The Forever Blaze [3]

C H A P T E R - 2 1

The thick, piercing darkness felt shockingly warm as it stabbed and scraped and smashed. Sophie held her breath, wondering if any madness would break through—but her mental defences held strong, deflecting each attack like an invisible shield.

Now if only she had any idea what to do.

She'd been planning to search for a trail of warmth and follow it to the nook in Fintan's mind. But there was warmth everywhere. A stifling, suffocating fog slowed her thoughts and blurred all the pathways.

Fintan, she transmitted over and over, but the echoes shredded as they bounced around his jagged mind.

She shoved her way through a cloud of shattered memories, searching each one for a clue to steer her through the chaos. She could see glints of colour and shadow, slivers and slices of faces and places—but nothing she could recognize.

Nothing except fire.

Sparks of red and orange and blue and white—each more blinding than the last—swarmed around her, burning hotter, brighter, wilder with each second, until they erupted into neon yellow flames.

Everblaze.

Somewhere in the back of her consciousness, Sophie knew she should run away. But the Everblaze traced a glinting path through the endless darkness. She had to follow the trail.

The flames led her deeper, into a pit of pure black heat. The space was empty of memories but thick with the breath of so many emotions, Sophie didn't know which one to feel:

Fear.

Pride.

Regret.

Envy.

Triumph.

Sadness.

Hopelessness.

And rage.

So much rage.

It burned hotter than the other emotions—hotter than the Everblaze.

Boiling and bubbling and consuming everything.

Every thought.

Every memory.

Every glint of light and hope and reason.

Leaving her empty.

Except for the rage.

The rage was her power. Her force. Her fire to unleash on the world, to stop the—

Sharp jostling pulled her out of the frenzy, and Sophie realized Oralie and Fitz were shaking her shoulders.

Sorry, she transmitted, concentrating on Fitz and Meredith's thoughts.

Their worry was so thick she could feel it tangling around her.

We've been trying to wake you up for a really long time, he told her.

Really? I don't know what happened. I followed the warmth like I always do. But I ended up in a very dark place.

Is it something I could help with?

Not yet. His mind is still too broken.

And you're sure you can handle it? It's not worth risking your sanity, Sophie, Meredith said.

Actually, it was.

This was her chance to find the rebels—and Jolie's killer.

She wasn't giving up that easily.