Nephilius - A Walker Saga Book 5 (17 page)

“How are they to compete when they have no
wings and cannot fly?” Galern shook his head, as if he’d only just
realized.

“They must utilize the advantages they
have,” Steva said, before continuing her explanations. “And the
last flock is white – Jaa – they have control over the mists. They
can bring an iciness that will freeze you to your core.”

“I thought that this battle was solely
hand-to-hand, no powers,” Lucy said, her tone quiet as her eyes
flicked around the room, staring them down.

“The abilities of the Angelica are not
considered powers. These are just our natural abilities.”

Walker
powers were their natural abilities also, but
it seemed as if there were two different rules
here.

Steva continued. “There are some rounds
which are only weapon or hand-to-hand, and there are some with no
requirements. Free-for-all.”

I caught Brace’s eyes. They were still
chocolate colored; no stressing from him. I took confidence from
his confidence.

“If we are done with questions, it’s time to
head to the tournament zone,” Steva said, waving us toward the
doors. “I will lead you to your designated area.”

The other black-flock members followed us,
their wings folded down against their backs.

“How are you going to find the half-Walker
if we can’t explore?” Lucy muttered to me, loud enough for the boys
to hear, but not the Angelica, unless they had super-super
hearing.

I worried at my lips. My plan had been to
wait until Brace was fighting and cruise around with my locket
open. I knew the half-Walker would be a fighter and most probably a
black-wing. Our mothers were always from the strongest members of
these worlds.

But that plan had a big kink in it if I was
stuck in one area and couldn’t roam.

Lucy and I
spent the next few hours learning all about the Angelica. It was
always an eye-opener to see the way these planets functioned.
Thankfully, we weren’t really isolated. The zone for
non-
fighters was pretty large, and
different flocks wandered in and out constantly. The Angelica were
regimented, like soldiers, but with a certain level of arrogance
that prevented complete subjugation. They took pride in their
battle abilities, and the flock hierarchy was based solely on their
skills and championship wins.

As soon as
Brace left to get ready for the tournament
, assisted by Colton, a chatty blue-wing called Jered, with
ivory-colored hair and large eyes in a shade of caramel, sidled up
to us. Lucy and I took full advantage. He answered most of our
questions without pause. We learned that only the true fighters
came to this tournament. At least half of each flock stayed back on
their home lands. Damn, I hoped my half-Walker was a fighter and
not a housewife or something.

“
What
do you do all day?” I asked Jered.

“
We spend at
least half the time in meditation. This allows our bodies to rest
and absorb nutrition from the clouds. And other than that we play
games, have fight training and teach our young.” He smiled,
and
I was surprised to see that his teeth
were much larger and broader than ours. I hadn’t noticed that on
the others. “Sometimes it feels like a long wait between
tournaments.”

“Jered, you are needed in Maa zone,” another
blue-wing muttered as he marched past.

“For what?” Jered demanded.

But there was no further reply, and with a
loud exhalation of breath our source of information left us.

“Are you going to open the locket now?” Lucy
asked. I hadn’t seen any females close enough yet to bother.

“Might as well.”

I was sure the Angelica would wonder what
the yellow moonstale light was, but I’d just pretend it was some
weird Walker thing. Which technically was the truth.

Lucy and I chatted as we casually walked
around, trying to get as close to each group as possible.

“So the reason we can’t enter your mind is
just pixie strength?” I was curious to hear what she’d learned
yesterday.

“
Malisna
said it’s the combination of pixie and faerie. My mind is virtually
impenetrable, unless I want you to see my thoughts. And on top of
that she thinks whatever planted those
prophecies also added strength and protection to my
thoughts.”

“Did you find any clue as to who it is?”

Lucy shook
her head, her face scrunching a little and a few flutters of
glitter emerging. “Nope, just that they’re powerful, and that they
would have had to touch me to plant the
prophecies.”

I
ground to a halt. “So you’ve actually been close
to them?”

