said calmly. “The three of you should take them. One for each. Like Alexander said, I am the strongest. You need them more than I.”
“It’s already been decided,” Logan said strongly. “You will take all three.”
“Well un -decide it. None of us will succeed if another fails. If I take all of them, it’ll be like—”
Laura cut off as Logan rose to loom over her. His dark eyes shone with a fervent intensity. For the first time in a long time, Laura actually felt small. “You will take them, Laura. You promised me that you would let me guard your wellbeing. If we’re going to be separated out of necessity, this is the best I can do!”
Laura had not seen such intensity from Logan in a long time. She was about to open her mouth to refuse, when she found a hand placed gently on her shoulder. It was Madison’s.
“We all agreed it’s for the best,” Madison said soothingly. “Logan means no harm. He cares for you – we all do.”
Laura looked at Madison, and then back to Logan. With a sigh, she nodded. “If that’s what you’ve decided,” she relented.
Logan smiled, and picked up the other two torrial to hand to her. “Trust me, this is for the best.”
“Thank you,” Laura said, managing a weak smile. Alexander nodded with approval.
“Anyway,” Madison added once Laura held the three torrial , “there are other torrial Gabrielle put aside.” She motioned to the gold bracelet, the ivory sword handle, and the dark glass bottle.
“Do you know what they do?” Laura asked.
“The bracelet is supposed to be a way of linking two people together,” Alexander said. “One person puts it on, and his mind is linked to the person who was closest to him when the bracelet settled onto his wrist. Gabrielle says it will be a way for us to stay in touch with him. The sword hilt can make you move faster. But only for a few moments. And it takes a lot out of you. The wine bottle? There’s supposedly something inside that is very precious, but Gabrielle is unsure of what it is. And the glass itself is not glass but Allurvai , so it is impossible to break open. ”
“So who gets what, then?” Laura asked.
“Gabrielle will wear the bracelet himself,” Alexander answered. “The sword hilt, we had thought to give to you, but I doubt you will want it after the way you reacted.” He chuckled. “Which is to say, I don’t know.”
“You should take it,” Laura said without hesitation. “Your shoulder still bares traces of the wound.”
“She’s right,” Madison said earnestly. “The angels healed it, but you never know if the elders will find some way to exploit it nonetheless.”
“That’s fine by me,” Logan added.
Alexander looked uneasily from Laura to Logan to Madison. Now he knows how I felt , Laura thought sarcastically. Finally, he nodded, and picked up the ivory handle.
Laura. It is time .
Gabrielle’s voice rang in her head like a hammer striking an anvil. She spun around on the spot. She noticed, in her peripherals, the others doing the same.
Gabrielle had stood up from where he was standing. The dark glass of the spherical torrial before him was no longer opaque. It was transparent as the clearest glass, and inside Laura could see a dizzying array of thousands upon thousands of tiny white dots, bathed in a pale blue light. The light was characteristic of torrial . In between each of the dots was a darkness that even Laura’s Vassiz eyes could not see through. The darkness did not just swallow the light from the dots. It simply rejected it. There was nothing that existed in between the dots; nothing that could penetrate the dark or be within it.
The female angel who had worked with Gabrielle was still sitting on the floor, concentrating on the torrial before her. The other angels had all moved closer, and none looked uneasy anymore. They were prepared.
Laura wished she
“It’s already been decided,” Logan said strongly. “You will take all three.”
“Well un -decide it. None of us will succeed if another fails. If I take all of them, it’ll be like—”
Laura cut off as Logan rose to loom over her. His dark eyes shone with a fervent intensity. For the first time in a long time, Laura actually felt small. “You will take them, Laura. You promised me that you would let me guard your wellbeing. If we’re going to be separated out of necessity, this is the best I can do!”
Laura had not seen such intensity from Logan in a long time. She was about to open her mouth to refuse, when she found a hand placed gently on her shoulder. It was Madison’s.
“We all agreed it’s for the best,” Madison said soothingly. “Logan means no harm. He cares for you – we all do.”
Laura looked at Madison, and then back to Logan. With a sigh, she nodded. “If that’s what you’ve decided,” she relented.
Logan smiled, and picked up the other two torrial to hand to her. “Trust me, this is for the best.”
“Thank you,” Laura said, managing a weak smile. Alexander nodded with approval.
“Anyway,” Madison added once Laura held the three torrial , “there are other torrial Gabrielle put aside.” She motioned to the gold bracelet, the ivory sword handle, and the dark glass bottle.
“Do you know what they do?” Laura asked.
“The bracelet is supposed to be a way of linking two people together,” Alexander said. “One person puts it on, and his mind is linked to the person who was closest to him when the bracelet settled onto his wrist. Gabrielle says it will be a way for us to stay in touch with him. The sword hilt can make you move faster. But only for a few moments. And it takes a lot out of you. The wine bottle? There’s supposedly something inside that is very precious, but Gabrielle is unsure of what it is. And the glass itself is not glass but Allurvai , so it is impossible to break open. ”
“So who gets what, then?” Laura asked.
“Gabrielle will wear the bracelet himself,” Alexander answered. “The sword hilt, we had thought to give to you, but I doubt you will want it after the way you reacted.” He chuckled. “Which is to say, I don’t know.”
“You should take it,” Laura said without hesitation. “Your shoulder still bares traces of the wound.”
“She’s right,” Madison said earnestly. “The angels healed it, but you never know if the elders will find some way to exploit it nonetheless.”
“That’s fine by me,” Logan added.
Alexander looked uneasily from Laura to Logan to Madison. Now he knows how I felt , Laura thought sarcastically. Finally, he nodded, and picked up the ivory handle.
Laura. It is time .
Gabrielle’s voice rang in her head like a hammer striking an anvil. She spun around on the spot. She noticed, in her peripherals, the others doing the same.
Gabrielle had stood up from where he was standing. The dark glass of the spherical torrial before him was no longer opaque. It was transparent as the clearest glass, and inside Laura could see a dizzying array of thousands upon thousands of tiny white dots, bathed in a pale blue light. The light was characteristic of torrial . In between each of the dots was a darkness that even Laura’s Vassiz eyes could not see through. The darkness did not just swallow the light from the dots. It simply rejected it. There was nothing that existed in between the dots; nothing that could penetrate the dark or be within it.
The female angel who had worked with Gabrielle was still sitting on the floor, concentrating on the torrial before her. The other angels had all moved closer, and none looked uneasy anymore. They were prepared.
Laura wished she
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