Sinjin (2 page)

I nearly choked on my next bite of sandwich when Jolie’s thoughts suddenly streamed into my head. This time, I didn’t receive her words
so much as her feelings. I dropped the sandwich on the plate as my eyes closed of their own accord. My sister’s feelings continued to sail through my body until I couldn’t deny them any longer.

Focusing intently, I picked up on the fact that s
he was worried about our future, how we would interact from here on out. She didn’t want me to hate her. She also was unsure how the people in her kingdom would receive me. And, what was more, she was certain that I would attempt to escape, which made her even more nervous because she didn’t know the extent of my powers, or what I was capable of.

“Did you do that on purpose?” I asked
as soon as the foreign feelings inside me began to dissipate and eventually disappeared altogether. I downed a few gulps of ice water and frowned at her.

“Do what?” she asked innocently.

“Release the floodgates on your thoughts?” I answered indifferently as I took another bite of sandwich and washed it down again. “Up until now, you were doing a very good job of concealing all your thoughts and emotions.”

“Oh, that,” she said with a quick
and dismissive smile. “Sometimes, words don’t get the feelings across quite as well as the feelings themselves can.”

I didn’t answer, but nodded because she had a point. I downed another sip of water and
placed the glass back on the bedside table. Then I noticed that my fingers were starting to tingle. When I looked down at them, my hands seemed like they were miles away. I glanced up at Jolie just as I realized what she’d done. I immediately stood up, dropping the remainder of the sandwich on the floor. “You poisoned me,” I accused her, my voice sounding very distant and utterly astonished at the same time.

“I didn’t poison you,” she said flatly.

“The water,” I responded as my eyes rested on the glass and I swallowed hard. “You put something in it!”

“It’s charmed,” she answered with a shrug. I didn’t respond because my eyes started to glaze over and my head felt incredibly heavy on top of my shoulders. I watched my sister lurch
forward and felt her grab my arm at exactly the moment I started to pass out. She assisted me to the bed as I placed both of my palms on the coverlet while leaning over them and taking deep breaths. I tried to resist whatever charm she’d used on me, but the room was already spinning, which meant her charm was pumping through my bloodstream. I was too late.

“I’m sorry I had to do that to you, Bryn,
” Jolie started. “But I must know what your powers are; and you’ve been nothing but adversarial.”

“You charmed me!
” I repeated angrily, my voice also revealing awe. Ordinarily, I would’ve been able to detect any charm or spell someone tried to place on me because I was powerful in my own right. Maybe because I’d been so hungry, I’d simply overlooked this one.

“Bryn, I need to know what happened on the battlefield,” Jolie said, spearing me with her pointed gaze. “Why did Luce and all your people disappear while you were left behind?”

It was the same question I’d repeatedly asked myself. “I don’t know,” I managed, just as a wave of nausea overtook me and I had to breathe deeply through my nose to calm down. Once I regained my composure, I stood up and noticed my sister wearing an expression of bewilderment. Apparently, she must’ve thought there was a reason, or some kind of a plan responsible for the disappearance of my people.

“Okay,” she started,
clearly turning to other subjects. “I also need to know what you’re capable of,” she continued as her eyes met mine. “I know Elementals can vanish into thin air. I also know you can metamorphose into other creatures as well as influence people’s emotions. But can you perform spells?”

I didn’t want to answer, so I tried to keep my mouth shut tight, but before I could stifle it, my voice
broke through. “We can’t perform spells like witches can. And when we disappear, we are actually in exactly the same place, but you just can’t see us. It’s like a magic trick—we simply trick you into thinking we’ve disappeared but we really haven’t.”

“Are you the only one of your kind who is also a sensitive and capable of reading minds?” she inquired.

“Yes,” my voice answered, much to my own anger and dismay. “And I’m also the only one of my kind who can heal.” I clamped my lips shut tightly and closed my eyes, trying my best not to reveal any more of my secrets. I didn’t know what the deal was, but ordinarily, I would have been way too strong to fall for a cheap spell like the one I was currently under. I hadn’t been eating recently, so I could only guess that my strength wasn’t up to par. Or maybe the room was reinforced with so much magical energy that trying to fight it was futile.

“Can you see the future or the past?” Jolie continued.

Shutting my eyes as tightly as I could, I slammed my upper teeth into my lower jaw, grinding my teeth while my hands balled into fists at my sides.
Don’t speak!
I yelled at myself. “No.”

“Can you influence the future or the past?”
my sister continued.

“No,” I replied, suddenly feeling
unnaturally dizzy. When I opened my eyes, I found the room swirling around me. My heartbeat raced and I could feel beads of sweat appearing on my brow. I continued to fight against the magical barrage but I was getting weaker—I could feel my strength diminishing. Whatever magic I was encountering, it definitely had the upper hand. And that could only mean one thing …

“Have you
been in contact with Luce since becoming my prisoner?” Jolie continued her interrogation. As she scrutinized me, I felt the immense power she possessed emanating from her, through her eyes. It was her magic that was reinforcing whatever charm she’d put on the ice water. She continued to bombard me with her magic, and I strove to fight back, but in my weakened state, I soon realized she was far more powerful than I realized.

“No,” I answered, blinking back tears of frustration and anger. I tried to focus instead on my next move. Closing my eyes, I mentally chanted the mantra that had been drilled into
me since my first memories of childhood.

The health and welfare of the tribe exceed those of the individual.

“Can you reach Luce?” Jolie demanded. “If you wanted to get in touch with him, do you know how?”

“No,” my voice automatically responded as I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter and started the process.

The health and welfare of the tribe exceed those of the individual.

