Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 110757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Briar
“Keep your eyes closed when you call out through the connection,” Pax says. “Then open them and focus on your target. They can see through you.”
He’s standing outside the cave with me and Marcus, walking me through fully connecting again. It’s hard for me to summon fury like I did before, because we aren’t in immediate danger and now I know Marcus is okay.
“Practice,” Pax says.
I give him a puzzled look. “On who?”
“It doesn’t have to be a person. Have the vines squeeze a tree or a rock, just to practice targeting.”
“I won’t practice on any living thing that doesn’t deserve it.”
He knits his brows together. “Trees and rocks have feelings now?”
“Yes. They aren’t like our feelings, but yes.”
“It’s hard to practice when your feelings aren’t there,” Marcus says. “Raw, strong emotions like fear and stress get sent through the connection. I don’t think faking it will work.”
Pax shakes his head. “It’s not faking. She has to learn to control it. Otherwise she’ll turn into you—destroying everything around her just because she’s in a bad mood.”
“You’re saying I could open up a hole in the ground under your feet and it wouldn’t be my fault because I can’t control it?”
Pax shifts, crossing his arms. “I’m on your side. I’m trying to help her.”
“Stop it, both of you,” I cut in.
They both brood and I use the silence to think about how we should approach the exiles.
“We don’t even know where they are,” I say, thinking out loud. “They could be in a place where the others don’t have anywhere to hide and cover us.”
“There’s no safe place on this island for them,” Pax says. “Between the two of us, we’ve got this. As long as we can see them, we’re close enough.” He furrows his brow with concern. “I can do this by myself if you want.”
Marcus shakes his head. “It’s too many at once. Seven of them. You can only control one snake at a time.”
“I can only set one target at a time. I can send ten snakes after one person, and as soon as they’re dead, target the next one and all ten snakes will go for them.”
“No,” I say. “Some of them would be able to reach you before you got to them all.”
“Not if they can’t see me.”
“I targeted all of those soldiers at the same time,” I say. “I’m doing this.”
Pax nods. “It won’t be hard to find them. Half this island was leveled by the volcano.”
“Flavius,” Marcus says, his voice so soft I can hardly hear him.
I put a hand on his arm. “You okay?”
He looks pained. “They’re starving. The volcano ...”
Pax’s expression turns grim. “It’s the same for the snakes. The volcano killed lots of them, and the ones who are left aren’t going to make it long-term. That’s why we need to get control of this island back while I can still help.”
“I need to help the wolves,” Marcus says.
“We will,” I assure him.
“How can you feel them without your aromium on?” Pax asks Marcus.
“I don’t know.”
“You guys ready?” Nova asks from nearby.
“Almost,” I say.
“Both of you start with Theron,” Marcus says. “I can handle any of the other six, and Nova and Amira will cover me.”
“Maybe Olin and Ellison should just stay in the cave,” Pax suggests.
Marcus shakes his head. “Ellison won’t.”
“Can Olin shoot a bow?”
“He’s getting better,” I say.
Pax grins. “So no.”
“No,” Marcus agrees.
“He’s had training,” I say. “But he’s rusty.”
“They’ll both stay out of sight,” Marcus says.
I take a deep breath. “Let’s just go. I’m getting nervous anticipation through my connection, and it’s making me jittery.”
“You mean the plants are nervous?” Pax asks, incredulous.
“They can feel what I feel. They know something’s up.”
“My connection isn’t that sophisticated,” he says.
“More like cavemen talking?” Marcus quips. “Me big mad. You kill fast.”
I give him a look and say, “Enough.”
“Like you and the rocks are having deep philosophical conversations?” Pax scoffs at Marcus.
“Let’s do this,” Nova grumbles, joining us. “You two are wasting time and energy with your pointless arguments.”
“Word,” Amira says, the backpack holding the switch securely fastened around her shoulders and waist. “Let’s get this done and find some food before a bitch gets hangry.”
Olin and Ellison are here, too. We all look as haggard and filthy as we feel.
“Anyone have any food?” Nova asks. “Briar could use the energy.”
“I have some nuts.” Olin digs into his pocket.
Amira shakes her head, locking eyes with me. “He has nuts.”
Finally Marcus and Pax can agree on something, even if it is a lame joke about nuts. Everyone’s grinning as Olin pulls out a few almonds and offers them to me.
“Oh, there’s some lint.” His cheeks turn pink as he picks something off an almond.
“Thanks,” I say. “But I’m okay. Who’s the best tracker here?”
“Me.”
Marcus and Pax say it at the same time. Of course.