I stared at the wall full of multicolored dots. They had found us. Those council members had pinned our hideout well and were sending their brigades to attack us. We need to separate the fighters from the others. I smirked. This could work in my favor. That girl was useless. She would be separated from my brother, who was a fighter.

  “We need to evacuate the non-fighters and children,” I said.

  “No, the non-fighters can help load the weapons, and some know runes well enough to be of some help,” said Mikale, grinning down at me.

  I scowled. Why did my boyfriend always want the spotlight? Was it not enough that he publicly humiliated me every chance he got, that he had to bring me down in front of Jason as well?

  “Both of you make valid points. Evacuate those who don’t know or understand runes and the children. Let those that do know how to make runes help with the weapons and defenses,” said Jason. He had grown his beard and had a moustache. He wore the slave colors of beige and brown and had the Human Alliance insignia on his chest. He was the leader of the alliance and like a father to me. I nodded, and he turned to me.

  “Was your mission successful, Datha?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “No, but I encountered my brother and the other worlder. She’s useless, though, and needs to be taken with the…”

  “She can read runes,” said Nero from his corner of the room. He was a commander too, and a higher one than I because of being a Watcher.

  Jason nodded. “She stays to help then,” he said, ruining my plans. I glared at Nero, and he simply stared back before facing Jason.

  “Well, you have your orders. Get to them. I want this base to be defendable by nightfall. They should arrive somewhere before dawn,” he said.

  “Ye,s sir,” Mikale said, and I nodded. Nero shifted his head in a half nod and disappeared. I wanted to have words with him! He knew of my visions, that I saw Jonah’s demise. I was only trying to protect my brother from his fate. I slammed the door closed as I left and searched the shadows. He was never far from me. I caught a glint and headed for it, finding him reclining on the back wall by a stalactite, which was the glint I had caught.

  “Why are you fighting me in this? You know what will happen to Jonah if I don’t separate them,” I said.

  “Datha, did you tell Jonah about his fate?” he asked, facing me. His chocolate eyes gazed steadily into my own grey-green eyes.

  I sighed. “I did.”

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  “And what was his answer?”

  “That he’s seen it too and accepts it, but I don’t!”

  He uncrossed his arms and came closer, touching my cheek. I leaned into his hand.

  “Fate isn’t something we can play with. If he accepts that he will die for her, then the pieces are already moving, and there is nothing you or anyone can do. Your actions might be the cause of his demise. Ever thought of that?” Nero said, sighing and moving closer still.

  “You are pushing them closer instead of apart, Datha, and your actions are as plain to him as they are to me. You’re only going to make him incensed at you, while driving him closer to his demise. Let this go. You did not see the end of the vision, whether he dies or not, only that he offered to die in her stead,” he said.

  I cried. I couldn’t let Jonah die, but what he said made sense. He wrapped an arm around me, and I cuddled up to his side, breathing in his scent. Ozone, calm lakes, and a fiery undertone to everything, as if a great fire was kept banked by the cool lake smell. I wondered about it. Nero wasn’t very passionate about anything that I could think of.

  “Hey! Why are you holding my girl?” yelled Mikale, and I sighed. I should have been more cautious.

  “Nothing was meant by it,” said Nero, and I nodded.

  “Nero was helping me with some things,” I said, shrugging off Nero’s arm. He held tightly for a minute, then let go. I glanced at him, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes. Instead, he nodded to Mikale and walked off, hands in his pockets. I walked over to Mikale. He yanked me by the hair, and I whimpered. He brought me to his face and began yelling.

  “What were you really doing with him!”

  “It’s as he said! He was helping me through a tough time, is all!”

  “You better watch your step, Datha. I’m watching,” he said, and let go. I slipped from his grasp and rubbed my scalp. I wanted to use my wind and cut him to pieces but I couldn’t. I needed him to change my destiny. At least he didn’t hit me this time. I straightened my blouse and readjusted my corset before walking out of the meeting hall.

  Mikale was already collecting everyone for duty. Most were crowded around that girl, and my brother seemed even closer to her. Was Nero right? Was I only throwing them closer together?

  “All who understand runes must stay and help with defenses,” said Mikale. Myra glanced at Jonah, and he nodded.

  “If you add two Earth runes interlinked with the rune for root and the rune for ultimate power, you should be able to bolster your doors to optimum level,” she said.

  Mikale smirked. “And how would you know? You’ve only seen a little bit of the runes on the door,” he said.

  “The runes array that was shown to us was a small piece, but I can get the gist of the whole from the bit that was shown to me. It’s a mirage. The doors don’t really fold into themselves, but the runes array makes it so it seems so. The array also strengthens the doorway and codes it, am I right?”

  Mikale nodded, frowning. “Yeah, and?”

  “Well, if you add the elements of Earth, you will have bolstered its strength against physical attacks. The same with the root. As for the power symbol, it negates the elemental attacks somewhat,” she said, smiling as Jonah ran his fingers through her hair. They were too close! I had to separate them despite what Nero said. He was my baby brother, and I wouldn’t see him dead!

  I smirked. “That’s a great idea! Why don’t you and Crazy set that up?” I said, and Jonah glared at me. “Myra isn’t going anywhere without me, and besides, I’m a runes master. I can set the matrix faster,” he said, and I groaned. There went plan number two! Myra smiled and took his hand. She took his hand! As if it were a normal occurrence between them! I had to separate them before my brother gave his life willingly for this girl! Luckily, my brother waited for Mikale to leave before approaching me.

  “Datha, can we talk?” he asked, and I nodded.

  I led him to an empty cavern and faced him.

  “Look, I know you're a savior of Sapherine, so I’ll share with you what we’ve been tasked to do,” he said.

  I scoffed. “Don’t bother. I’m no savior,” I said.

  He narrowed his eyes. “There are a lot of children depending on you and Myra,” he said, and my eyes widened.

  “Children?”

  “Yeah. The council is taking the kids and making them slaves to mine Saphron. You already know they turn the slaves into Morgans. We need your help to depose the council and free all the slaves and children of the mines,” he said, slightly winded.

  He took a deep breath and continued. “We can handle the children and slaves, but we need help with the council. I don’t want Myra to get her powers again. If you do your part, she won’t have to, and who knows? Maybe you can become queen of Sapherine,” he finished.

  My eyes widened as my vision flitted through my mind. A vision of me being crowned queen, and then later that night, me screaming for them to stop. I panicked. That was too close to my true destiny.

  “No, Crazy can do it herself if she wants. I want no part of the savior crap,” I said.

  “But if we join forces, the problem would be easier and–”

  “I said no!”

  “Datha! You’re always calling her crazy! If she gains her powers, she will be worse!”

  “Deal with it,” I said, walking away. I bumped into Nero, who frowned.

  “You do know that you have set him on the path to his demise, right? Before it wasn’t a certainty, now it’s a truth,” he said.

  I screamed.