Broken Skies

“Concentrate on hearing my broadcast and—”

“Visualize the words and follow them through the link.” I grit my teeth. “I know how to do it. I just can’t. Repeating yourself isn’t helping, Gramps.” In fact, I wish he’d just shut up about the whole thing, but apparently he’s not going to give it a rest.

“Jasmine…”

I roll my eyes. “It’s Jax. Just because there’s some alien tradition about names, doesn’t mean I’m changing mine.” I shoot up and head toward the door. “This is a waste of time. I’m going to get some air.”

Jace’s voice calls out from one of the back bedrooms. “Why don’t you split some more wood while you’re out there? It’s getting chilly in here.”

“You’re not helpless. Hobble on over and do it yourself,” I yell back.

There’s a thump and I hear the sound of Jace’s crutches carrying him across the floor until he pokes his head out of the doorway. “Ha ha, Sis. You want me to break the other leg?”

“It would save me the trouble of breaking it for you,” says Flint from the living room. “You don’t make for a very agreeable patient…”

“Aw come on, you’re supposed to be on my side.” Jace makes his way across the room and plops down on the couch beside Flint. Leaning backward over Flint’s lap with his face up, he bats his eyelashes and sticks his lower lip out. “You know you love me.”

Flint stares into his eyes for a moment with a soft smile. “I guess so,” he says with an exaggerated sigh.

Jace grins and winks. “I knew it.” He leans up and presses a kiss to Flint’s cheek.

Flint blushes and rolls his eyes. “But if you ever do something so stupid as to get yourself abducted by aliens again, I’m go

“You could always just send my sister in after me again.” Jace straightens and sits back into the couch.

And here it comes… They’ve been needling at each other since we got here.

“What did you expect me to do? Sit there? Do nothing?” Flint tosses his hands in the air. “It’s not like I forced her to go. I tried to stop her. She would have gone anyway. Isn’t that right, Jax?”

I put my hands up and take a step back. “I’m not in this guys. This is between you two.”

Jace narrows his eyes and jerks his thumb at Flint. “He was supposed to protect you. Not let you wander off with some damn erk,” a glance at Jastren, “sorry Grandfather.”

“Well how was I to know who he was? It’s not like I had any long conversations with the…guy.” Flint turns until he’s facing my brother. “You shouldn’t have—”

“Just stop it!” My yell brings both of their faces to me. “You’re both safe. You’re together. Why can’t you just be grateful for that? I’m just so sick…Why don’t you… Ugh!” I throw my hands up and stomp out of the cabin. The crisp air clears my head and I head over to the woodpile. Splitting firewood actually sounds like a good way to blow off some steam.

Being back at Peter’s cabin is hard. Being back here with the two bickering lovebirds and my disappointed in me grandfather is torture. Of all the people here, Peter’s the only one who doesn’t want anything from me. He doesn’t ask me a bunch of questions. He isn’t worried about the link. And he doesn’t push me when I just want to be left alone. Peter’s more than happy to chatter away at me and doesn’t care much whether I respond or not and I’ve found that I actually enjoy his company, more than anyone else here. Even still, I’ve never felt more alone.

I’m happy for my brother, I really am. And Flint too. Jastren…I guess he’s family and he’s been kind of helpful, at least for Jace who can actually link with him. I just wish…

I squeeze my eyes shut to block out the thought and the burn of tears. Nothing. I wish for nothing.

So far we’ve learned from Jastren that some of our abilities are normal for the E’rikon— the telepathy, the emotional co

Good news, that means Lir never manipulated my emotions…Bad news, I almost wish he had. I may have picked up on his emotions and they may have had some sort of calming effect on me, especially once the bond was formed, but he couldn’t have made me fall in love with him, couldn’t have forced the bond to use it against me. So, he didn’t lie about that…just nearly everything else according to Jastren. The thought that I managed to fall for Lir on my own eats at me. I never should have trusted him. How could I have been so blind?

It doesn’t matter. He means nothing to me now.

No one knows about what I did to Rym, well, except Rym that is. If he survived. I don’t know that it’s the weapon Vitrad had in mind or if there’s some other horrifying ability even farther down in the blackness from which I’ve now drawn twice. Either way, Jace and Jastren seem a little too excited to find a way to weaponize us and I’m not entirely sure that’s a good idea.

I came back from the blackness the first time with the help of my brother. Empathy brought me back the second time— just barely. What’s left that could bring me back a third time? For that matter, what’s to stop my brother from falling into that dark hatred himself if he were to unlock the ability?

I will never tell them.

Now that I know about the emotional control Jace has over me, I’m able to block it out. He wasn’t too thrilled about that, but I told him I had to learn to control my own emotions. I can’t afford to be dependent on someone else for my own sanity. Besides, I’ve had a little practice now and each day it gets a little easier.

It’s been a slow process though. When we first got back to Peter’s cabin, Daniel was still here. He stepped a bit too close to me and I attacked. I nearly killed him before Flint managed to pull me off of him. Daniel and the other two soldiers left soon after that, heading to Bridgelake to report in to Dane. I suppose we’ll eventually make it back there too, but with Jace’s leg broken and winter approaching, we probably won’t be able to leave until spring.

Or until Vitrad wises up and starts looking for us.

After I’ve got a nice stack of firewood split, I drop the maul and sit on the ground with my back against the woodshed. It’s early for it, but in the past couple days, the temperature has dropped rapidly and with the sky as white as it is, I wouldn’t be surprised if it snowed soon, just what I need. It’d be another excuse for Jastren to keep me cooped up in the cabin trying to get the link to work.

I run a hand over my face and sigh. Might as well get a long walk in while I still can. As I reach the edge of the woods, Peter pokes his head out the front door.

“Just the person I was looking for. I see you’re headed off on a walk. Would you mind horribly if I came along with you? I’ve just been in the house much too long and some air would be good for this old man. I’d invite the others, but I can’t imagine Jace could get around on those crutches out here very well. And young Flint just won’t leave his side. Reminds me a bit of your young man—” Peter actually manages to stop one of his own rambles. He swallows and gives me a weak smile. “So, do you mind some company?”

“It’s fine,” I say.

Leaves crunch under our feet as we make our way through the trees. Peter’s quiet, whether it’s because he feels guilty for slipping up earlier or he has picked up on the fact that I need the silence of the forest right now, I don’t know. Either way, I’m thankful for it.

Twenty minutes later we reach a small clearing and stop to rest against a tree. The pause gives him an opening to start speaking.

“I think it is time we talked, my dear. I may not have had a congregation in a very long time, but I still know the look of someone who has lost their way and perhaps could use an ear to listen.” He pauses and takes a deep breath in through his nose. “There is nothing you can say that will make me think any less of you. I am not here to judge you.”