Brandt slammed his fist down, sending his light body flying into the air.
Brandt reached out with his left arm, wrapping his hand around the diamond even as Kye’s blades pierced him once again. Pain blossomed within, a new layer of agony sharper than the last. Black spots swam at the edge of Brandt’s vision, but he brought his knife up and sliced through Kye’s shirt. His cut wasn’t clean. Broken as he was, his strength gave out.
But Brandt allowed his lightness to fade. The weight of his body falling ripped the last shreds of fabric away. Brandt collapsed.
The rough edges of the diamond cut into his palm.
Brandt had hoped the disorientation of being cut off from his diamond would open Kye up for an attack.
It worked. Kye’s eyes went unfocused and he collapsed to his knees next to Brandt.
The only problem was that Brandt didn’t have any strength left to fight. His body refused to listen to his commands.
But he held the stone. Against every instinct he possessed, Brandt closed his eyes and channeled his affinity through the diamond.
It unlocked a new world. He heard only fire, but the songs were louder than any he had heard before. He was buffeted by waves of chaotic noise.
He found Kye.
He’d never tried the technique, but he had heard about it. He imagined wrapping his hands into Kye’s body’s heat, and he pulled, the same way he sometimes pulled heat from his own body.
Kye resisted. On some level, he understood what was happening. But Kye’s primary affinity was stone, not fire. And Brandt had the diamond. When he pulled, no human could resist. The ability intoxicated him. He pulled and pulled, destroying Kye’s meager resistance.
And just like that, it was over. Kye’s resistance snapped and Brandt pulled. It almost felt too easy. When Brandt opened his eyes, Kye still knelt before him, but his eyes held no life. His face was literally frozen in fear. Brandt reached out a tentative hand, then pulled it away again when he felt how cold Kye’s skin was.
His wolfblades were revenged.
He closed his eyes, knowing there was one more fight that remained.
His life flowed from him freely, though. Kye’s last cuts would kill him, and quick. No matter what, he would make another trip to the gates today, and he didn’t think he’d be returning from this visit.
But he was going to die well.
He still had an empire to save.
64
Every time Alena thought Jace’s hold slipped she tried to break it. But whenever she tried, he simply resumed the hold, pushing her that much further. She was certain that her arm was near useless.
Her left arm scratched the stone, seeking anything she could use as a weapon. But her body was locked in place by Jace’s hold.
The world as she knew it was about to end, and she could do nothing but lie here, helplessly. She couldn’t beat her brother.
Alena sagged, every muscle in her body finally giving up the fight. There wasn’t anything left to do. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the stone floor. Tears dripped from her eyes. When they hit the stone they splashed on her cheek.
Then she felt a presence, an awareness her panicked struggles had hidden from her. She felt Jace, his presence, the same way she had sensed the wolf and the soulwalker back in the valley.
Possibilities unfolded within her mind. Could she soulwalk into her brother? His presence was right there. She was certain she could reach out to it and join it.
But did she dare?
Kye must have possessed some small degree of soulwalking ability, and his use of it had nearly destroyed Brandt’s life. If she did the same to her brother, would she be able to live with herself?
Did she even have a choice? Her brother served Kye with his whole heart. The damage they intended to unleash upon the empire would cost countless lives. If she had the power to stop it, why wouldn’t she?
Because it was her brother. Hurting him might shatter her.
Indecision tore her in two.
He tightened his grip on her arm, causing her to scream.
She plunged into his soul.
Alena wasn’t prepared for the journey. She passed through his memories, each laced with the emotions he’d felt at the time.
The anger and confusion when Kye had come to their door, telling the family that Alena was a murderer.
The gratitude when Kye had found him later at the academy. Kye had put his hand on Jace’s shoulder, had told him that Jace wasn’t his sister, that he could do great things.
Murky darkness swirled around memories of home. Jace believed Kye’s story, no matter how their parents argued in favor of Alena.
Gratitude filled Alena’s thoughts for a moment. Her parents still believed in her, even after she’d abused their trust so sorely.
But that wasn’t how Jace saw it. He saw them choosing her over him, the same way they always had. They even chose her after she had murdered her master.
He’d turned away from them then. Left the house for good.
He declined university track, joining the military as soon as he was able. There his feats attracted Kye’s attention.
There had been a stint with the city watch. He’d made a name for himself singlehandedly finding and destroying a smuggling ring.
Alena saw the memories through Jace’s own eyes, the skill and cold ease he’d possessed as he cut the smugglers down.
Her brother’s rage was cold and unyielding.
Then Kye’s personal tutelage. The importance of strength. An overwhelming warmth and loyalty to the man who had never given up on him, who had given him exactly what he believed he deserved.
Alena focused her will, stopping the flood of memories. She saw, now, how she could do what had happened to Brandt. She could wipe those memories away. A small effort of will brought her back to the moment Kye had knocked on the door of their home to deliver the news. She could wipe years away, like
