“And the verdict is?”
“You fight unexpectedly well for one of your kind,” Zain answered. “You show great promise, but your strength and skills are your own. You’re not under the influence of the Rebel Prince.”
Alex had to resist rolling her eyes. She’d told them that, but they hadn’t believed her. But despite the inconvenience—and the danger—to her, she understood that they’d had to check. Even if she wasn’t thrilled by the way they’d done so.
“Well, that’s a relief,” Jordan piped up cheerfully. “It would’ve sucked to have a best friend who was possessed by an evil tyrant. Great anecdote, but definitely not ideal.”
“Jordan, seriously. Stop talking,” D.C. muttered, shaking her head at him.
“You’re such a royal buzz-kill,” he huffed. But then his expression brightened and he asked, “What happens next? Can we see more of Meya before we leave?”
While her friends were speaking, Alex was acutely aware of the unknown Meyarin’s eyes upon her, almost as if he was searching for something.
“I’d like to try something, if you don’t mind?” he said, turning to wait for the king’s nod of permission before looking back at Alex questioningly.
“Um, sure,” she said, wondering why he’d sought her consent when the king had already agreed.
The Meyarin led her away from the others and back onto the mat. Her heartbeat sped up and her companion chuckled as if he could hear the erratic thumping. Maybe he could, Alex realised. She had no idea just how good Meyarin hearing was.
“Don’t worry, Alex,” he said, maintaining his earlier informality and putting her at ease. “It’s just a little experiment.”
“What kind of experiment?” she asked when she noticed him pull a long piece of material from his clothing. While he wasn’t wearing head-to-toe armour like Zain, his dark outfit was still like something straight out of a fantasy movie. All that was missing was the cape.
“I spent most of my youth with Aven Dalmarta,” he said. “I’m well acquainted with the scent of his blood, and that’s why I’m one of the few who can tell it lingers within you, dormant or not. I have no concerns about him holding any control over you—it’s clear your mind is too strong for his Claiming to still be active—but I’m curious whether the blood tainting your veins has any other effect. I’d like to test my hypothesis.”
“And what is your hypothesis?” Alex asked, wondering how much further they would be walking and whether she should ask him to take her back to her friends.
“I’ll let you know after I’ve tested it.”
Alex wasn’t certain she liked his answer. “Do you have a name?”
He turned to look at her with an amused—and breathtakingly beautiful—smile. “I do.”
“And it is?”
“We’re far enough away from the others now,” he said, avoiding her question. “But just in case…”
He trailed off and knelt to the floor, pressing his fingers in some kind of coded rhythm against the mat. When he stood again, the floor began to tremble and a luminescent Myrox barrier rose up from beneath their feet, encircling them inside an impenetrable dome.
Alex glanced nervously at the sealed force field surrounding them. She couldn’t see past the shining barricade, and she knew her friends—and the other Meyarins—wouldn’t be able to see inside, either.
“Um, this doesn’t make me feel great about what you have planned.”
“It’s okay, Alex,” he said soothingly. “The barrier is for your protection. If it turns out that I’m right, then it’ll be best if the others are kept in the dark.”
“You know, I really hate it when people are cryptic,” she said, irritation momentarily overriding her fear.
The Meyarin laughed. It was a warm, comforting sound that reminded her of sunshine, strangely enough.
“I’m not a huge fan of it myself,” he agreed. “My betrothed often gives me just enough information to drive me crazy, while withholding the tiniest detail needed to have everything make sense. She excels in the art of cryptic-ness.”
Alex snorted. “Cryptic-ness isn’t a real word.”
“It could be.”
“It’s not,” Alex said confidently. “And I know what you’re doing, by the way.”
He tilted his head to the side with a small smile on his face. “What am I doing?”
“You’re trying to distract me,” she told him.
“Is it working?”
“Yes,” she answered, already feeling much calmer.
“Good,” he said. “Now turn around so I can blindfold you.” Goodbye, calm.
Seeing her wariness, he encouraged, “I promise nothing bad will happen.”
For some unexplainable reason, Alex trusted the easy-going Meyarin with his warm smiles and kind disposition. She released a heavy breath and turned around, hoping her instincts were right.
“Close your eyes,” he instructed, and she felt him place the cloth above her cheekbones and tie it firmly at the back. He then pressed a hand to her shoulder and moved her to face him again.
“What happens now?” she asked, failing to keep the uncertainty out of her voice.
“Now we see just how good those reflexes of yours really are.”
her ba ck.
Twelve
A rush of air was the only warning she had before her leg was kicked out from underneath her and she tumbled to the ground.
“Hey!” she cried. “What are you—”
Without knowing why, she turned her body to roll out of the way just in time to hear a thump behind her—right where she’d been lying a second earlier.
“Take a deep breath, Alex,” the Meyarin said. “Let go and feel the air around you.”
“I don’t know what you’re—” Before she could finish her sentence she heard a rushing noise and rolled out of the way again, this time using the momentum to lift herself back to her feet. She reached her hands up to untie her blindfold but it wouldn’t budge. When she tried to pull it over her head, she realised it was stuck in place.
“Get this thing off me!”
“Calm down and pay attention,” the Meyarin said, his voice gentle but firm. “You need to breathe and listen.”
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to—”
“Listen, Alex,” he interrupted. “Just listen.”
The tone of his voice stopped her protests. Whatever he was trying to prove seemed to be important, and he’d been nothing but kind to her. The least she could do was try to do as he asked.
“Okay,” she said. “Just give me a moment. I can’t hear anything over my convulsing heartbeat.”
She took a few deep breaths and tried to focus outwardly. She was blind, that much was true, but she still had her other senses. So when she felt the mat underneath her feet tilt slightly, she knew the Meyarin had decided her reprieve was over.