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  “Did you see that?”

  “Me? No. I have lived with a drummer almost my entire life. You’re all alike.”

  I laughed aloud as I thought of Cashton, my other pupil, a boy that had a crest like Guardian and me. He was a musician. I believe his entire family was. More than once, he had tried to get me to come over, but I always made an excuse. I had to watch The Fall. I had to watch for lavender waters, or the moment my twin would cross a line that I could not bear to let him get away with.

  “It’s your vice,” Guardian said to me. “We all have one.”

  “And what is yours, Guardian?”

  “Man of the flesh.”

  “Really?”

  He laughed a boyish laugh. “Flesh of one. And I will return with her.”

  Now he spills it. Minutes before I was to set him free, he unveils that he was not going over there to find balance, peace, or to help, but to find a girl. A girl that he would not return with because no one here would allow a soul born and bred in the dark reality to live here, not in this day and age.

  Anger swelled in me. I had spent far too much of my time with him. There were other crested souls I could have been working with. Cashton’s sister was ready to start her lessons, and I’d heard the other girl was a breath away from her time to leave.

  As if he could read me, he spoke again. “Balance. We are but half, and I must find the rest of my soul to bring the balance we all need.”

  “She’s hurt?” I asked in a ghostly whisper, wondering why he would risk so much knowing that even if he did reach his prize, our world would rip it from him.

  “Not if I can help it,” he said in a deep, reverent tone.

  Other members of The Selected were lining the rampart. No less than a hundred stood on each side of Guardian and me now. Behind us, two piers above us stood Camlin. He was a member of the Hermetic Realm, apparently sent here to watch over our processes, to evaluate them. In my opinion, the only things he ever evaluated were me and my recent pupils. Camlin kept his distance when I worked with Cashton, but for the past few days he had all but breathed down my neck as I prepared Guardian.

  I could feel his smoldering glare on my back. I would not put it past him to stop this passage, to find some way to stop Guardian Falcon. I took it upon myself to ensure that did not happen, using my own vim as a barrier around Guardian. He noticed instantly. “That one is trouble,” Guardian said with unmoving lips.

  “We can handle him. You. Focus.”

  The sun and moon were aligning, and the emerald waters began to rotate, giving a luminescent glow to each of us.

  Guardian shed his white robe and stood before us all. At this moment, he was standing at the threshold of life and death. Creating one with the other. Knowing that he would die countless times before he returned in a few short days.

  “You must hold on to one thought, one desire that encompasses your soul’s desire,” I coached once more. This was the thought he’d been told to meditate on over and over again.

  This was the most challenging crossroad anyone could stand before. He would not return as he left. His soul would carry tracers of the lives he was about to live. His lineage would be blinded to him, and when he returned he would fight the battle to claim who he once was and then finally merge his new past and present into one. No one ever came back the same. Ever.

  Some say the soul is truly awakened on the dark side, that there you understand what is worth fighting for—and what isn’t.

  “I will relinquish fear,” Guardian said calmly, keeping his gaze forward.

  At first I thought that was a far too basic and selfish thought, especially if he had fought for these three days only to find a girl, but something in his tone led me to believe he did not mean that he would not be afraid or that he would ensure this girl would not have fear, but that he would conquer that emotion for all of humanity. It was the most impressive declaration I had heard in recent memory.

  I kept my questions and observations to myself as I spoke what I always said to those that dared to cross this Fall. “Today, the soul you are will perish. Your course will be challenged. You will strive to embrace symmetry whilst fighting egotism. The chasm of your being will never be alone, but at one with all of us. You will hear us in your darkest hour. Embrace the simplest signs, for they are the voices of those who have gone before you and that remain behind.”

  After one deep, shuddering breath, he leapt at the vortex, into the spinning emerald waters.

  I focused my vim on him, protecting him from any harm that Camlin could dare to send his way.

