Nephilius - A Walker Saga Book 5 (22 page)

I wondered who’d been brave enough to ignore
Josian’s orders. Probably Lucas just showed himself in.

“
I’m
leaving. I think I’ve achieved more than I expected from my visit.”
Lucas stood, showing no annoyance at Josian’s domineering
attitude.
“When you’re finished saving
our worlds, Abby, you and I need to have a very serious chat about
the future.”

His tone told me that was not a polite
suggestion. It was an order.

“What about Ria?” I asked.

His expression closed off, his features
motionless. “It’s kinder if we both forget about our childhood
dreams. Reality doesn’t favor this union.”

And with a huff of breath he left the
room.

“I’m going to find Ria,” I said once I knew
he was gone.

I left to the sound of Lucy explaining to
Josian what we’d just learned: Lucas and Ria’s connection, and also
the conclusions we’d reached about my role as empress. I knew my
father would not be happy about this, the same as Brace wouldn’t
have been. My loyalties, power and energies were already stretched
in too many directions. But for some reason I had faith that there
was a point to all of this, that somehow it would all come together
and make sense in the end.

Lucy’s voice faded out as I hurried along
the hall and down the stairs, jumping the last few. It was then a
simple move to head out of the house and onto the dark front
balcony. I had a suspicion where I would find the Regali queen. She
often headed into the forest beside our house. It wasn’t large, but
there were quite a few densely packed trees and other plants. And
sure enough, as I stepped into the cool, dark eeriness of the
forest area, I sensed her green energy.

“I hate him.” Her voice echoed because she
was flinging herself through the trees, her beloved vines catching
and throwing her slim figure. She dropped down next to me, the
leaves still hugging her close. “I even hated him when I thought a
figment of my imagination had abandoned me. Now I find out he was
real.”

Blasts of energy leaked off her. I absorbed
some – my well inside loving the new influx of power – while others
flickered off and had plants blossoming around us. Flowers of red
and yellow bloomed to my right, and the dense undergrowth puffed
out with life.

“Maybe it was nothing to do with Lucas.” I
tried to offer a third-person perspective. “Whilst I think he’s
generally a selfish ass, often these dream things are out of your
control. He probably had no say over his appearances or lack
thereof.”

Ria was so
covered in greenery now I could only just see her face.
“
And where is he now, Abby? I notice that
he’s not here making sure I’m fine.”

I shrugged.
“I did say he was an ass.”

A glimmer of a smile crossed her lips
then.

“And, to be fair, he was worried about
you.”

Something flickered in her purple eyes,
before she lowered her face slightly. “Can you tell me why
half-Walkers can’t open doorways?”

My eyes
widened as she hit me from the side with a subject change. But I
could see that it was something she’d been thinking about; and
right then she probably hat
ed that she
was beholden to me or Josian to return her to Regali.

“Josian seems to think that I’m the anomaly.
He originally felt that us halves would not have access to the
doorways.”

Ria
’s eyebrows contracted. “I’m
usually so even tempered, but I find it decidedly unfair that you
can use the doorways and trace.” Her attempt to smile was
dismal.

Her words gave me a moment’s thought.

“Wait, you can’t use the doorways, but … can
you trace?” We’d never even thought to try that.

“I asked Josian when he was taking me to
Klea yesterday,” Ria said. “He told me that was a power only the
ancients had.”

I grabbed her hand, my tone increasing in
pitch. “The ancients and … me. Because we believe that the seven
half-Walkers hold the power of the ancients.”

Ria stepped free of her viney cage. “Show
me, Abby. How do you trace?”

Good question. It was something I had
accidentally discovered, and I had no idea how to explain it. I
hoped if I just went over the steps, she’d be able to do it.

“Okay, try and mentally picture the front
door of the house.” I pointed back through the trees to my home.
“Have you got the image?”

Ria closed her eyes. “Yes,” she said after a
moment. “I see the door and balcony.”

“On the edge of the image is there anything
strange?” It wouldn’t work if she couldn’t see the tethers.

