Vindicate (Insight #5)(8)
“What do you mean Drake said that?” Marc asked . “Did he come back , too? How did you get him to come back?”
I let my eyes fall from Brady’s and stared at the fl oor. I wasn’t going to tell him. That was o ur secret. The power the three of us shared.
“Just the hint of her energy. Her being near him , would have been enough to bring him back for a second , ” August said , taking the attention off me.
I looked at him with grateful eyes. Though we never told him that I had let Drake ’s energy in me , I was almost sure he knew. And right now , I felt h is intent to keep it a secret. Our secret.
“What do those words mean?” I asked .
None of them seem ed to know. Alamos went to the table to write the words down before he forgot them.
“I have to figur e out how to get to that realm. I need to know what they are fighting.” I also had to figure out how to get them all out of this room for a few hours. It would take at least that long for me to merge my soul with Landen’s. I couldn’t hold a thought long enough to figure out if that was a rational plan. Would it help or hurt him. Is that was the evil whore is waiting on? For me to submerge my energy with his so she can kill me, too. What did she want with him anyway? Power? Was that it? I felt a sharp pain in my core and told myself she would taste the raw end of my power before this was all over with.
“Right,” Perodine said. “And we have to figure out how to fight what ’s here.”
“What do you mean?” I asked , not seeing any danger beyond losing Landen and Drake.
“War,” Alamos said from behind me. “Mars is war , and we are facing it at this moment.”
“Who ’s killing who?” I asked bleakly , prepared to just send my emotions - the violent atmosphere , at the ones that were in the wrong. I didn’t have time for nonsense.
“It’s hard to say . We have no idea who has survived. What members of the court remain , ” Alamos answered.
“None , ” I said coldly a s I remembered the Estate blowing away just a few hours ago.
“Perhaps , ” Perodine said , looking at Marc. “But right now , we can’t let them think that Drake is dead . Th ey have to have a ruler . Then there are the rumors we have to fight.”
“The ones that said I was with Drake now?” I asked . “How could they have reached here by now?”
“There is no way to know , ” Alamos said. “It’s been too dangerous for us to leave the palace.”
Thanks for the reminder there. Like I didn’t know how scared the people outside were. Like I didn’t know it was my fault.
“What do we need to do?” m y father asked as he took my hand.
“We need to cut our losses. We are going to have to give back the city of Delen , ” Perodine said regretfully.
“What? No!” I yelled .
“Listen,” my father whispered in his calm tone. He wasn’t comma nding that I listen to anyone. Just that I listened.
“Why?” I asked in a more approachable tone.
Perodine ’s eyes looked over me carefully. “Th is world has to have a leader. Without one , they will fall into civil war at best ; they will destroy themselves at worst.”
“We don’t have one , ” I said as my eyes moved to Drake’s body. Sweat was pouring off both him and Landen now.
As m y father left my side to care for them, Alamos followed him . I stood , wanting to do anything I could to help. Brady held me back , but I managed to pull him to the end of the bed. Alamos and my father ripped their shirts open and poured handfuls of water from the basin across their perfectly sculpted chest s , across every muscle - every part of their bodies. I pushed forward , wanting to crawl between them. To give them any comfort. Brady wrapped his arms around me , holding me in place. I’m sure I could have fought him off with a thought , but I let him hold me ; i nstead , I thought of a cool spring breeze and gently let the air leave my lips.
The wind reached their bodies and dried the glistening sweat from their chest – across their brows. Both Drake and Landen opened their mouths , letting my breath ease across their tender lips.
“We have to make one . Mock a leader , ” Alamos said , looking up from Drake’s body to Marc , who was lingering behind me.
Marc stared at Drake’s body as he spoke. “I’m not him.”
“I didn’t say that you were , ” Alamos said calmly. “But the world needs to think you are right now . You kno w he would want you to do this. That Landen would want you to.”
Marc’s eyes moved to Brady , then to Alamos. “What do you expect me to do?”
Alamos looked at Perodine , who was at my side , asking her to explain . He then gave his attention back to Drake.
“We have to have a mourning. That will b u y us time , ” s he explained.
“Who are we mourning?” I asked bleakly , knowing that I wouldn ’t let them mock my death –or Landen’s .
“The priest s that died last night on that island . The people that died in Atamentous this morning , ” Perodine carefully explained.
“And where are we during this mock mourning time ? Where are Landen and Willow ? What do we tell the people we sent here?” I asked , trying my best to grasp control. It was an internal war, but this girl was winning at the moment.