The Crystal Trials

54 Dath

We descended from Imogen's class, and I walked next to Rayze on the way to lunch. Nik was positively radiant floating high above us. I wasn't a fan of how much time she was spending with Ameer. He was my friend first and they seemed to have a strange way of talking with their eyes. It made me wonder if she had taught him the way she communicated with her brother. If that were the case, it made me angry that I was not the one chosen to share such a special thing with her.

Alden was flocking around my Nik too. She kept him at a distance despite kissing her on the forehead the other day. I had watched them from our tables by the windows. She clearly still had feelings for him, but something was stopping her from acting on them. Good. I was hoping to approach her more seriously during the spring equinox. I had heard of Sera talking to Garren about it. I wasn't sure exactly what occurred, but it seemed to be more intense than the Night of Nix.

Ideas of showing Nik what I truly felt, flooded my mind. I was picturing her leaning into a kiss and more when a figure stepped in front of me. Erix had stopped me in the foyer. Nik looked at us curiously and I smiled at her. She continued walking to the dinning hall with her cousin, chatting about the joys of floating. Alden had left before anyone like he sometimes did, so I was happy to see her without him at her hip. I wanted that honor. The edges of my vision closed in as my anger grew.

"If you will follow me, I have an important assignment for you." Erix spun around and headed not to office in the dining hall, but up the stairs towards the teachers' offices.

He gestured for me to enter one that was usually closed, and I followed. Inside was plain and just as organized as his office downstairs. He led us to the balcony and shut the double glass doors behind us. With a wave of his hand, stairs became visible that led to a landing above the roof. I followed him up them and we came to a small landing with a door leading into one of the university's spires. He opened it with a key, and we stepped inside.

It was a strange area. The stone staircase spiraled up to the top and there were rooms at each level. I started to question what the assignment was. Before I could voice my concerns, my vision closed in, and my anger returned. I clenched my fists and continued. There were people I didn't recognize in a few of the rooms, others were left empty. At the top, Erix let us in with another key.

My heart pounded at the rage I felt. Sweat beaded on my brow. Through the door, there was a bed, side table, and wooden chair off to the side. On the bed sat a shirtless man with a scared back. My ears rumbled when Erix spoke to the man, causing me to hear nothing more than a distant sound. The man turned around and I froze. My temper grew and confusion set in. Alden stood before me with an expression of shock. Then his panic set in when Erix gestured to the chair. His eyes glazed over the way Nik's did sometimes when she was speaking of her father.

I felt as though I was watching what was happening in front of me from a distance. Erix strapped his own son to the chair backwards, his destroyed back facing me. I questioned the situation I was in, and my vision closed in again. I clenched my teeth. He stood in front of Alden and spoke to him. I heard him ask about Nik and my head snapped up.

Erix looked at me and thrust his hand out as if grabbing a rope and yanked it. I walked forward. Alden needed to answer the question. I needed to know why Nik was so powerful. When he didn't answer, I lashed at his back in a whip of fire. When he didn't flinch, I struck again. Answer. I needed to know.

Why was I hurting the man Nik clearly had feelings for? I dind't like the guy, but I dind't want to hurt something she loved. I shook my head. Pain flashed in my mind and my sight clouded. Answer. I needed to know who sent Nik to the university. A lash of fire. The screams sent a thrill down my spine, and I adjusted my stance. I needed to know who her father was. Answer! Two lashes, three for my own pleasure. Blood splattered the floor and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Yes. More. I whipped the man again and again. No longer caring for the answer. Stop. I dropped my hands and stepped back.

The man in front of me was panting and crying. Blood poured from his back, dirtying his pants. He turned to look at me betrayal swimming in his tears. But something else. A promise. I looked to Erix who nodded at me. The world went black.

I woke up in my bed the day of the spring equinox ready to see Nik. I had plans of finally telling her how I felt. My dreams from the night before were gruesome and strange. I remembered feeling anger and something to do with fire. I rubbed my eyes and got ready for the day. It was going to be a good one.