THE UNBREAKABLE PIECE (FIRST BOOK OF THE HIDDEN WORLD) English version

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: BRUSH AND CANVAS

We appeared in Phoenix; none of us uttered a word, none dared to touch me. Only Gemma when she placed the praesidium on my forehead. In a silent procession, they followed me, not even overtaking, letting me find the way out of this labyrinth filled with pine trees. The smell of blood penetrated my nose. I was numb, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

The only one who stayed close was Eamon. Since we had left the apartment, he hadn't distanced himself from me, like a guardian dog. I could feel his gaze stalking my nape, waiting for the first word that would come out of my mouth.

"Amy," my voice, but his words echoed in my mind. "Amy, please, talk to me."

The earth began to stick to the fresh blood on my boots, and I couldn't stop looking at them. Their crimson color had stayed there as a reminder, of something much bigger than my pain. They had found a direct path to me, to Loki. They had massacred him with the purpose of hurting me, of breaking me to the point of surrender. Now, the destruction of my house didn't matter as much as Loki's lifeless body being carried by Jayden.

The only thing keeping me moving, besides the breeze running through the forest, was the idea that the culprit, whether Drahceb or any of his henchmen, would also witness the pain through my hands.

Drahceb had murdered my brother, my mother had disappeared afterward, probably linked to my twisted uncle. And now, Loki. Drahceb had managed to bring me to the edge of the precipice, and he really didn't know me if he didn't know that I could jump in search of retaliation.

My feet knew the way out of the forest better than my own mind; we were standing at the same entrance we had crossed hours ago. Only now, the unity of the trees had been severed, and each of their branches remained in the same position, as if magic had never touched them.

Brandon, who hadn't joined the mission, waited for us at the end of the street. He was supposed to escort us back to the castle without being seen. As soon as he set his eyes on my hands and my blood-soaked clothes, his eyes widened, and he began to run towards me at great speed. Ben and Eamon quickened their pace and positioned themselves on each side of me. On the periphery, I noticed how Ben shook his head, but Brandon and his blue eyes sought an explanation in my face until he collided with the image of Jayden in the forest.

I turned toward them, looking far beyond, where the pines concealed the sea. I didn't want to see Loki like this; my bones and my eyes couldn't bear it again. But I also couldn't bring him to the castle.

"Please, leave the body. This is where I want to bury him."

The pain throbbed strongly, like the blood of vengeance pumping through my heart. Although I wanted to run—hide under a blanket and cry until I had no tears left to shed—I wouldn't. They had witnessed the chaos unleashed by my gift. A gift that lived hidden beneath my humanity. Their heads must be entangled with questions, imagining what I might do with it once I returned to being the Amy who lived here years ago.

My guard and soon, probably all of Alba, would know my secret. That's why right now was the moment when I couldn't afford to show weakness. I couldn't reveal myself as fragile; I had to live up to what they expected of me, even in my pain. Even if I found myself walking in the darkness, unsure how to navigate it.

Their looks sounded loud, analyzing me, expecting my next outburst. They sounded as clear as the sound of waves crashing on the beach. Gemma and Ben, above the others, I could see in their eyes how they felt my display of power as a betrayal. They knew I had lied to them. They had realized it just now when the destruction I had attracted settled on my face as if it were the most normal thing in the world. As if it were just another Monday in my life, where I dedicated myself to destroying the house where I had grown up.