chair but felt only empty carpet. “He wants you dead Bryson. You know that right? You know too many secrets.” The lie felt good leaving his mouth.
“I don’t believe you. You’re a lying bag of vomit, and I’m going to enjoy killing you.”
The shard touched Ronan’s fingertips, and he closed his eyes and opened his mind.
Bryon lunged at the shard booting it ten feet away. Bitter hatred filled a short laugh. “You think I didn’t see you Latimer?” He shook his head. “You really are as stupid as you look.” Bryson stepped forward and towered over Ronan. “It ends here.”
With his face twisted with hate, Bryson lifted his blade overhead.
The memory of Bryson raising his blade amid a sea of blood thirsty Meranthians blurred with the deranged stranger standing over him now. Ronan knew this time he’d find his target.
“I’m going to enjoy taking your girlfriend tonight. She’ll scream my name and beg for more.” His arm rocked downward as a flash of heavy silver descended from behind smashing into his spiked blond hair.
Bryson’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he dropped the sword. His knees buckled, and he crumpled to the carpet in a limp heap.
Rika stood over his unconscious body holding the silver tray Chef had given Ronan. “Are you okay?”
Ronan forced himself to his feet. His head throbbed, and it hurt to breathe. “Never better. How did you get past the guards?”
“Bryson insisted that I come to his room and see his shard.”
“That’s a good line. Why didn’t I think of it?”
She rolled her eyes. “How long since they took the drug?”
“About twenty minutes ago,” Ronan said.
“We have thirty minutes tops, but I don’t know how the drug interacts with a shard knight’s blood. They could wake anytime.” Rika said.
“The shard’s here Rika.” He scooped the yellow shard from the thick carpet, and held it between his fingertips.
Her mouth opened, and she stared at it wide-eyed. “It looks like an Ayralen shard, but the colors are different. Use it Ronan. Hurry.”
A wave of nervous excitement fluttered through his body. “Drum-roll please.”
She smiled. “Stop playing games.”
“Okay. Okay. Here goes nothing.” The shard glowed resting in his palm with its light dazzling the bedroom’s limited space. Yellow and white light shifted moving toward the places where his skin contacted the shard as if willing a connection.
Ronan focused on the light memorizing its movements and motions. His mind pulled on the translucent form, or maybe it pulled on his. Only Elan understood its secrets, and he never told anyone.
The shard’s glassy form dissolved leaving its sharp edges blurred becoming indistinguishable from the yellow light surrounding it.
A tickling sensation spread over his fingers and palms, and an invisible force pried open his mind. Arcane knowledge flowed from the shard allowing an inherent understanding of energy flows and how to use them. New wells of energy sprang forth inside him, and he understood how to tap that source just as he understood how to breathe.
The energy moved outside its containment, dissolved, and light swirled around his hands moving up his arms.
Calm spread over his thoughts as the shard imbued its gift. The world made sense in a way it hadn’t a few minutes earlier. The shard’s energy deadened the wounds inflicted only minutes before and granted him new strength. For the first time, he felt whole.
The light encapsulated him in dazzling yellows and whites. The energy moved faster and grew brighter racing in rings until his entire body blazed with light.
Power surged within him. Every cell in his body reshaped and reformed, sculpting something a dozen times stronger.
The light outside him sank inward and took residence inside his body. He couldn’t see it, but he felt power awaken inside his body and could call it at his will.
Rika’s mouth hung open. “Ronan, are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine, but we’ve got
“I don’t believe you. You’re a lying bag of vomit, and I’m going to enjoy killing you.”
The shard touched Ronan’s fingertips, and he closed his eyes and opened his mind.
Bryon lunged at the shard booting it ten feet away. Bitter hatred filled a short laugh. “You think I didn’t see you Latimer?” He shook his head. “You really are as stupid as you look.” Bryson stepped forward and towered over Ronan. “It ends here.”
With his face twisted with hate, Bryson lifted his blade overhead.
The memory of Bryson raising his blade amid a sea of blood thirsty Meranthians blurred with the deranged stranger standing over him now. Ronan knew this time he’d find his target.
“I’m going to enjoy taking your girlfriend tonight. She’ll scream my name and beg for more.” His arm rocked downward as a flash of heavy silver descended from behind smashing into his spiked blond hair.
Bryson’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he dropped the sword. His knees buckled, and he crumpled to the carpet in a limp heap.
Rika stood over his unconscious body holding the silver tray Chef had given Ronan. “Are you okay?”
Ronan forced himself to his feet. His head throbbed, and it hurt to breathe. “Never better. How did you get past the guards?”
“Bryson insisted that I come to his room and see his shard.”
“That’s a good line. Why didn’t I think of it?”
She rolled her eyes. “How long since they took the drug?”
“About twenty minutes ago,” Ronan said.
“We have thirty minutes tops, but I don’t know how the drug interacts with a shard knight’s blood. They could wake anytime.” Rika said.
“The shard’s here Rika.” He scooped the yellow shard from the thick carpet, and held it between his fingertips.
Her mouth opened, and she stared at it wide-eyed. “It looks like an Ayralen shard, but the colors are different. Use it Ronan. Hurry.”
A wave of nervous excitement fluttered through his body. “Drum-roll please.”
She smiled. “Stop playing games.”
“Okay. Okay. Here goes nothing.” The shard glowed resting in his palm with its light dazzling the bedroom’s limited space. Yellow and white light shifted moving toward the places where his skin contacted the shard as if willing a connection.
Ronan focused on the light memorizing its movements and motions. His mind pulled on the translucent form, or maybe it pulled on his. Only Elan understood its secrets, and he never told anyone.
The shard’s glassy form dissolved leaving its sharp edges blurred becoming indistinguishable from the yellow light surrounding it.
A tickling sensation spread over his fingers and palms, and an invisible force pried open his mind. Arcane knowledge flowed from the shard allowing an inherent understanding of energy flows and how to use them. New wells of energy sprang forth inside him, and he understood how to tap that source just as he understood how to breathe.
The energy moved outside its containment, dissolved, and light swirled around his hands moving up his arms.
Calm spread over his thoughts as the shard imbued its gift. The world made sense in a way it hadn’t a few minutes earlier. The shard’s energy deadened the wounds inflicted only minutes before and granted him new strength. For the first time, he felt whole.
The light encapsulated him in dazzling yellows and whites. The energy moved faster and grew brighter racing in rings until his entire body blazed with light.
Power surged within him. Every cell in his body reshaped and reformed, sculpting something a dozen times stronger.
The light outside him sank inward and took residence inside his body. He couldn’t see it, but he felt power awaken inside his body and could call it at his will.
Rika’s mouth hung open. “Ronan, are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine, but we’ve got
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