It wasn't fair to drag Shai to Kent without giving her some kind of explanation. Aliah had to think of something.
He wiped his upper lip on his sleeve and spoke quickly. "I don't know anything more about the Book than you do. But I can tell you what I read on the page I tore out of it. Besides the map, the page lists the names of three rebels who will one day overthrow Samael's power." He looked sideways at Shai who didn't register surprise or much of anything at all. Her shoulders slumped beneath the weight of her pack and her cheeks looked cherry-red. Dull strands of her honey-colored hair stuck to her damp forehead and every few minutes she swatted at an irritating fly buzzing around her head.
The familiar pang of guilt surged through him when she flicked her eyes at him and offered a weak smile. What has happened to us? He had told Ava more in the few hours he had known her than he had ever told Shai. Aliah was also beginning to regret showing Ava his brand. He'd shared too much while he was under the influence of the salve and tea.
He trembled under a sudden jolt of pain in his head. He shifted the weight of his bag and pressed a thumb and forefinger to his temples. If I can remember more it might help. Maybe I've always known about the Coalition, but have forgotten. But what if Ido begin to remember more and everything changes? What if I change?
He touched the pendant again. Fear of the unknown made his insides quiver. Fear of who he was and fear of who he might become if his memory fully returned. The separation between the two seemed cavernous.
"Who are they Aliah? Who are the rebels?" Shai's question startled him out of his bleak thoughts.
Aliah turned his head slightly and spoke out of the side of his mouth, his voice barely above a whisper. "They're called the Coalition."
Remiel finally stopped walking and turned around, his face red from facing the sun. Behind him rose the angular shadows of Kent.
YOU ARE READING
The Coalition (Book 1)
ParanormalWhat you don't know can kill you... It's just a pretty pendant. A harmless necklace. Everyone wears them, like a talisman. At least that's what sixteen year old Shai Eli has always believed. But why does her community enforce a law that keeps people...