Lucy met my eyes. “More than once. Refis
thinks they could only gift me one vision at a time, so as not to
confuse my mind.”

My mouth was opening and closing. Faces
flashed across my thoughts, everyone we had met since arriving on
First World. Too many people to really narrow it down.

“Well, eff me,” I finally said, shaking my
head.

“Word. Word. Double word,” Lucy
muttered.

The worst part was that anyone close enough
to us to have done something like this was someone I trusted.
Except maybe Lucas and some of the Doreen Walker guards that had
been in and out of our lives. We needed to pay closer attention. I
knew that sooner or later the rest of the Seventine would be
released and we would have to fight them. And if we had a traitor
in our house, then the cards, which were already more than stacked
against us, would crumble to the ground.

Our random wanderings were revealing no
hidden half-Walkers, and although a few eyes were locked on us,
watching our movements, most of the Angelica paid no attention to
us. Suddenly Colton and Brace appeared across the way.

“He’s trying to kill me.” I sighed.

Brace was now outfitted with a chest piece,
arm armor and leg guards across his shins. He held the sai. They
looked a little different to the ones we had seen on Earth. The
tri-spikes were longer and seemed to be made of something very
reflective, shimmering as it moved in his large hands. My gaze was
locked on Brace, and even though he was chatting with Colton, I
could tell by the way his dark eyes caressed my features that he’d
noticed my interest. And liked it.

Lucy was laughing, although she wasn’t much
better drooling over Colton.

I just
couldn’t get over how strong Brace looked; like a
wa
rrior from long ago. It’s mostly true
that after meeting someone for the first time, I pretty much
stopped noticing what they looked like. Unless of course they had
food on their face. Josian was the perfect example. My father was a
scary-ass man, but I barely noticed that now. But my awareness of
Brace never went anywhere and I wondered if it ever
would.

His armor
emphasized his broad shoulders and heavily muscled arms. Brace was
a huge man, and had never looked more so than right
then. My eyes darted to the left as Abernath
marks appeared on Colton – who was a little in front of Brace –
when he entered my sphere of moonstale. The black tribal design
contrasted with his white-blond hair. The yellow light wouldn’t
affect Brace’s marks; they were permanent like my own. So his black
tribal design was always there.

Shit, what the hell was I thinking?

With a gasp I slammed shut my necklace, just
before Brace would have stepped into the light. Holy hell in a
handbasket, that was close. It didn’t matter if our marks were
permanent. I couldn’t let both of us be in the moonstale. Who knew
what would happen? Lucy didn’t notice my near blunder. Her eyes
were still pinned to her mate.

My heart was thundering as to the true
implications of what I’d almost just done. Working to calm my
pulse, breathing deeply in and out, I found my gaze drawn back to
Brace.

Damn sexy Walker, using his maleness to
cloud my judgment.

Brace’s grin
widened. And I felt his amusement in my head. Shit, my mind
barriers had fallen on that last thought. Thank the gods he hadn’t
felt my panic at having the necklace open. Despite that
stupid
prophecy, it was obvious our
melding bond had been part of my strengths, not a weakness. Just
little things like the fact I had to work really hard to keep my
thoughts protected now. But did this mean the prophecy was fake? Or
just that there was another reason for Brace and I to be
un-melded?

As the men moved into our radius, an
Angelica group shifted aside to let them reach us.

“You two stay out of trouble?” Colton said,
before leaning down and capturing Lucy’s lips.

Her wings fluttered as she rose in the air.
Now, instead of an awkward distance between them, they were the
perfect height for making out.

“Why ask a question if you were only going
to seal her mouth and prevent an answer,” I said, without rolling
my eyes, which was quite a feat, if you ask me.

“If he ever greets me any other way he’ll be
neutered and running on three legs,” Lucy managed to murmur around
their kiss.

“And I’m the wolf to obey her orders.”