  Right then, something abnormal happened. The spinning waters, right where Guardian was pulled under, started to create a circle, a spinning circle of ice. Its shape was absolute; no jagged edges at all. Even though winter was not far off, those waters were not cool enough for that formation.

  I didn’t have time to understand that awe.

  Once The Fall opened, other souls—or rather, shells of evil—began to seep through. Of all the days Guardian could have chosen, this had to be the worst. Darkness was invading, screaming through the waters.

  Every one of my men prepared for battle, prepared to send those ravaged souls back to where they came from. It was a war of energy, of vim, one that we would win, as we had each time before this day.

  One by one, I aimed a blow of vim at the dark souls. It was a thoughtless process, one that I did without mercy. I doubted in this advance any one soul would have survived. A spike of grief came to me as I realized the chances of Guardian making it across unscathed were near nil. Not good. Especially since his father and brother were watching this passage from a distance.

  Somewhere in this battle of light and dark, through the screams of the damned, my eyes saw something that seized my soul. Lavender waters.

  Chapter Two

  Spoken fate is something that even our kind has a hard time recognizing when it asserts itself unceremoniously into our life. Within a second’s time, a million thoughts raced through my mind. Your soul will awaken with lavender waters.

  Camlin had joined the battle and was being far more ruthless than the rest of us. As he fought, he moved closer to me. Every fiber in my soul went into defense mode. I didn’t want him near the waters. In the distance, I could see a shade of lavender that was so entrancing that I felt like I was witnessing the birth of my existence.

  The whirl of the sea had begun to cease. The Fall was closed, and what was on this side had to be dealt with. More times than not, that meant the dark souls would never breach the bank of our world. That shade in the distance was surrounded by darkness, by a grotesque evil that seemed as determined to end it as Camlin was. He was now aiming everything he had in that direction and was doing his best to knock me down at the same time.

  I didn’t even think. I dove. My vim propelled me through the depths of the water. My eyes were wide open. I relentlessly forged a path, ending every evil I passed with a blow of my energy.

  As I soared through the water and approached the shade, I realized that what I was seeing was long, beautiful lavender hair; I was approaching a fallen angel. Even though the water was tinted, I could see her ivory skin, more flawless than the finest porcelain. Her eyes were closed, her back was arched, and that long hair made her look as if she had wings. I was too late. I knew I was. The battle underwater looked far different than it did from above. It was as if this evil were not trying to reach our shores, but pull her back within its abyss.

  I should have long ago been out of strength, but I felt invincible as I fought and ended every soul near her in a matter of seconds.

  Right as I approached her, as I reached for her, her eyes opened. My soul crumbled at that instant. Her eyes were as dark as night, as dark as the evil that had sought to pull her back; she was one of them. Once again, a million thoughts bombarded me within a second. Why would an Allurest tell me evil would awaken me? Was I really meant for nothing more than slaughter? I couldn’t do it. I could not end her any more
than I could stop my reach. It was the oddest enchantment. I felt like I was reaching for breath, not death.

  The instant my hand touched hers, an intense vibration raced through me. My stare grew wide under the water—not because of the shock of that feeling, but because I saw her eyes flood with the bluest color I’d ever beheld. I saw innocence unmasked in the ravaging exquisiteness before me.

  I pulled her to me, wrapped my arm around her, and pulled us to the surface.

  The gasping breath she took was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard. I could not take my eyes away from her. I could not see or comprehend anything or anyone else in this universe. Without a thought, I reached to caress my thumb across the base of her eye. She looked up at me with the same wonder.

  “Where did you come from?” I whispered.

  “You,” she said faintly.

  Before I could even question her with a perplexed stare, I heard my name bellowing from the shore.

  “This instant, Aden!” Camlin scorned, even stomping his foot.

  “Aden,” she said with a slow smile.

  “Your name?” I questioned.

