"her eyes. look at her eyes!" one of my captors backed away from me and ran out the side door.

"don't look at her, just grab her!" talbot screamed.

i felt more hands grasp me and i hated it. i hated them. looking up along the beams of the barn, i saw the main support beam.

it was time to end this for everyone.. i gave in to the pain and anger, reached for a smaller support beam, and pulled at it. half of the burning roof came down on a large group of the septori. they screamed and tried to cover their heads as it fell. too late.

"stop her! she's going to kill us all," talbot cried waving his hands at me.

i smirked. i was.

mona screamed in fright and pulled against her chains helplessly.

i frowned. i felt a moment of hesitation at killing her along with myself. the power was a drug. i looked at her in the corner and some part of me didn't care whether she lived or died. this was the part i had been fighting to keep inside. this is what i was becoming and i hated.

pulling back on the power, i shouted and tried to yank it back and contain it within myself again. the flames were less hungry, less powerful. the burning septori were finally able to gain control and douse the flames on their body.

the barn would still burn, still fall, but not at my command. not yet. i felt only a moment's regret that i had not gone through with the plan in my head, that i had not been able to kill myself and the septori along with me. kill the monster within me that was trying to get out.

the roar in my ears was deafening as i pulled the power back in and the pain returned. i collapsed into darkness.

and that's all i remembered before waking up in the cave, bound and listening to the septori discuss me.

what had i done? i didn't go through with it. my vision had ended and i couldn't see my future beyond the present. somehow i knew that even though i tried to save them, the farmer and his wife had died in that fire. what became of the rest of our group, i didn't know. i had seen what would befall them if they stayed in the barn with me, which was why i tried to alter what i saw. i hoped i could save them if i killed myself and the septori.

but i hadn't gone through with it. i'd changed my mind at the last minute and saved mona, who was a member of the septori. had i lost my mind?

apparently so.

i couldn't hear the leader's voice anymore, so i knew talbot must have left the cave. could he and the remaining septori be outside laying in wait? it was still night, so only a few hours had passed. my only guess was that they were setting a trap for kael. why? i hadn't seen any results from whatever experiments they'd done on him. but obviously their leader wanted us both. could they know about our bond?

i thought back to my conversation with talbot in skyfell before he escaped with a skite. he said he wasn't going to come for me but would let me come to him. had he changed his mind or was there someone else involved as well?

someone yanked the sack off of my head. i'd been so lost in thought that i didn't hear him come over. my eyes flew open and i saw a young man with pimples. he grimaced when he looked into my eyes. he had pulled off his red robe and had it tucked under his arm. i had yet to see my eyes, so i could only imagine what they looked like to send such fear into him.

"see? she's alive," he yelled over his shoulder.

"quick, someone's coming. knock her out so she doesn't warn anyone." the now familiar voice yelled into the darkness. the young pimple-faced septori grabbed my head, pinched my nose, and poured a draft into my mouth.

the taste was different. i was actually shocked to realize they'd switched tactics. it was a sleeping draft. i fought against my eyelids as huge weights seemed to tug them down.

the young man jumped up and moved into the shadows of the cave, blade in hand. a few moments later, i saw the familiar outline of kael at the entrance to the cave. walking right into a trap.

"wait!" i tried to whisper, fighting against the sleeping draft.

kael kept walking, oblivious to the trap.

i heard swords being drawn behind him. the septori closed in.

he was outnumbered and cornered.

chapter 6

the scent of leather and musk encompassed me and i felt warm, protected. i almost started to cry. my head throbbed and couldn??t concentrating, but i could never forget the scent that i associate with kael.

only i couldn't understand how.

then i realized the pounding in my head wasn't actually my head, but the sound of horse's hooves on a road. i was swaying side to side. nausea hit me, and i sat up. strong hands held onto me.

"stop. please stop," i begged.

the horse and rider slowed to a standstill. carefully, i held onto the saddle and slid to the ground, testing my legs. i walked a few feet on my own before going further toward a stream.

the rider dismounted as well and followed a few feet behind me. there was little doubt in my mind as to who the rider was-no one else smelled like kael-but i found i couldn't bring myself to look at him. i had to know first.

stopping every couple of feet to regain my balance, i made my way to the stream.

kael never spoke a word.

kneeling down, i leaned over to look at my face. i couldn't see anything. the river was rushing too fast and the sun was at the wrong angle. i saw nothing but water.

"no!" i cried and touching the water in disbelief. something was hideously wrong with my face and i couldn't even see it.

"what's wrong?" kael's soothing voice finally tried to calm me as his hands touched my shoulders lightly, trying to turn me toward him.

"something's wrong with my face. i'm a monster. don't look at me." i tucked my chin toward my chest and closed my eyes.

"shh. thalia, that's not true. there's nothing wrong with your face."

"no i heard them; they said i was a monster, kael. i know what i heard." i used my hands to cover my face in horror.

kael tore a band of cloth from the bottom of his shirt and dipped it into the cold river. he began wiping away the dirt and ashes from my face.

jerking from the coldness, i tried to pull away. kael held me firmly but gently. "how am i supposed to tell you what you look like if you are covered in ashes?"

keeping my eyes closed, i let kael wipe all of the dirt and soot from my face. the act was in itself kind, sensual, and completely out of character for the swordbrother.

when he finished, he ran his fingers down my face and cupped my cheeks. "thalia, open your eyes."

"i'm scared to."

"i'm here, remember? i'll keep the bad things away," kael said softly. "i've kept my promise so far haven't i?"

he had.

besides, if my eyes really were that grotesque, he could handle it.

i opened my eyes, keeping my head down. i raised them to focus on kael's knees and slowly, ever so slowly, worked my way up. this was the first time that i had looked at him since last night. he was covered in soot and ash as well. one arm was bandaged, and blood seeped from a wound on his bicep. his neck had a large scratch on it and his chin was burned.

my eyes froze on his lips as i remembered the kiss we'd shared, and a longing came over me to kiss him again. but i pushed it aside and traveled higher until i met his eyes.