“No ... No ... No. This can’t be right,” Gladriel whispered to herself over and over. Her head whipped up to lock me in that eerie yellow gaze. “Almastore was not powerful; I sensed nothing from him in the time he spent on Spurn.” She sighed. “But he also assured me that there could be no child from our union, that damn liar.”
“Walkers are very powerful, but I don’t know much about them either. I spent very little time with my father before I had to leave to come here.” I brushed my hair back from my face. “I do know that they can manipulate energy and can probably mask their own power, and that they have always believed that they could not have children outside their own race.” I gestured to myself and Talina. “As you can clearly see, they were mistaken, but it’s still extremely rare. Apparently, their halfling children, and there’s only one on each planet, will only be carried to term by the most powerful woman on each of the youngling’s planets.”
A flash of arrogance crossed Gladriel’s face.
“And that’s what has led me to Talina. My job is to gather the halflings, and then together we need to contain the Seventine.”
“What are the Seventine?” Raror spat out.
I blinked at his tone. Someone was not happy. “They’re the anti-Walkers, basically. Created and contained in the origin, someone is releasing them. Which, according to – well, everyone – will spell disaster for all the worlds. The half-Walkers are all that can stop them.” I wasn’t sure I believed that, but the story had to be good or Talina would never leave.
“Thank god.” Talina’s words surprised me.
Instead of freaking out, she showed relief.
“Thank the gods. I finally have a purpose outside of the hell that has been Spurn.”
It didn’t look as if I was going to have much trouble convincing Talina to leave.
“Talina! No!”
Her brother, on the other hand, was going to be a far harder sell.
Talina locked eyes with Raror.
“You can’t leave me, Talli. I’ll have nothing without my family.”
As she moved across the room to comfort him, he trapped me in a gaze of despair.
“Where is your proof of this? Why should we believe you? Why should I just let you take my sister away? For all we know, you are trappers, and have come to collect people from each of the planets. I know, once she is gone, there is no way for me to protect her. I promised.” He turned back to Talina. “I promised I would protect you always; how can I do that if you leave Spurn?”
I had no idea how to reassure him.
I looked to Lucy for help. She was the one most people instantly liked. They found me odd. But she just shrugged, her blond hair bouncing against her bare shoulders. My eyes moved again, searching for assistance. They locked on Brace and Lucas. In unison, as if they had been mentally discussing it, they both pointed to their right eye and traced the mark.
I needed to bring out the Walkers’ origin stone, the moonstale crystal, to prove at least one part of my story.
“I can show you that we’re from the same race, and you’ll understand the meaning of my mark,” I said as I reached for my world necklace.
It was the only personal item I had retained. Talina and Raror faced me, their heads tilted to the side in identical movements.
I hesitated with my hand on the clasp. Since my enlightenment, I hadn’t stood so exposed in the light, and I remembered that last pain intimately. I also wondered what would happen to my permanent mark. Pushing that flash of doubt aside, I flicked open the clasp and let the yellow light bathe the room.
Chapter 5
The light filled the section of room where I was standing. It was always the same: the glittering crystals and my cravings for them. They were so hard to focus on. The shiny depths continually shifted and changed, even within the small cavity of my locket.
“Talli!” Raror’s strangled gasp stole my focus.
Talina’s eyes were huge as she looked around. Clearly she had no idea what was happening. I immediately moved a step closer. Her mark was different to mine, thicker, more tribal in design, and it was black, standing out starkly on her skin. She locked eyes with me, and a connection flowed between us. I could hear her voice in my head; it sounded like an inner monologue of panic.
Why is everyone staring at me? … Abby’s marks look stunning but why are they glowing so …?
The words were faint and disjointed, but I picked them up like a radio wave. And then they were gone. Had she heard anything from me? As a precaution, I added another level of protection around my mind. Even with depleted energy, the shield protecting my thoughts never wavered.
“Get her a mirror or something,” I said over my shoulder as I took another step closer.
“Abby, your marks are glowing red, and swirling even more than usual,” Talina said in a half-whisper.
I sucked in a breath as she repeated the words I’d inadvertently picked up from her thoughts.
“Talli,” Raror said again, capturing her attention, “you have marks too. Her story is true ... you are ...” His lisping was worse when he was upset. “You’re going to leave me.”