Void Wielder 2 Legacy of Chaos Read Free Page A

it?” Aya asked.
    “No fair,” whined her sister. “It’s my seventh birthday. You have to be nice to me and let me hide first.”
    “All right, Selene. But I get to hide after you.”
    Selene waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, yes. Now count to ten, and no peeking.”
    Aya crouched and instantly lost herself in the long weeds. “One, two, three, four….” Even over her voice, she could make out her sister’s loud footsteps. “…nine, ten.” She stood and glanced around. She was nowhere in sight.
    She moved out of the grass fields and toward the pond. Her sister was so predictable. She always hid inside the old canoe.
    “Found you,” said Aya. But when she peered inside the canoe there was nothing. The baffled girl ran back into the grass searching for her sister. She spent then next ten minutes running up and down, looking for any sign of her.
    “Fine,” said Aya. “You got me. You can come out now.”
    Silence.
    “Selene! This isn’t funny. Mom and dad are expecting us back soon. Come out.”
    “Aya, he’s got me!”
    Aya’s face turned pale as she ran toward the cry for help. She came out by the pond. Across it she saw a brown and red blur. In his hands he held her struggling sister. At least she thought it was her sister. It was hard to tell from the distance she was at.
    “He’s going to take me!”
    Aya’s eyes widened in recognition. There was no doubt. That was her sister. She untied the rope and jumped into the canoe. With shaky but determined hands, she water wielded it forward, but when she looked up there was nothing. No blur. No screams. No sister. Only a piercing silence.
    “Selene! Where are you, Selene?”
    “How could you allow this?” demanded a thick voice.
    Aya turned. Her frowning father stared back at her.
    “Dad. I…I don’t know what happened.”
    Her mother materialized behind her father. She looked down at Aya, tears in her eyes. “How could you lose my little baby? You were the older sister. You were supposed to protect her, you wretched child.”
    “I’ll find her. I’ll find her.”
    Her eyes snapped open. “I’ll find her!”
    She pressed her trembling hand over her mouth. Did anyone hear me? A calming breath filled her chest when she noticed the bed beside her was empty. Faith had not gone to sleep yet.
    She caressed her temples, trying to force the visions of her sister away. It didn’t immediately work, but after a few minutes her breathing returned to normal.
    Her nose wrinkled as the strong scent of smoke filled her nose. She turned to the candle, which had burnt down to its core. Only a pile of watered down wax and dark smoke remained.
    Aya picked herself up and grabbed the candle bowl, placing it gently by the window. Her heart skipped a beat as she made out the sound of footsteps on the roof. She broke into a smile. Only one person would be crazy enough to be on the roof in the middle of the night: Falcon. This was her chance to be with him alone for a while and catch up.
    She quietly made her way out the window and onto the wet grass. Sparks of lightning flashed in the distance. A soft breeze moved through her black hair. The thought of going back for a blanket entered her mind, but she opted against it. She wasn’t planning to be out for too long, after all.
    “Hey, don’t worry about the cold. Just get up here.”
    It was Falcon, and he was talking to her. How did he see me? She was certain she hadn’t made a noise. But as she gazed up the roof, she saw that Falcon was talking to someone else; in fact, he hadn’t even noticed she was there. Instead, he was sitting cross-legged on the roof. Besides him, Faith did the same.
    “See?” said Falcon. “It’s not too bad.”
    Aya felt a pit grow in her stomach. She quickly made her way back into the room. She couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid. Of course Falcon was spending more time with Faith. He had a lot of catching up to do, after all.
    Aya was twelve years old when she met Falcon