Salient Secret 2

36

Vada

"How can it be Cynthia? She's dead," I say in utter perplexity. 

"What am I missing? Who is Cynthia Wilder?" Skye asks. 

"She's this rogue fulminare from long ago who had seven children," Rowan marginally explains. 

"How do you know? Did Dane tell you?" I ask. 

"Yeah I guess, he never went into detail but he mentioned her once or twice. He told me she was who he was hiding from," he explains. 

"What would Cynthia want from Dane?" Kai questions. 

"Let's think about this logically, Cynthia was after Dane and now they want Vada, what does Dane and Vada have in common?" Cassian asks like everyone is supposed to know the answer. "They can both teleport," he answers his own question when no one else does. 

"But where is Cynthia now then? And were any of the seven in your vision?" I ask. 

"No," Rowan and Palmer say in sync. 

"Then maybe she needs Vada to take the seven elsewhere to keep them safe when she destroys the earth," Rik suggests. 

"But if the earth was being destroyed by the elements then the seven have to be involved in some way," I say. 

"Unless Cynthia has all their powers," Kai counters. 

"If she has all their powers then what is Tasia working on a binding ritual for?" Tanith asks. 

"Maybe the binding ritual is what will give Cynthia all their powers," Mel adds. 

"No that can't be, powers can't be passed on. The only way powers can be duplicated is if they're twinned, like Rik and Mel, and if she was twinning their powers I would have seen it on the scroll. The ritual is strictly for binding," Cassian explains. 

"We still haven't been to the Salutis archive, maybe there's something there about Cynthia that could help us," I suggest while looking at Kai knowing he might know where it is.

"Yes I know where it is," he says after sighing in defeat. "But it is heavily guarded, you can't just teleport in, there are cameras everywhere," he explains. 

"So how do we get in?" Mel asks. 

"We don't. I do. I will use my clearance to slip in and find out what I can about Cynthia," he says. 

"You're not going alone, I'll come with in case we get caught and you need to brainwash someone," Palmer says. 

"Okay go, be careful, they know who Palmer is, stay hidden," I warn and they nod and walk out. 

"You know I can shift into you right?" I hear Kai say to Palmer on the way out. 

"I'll go back to the Electus archives to see if we missed something," I say. 

"I'll come with you," to my surprise, Cassian says. 

"Okay," I say after an awkward pause.

"Skye and I will speak to one of our friends who might know something," Rowan says and I nod. 

"What are we supposed to do?" Rik asks as I start walking out. 

"Train," I shout back and teleport away. 

*****

"I won't lie, I was a little surprised when you volunteered to come with me," I say to Cassian as we walk into the Electus archives.

"I know, I saw your face," he chuckles. "But I had to because I wanted to clear the air between us," he continues. 

"I'm sor-" I start but he puts his finger on my mouth to get me to stop talking. 

"Don't you dare apologize. Look Vada, my feelings for you are no secret, but it's nothing more than infatuation besides I've always known you've never felt the same way but I didn't want to accept it. When Kai came around, I saw the way you looked at him and the way your eyes light up when you talk about him, it has always been him for you. A part of me knew already and I'm okay with that. I'm beyond grateful for the memories you've given me but that's all they are, memories. I just don't want this to taint our friendship. We work so well together, and before anything else, you're an amazing person and friend, you've saved my life more times than I can count, I don't want to lose our bond-"

"Never," I interrupt. "Our bond is unbreakable and I will always be there for you," I say and I mean it. Cassian is a beautiful human being, inside and out, he will meet someone who will fall head over heels for him and I'll be there at his wedding, as one of his best men, I don't care if it's weird to have a girl as a best man, I will be there.  

"I love you Vada...as a friend," he says while bringing me in for a hug. 

"I love you too Cass," I say hugging him back. The sound of someone slow clapping breaks us apart.

"I was starting to think you'd never come back," George says walking towards us with a book in his hands. "You hurt my feelings Avery, you blew up some very important things of mine," he says and then closes the book in his hands. 

"What do you want?" Cassian asks. 

"Don't make this difficult for yourselves, Avery just come with me and I'll let your friend go unharmed," he promises. I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider it but Cassian answers for me when he uses his powers to flatten George like a pancake. 

"Did you have to be so brutal?" I gag looking at this squashed person on the floor in the distance. 

"Yes, I know how you think, your dumbass would have taken his deal to keep me safe and there is no way I'd let that happen," he explains. "Let's get these books and get out of here before he comes back to life," he says running towards the section with all Cynthia's books. He takes a few off the shelf and passes them to me. When we're both carrying about 10 books each, I see the one George was holding and I pick it up and then feel something around my ankle. 

"EW!" I yell shaking his bloody hand off me. What is he, a zombie?

"Come on," Cassian says standing by the cleared staircase. We run up and when we get out, we teleport home with all the books. 

"We were just ambushed by George," I say to the 4 training. 

"They're probably waiting by the Salutis archives too then," Lorenzo says, worrying about his brother and sister. 

"Does anyone know where they went?" I ask knowing neither Kai nor Palmer have mind inhibitors we can track. 

They all shake their heads.