled across the walls, allowing him to feel his way forward. “Stay close.”
As soon as we breached the doorway to the Great Hall, my legs froze. The other recruits stopped dead in their tracks, and we all looked around aimlessly.
“Which way?” I asked, trying to steady my racing heart.
Screeching whispers engulfed the room in a vortex. They were coming from all directions.
“We need to split up. We’re too vulnerable as a group,” Briar snapped.
He grabbed Raine’s arm and shot off toward the sparring gyms to the left of the Compound. Draven looked back and forth between us, watching Raine’s sparks disappear in the distance before taking off after them. Suddenly, I was being pulled right by Nazul, and we were full-on sprinting again.
I refocused on the threat above.
We would meet back up at the control room. In an unexpected attack, our orders were to go there for a briefing before engaging in any combat.
I squinted my eyes, trying to better make out my surroundings. I could see, but barely.
Nazul slammed into a table beside me.
“Fuck, I can’t see shit in here.” He gasped.
I quickly helped him up, allowing him to steady himself before we took off.
I stepped forward but was blown back by an invisible force and launched into the air. I twisted my body, preparing to make contact with the ground. My feet hit first, and I threw my hand down to steady myself into a crouch.
“Fia! Where are y–” Nazul called out just as I heard his body hit the wall in front of me.
Lighting exploded on the opposite side of the Great Hall, illuminating the space around us for a split second. My eyes burned from the sudden brightness, but I saw the Wraiths’ inky forms for the first time, the monstrous shadows that tore through the air–diving, twisting, spreading. All at unimaginable speeds.
My entire being threatened to collapse, but I refocused. There was no time for fear right now. I had to get to Nazul.
I stayed low, crawling over to where I heard him make an impact.
“If you can, cover me. I’m going to try to find them,” I commanded.
“Do it quickly. My shield is up, but if we get surrounded…” he trailed off as we heard more screams from above.
I slammed my eyes closed, imagining the blindfold. The webbing was already making its climb.
I reached out with my mind, searching.
I could sense Nazul beside me. I extended the tendrils further into the space, beyond him, branching out.
Searching.
Come on.
I wasn’t picking up anything. Just the faint traces of those fighting above.
“I can’t sense anything around us. We should keep moving.”
We launched to our feet and took the path closest to the perimeter. Whispers flew through the Compound, dampening all other sound. The wind picked up around us.
I reached for Nazul just as another invisible force slammed into me, knocking me to the ground. My ribs cracked upon the impact, and I cried out into the darkness.
Suddenly, I was in the air, my arms bound behind me as something brushed against my back. I tried to jerk away but couldn’t budge. The wind was louder than ever, spewing guttural whispers in all directions.
I could feel them approaching, surrounding me. The world disappeared from my view.
