The Astral Key

Chapter 1

The universe shook.

Micah Stone took a deep breath, trying to steady himself with the steady gray walls around him. The monochrome atmosphere shielded him from the madness creeping over the universe. A sense of safety almost settled over him.

Almost. He couldn't forget the inferno around him.

"At least you're safe here," Micah said, not sure if he was reassuring himself or the person standing across from him.

Gray eyes blinked back at him. "Safe? That's a nice way to describe prison."

She placed her hand on the energy barrier that kept them apart. His younger sister tilted her head, the familiar gesture unsettling Micah. Rose didn't seem like a criminal, a traitor to the universe. Her long blonde hair and petite body reminded him so much of their mother. But harsh white lights streamed on her, showing the damage done. Dark circles under eyes, pale skin, and a bruise under her chin.

They said she fought back.

"There's a reason you're in prison, Rose," Micah said, trying to force emotion out of his voice.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, my brother had me arrested."

His patience was almost unraveling faster than the logic of the universe. "That wasn't me, Rose. Although I probably would have done the same thing if I knew you were about to sabotage mankind's chance of survival."

She let out an exasperated huff. "When did you get as bad as the rest of them? When did you decide to support exterminating the most majestic creatures in the universe? You wanted to be a teacher."

He hit the energy barrier, a slight warm shock rippling through his arm. "Maybe I changed when Sam died."

Rose kept her head up, but her lower lip trembled. Micah's eyes burned, the image of their sunny brother bleeding through his mind. Always fifteen in his mind, when he should be seventeen. Always the troublemaker of the family.

Now just a hole in their hearts.

"Damn it!" Micah kicked the barrier, ignoring the crackle of energy. "You were there that night, Rose. You watched it happen. You almost died."

"I did." Rose tentatively reached for the barrier before freezing. "And it haunts me every second of the day. I just...I miss him as much as you."

"Then why?" Micah asked, hating the way his voice cracked.

She started pacing the small cell. "I was there, Micah. I was so close to him. So close that I could have saved him. If you want to blame anyone, you might as well blame me."

Micah bit his lip.

"But that night wasn't what you think." She halted. "I can't explain it. I don't have the words to do it. All I know is I was surrounded by them. They could have killed me in the blink of an eye. But they didn't."

"You weren't worth their time," Micah said.

"I felt like they were trying to tell me something, trying to speak to me," she said, a dreamlike quality taking over her voice. "Only I wasn't listening the right way."

"They're monsters," Micah said.

She held up a finger. "They aren't monsters. They are something wondrous. And yes, I was there. They didn't breathe fire and incinerate Sam. He was killed from falling rubble. And he—"

"That building wouldn't have been falling apart if they hadn't destroyed it!" he snapped.

She hugged herself, slumping against the gray wall. "You don't ask questions anymore. And that is going to destroy you."