The Shadow Games, page 20
I stiffened at Marcus’s voice. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
He ignored me and pulled up a chair on the other side of Marissa. Ty growled at him and jumped across Marissa’s body to join me. Marcus looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept for days. His dull skin sagged into small folds under his chin, and dark bags lined his eyes. He folded his hands on Marissa’s bed and tried to meet my gaze. I stared resolutely at my friend’s pale face.
Marcus was the last person I wanted to see, but I felt trapped. I couldn’t really abandon Marissa just because he’d arrived.
“I want to explain,” he said. “I know you must feel hurt and betrayed, but believe me, that wasn’t my intention.”
“Can you leave?” My words dripped acid. “I would like to spend some quiet time with my friend.”
Marcus sighed. “You need to hear this, Vesper, and I knew this was the only time you wouldn’t run away from me.” He paused. When I didn’t reply, he continued. “When you told me you’d managed to make contact with Elan, my first thought was hope. Hope he’d be able to teach you to control your powers, to succeed where I have failed.”
He glanced at Marissa, and for a moment, his face was ravaged with grief.
“And I do feel like I have failed you, Vesper,” he added quietly. “But I also knew that we needed both Elan and you to have any chance of winning the Games. I should have told you this earlier, but Caesar wanted it kept a secret, and to be honest, I didn’t want you to feel the pressure of knowing what I know.”
“I think you put enough pressure on me as it is,” I snapped.
He bowed his head. “Perhaps that is true. I have never failed to train a student before, and maybe I was arrogant to believe that I would discover the secret to your powers in time. I know I have no right to ask this, but please, let me explain. Then I will leave you and Marissa in peace.”
He took my silence as permission to continue.
“Some months ago, I had one of the strongest visions I have ever experienced. We were competing in the Games but losing badly. I recognized most of the people as members of our faction, but there was one girl who was a stranger to me.” He glanced at me. “You. As I told you before, seeing the future is an art, not a science. I could not see what it was that you did, only that you burned brighter than anyone in that arena and were the center of everything.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.
“It is rare for me to see the same vision more than once,” Marcus continued, “but I saw this one several times, though it played out differently each time. In the first version, you stood with Elan. The second time, you were alone. In many of the other variations, neither of you were there. I saw—” His voice broke as a shudder wracked his body. “I saw the arena filled with pain, suffering, death. Of all the visions, the one where both you and Elan were present was the only scenario in which we won. The only one in which our faction survived.”
Silence stretched uncomfortably between us.
“So you think both Elan and I have to compete in order for us to win?” I asked finally.
Marcus bowed his head. “I believe it is the only way.”
“And how do we win? What difference do the two of us make?”
“That is what I have been trying to work out ever since I saw you in Bobo’s cage. In the vision, I could not even see what power you had. It was as if you were different from everyone else, yet part of everyone.” He spread his hands and frowned. “I’m sure it’s my lack of skill in interpreting the visions, but I still haven’t been able to work out what it represented. I assumed it would become clear when we started training, but . . .”
“But then I couldn’t do anything.”
“It’s not your fault, Vesper. We put too much pressure on you. I put too much pressure on you.”
His sympathy and self-pity angered me. “You made me think you were trying to help me. But all you were concerned about was winning the Games.”
“It’s not about winning, Vesper. It’s about our survival. The vision in which we lost . . . I have never had such an intense feeling of dread in my life, not even when they came to take Cleo away.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “The Gladiators are my family. In my visions, I saw them die, again and again. I knew I had to do everything in my power to stop that from coming to pass.”
He pushed himself up. “That is what I came to tell you. I know you have no love for Caesar or me, but please, think on it. Many lives rest on your decision.”
He turned and began to walk toward the door, but something in his countenance made me call after him. “There’s something else, isn’t there? Something you’re not telling me.”
He paused, yet didn’t reply.
I felt a spark of irritation. “If you’re not going to tell me the whole truth, why bother to tell me anything at all?”
Slowly, Marcus dragged his gaze around to meet mine. His eyes were dark with sadness. “My vision ended with us winning the games. But what I could not see was whether you survived.”
Chapter 25
New Hope
I LAY IN BED, THINKING about what Marcus had said. I didn’t want to believe him. Didn’t want to admit that he may have been justified in his betrayal.
Do you believe him? I asked Ty.
I think he was telling the truth, Ty replied after a moment. But that doesn’t mean he’s right. He said himself that visions of the future are hard to interpret.
So what do I do now? I thumped my fist on the bed. I’m still no closer to mastering my powers.
Ty uncurled himself from his usual spot by my feet and came to sit on my chest. How did you get along with Elan? Before you got caught, I mean.
I frowned, realizing I hadn’t updated Ty on my attempts to influence Elan’s mind. I think I saw what he was getting at. I managed to get the thought into his head, but when I tried to draw back, I somehow pulled his power from him.
I remembered how strong I’d felt, almost as if I were on fire. “That’s it,” I breathed.
I sat bolt upright. Ty scrabbled at my thin vest, then toppled backward and fell onto the floor in a heap.
Some warning would have been nice. He hopped back up onto the bed. What is it?