I turned my back on them, focusing on Brace.
“Are you nervous?”

I was a little worried. Yeah, he was the
strongest Walker I knew, and we’re hard to kill. But not
impossible. You just had to inflict enough damage before our
advanced healing could fix it. “Those sai look pretty deadly.”

“Don’t even waste one second worrying.
There’s no chance for the Angelica in this tournament,” he said. I
hid my grin; his confidence needed no boost. “I’m more than capable
and I love a good battle.”

“Can I see?” I said as I held out my
flat-palmed hand.

Brace placed one of the blades onto it. The
saidon was lighter than I expected, but still had a balanced
weight. The tips were razor sharp. Just the slightest brush broke
the skin. It sparkled. Nephilius seemed to have one sun – which
strangely looked like a cloud – high in the sky. Its rays were
casting shimmers of light off the metal.

“What are they made of?” I turned it over,
but there were no marks or insignias.

“Clouds,” Brace said.

I looked up
at him, my brow furrowing. Lucy and Colton were still lip-locked
next to us, but we were doing a pretty good job of ignoring them.
And also pretending that our own
attraction wasn’t beating at us.

“
The same as
their buildings they manipulate these cloudy mists with their own
energy and can form solid structures. Including the armor and
weapons. They insisted I use their weapons, to keep the playing
field fair.”

I doubted they were interested in fair.
Probably wanted to make sure they stayed in control.

He was standing very close to me. I could
feel his heat all down my side. I found myself closing my eyes as I
handed the weapon back to him. I was having very inappropriate
thoughts right then. Dammit, how was I going to stay unmelded? My
entire body was urging me to throw myself at Brace, to drown in his
strength and love. I forced myself to remember that he didn’t know
me anymore, that I was doing this for the worlds. Tears pricked at
my eyes and I had to turn away.

“Are you okay, Abby?”

I hadn’t been quick enough. I raised my head
and met his eyes. The concern there was so strong and warm that I
almost full-on ugly cried. I managed to keep it to a few stray
tears.

“I lost someone I loved recently; they just
left.” I had to say something, but I didn’t want to pretend anyone
died. I would never tempt fate like that. “Sometimes it hits me
hard.”

He didn’t say anything for a long time. And
then finally he lifted a hand and wiped away a single tear from my
cheek.

“Anyone that walks away from you is a damn
fool.” His hand lingered for a moment before he pulled back and
straightened.

I sucked in a few rapid breaths, trying to
compose myself. I knew he thought it was a man who’d left me and
that was good. Maybe it would create a little distance. We were
getting close … too close. Our bond was going to force a
re-melding.

Lucy left Colton then to wrap an arm around
my shoulder. It was still odd having her meet me at my height, and
on top of that I had to remember not to crush her wings when we
hugged.

“Sorry, Abbs, I shouldn’t be leaving you
with Brace,” she murmured in my ear. “I forget sometimes.”

I squeezed her hand. “All good, Luce, none
of this is your fault.”

The
blame
lay squarely with whatever entity
decided to free the Seventine.

Stepping
away, I distanced
myself a little from
our group, and attempted to compose my thoughts. It wasn’t really
working, so instead I tried to focus on the Angelica milling around
us. I was just staring out between some purple wings when a flash
of something caught my eye. Looking behind me, I could see that
Lucy, Colton and Brace were discussing battle tactics. So I took
the moment to step further away; it appeared again flashing through
the crowds. I decided to follow the spectra, my eyes keeping track
as it darted between another group of purple-wings. The Angelica
didn’t pay any attention to me as I moved through their
masses.

I wondered how long it would take you to
notice.

I froze as a voice sounded in my head. The
beats of my heart suddenly sounded very loud in my ears. I
recognized it: the first Seventine.

How do you keep finding me?
I
demanded, thankful that I sounded tougher than I felt. Hopefully it
wouldn’t sense the bumps coating my skin and the way every hair on
my body was standing at attention.