  We knew the name of every soul that we expected to return, the name of every soul we had sent to that side. We knew their image as well; she was not one of them. I had seconds to come up with some kind of story to protect her. I knew once we reached the shore, Camlin would not rest until she was either destroyed or sent back when The Fall reopened. A fierce, unheard of desire to protect swelled in me. I had never had this much regard for any life, even my own. I don’t know how to explain it, but I felt this girl in my veins.

  She had heard the bellows and was staring over my shoulder as she shuddered in my arms. The blue was leaving her gaze.

  “Look at me,” I demanded, not wanting the others to see her gaze. “Take a breath.” When I heard her suck in air, I pulled her under as far down as I could.

  Once we were out of sight, I reached for her image. As my thumb traced the base of her eyes, I saw a glow under her skin. All at once, her eyes changed to blue again. I had to find a way for her to keep that color in her gaze, for I knew that blue, how pure it was, would cause anyone to doubt she was a soul born of evil.

  Under the water, I leaned toward her and let my lips gently rest on hers. You’d have thought from the vibration of energy under our flesh that we were lost in the throes of passion. Against my better judgment, I pulled away from that kiss. When her eyes opened, they were so bright that I would swear to you that emerald sea had turned crystal blue. I smiled a shy smile and then pulled her through the water, toward the shore.

  We rose for breath at the same time. I clasped my arm around her waist.

  “Back off,” I growled at Camlin. He was crouched down, ready to pull us out.

  He only offered a glare in response.

  “Turn around, all of you.” It wasn’t a request, and the men that I led, the men that had seen far too much flesh to find shame or pleasure at this post, did as I commanded and not only turned, but ensured that Camlin had as well.

  I leaned into her ear. “Hold the thought that brings you bliss; it shows in your eyes.”

  Her perplexed expression led me to believe that she had no idea what I was talking about.

  I rose from the water, reached for the robe that Guardian had shed, and held it out for her. I turned my head, allowing her to climb out and did not dare to look at her again until I felt the robe leave my hands and heard the cloth slide over her skin. It was a sound I never should have heard, but I noticed. I noticed everything all at once. I cared all at once.

  When my gaze met hers again, her eyes were still blue and her delicate fingertips were gently tracing her bottom lip. Lips I wanted to kiss without the barrier of water, or the threat of an audience. Who was this lavender angel?

  Camlin obviously lost his patience. I heard him growl before he ever spoke. “Seize this evil.”

  None of us moved. I was not the only one that had been taken aback by the glow of her eyes, the purity of her skin.

  “This instant!”

  I ignored him as I held my arm out for her.

  “Where do you think you are going?” Camlin spouted.

  “To Tarek.” All souls pass him before they move into our world.

  “This is a demon. How can you not see the allure?” he said as he charged me.

  Lorecan, the second-in-command, stopped that threat with a fierceness that would lead you to believe he was defending his own life.

  I smirked at Camlin, at his vocabulary, knowing that it was an Allurest that had forecast this day. Yes, I did see the allure. Yes, I did see the meaning of life, my purpose.

  The other men parted, giving us passage.

  “You’re infected!” Camlin shouted after me. “You’re bewitched.”

  “And you’re envious,” I said all too coolly, which earned more than a few smirks from my comrades. Of all people, they knew this was out of character for me. I never pulled the souls from the water. I never stood by my grandfather and witnessed the judgment. If and when I left my post, I slept. They knew I had awakened and were nothing less than intrigued.

  I glanced to the balcony of the palace I was approaching. Seneca was standing there. Her white hood was down, but I could see her smile, her slight nod. Lavender waters will awaken you.

  I could not warn this girl at my side of what was to come now, could not tell her what to say or how to say it, to understand her story and alter it if need be; there wasn’t enough time.

  We were not expecting anyone today, so Tarek was not sitting on his throne. Obviously, he had been summoned, though, because I saw him enter the side doors, casually sliding his arms through his gray suit jacket and slowly walking across to his seat. His steps were not measured to show power, but because he was staring at me with a peculiar wonder. There was a glint in his eyes, one that I doubted anyone beyond me would recognize. A gaze that breathed approval but refused to be hastened in front of the others—especially Camlin, who was sent here to discredit our role in this reality.

