One by one.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Brokk
Brokk cringed when the crowd around him leered at the two figures in the ring. Emory’s face was in a concentrated mask, sweat dripping down her face as Wyatt lunged at her yet again.
Looking to his left, Memphis took in the scene before him. Always the figure of calm.
Sighing, he rolled his shoulders back, his stiff muscles popping. A hard thud sounded, and looking up, Emory caught Wyatt’s arm. With a fierce expression, she disappeared. Wyatt’s face instantly paled, and he was left helpless. A minute later, Emory released and glanced up at Wyatt.
“Again,” Wyatt said, and the two of them continued their attack and defense.
“Brokk, I need to talk to you.” Jaxson materialized beside him, concern dripping off him.
“What’s...”
“It’s Nyx. She came to cover the rest of my watch last night. I forgot some papers out there, and when I went back out an hour later, she was gone. No one has seen her since, and her room is untouched...”
Dread filled every ounce of him.
Brokk moved in a blur, his heart thudding as he headed toward Memphis. He should have kept an eye on her after their match last night, but he was left with his thoughts about how to confront Memphis about what she had said. She had distracted him, and he was selfish enough not to think about her.
“Memphis, we need to talk. It’s about Nyx.”
“I haven’t seen her since the meeting last night, Brokk.” He glanced at him and frowned. “I can’t leave right now. We are alternating opponents with Emory. Time is of the essence.”
“Nyx is missing. A match is more important than that?”
Memphis exhaled, shaking his head. “She can take care of herself, Brokk. We all can. How do you know she is missing?”
He filled Memphis in on the details he was given, and Memphis rubbed his face wearily. “This isn’t the first time Nyx has gone venturing off. She needs space. You of all people should understand that. You should be focused on what is ahead, helping Emory and the others prepare for the fight. I need you to be focused, Brokk.”
Anger flaring, he said, “No. I will not stand back while Nyx is missing and while you are too preoccupied to care! We should have scouts out; we should be looking for her! She was upset about you, and I’m worried about her.”
Memphis snapped at him, “You forgot yourself, General. That was a command, not a request. You will forget Nyx, and focus.”
Brokk’s hands connected with Memphis’s chest, shoving him backward, hard. He was yelling now as his resolve cracked, “She loves you! And you used her to keep your bed warm until Emory was back. You use people for your own advantages, Memphis, and I’m done. Nyx told me what you did to Emory, manipulating her dreams. There is only one monster I see, brother, and he is standing in front of me. If you won’t go looking for Nyx, I will.”
He was stupid for banking everything on Emory. His future. Their future. A month wasn’t enough time, and with Nyx and Alby gone, depression hooded his thoughts. His body reacted before he could think anything through. Turning on his foot, he left the training room, not caring about the protests behind him. Not caring that Emory had been frozen in the ring as she took in his words. Memphis had everything he had always wanted—power, Emory, a plan.
And it would kill them all.
Sweat dripped into his eyes, and he stepped into the elevator. Air hissed around him, and coldness ran through his veins, numbing his body. Numbing his heart.
He left the compartment, jogging down the twisting hallway, memories flying at him like bullets. Memories of the echo of a girl who couldn’t even look at him now, of a family long lost, of a world that didn’t exist anymore.
He barged through the door, slamming it shut. Running full tilt, he exploded in a flurry of emotion, four giant paws grinding into the earth, only propelling him faster. Scents overwhelmed him, and looking to the forest sprawling to the northeast, he galloped, leaving the hillside behind him. Leaving the Academy behind. He would find Nyx, and he would bring her home.
***
The sun was setting, the warm glow bathing Brokk’s fur. He had been running for hours, following Nyx’s trail. The forest swallowed the horizon, and he rested his head on the ground, ears twitching at scuffles of animals around him. He allowed himself to close his eyes for a moment. Only a brief rest...
The breeze moved through his fur. The soft wind curled around him, and he drifted to sleep.
The memory shifted and dissolved as Brokk slammed into the ground, damp grass and moss underneath him. Staggering up, he whipped around, waiting. A giggle sounded in the darkness. Taking a closer look, he saw broken rock formations jutting out of the earth and green flames roaring. Squinting, he took a step closer, and the world ignited.
“Find us, Brokk Foster.”
The world was drenched in ash. It swirled, filling his nose, mouth, clouding his eyes. Another giggled resonated before everything went black.
Eyes flashing open, he was greeted by the steely edge of a blade. A growl grew deep in his throat, and he lurched up. It was late into the night, moonlight filtering only slightly through the trees. And a foreign scent filled his senses.
His visitor was dressed in a black hooded sweater, tight leather pants, and boots. His eyes flickered back to the blade. It hummed with magic, a faint blue glow pulsing from it. It was dangerous, laced with malice.
Hackles up, he jumped back swiftly, as the figure side-stepped his attack. The stranger laughed and threw the hood back. He knew that laugh. Nyx’s hand stroked his head as dread filled him.
“What a coincidence. We meet here of all
