The Halves of Us Read online

  “Blood?” Her mother took in a deep breath. “That is all you’ve seen?”

  Adie hesitated. “A tree. There was a tree in one, dying as a dark cloud overtook it. Mother, I never fully understand them. These nightmares are always so puzzling. They seem like memories, but I’ve never lived them.”

  “How long have you had these?”

  “Since I was twelve. Since I touched the—” Stop! Adie bit her tongue. The metallic tang of blood hit her taste buds. She looked at her mother and took a deep breath.

  Ambrielle’s jade eyes searched hers.

  You have to tell her the truth. Leave Aura out of it.

  “Since I first touched the Rokis when I was twelve.”

  Ambrielle stood. “You touched the Rokis before last night? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

  Adie’s heart fell deep into the caverns of her chest, burying itself as she crumbled under her mother’s stare. Ambrielle’s jaw clenched, and her chest rose as she inhaled. Adie waited for the words that would follow her mother’s anger, but she turned her back to Adie and stepped further away from her.

  A knock came at the door, breaking the silence. Gossamer entered. “The Tribesmen of Giriveen are waiting for you.

  Her mother kept her back to her. “If you have nothing else to tell me of your premonitions, you shall return to your chambers immediately.”

  “Mother, I—”

  “Return to your chambers!” Ambrielle demanded.

  Adie swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked back tears. What have I done?

  14

  Adie

  As she made her way back to her chambers, Adie pushed away the tears burning her eyes. All this time, I’ve had power from the Rokis. The images of her nightmares returned. She grabbed her abdomen, remembering the blood and hot pain that seared through her. She gritted her teeth as something new boiled inside her. If Aura hadn’t convinced me to touch the Rokis, maybe . . .

  “Adie, is everything okay?”

  She turned to see Samuel a few feet behind her, guarding their chambers. She’d been so distracted, she passed her room.

  “I need to speak with Aura.” She headed straight for her door, moving away from Samuel’s touch as she passed him.

  As she entered, she was surprised to find Aura curled up on her loveseat, eyes in a daze and a smile on her face.

  Aura’s smile quickly vanished after she saw Adie’s expression.

  “What happened?” she asked, standing and making her way to Adie.

  “Sights have attacked Hatem.” Adie straightened her shoulders and tried to keep her voice from wavering. Samuel stood beside her. “Father and Michael are joining other Tribes to aid. They’re about to meet with Mother to be transported.”

  Aura paled. “I should talk with Father before he goes, and maybe Felipe should—”

  “No, you need to stay.” Adie stepped in front of her. She kept her gaze on Aura as she spoke. “Samuel, please leave. I need to speak with my sister, privately.”

  “I must guard you both since my father has left,” Samuel said.

  “Your father stood guard in the hallway until the late hours. You may stand your guard out there,” Adie said.

  Dejected, Samuel stepped in the hallway, and she slammed the door behind him. The room grew quiet, and Adie could hear the pounding of her heart in her chest.

  She inhaled. “I told Mother.”

  “You told Mother what?” Aura asked.

  “Don’t act like you don’t know what I mean,” Adie said, looking at her with harsh eyes.

  Aura’s gaze grew wide. “Did you mention me?”

  Is that all she’s worried about? Adie sneered. “I didn’t. But Mother believes my dreams and nightmares are premonitions warning me of something. She wanted to know everything, so I told her it started the night I touched the Rokis when I was twelve. She grew angry. I’ve never seen her so livid. She wouldn’t even look at me and dismissed me.”

  “I understand her anger, but surely she’ll move past it. You’re the future Ruler. Touching it when we were younger doesn’t change anything.”

  Adie rolled her eyes. “She believes I may have had a premonition about the attack on Hatem without knowing it, but I told her I hadn’t.” She faced Aura. “We talked about the Sight speaking to you.”

  “Felipe heard it, too.” Aura protested, turning away from her.

  “This can’t all be a coincidence.” Adie replied. “This attack, the Sight speaking to you, Yashe, and my latest premonition about the portal…”

  “What are you saying?” Aura asked, looking back to her sister.

  This is your fault. Adie hated the thought once it appeared. But part of her felt that something about it sounded right. “What did the Sight say to you?”

  Aura looked away from her sister’s gaze. “It whispered softly. We both heard it say, ‘Vow now, sayeth aye.’ Felipe thinks the Wicked Willow is behind it and—”

  “Felipe thinks?” Adie asked. “What else did you talk about while I was gone? I saw you smiling.”

  Aura walked toward her bedroom door with a disgusted look on her face. Adie grabbed her by the arm, forcing Aura to face her.

  “Am I not allowed to smile?” Aura asked, mocking Adie.

  Adie tightened her squeeze on Aura’s arm as she tried to pull away. “Just, no one has ever heard one speak before, and all of a sudden one pops up and can see us, even though it shouldn’t be able to through projection, and speaks to you?”