  I couldn’t tell you how many eternities my grandfather had lived through; only a few lines traced his image, indicative of more smiles than worries.

  I resembled him, to the point that in the right lighting and at a far distance, I’ve been mistaken for him. I was a far cry from his age, but I had his emerald green eyes, his same broad, lean stance that was well over six feet, and the same sharp, distinguished features that could cause us to look angelic or fierce, depending on the glimmer in our eyes or the smile on our lips.

  Tarek and I had a silent relationship for the most part. I listened. He spoke. By the time I had come to stay with him, to become a coveted member of The Selected, my mind was twisted, as he said, by my father.

  Tarek had often told me there are no absolutes. That if I only focus on the dark task in my future that I will never see the purpose, the divine plan. That I will never understand that the greatest reward of existence is the journey. He agreed that I would have to travel to the other reality, that my twin was submerged in evil, but he never stated if he agreed that I was made only for slaughter. Beyond Seneca, he was the only one who knew of the lavender waters that were also predicted in my future.

  As Tarek took his throne, his stare went to the angel at my side, to the long lavender hair that reached her waist, to her eyes that still held that mesmerizing blue, her pure skin. She was nothing less than otherworldly.

  When we reached him, I knelt to one knee, as was custom. All of the men behind me and lining the hall that was built of white marble and lined with gold knelt as well. Camlin’s kneel was short and rude, to say the least, and he rose to his feet just behind me. “Blasphemy! How dare she not bow! Why was this evil allowed within these walls—why was she even granted permission to step ashore? This alone states that the order of The Selected is negligent—that all of you have infected us.”

  “Silence,” Tarek spoke evenly.

  Seneca had made her way to his side. He
r white hood was still down, and the smile had left her lips.

  “Explain,” Tarek stated as he gestured for us all to rise.

  The girl at my side was still as a statue. I doubted her failure to bow was meant as disrespect. She seemed lost, confused.

  “When The Fall opened, evil invaded,” I began. “We did our best to protect Guardian in his passage. In that battle, she was seen, under attack. I protected her.”

  “Ah ha!” Camlin scorned as he stepped before me. Camlin’s eyes were usually a dull gray, but today they were shimmering with malice, a shade that reflected well with his dark hair. I doubted he had half an eternity on me, if that, but he looked far younger than me, even innocent—that is, until he spoke.

  The girl at my side recoiled, as if she, too, knew he was evil. I tightened my arm around hers, a gesture Tarek noticed and acknowledged with a slight rise of his chin.

  “Not only have you failed the Hermetic by allowing evil within our borders, you have wronged the Falcons,” Camlin bellowed. “You have allowed their youngest son to be destroyed in order to save this spawn of evil.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw both Guardian’s father and brother stand a little taller. I hadn’t met his father. In truth, the man spent most of his time with a good book and a dim room. His brother Sebastian, however, was a pivotal member of our community. All in all, he was seen as the head of the Falcon lineage at this juncture. He was a gentle soul until you crossed him, then there was nothing that could protect you. He would either slay you with words and reason or make use of the extraordinary power in his vim.

  “Was Guardian’s passage a safe one?” Tarek asked me.

  I glanced to my men. It was clear that none of us knew.

  “The invasion was harsh. I’ll have to search for him.”

  “Pull him back now,” Camlin roared.

  “As if that would not be more dangerous,” I rebutted.

  We could pull The Fall open, but it risked the soul and The Fall.

  “The next opening, then,” Camlin spouted. “He never should have been granted any passage. How careless is it that you allow someone to train for mere days before going over there? You have souls here that have been in practice for far longer. Careless,” Camlin argued. He was clearly maddened. Though I had heard these words, as had my men, he had never dared to speak them to Tarek.