Ember Gate by Kay L. Moody

Author:Kay L. Moody [Moody, Kay L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Marten Press
Published: 2020-06-08T16:00:00+00:00

TEN

THE FIRST STEP INTO THE HALLWAY WAS the worst.

A squad of Kessoku passed right in front of Talise just as the door to the training room closed behind her. She held her head high as Rio had suggested, but that didn’t stop her from holding her breath.

Pain bloomed in her chest, begging her to take a breath. But now she’d held her breath for so long, any breath would be noticeably loud. To cover up the noise, she opened her mouth no wider than the size of her fingernail, and then she let out a long, highly controlled breath.

It took several seconds before her chest finally stopped screaming. By then, they had almost marched down the entire hallway. From around the corner, a loud voice boomed.

“No, all the soldiers should be out on the lawns by now. If anyone is still heading for the storage room, send them straight to me.” The woman’s terrifying voice was enough to boil blood.

Rio jabbed a thumb at the nearest door, urging everyone to hide inside before the woman rounded the corner and saw them heading straight for the storage room, which they apparently weren’t supposed to do.

In the chaos, Claye found Talise’s hand. Whether on accident or on purpose, she didn’t know, but soon, she and Claye stood alone in a room separate from the others. After removing her helmet, she pressed her ear against the door. Hopefully then she could hear the moment that woman had passed by them.

As soon as the woman passed, the hallway would be empty again.

While Talise stood with one ear against the door, Claye took in a deep breath. He removed his helmet as well, which immediately caught her attention. After closing his eyes for the slightest moment, he stuffed a hand into his pocket and took in another breath. The entire day had been filled with anxiety so far, so his behavior didn’t seem that strange.

When he reached for her hand, she expected the cool softness of his fingers against hers. Instead, her palm was met with something cool but also hard and round.

She lifted the object toward her face, recognizing the green-hued marble at once. An intricate tree symbol was carved into one side of the Forces tablet. Her ear had come away from the door without her noticing. She ran a thumb over the design while heat rushed up her neck and straight to her cheeks.

“Do you remember what it means?” Claye’s voice was gentle but urgency lingered there too.

Were those tears gathering inside her eyes?

Her fingers suddenly felt hot and tingly as they pinched the marble piece. “This tablet is from your special Forces set with the traded pieces. This one, the one with your element and in your color is supposed to be traded with the person you love.”

Such a subtle smile fell across his lips. He stepped forward, gently placing a hand around her arm. The proximity made it difficult to breathe. Or maybe the tablet had done that. Or maybe just the fact that this was really happening.

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