Hours must have ticked by, but as Diana says, dreams exist as different worlds that pass by at their own leisure. Skylar's mind breaks into a vivid dream. Most of her dreams play out sensibly but bouncy as if her vision has become an unstable video camera held in the irresponsible hands of a toddler. When this dream begins strangely straight-focused, it startles her. She finds herself looking out of the eyes of someone much taller than herself. She peers down at her hands.
These hands do not belong to me.
Skylar finds it harder and harder to maintain a train of thought and, eventually, she gives in, and someone else's thoughts swarm her mind. The thoughts feel like velvet, leaving her at ease.
The thoughts now in her mind speak of Cedrick, hoping he will understand the reasons behind her recent choices. Abruptly, the topic switches from Cedrick to Comus Pharaoh.
Pharaoh used me. He admired my Duplum Ligare of Erudite. In my elementary years, I did not know that my best friend would grow up to be the world's deadliest Hunter. Years ago I accidentally led Pharaoh to a solution— the solution that gained him talent. No one can hold more than one Duplum Ligare in his heart— no one except a Silver Heart Holder. I had a theory...
"I bet a Silver Heart can contain more Duplex Codices than we currently believe. Think about it. A Silver Heart— well... it has empty spaces like pockets. I mean, sure the Silver Heart already holds one very powerful dose of every Duplum Ligare, but... the Silver Heart... it has room for more and does nothing with this extra room. It must be able to hold more. It should be able to house... I would say by its unused mass... twelve more Duplex Codices. The more someone would have the more powerfully talented they would be."
Skylar's thoughts find a weak spot in the velvet...
A Silver Heart Holder can do that? Why am I thinking these things? Why can't I control—
And then her mind slides beneath the velvet again.
Skylar gyrates on her foot knowing that Cedrick will enter the room in precisely five seconds.
Five... What if I cannot convince him?
Four... I do not even have my appearance as proof.
Three... I never had respect for him as a student.
Two... My daughter's life and the lives of many others depend on this.
One...
Creak.
His senses are as good as mine, if not better. He must know I'm here, and he would not have come if he thought I would kill him.
Both Skylar and Mr. Cedrick stare each other down from opposite ends of the room. Purple shadows highlight Cedrick's violet eyes, his climax feature.
Persis and Casiah peek into the room seconds after Cedrick does but he waves them off. Skylar knows that Cedrick wanted them to see her though, for reasons she cannot describe. Sparks whiz freely around the room, having entered from the hallway.
Skylar looks down at her mangled hands. From the outside they look crippled but they work almost as well as they used to. They used to have darker skin too.
YOU ARE READING
The Binder and the Hunter's Silver Heart
PrzygodoweThey look like you. They talk like you. On the outside, they are you. On the inside, they think like you. They feel like you. However, they have something you do not.
