Awakening: Book 1 of the Vanquisher Series [GxG]

52

Exhaustion overwhelmed her. Nothing appealed to her. And all Narvari ever did was stay away from everyone and everything, confined in her room. Pheera seemed to notice her need for space and left her alone to her thoughts. She was grateful for that, for she had a lot to think about. She even forgot how long had passed. Was it two days, two weeks, or two years? It was all the same to her. Then one day, Yanvirrak came into her room. She told him to leave, but he would hear none of it. After convincing Narvari that what she needed was a distraction, she finally followed him to one of the training halls to spar.

"Now take out your frustration on me," he said, grinning. "Let it all out, Shar."

Narvari folded her arms. "You're sure you want me to beat the shit out of you?"

"If it will make you feel better, then go for it." After a moment's pause, he added, "Pheera is worried about you."

Narvari sighed. Without warning, she pounced on Yanvirrak, but he swiftly blocked her attack. They grunted as their attacks grew more frenzied. Narvari sent a fist toward Yanvirrak's chest. He blocked it with both hands. After a couple of more exchanges, she sent a hefty punch to Yanvirrak's face. The force of the punch sent him tumbling to the floor.

"You have a point," said Narvari. "Punching you in the face makes me feel better."

Yanvirrak laughed. He was soon back on his feet and their sparring continued for probably an hour or two. It didn't matter. She was feeling better by the second. The thrill of the fight was washing away all the resentment and sadness she'd been harboring inside ever since her father showed up.

She was about to block a kick from Yanvirrak when something outside distracted her. Yanvirrak's fist clobbered her in the abdomen but she didn't even seem to notice since all her attention was on Pheera. The young woman was passing by with Pheleraz with such urgency that they didn't see Narvari and Yanvirrak. Narvari went closer to the windows to take a look.

"Is that Pheera," Yanvirrak asked, "and Pheleraz? Where are they going?"

Narvari would like to know too. Pheera looked calm on the outside, but there was something about her eyes that told Narvari that the girl didn't want to be anywhere near her asshole brother. Before Narvari could go after them to ensure Pheera was alright, she saw Trixan come from behind, with the same urgency in her step. That immediately stopped Narvari. She sighed in relief. If Trixan was with them, then Pheera was safe. Yet there was something odd about the whole thing. Something didn't feel right. All of a sudden, it felt like all the pent-up anger she had worked hard to release had returned a hundredfold.

"Why would Trixan allow that jerk anywhere near her?" Narvari balled her fist. After everything Pheera had been through. "Something isn't right."

"Well, at least Trixan is with them, right?" said Yanvirrak. "Pheera's safe."

"Yeah, well, I don't trust him. I think he's threatening Pheera."

Yanvirrak raised a brow. "Why do you--" The sound of footsteps interrupted him. Whoever those footsteps belonged to must be running as the sound got louder and heavier. "What the hell," Yanvirrak whispered as soon as Zemeron ran by looking utterly pissed. Narvari and Yanvirrak exchanged a silent glance. Suddenly, they both lunged towards the door after Zemeron. The dread in the pits of her stomach deepened. Something was definitely not right. They ran after Zemeron through the hallways until they found themselves getting closer to the place Hellstorm was held. Either Zemeron didn't care he was being followed or he was too angry to notice them.

Narvari and Yanvirrak halted. Just outside the interrogation room, Zemeron was in a heated argument with Trixan.

"You can't be serious, Trixan," Zemeron fumed. "I trusted you."