Onslaught (Rise of the Empire Book 6) Read Free

wanted them to. But to change the mind of an entire species, he first needed to change the mind of one.
    Adrian reached his destination. He nodded to the four guards standing outside of the doors, and then entered.

Chapter Two
     
    Anessa was seven years old, and already she was taller than every other child was in her school. However, she was the only one who had yet to gain her Sha abilities. It meant that she was not really a part of her class. She knew that they talked about her with their minds by the snickers and looks they gave her whenever she entered the classroom. The only one that spent any time with her was Garaam. The short, white-haired girl liked spending time with Anessa for some reason that she never quite figured out. But she was thankful for it, and because of that simple fact, Anessa swore that Garaam would always have her friendship in life.
    Today, Anessa was the one charged with cleaning the classroom. She didn’t understand why it was necessary; her parents had machines that did the cleaning, so there was never the need to do it by hand. But the teachers said that it was supposed to teach them responsibility. She didn’t really care one way or the other, so she always just set about doing the task. Cleaning wasn’t a hard task, and she could usually tune it out, think on other things while she worked.
    However, this day was different, as something kept nagging at her. Her body felt strange, her mind somehow clouded. But she didn’t tell anyone; she didn’t need to be sent to the medbots, or far worse—home. Already the other kids called her weak because she didn’t have the Sha; if she was sent home for being sick, she knew it would only get worse. Kids with the Sha rarely got sick. So she pushed herself to the limit, not showing any outward signs of her unease. She tried to hurry her work, finish as fast as possible and then leave for home, but her hands tingled and it slowed her down.
    The sound of the classroom door opening startled her, and she turned around to see two boys and a girl enter the room. Seeing who it was, Anessa’s stomach dropped, but she didn’t shy away from Tarasks’s cruel look. He approached, followed closely behind by his two companions. She didn’t know them well, as she tended to avoid the other kids, except for Garaam.
    “Look here, it’s the freak!” Tarasks said laughingly, his companions joining in a moment later.
    Anessa looked around the room. She was almost finished; the teachers might not even notice if she doesn’t finish. It was better than staying here, and if the teachers did notice, she would rather take their punishment than being insulted and bullied by the kids with the Sha.
    She turned and started to leave the room, but something grabbed hold of her leg, keeping it in place. Anessa froze as she realized that one of them had used his Sha to keep her leg in place. It was impressive, Anessa knew; Tarasks was being called a prodigy with the Sha. She had overheard the teachers one day talking about him; they were saying how being able to use Sha to grab and lift objects at such a young age was amazing. They said that he might even one day become a Dai Sha. She turned and saw Tarasks pointing a hand at her leg. He was shaking a bit at the effort, and then suddenly Anessa could feel his hold slipping.
    “Where are you going? We want to speak with you,” Tarasks said. He walked over to her before she could try to free herself and grabbed her by the shoulders. He pinned her against the wall with his hands, letting go of his Sha. Anessa could’ve pushed him away easily; she was bigger and stronger. But there were three of them, and all had the Sha. They might not be able to hold her for long, but it would be enough.
    “Are you sure that you are a Shara Daim?” Tarasks asked. “I mean, you don’t have the Sha; how can you be like us?”
    “It doesn’t come to everyone at the same time,” Anessa murmured.
    “You trying to convince yourself that