I think I know what Marcus’s vision meant. I swung my legs around and began to pull on my boots. I need to speak to Elan. Can you wake Cayden and ask him to meet us down below the Colosseum?
Now?
Yes. Now. I stomped over to the door. We don’t have any time to waste.
He sounds a bit grumpy, but he’s on his way, Ty said a moment later.
Bren and a man I didn’t know were on guard when I arrived at the door to the room where Elan was being held. Bren raised one eyebrow as I approached. “It’s a bit late for you to be out and about. I thought you’d learned your lesson about wandering around at night.”
“I need to speak with Elan,” I said. “It’s important.”
Bren frowned and exchanged a look with the other guard.
“You can come in with me,” I said quickly. “I’m not trying to help him escape or anything. I just figured something out and need to test it. I’ve asked Cayden to come down to help.”
Bren’s frown deepened.
“Please?” I widened my eyes in what I hoped was a convincing demonstration of innocence. “I think I can do something that could help us win the Games.”
Bren glanced at his colleague, then gave a reluctant nod. “Well, okay, but we’ll need to let Caesar know that you’ve been here.”
I nodded. “If I’m right, I’ll have good news for him.”
Bren unlocked the door and pushed it open, handing the key to his companion. “Lock us in.”
I hurried into the room. The cages were dark and empty, except for one. Electricity crackled around the iron bars, casting a pale glow over Elan, who was curled up in the far corner. I swallowed as the cages in the room brought back unpleasant memories of the short time I’d spent here. If they wanted Elan to fight for them in the Games, I wasn’t sure that locking him up like a slave was going to endear them to him.
Elan stirred as we entered. I caught a flash of his eyes under a dark mop of hair before he turned away again. Bren took his stance in front of the door, and I stood as close to the cage as I dared, wondering where to start.
“Elan, I know you hate me right now, but I promise you, I had no idea what Caesar and Marcus had planned.” I looked down at my hands. “They betrayed me as much as you.”
He didn’t move.
“I think I’ve worked out what my power really is.”
There was a sharp intake of breath from Bren, but still, Elan didn’t move. I took a deep breath. “I need you to help me test it out. Please. I don’t trust anyone else.”
Finally, Elan stirred, pushing himself up until he sat cross-legged. “And why do you trust me?”
Because you want to get out of here as much as me.
He seemed to consider this for a moment, then lay back down.
Elan, please.
But his mind was closed to me. An ache grew in my chest, pressing against my ribcage. Why did I always have to screw everything up? The last thing I had wanted to do was get Elan captured. The pain intensified. I had only known this man a matter of weeks—and had hated him for most of that time—but I couldn’t bear the thought that he would think ill of me.
A thickness in my throat made it hard to breathe. Ty’s claws squeezed my shoulder. I guessed he was trying to be supportive.
Just then, the key turned in the lock of the door and Cayden walked in. His hair was mussed and he looked half-asleep. He sauntered over to Elan’s cage and peered in. “Back here again, are you? Now you know what it feels like.”
“Cayden . . .” I let a warning note enter my voice. The last thing I needed was for him to antagonize Elan, however bitter he felt toward him.
Cayden glanced back at me. “What? Man can’t take a taste of his own medicine?”
“Just . . . Shut up, okay?” I felt tears begin to blur my vision and blinked rapidly.
Cayden’s face softened. “Sure. Sorry, Vesper.” He looked around. “What’s all this about?”
Quickly, I explained what Marcus had told me about his vision. “He said I was different from everyone else, yet part of everyone else. He couldn’t work out what that meant, but I think it’s something to do with my ability to draw power from others.”
“Like what happened with Marissa?” Cayden’s face darkened. “I don’t see how that helps.”
“What if I can give power as well as draw it from people?” I spoke faster as the thought coalesced in my mind. “If I can give others my strength—my power—it will enhance their abilities. Marcus says I’m the strongest person he’s ever come across. Perhaps my ability is that I can transfer power to others.”
I paused, breathless. Cayden looked confused.
“I guess, theoretically, that could work.”
I whirled around in surprise at Elan’s voice. He was sitting up again, looking at me thoughtfully. “But it wouldn’t be easy. It’s not just you who’d have to control your power. It’s the person you’re feeding it to.”
“I know,” I said quietly. “But I think I can, now that I know what I’m supposed to be doing.”
I turned to Cayden and pointed to the heavy, wooden cage Marissa had been held captive in. “Can you try to lift that cage?”
Cayden snorted. “Are you having a laugh? I can’t lift that.”
“Just try. Please?”
His cheeks flushed. “If you’re trying to make me look bad in front of your boyfriend, I want—”
“I’m not. I just need to see what you can do. And he’s not my boyfriend.” I dared not look at Elan, grateful that the darkness of the room hid my burning face.
Cayden turned toward the cage, his expression focused. A thin vein on his forehead throbbed and his jaw clenched. The cage didn’t move an inch. After a few seconds, his shoulders sagged and he turned back to me.
“See? Even Cato would struggle with that.”
“Okay. This time, I’m going to try feeding you my power.” I thought for a minute. “Can you open your shield a fraction? I’m not quite sure how this works. Whether I have to push it in or you have to be open to accept it.”
