30

Evazee floated on her back in the sunlight. Elden floated next to her close enough to bump arms. Silence settled over them, comfortable as a feather duvet. Evazee relished the sharp difference between the heat of the sunlight and the cold water. It raised goose bumps on her arms and legs. The contradiction was delicious.

Contradiction.

Why was she here? This place was paradise and her host was being most charming. She thought that the testing arches would be painful, but this was delightful.

Except for her imprint.

She shot up so fast, a mini wave dunked Elden under, and he came up spluttering.

“What was that for?”

“I have to go.”

His fingers trailed a pattern down her arm, and she shivered. If she stayed any longer, it would be gone for good. Blocking her ears to Elden’s protests, she swam to the side and climbed out, slipping on the rocks in her hurry to leave.

She ran through the gap in the trees and emerged in Shasta’s room with its globe of earth.

Instantly, the sunlight was gone and the sand between her toes had morphed to smooth, polished rock. Her sun-kissed skin felt the underground cold more keenly than she remembered. Hugging her arms, she checked to see if anyone was watching or if she was alone.

On cue, Shasta strode through the internal door.

“You’re back.”

Evazee’s head swam as if it were filled with bubbles. The dizziness worsened as he came towards her. She shut her eyes tight and balled her fists, but he reached for her hand and the warmth of his fingers melted her resolve.

“Come. I need your help.” He led her through a curtain and into a room full of people. They sat on the floor and lined the walls—too many to count. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “You’re going to persuade them to join our ranks.”

“What if they don’t?”

“Let’s just say life will be easier for them if they do.” He shrugged and the scent of sandalwood flooded her senses. “Either way, they will serve.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

Shasta smiled, and her head spun.

“That, my dear, is the easy part.” He lay one hand across her forehead and placed his other thumb over her imprint at the base of her neck. Leaning in close, he whispered words she couldn’t catch with her natural ears.

He stayed behind Evazee, close enough that if she breathed in deeply, her back brushed his chest. Words swirled at her in a spiral, twisting out from a dark centre. She didn’t need to read them. They echoed in her head, queuing to get out.

She opened her mouth, and the words tumbled. Though she couldn’t hear them, the effect on her audience was dramatic. All across the room, individuals were standing, making their way forward. Some had tears streaming down their faces. Evazee couldn’t stop the flow. She kept speaking, watching her words tear through the room like a hurricane. Not a single soul remained unaffected. All came forward and knelt at her feet, at Shasta’s feet.

He moved forward, slipping a hand into the small of her back. Writhing coppery snakes flashed briefly in his palm. There was a feeling of ownership in the gesture that made Evazee’s skin crawl, but she couldn’t stop, couldn’t walk away.

Wind picked up, fanning her hair behind her. Everything spun. Her feet lifted, and a spinning whirlwind of air sucked her backwards into a vortex of smeared reality. She shut her eyes and bit back a scream.

She came down hard on her shoulder and lay there, winded, trying to reconcile her brain with everything swirling in her mind. She peeped through her lashes. The testing arches had spat her out and the structure lit up green. Cold flashed in the hollow between her collar bones. She slipped her hand to her neck.

Her imprint was gone.