She didn’t answer straight away. I could see
her eyelids fluttering. They hid her stunning violet eyes, but
something was happening behind them.

“Yes!” she suddenly exclaimed. “It took me
some time, but there are these glittery strands all around.” Her
breath was coming in gasps. “Some are thick, others are shorter or
thinner. They’re all different.”

A grin crossed my features. Mentally I
connected to Fury and Talina.

Come out to the front and bring Lucy. I
think I can show you how to use the tethers.

Hell, yeah,
Fury
yelled.

Be right there, Abbs.
Talina’s
voice rose in pitch.

I released my tie to them.

“
Okay, Ria,
now I want you to
mentally reach out and
grab onto the largest, strongest looking strand. I’ll meet you at
the house.”

I took off running then, hoping like hell
that she would be waiting for me. And sure enough as I cleared the
forest and rounded the side of the house, Ria was standing there.
Her hands were fisted in her long strands of hair, her eyes wide
and her grin even wider. The front door burst open and the girls
piled out, along with Josian, Lallielle, Dune, Raror, and
Francesca. Gee, they must have brought everyone with them. What had
Fury done? Run through the house screaming? At least Samuel wasn’t
there. I avoided him a lot. I knew I was being petty, but the truth
was I didn’t trust him and I hadn’t forgiven him.

Well, that’s what I kept telling myself,
even though the guilty thoughts never went away.

“
What’s
going on?” Josian asked, taking in our animated faces. “I heard
yelling and thought we were under attack.” H
is bronze eyes were twinkling.

“We can use the tethers.” The words burst
from Ria. For the first time since finding her in the jungle of
Artwon, she seemed like a giddy kid.

Josian’s expression didn’t change. His grin
remained in place, but something flickered across his eyes. He
seemed pleased. I was distracted though by Lallielle’s exclamation.
She moved forward to hug me and each of the girls.

“I’m so happy to hear that. I hated thinking
that the other girls were vulnerable and unable to leave a bad
situation,” she said as she moved back next to Francesca.

The soothsayer’s white eyes moved between
us, but she didn’t say much, which was usual since she’d returned.
Losing her visions had shaken her badly. Samuel and Francesca were
both damaged at the moment, and a part of me felt bad for never
having any time or interest in talking with them. I just felt as if
I couldn’t take on one more problem. I was at my limit.

“Show us, Supes.” Fury was basically
bouncing off my arm. “Being a half-Walker is about to get a hell of
a lot more awesome.”

I quickly went through the same explanation
as I had with Ria. We decided to see if they could just go to the
other end of the balcony we were standing on. The three girls
closed their eyes, and on my command found their tethers and
reached for them. And just like that they disappeared. Their
excited shrieks when they landed together at the intended
destination said everything.

We had just
added another impressive skill to our Seventine-smashing arsenal.
Every little step we took forward gave me some hope – hope that in
the end we would be strong enough. Although at the same time it
also pointed out how many things we didn
’t know about each other, our powers and what happened when
the half-Walkers came together. If we could just get the
information about the exact powers the originals held, maybe we
would have a hope of finding our own strengths and destroying the
threat of the Seventine.

The next
morning the girls took full advantage of their new abilities, each
one tracing to their home planets. Talina was taking
Ladre. She’d told me privately that she would
not ask him to return to First World with her, but would let him
decide what he wanted. Fury and Dune were going to check on Cleo,
his dragoona. They were going in sneaky, and Fury couldn’t use her
fire power while she was there. If the nomads sensed her they’d be
all over her butt. And Ria was visiting Klea again, which brought
about her first real smiles since running into Lucas.

All three of the half-Walkers were beyond
excited to have the ability to go back to their old worlds if
required. It gave us all a new lease on life, and made the task
that was stealing so much of our lives from us – the Seventine
battle – much easier to take each day. For Lucy and me it was time
to head back to Nephilius.

And I don’t care what anyone says, I did not
get dressed nicely, and start anxiously pacing the white room
because Brace was going to arrive any time soon.