Cayden turned slightly pale. “Are you sure this is a good idea? You know what happened with Marissa.”
“Ty gave me an unexpected surge of power that I wasn’t expecting,” I said, more confidently than I felt. “That shouldn’t happen now.”
I turned to Bren. “If anything starts going wrong, knock me out.”
Bren looked taken aback.
“I mean it,” I said. “I don’t want to risk anyone.”
That goes for you, too, Ty. Dig your claws in or something.
His talons tightened on my shoulder. Now there’s an offer I don’t get every day.
I smiled at Cayden. “Let’s give it a go, okay?”
Reluctantly, he nodded. “What do I need to do?”
“Just try to accept my power rather than push it away.” I closed my eyes, then reached out with a thin flow of power, just as Elan had taught me. I sensed Cayden’s shield and sent a small pulse of energy out, but it just spread around the surface.
“Give me an opening,” I mumbled.
I sensed his shield shift and a crack open. I let my power flow in. Just a trickle at first, then a little more.
“Can you feel it?”
“Yes, I . . . Stop there.” Cayden’s voice was tight with concentration.
I cut the stream of power and opened my eyes. Cayden stared at the cage again. It began to vibrate. One corner lifted perhaps an inch off the floor, then fell back down with a thud.
Cayden relaxed, a sheen of sweat on his brow. “That was amazing,” he breathed. He turned to me. “Your power is so intense. For a minute, I thought it was going to overwhelm me, that I’d lose control, but once I managed to meld it with mine, I felt so much stronger.”
Relief flooded through me. It worked! I didn’t tell Cayden that I’d only given him a tiny fraction of the power I held inside.
“Okay. The next thing I want to try is to see if I can draw power from one person and feed it through to another at the same time.”
“Like a channel?” Cayden asked.
I nodded and turned to Elan’s cage. He hadn’t moved, still sitting, his face in the shadows cast by the single light. “Do you mind?”
“You using me as a power battery?” He let out a mirthless chuckle. “Do I have a choice?”
My smile faltered. “Yes. I won’t try it if you don’t want me to.”
Slowly, Elan got to his feet and padded across the cage to stand in front of me. Only the crackling iron bars separated us. Dried blood matted his hair, and a large bruise darkened his jaw in the same spot I’d run my thumb over two nights ago.
“Have they not even given you water to wash?” I whispered, horrified.
Elan just grunted in response. His eyes scanned my face, and I felt his mind fleetingly brush against mine. The sensation sent a flash of heat coursing through me.
“Fine. Let’s give it a go. Just make sure you’re in control, okay?”
“I promise.” I hesitated. “Just don’t try and push it at me, okay? Let me take it.”
This time, I kept my eyes open but stared at the floor so I wouldn’t get distracted. I sensed the opening in Elan’s mind and, like before, sent a tendril of power toward it. When I pulled it back, nothing happened. I tried a gentle “tug”. Still nothing.
Maybe try and give me a bit? I asked Elan.
A whiff of power leaked out from his shield. I latched onto it, drawing it back with me, feeling it mingle with mine. Once the connection between us was established, I found Elan’s power flowed naturally to me and I could control how much of it I received by closing or widening the channel between us. Thankfully, Elan was better than me at keeping his emotions locked away, letting me concentrate on the task at hand instead of having to feel his hatred and anger.
Tentatively, I sent out a thread of power to Cayden, sensing the crack in his shield and letting my power—and Elan’s—flow into him. While it took a lot of concentration to set up, once I had the two links connected, it wasn’t hard to keep the power flowing.
I glanced up at Cayden. His eyes were wide and his skin almost, well . . . Glowed was the only way I could describe it.
“Are you okay?” My voice sounded as if it came from a different person.
“Yes. Just keep it steady.” Cayden’s voice rang with excitement. He stared at the cage, which slowly began to rise off the floor.
Cautiously, I fed a little more power through to Cayden. The cage rose farther and hung in the air, vibrating.
A flash of fear crossed Cayden’s face. “That’s enough,” he panted.
I tightened the power thread slowly until it was barely a trickle, then cut it. The cage slammed to the floor.
“What’s going on in there?” a voice from outside the door shouted.
Bren muttered something in response, but I was too focused on cutting my connection with Elan to listen. It took me a few attempts to figure out how to let his power go, and when it finally dissipated, I felt kind of lost.
Cayden stared at the cage. “Wow. I mean, wow.”
I searched Elan’s face. “Are you okay? It wasn’t too much?”
He shook his head, a ghost of a smile crossing his lips. “No, it was fine. That was pretty amazing.”
For a moment, the four of us stood in silence. Then Bren cleared his throat. “Caesar will need to know about this.”
“Don’t worry. I intend to tell him.” I hesitated, then turned to him. “Could you just give Elan and I a moment alone?” I held up a finger. “I’ll literally be one minute. I just want to ask him something in private.”
“Hmm . . . Okay, but keep it quick. If you do anything stupid, it’ll be me Caesar punishes,” he warned.
I smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ve broken enough rules for one day.”
Cayden crossed to the door. “I guess I’ll be going back to bed then. Unless you want me to stay?”
