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would ever let these out of
their hands. Most Auri don't even have access to them. But a Fae'ri
could and would steal them and leave them here for anyone to find.
They have no morals. No care for the destruction it could have
brought upon this galaxy if someone besides me found
them."
    I pinched the bridge of my
nose and plopped back onto the bed. The Mamood were bad enough. I
grew tired just thinking about having to deal with the Fae'ri
too.
    "But I think they left it
there as a message. And a challenge." He sat up and took my hand
from my face. I welcomed the rush of strength and warmth that
pulsed through my blood at his touch. "They know we're
here."
    "We have to warn
Lastrini." As much as I hated thinking about going to him, I knew
we needed to. I brought the Mamood here and now the Fae'ri. Soltak
was dying because of them. He needed to know. Although, knowledge
probably wouldn't have helped him one bit right about then. What
was he going to do against beings who held themselves up as gods
and could destroy whole planets with their minds? A twinge of
discomfort settled in my stomach. Wasn’t that exactly the kind of
person I was?
    "You're right." I heard
the smile in Cailen's voice, the pride. His thumb stroked my wrist
and I melted. He smiled, but it was guarded and incomplete. "I just
wish I knew how many were here. How many we're up
against."
    I threaded my fingers
through his. It was then I realized I'd long ago stopped fighting
the pull. I'd fooled myself into thinking I didn't want this, but
now I knew how much I needed it. I felt drawn to him and I was
pretty sure it was my heart, not the drilium leading me. "We've got
each other." I smiled and dipped my head against his shoulder. "We
can handle them."
    He chuckled and calm oozed
through the room like warm sugar. The walls dinged, simultaneously
announcing the shift change and destroying the mood. "Well, if
we're going to see Lastrini," he rolled his eyes, "let's get it
over with."
    We both sighed, releasing
whatever we'd felt, and stood up with me leading the way out the
door. The corridor was crowded, of course, and I was just about to
step into the wave of pedestrians when a voice tickled at the back
of my mind.
    "Eeeellaaaaa. Eeeeellaaaa.
Little, little Ella. Two worlds down, hundreds more to
go."
    I froze with one foot
still in the air. Malik. Or his ghost. Whatever it was, that
taunting voice wasn't El.
    "Ella? Are you okay?"
Cailen pressed his hand against my shoulder and brought me back to
reality.
    I squeezed my eyelids shut
and pressed my tongue against the scar on my inner cheek. Feeling
that and Cailen's hand, I knew this was real. This, not
Malik.
    "Yeah," I said. "I'm fine.
Just...got a little dizzy."
    "Don't ignore me,
Ella," Malik's voice sang in my
head.
    I pressed my tongue harder
against the scar and grasped the edge of the doorway. Cold steel
cooled against my skin, hard and real.
    "Do you need to lie down?"
Cailen grasped my shoulders with both hands and gently nudged me
backwards.
    "No." I shook my head and
stepped away from him. "I'm fine. Let's just go."
    He studied me with a hard
look before nodding. Obviously I hadn't convinced him of a
thing.
    Before he could change his
mind, I stepped into the onward swarm of bodies, pushing my way
through, and received several dark scowls and a few shoves
back.
    The soldier directly in
front of me looked back over his shoulder and said, "Damn sprite."
His comrades slapped him on the back and laughed at me with sick
glee in their eyes.
    My face burned with anger
and humiliation. I'd heard that word a lot since coming back from
Kalhandthar, the planet I’d destroyed. It wasn't a nice term. Only
the worst people ever said it out loud. The rest just whispered and
laughed.
    Wind whipped past my head
and the soldier in front of me--the one laughing and congratulating
himself with his buddies--went spinning through the air and slammed
into the ceiling.
    Everyone pressed against
the edges of the corridor with