“Abbs! Stop! You’re giving me a headache
with your constant back and forth.” Lucy was almost as bad as me,
fluttering her wings as she darted over to the window for her
fiftieth glance.

“At least you know you can throw yourself
into the arms of your mate,” I vented, forcing my feet to halt. I
sounded annoyed, but it wasn’t with Lucy, just with the
situation.

“I know. This whole thing freaking sucks so
bad for you.” Her wide blue eyes found mine, and they were
sympathetic. “It’s hard for me to be away from Colt, but I know
it’s nothing on the way you have to distance yourself from
Brace.”

I tilted my head back, gracing her with a
smile before I dropped onto the white couch. “Yeah, but it is what
it is, no point bitching and moaning. It’s just so hard to stop
myself from touching him. I belong in his arms. He soothes the
ragged edges of my soul. And right now I feel as if I’m slowly
unravelling without Brace. I’m losing myself.”

My powers felt weaker every day. My mind was
clouded and I wasn’t thinking clearly. How was I supposed to plan
and lead the half-Walkers against an ancient and methodically
intelligent life form when I felt like I’d never been less switched
on?

“My instincts are urging me to tell you to
reform your melding bond.” Lucy dropped next to me. “But I can’t
tell if it’s truly instinct or just me wanting your pain to eff the
hell off.”

I hugged
her, my arm gentle around her left wing. “You’
re a good friend, Luce.”

“Yep, I’m the best.” She dropped her arm
around my waist. “If you discount the fact it was my vision that
forced you to break the melding bond.”

I laughed. “Well, in that case you’re a
shithouse …” My words trailed off as a doorway appeared beyond the
front window and our men emerged.

The pressure on my chest increased. My
breathing was heavier as I struggled to contain the pleasure-pain
flooding my body. Brace was dressed in a white ribbed shirt with
black pants and boots. His hair was stylishly tousled.

“Does he have to be so damn gorgeous?” I
sighed as we watched their long-legged strides across the grass. I
guess it wouldn’t make any difference; he was my mate and I’d want
him regardless.

“Oh, yeah, Brace is freaking hot.” Lucy
whistled under her breath. “If I didn’t have my own sexy Walker I’d
curse you for snagging the hottest badass Walker in existence.”

I narrowed my eyes at her, but as she
waggled her eyebrows at me a few times, my scowl faded away to a
few chuckles. She was incorrigible. But I knew my friend and, since
finding her mate, Lucy had never really looked at any man besides
Colton.

We met the guys at the front door. With a
quick sympathetic look in my direction, Lucy threw herself into
Colton’s arms. The blond Walker dropped his head into the crease of
her neck and shoulder and breathed deeply. He was smelling her.
Freaky wolf.

I turned away from their ardor to find the
passive features of Brace before me. He was watching me, calm,
except for his eyes. They burned with some emotion that I could
only guess at.

“How was your night?” he asked as those
burning eyes roamed over my face. Before moving down the length of
my body.

The curl of his lips indicted I’d made the
right choice to wear my skinny black jeans, a boldly cut red
sweater and tight black boots that slid over my knees and gave me
two inches of height. But, as I said earlier, I wasn’t dressing up
for anyone.

I threw the length of my braid over my
shoulder. “It was good. We hung out with the girls and had a
slumber party.”

“And the other half-Walkers figured out how
to trace,” Lucy added, when she managed to pull her face from the
force field of Colton.

Brace’s eyebrows rose as he nodded his head
a few times. “So it’s looking more and more likely that you seven
hold the free energy of the originals.” He was, as always, switched
on.

“Yes, there isn’t much doubt about our
abilities.” My shoulders dropped a little as the masses of
responsibilities fell onto me again.

“Are we ready to go to Nephilius?” Colton
said. “We need to find these half-Walkers and stop the Seventine,
not just because I never want to see shit like the dark mountains
again, but because I’m not giving up Lucy, not when I’ve just found
her.”