I had to access the
contaminant
using only my mind by picturing the image of the vial which was filled with a dark, sludgy liquid. The reality of the
contaminant
would prevent me from answering anymore of Jolie’s questions. But, of course, there were side effects. I tried not to worry about the side effects and, instead, focused on the safety of my people. The protection of the tribe was of prime importance.

Ev
en at the cost of my own life.

“Can Luce reach you?”

“Yes. At least, I think so,” I answered as the sweat started pouring down my face and the small of my back. Imagining myself reaching for the
contaminant,
I visualized holding the vial in my figurative hand while I popped the cork top off as quickly as possible. Lifting the vial to my mouth, there was no time for hesitation. My thoughts had already been infiltrated and breached, which meant our secrets were accessible and my entire tribe was now threatened.

The health and welfare of the tribe exceed those of the individual.

I pictured myself swallowing the contents of the vial, and immediately felt something dark and painful clutching hold of my stomach. I gasped in response and opened my eyes only to see Jolie looking at me quizzically.

“Are your physical strengths superhuman?” she asked. “Do they include the strength and speed of the Daywalkers?”

“No, Elementals don’t share any of their qualities,” my voice replied before it choked itself off. My throat went suddenly dry and began swelling until I couldn’t get any air into my lungs. Jolie stopped her litany of questions and seemed to consider me with a much more cautious expression in her big blue eyes.

“Bryn?” she
asked timidly, but I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t breathe. I reached for my throat and clawed at it, as if my body were rebelling over the decision I’d just made to sacrifice myself for the survival of the tribe. I felt myself slumping over. “Bryn!” Jolie yelled as she reached for my shoulder. She pushed me back up into a sitting position, but it was no good, I couldn’t get any air. My vision grew fuzzy and cloudy. “What have you done?” she screamed.

The health and welfare of the tribe exceed those of the individual.
I thought the words.

“Oh my God!
” she yelled as she shook her head and her mouth dropped open in obvious shock.
You’re killing yourself!
she exclaimed telepathically to me.

Closing my eyes, I suddenly felt Jolie shaking me. I opened my eyes again, but failed to focus on anything, much less her. She appeared as a blur, like a moving haze of color. The numbness in my fingers was extending to my hands and feet before climbing up my arms and my legs.

Rand!
I heard Jolie’s voice in my head.
Rand! I need you!

What’s
wrong?
his voice immediately replied in her thoughts, and likewise, in mine. His English accent was very thick.
Where are you, Jolie? What’s going on?

I’m with my sister
in the guesthouse and she’s done something to herself using magic …

What did she do?

I don’t know!
Jolie snapped, her voice cracking.
I think she’s killing herself!

I’ll be there momentarily,
came Rand’s response.

I collapsed against the bed
as Jolie screamed. I could hear the sounds of the guards jumping to attention outside my door but they weren’t able to enter. I wasn’t sure why. Instead, my attention shifted back to my sister as she held my head between her hands. I could suddenly feel her radiant power engulfing me. It felt like pure warmth, like rays of sunshine suffusing me, and filling up the void left by the
contaminant
. When I opened my eyes, I could see her figure surrounded by an intensely bright white light. It nearly engulfed me, drawing me toward the cocoon of its power. But the
contaminant
was very strong and powerful in its own right, so it continued to struggle against her glaring brilliance.

Accept my power into you, Bryn,
Jolie ordered.
Accept my life force. It’s the only way I’m going to be able to save you!

No!
I answered as I shook my head against her power. I kept trying to force the brightness away, but it was like pushing against a steel wall. Jolie’s power continued to grow exponentially stronger, while mine was decreasing by the seconds.

“Jolie!”
Rand’s voice bellowed at the same time the door flew open and banged into the wall. Seconds later, he was next to us, and lifting me into his arms. My head flopped to the side as he took a seat on the bed. Jolie knelt alongside me and the two guards watched helplessly from the hallway.

“I need your power, Rand,”
Jolie explained in a panic-stricken voice. “Whatever magic she used, it’s very strong. I tried to disengage it using all of my own abilities, but it’s too tough. I need yours too.”

“Okay,” Rand said as they both fell silent.

Barely a second or so later, my body bucked as if I’d just been electrocuted. Rand tightened his arms around me as he and Jolie sent their magic coursing through me. The power surging from within me was like nothing I’d ever felt before. It was indescribably vibrant and I sensed it chipping away at the
contaminant
, extracting the liquid death from my body. The numbness in my arms and legs was replaced with warmth. My heart pounded in my chest as my lungs suddenly expanded with air. I was overcome with the idea that my blood was now coursing through my entire body on fast forward, as if it were speeding to each cell where the
contaminant
was doing its best to kill me. The combination of Jolie’s and Rand’s magic invigorated my blood cells, reinforcing them with renewed strength and unsurpassed vitality as their power neutralized the liquid death.

“No!” I ground out as the oxygen of life
continued to infiltrate my lungs. I took a huge, gasping breath, and my body eagerly tried to restore itself, in open rebellion to my mind. I gritted my teeth and held my breath, determined that their power wouldn’t defeat mine.

“Bryn!”
Jolie yelled as she gripped my face between her hands again and forced me to look at her. “Breathe! Just breathe, damn you!”

I
wasn’t sure if her words acted as a command but I felt myself inhale another deep breath before salty tears began to leak from my eyes. “I’ve failed,” I muttered as soon as I could speak. As my wits returned, I realized the enormous mistake I’d just made. “I’ve failed,” I repeated before dropping my gaze to the white coverlet on the bed I had yet to sleep in. Rand stood up and gently lay me down, but my sister didn’t budge.