Prologue
We are young, we are strong
We fight, we laugh, we feel
We are the next generation
We will rule the world
We are the future
I run. I feel the earth under my bare feet. Raw Power races across the ground and sparks where my skin meets dirt, begging for permission. I welcome the rush of heat. My long, dark hair flys behind me and my heart thunders in my chest. If not for my Veins I would blend in, be lost in the midnight hour among the dark shadows and rising moon. Patterns race up and down my arms, my legs, my whole body. The Veins are simple, strong. Blunt lines, long curves, criss-crossing. They emit a white-blue light that creates a luminous shine on my dark skin. I glow.
I run. I run as fast as the wind. Other glowing forms join me in the night. We race each other to our destination.
It appears on the horizon, a small dot growing bigger until it dwarfs us in size. I halt a dozen feet away and feel my friends follow suit. It is compelling to look at, beautiful and shiny. Painted a pale gold colour it seems to welcome you in and-
(Get out of my head!) I hiss at this thing. I can feel its conscience charming me, trying to slither its way into my mind.
(I'm strong and safe. I remind you of home, your mother and father. Come home dear. Touch my walls. I'm a safe hold, you need not worry any longer.) It attempts to regain my attention but fails.
My inner eye is open.
The true structure is dark. It's creator gave it an unflattering shape, boxy with sharp edges and odd parts sticking out. My eyes widen in horror as they travel up. Limb-like attachments sport five deadly-looking knives.
The smell hits me before I realize it. A sickly sweet perfume emits from the thing and I understand what the shiny coat is, poison.
I feel a shift behind me and throw out power blocks to where I know Calliope, the youngest, is. She is too young to have the Ability to break compulsions yet. Flynn and Carmen stay in place and I harness the wind and wrap it around Adrian, halting him in his compelled rush to touch the poison. But Aria, quick, lithe Aria, moves faster than the others. In the mere moments it took me to check they were safe she had moved to stand by the looming object, hand outstretched.
"No!" I yell out loud, surprising everyone. I send a low vibe of electricity through the ground to momentarily paralyze her, but I'm too late.
Aria's flesh makes contact with the slime covered metal and she turns towards us. Shocked, we stare as she takes a step forward. She opens her mouth as if to scream but freezes, her eyes roll back in her head and she collapses.
A moment of silence passes before we all rush towards her slumped figure. Adrian arrives first and crouches down beside his youngest sibling, deep purple teardrops running down his strong-featured face. His soft hands cradle her head and his long, pale fingers lightly stroke her face. Flynn hovers above them, hands flitting through the air, lost and unknowing.
Carmen places a warm hand on my shoulder. Energy flows through me and I understand her silent message. Carmen, Calliope and I stand and form a triangle. Having the longest mental reach, I send my conscience out in every direction, calling Power, requesting its aid. As usual it's restless energy is quick to respond to my call and rushes through crevices in the bedrock. Granting my permission, the Power bursts through me. My once lightly glowing Veins now shine like the light of a thousand stars. Harnessing the raging Power I whisper to it, gently nudging it with my mind until it yields to my wishes. I see that the girls have done the same. We are ready.
I direct Power through my Veins and allow it to gather in my hands until I hold two balls of swirling white-blue energy. I murmur to it and it shoots out to connect with my friends' outstretched palms. We create a triangle of electrifying energy. Our hearts glow bright blue through our thin t-shirts.
The effect is immediate. Flynn tilts his head back, eyes glowing like ours and Adrian's Veins shine bright with our combined power. Aria on the other hand is dull, her light is fading, her life source being sapped by the poison...
But then we sing.
Our song is a haunting melody. A wordless hymm. It hangs in the air and flows on the gentle breeze. It carries for miles and bounces off nearby mountains and valleys, echoing back to us. We harmonize, we wail, we pour our voices into the melody and our hearts into the meaning. It's a song to our friend, our sister, our kin.
The Healing ritual hadn't done much help to Aria, she needed an Ashwala. Our keening, on the other hand, winds through the air and settles in her subconscious, a gentle yet firm warning that no matter what, she mustn't let go. I can only hope it's enough to keep her till we arrive at the Colony.