  “Felipe heard it, too.” Aura repeated.

  My premonition. Felipe is a . . . Why didn’t I mention that to Mother? Maybe it means something . . . “Felipe is Etoyoc. He practically lives next door to Vadim, and that may explain why he can hear it. You know what they say about the Etoyoc. They can’t be trusted.” Adie cringed inwardly at her own words.

  “What are you saying, that this is all something I’ve been planning? Listen to yourself. This makes no sense!” Aura said, breaking free from her grip and walking toward her room.

  “Mother is mad at me for lying all those years, and perhaps I could’ve stopped this attack on Hatem if I had just told the truth years ago.”

  “How? How would you have known that these were premonitions? You said yourself you had no nightmares of an attack on Hatem. How would you have fixed this? This is that Fate you speak so highly of. It was destined to happen. There’s nothing you could’ve done to fix this!”

  Adie watched her sister’s eyes suddenly soften as she walked toward her.

  “You cannot blame yourself for this.” Aura reached out for Adie’s hand. “We can’t fight like this.”

  “It’s my duty to be the strong, honest one. Mother blames me for not telling her after all these years. Lying has made me weaker, and I think—” Adie’s words stopped as Aura embraced her.

  Warm tears ran down her cheeks as she held her while she cried. They stood in the center of the room. Aura patted Adie’s back as she wept.

  “It’s okay,” Aura said softly, pulling away from the embrace and wiping Adie’s tears.

  “I’m sorry,” Adie said through hiccups. What has gotten into me? “It’s not your fault.”

  “And it’s not yours either.” Aura held her hand. “I’m not going to pretend to understand the pressure you’re under right now, so I won’t. But there was nothing you could’ve done to save them. You say it yourself all the time. This is Fate telling us where we are meant to be.”

  Adie watched her sister’s jaw clinch as she spoke the words. She never understood why they bothered Aura so much. They had always given her peace.

  “We may not have been able to prevent it, but maybe there’s something we can do to help now.”

  “What do you mean?” Adie asked, taking tissue from her bedside table and blowing her nose.

  “We need to see the projection into Hatem after Mother sends the Tribesmen. If you recognize anything that’s happening, maybe you can provide some insight.”

 
; That’s what Mother wanted. Adie tilted her head in thought. “Mother isn’t going to let me see what’s happening. She’s furious right now.”

  Aura’s lips curled into a grin.

  “No, no, no, Aura. We said we wouldn’t go sneaking around through the tunnels anymore.”

  “This isn’t just sneaking around, Adie. This is war, and you’re future Ruler of Thindoral. This is your future Minister of Affairs talking to you.” Aura pointed at herself, making sure Adie knew very well who she was in this situation. “We need to see this projection.”

  She’s right. They needed to be ahead of this. Plus, if there was something she recognized from her premonitions, she could let Mother know and possibly stop something bad from happening again.

  “Fine,” Adie said. “I think I remember how to get to the secret tunnel that’ll give us a direct view into the Council Room. They won’t be able to see us.”

  Aura looked toward the door. “What do you want to do about Samuel?”

  Adie wiped the remaining tear tracks off her cheeks and stood straight, trying not to grin. “Oh, Samuel!” she called out.

  Immediately, the door opened and Samuel greeted them.

  “We’re going to sneak through some secret tunnels in the Dome to get a look into the Council Room to see the projection of our Tribesmen at Hatem. You either come with us or . . . or duel with Aura and risk being locked in our bathroom.”

  Samuel’s eyes widened, and he laughed nervously.

  “And you know I’ll win.” Aura raised a brow to Samuel.

  15

  Aura

  Aura couldn’t ignore the panic feeling building in her gut. Why am I so nervous?

  “This is a bad idea,” Samuel said as they snuck down the hallway.

  They had reached the end of their chamber hall, and Aura peaked around the corner.

  “Two Guards making their way east. If we hurry now, we’ll pass them.” She motioned for Adie and Samuel to follow her across the hall. They made their way a little farther, avoiding detection.

  “Where’s this entrance into the tunnels?” Samuel asked.

  “We’re almost there.” Aura said, holding her hand up to quiet him. Maybe if I used Thora’s Fae dust before we left I could’ve shut his mouth permanently. She smiled to herself at the thought.

  They reached another corner, and Aura glanced over. Her heart leapt as though it was going to burst from her chest when she saw Felipe making his way toward them. She whipped back around.

  “What’s wrong?” Adie asked.

  Aura looked at her with eyes wide. “Felipe,” she mouthed.

  “What?” Adie whispered.

  “Felipe.” Aura mouthed again. I haven’t told Adie what happened with him. She remembered the tingling in her fingertips when he touched her hand.

  Adie shook her head in frustration. “I don’t know what you’re saying. Why don’t you—”

  “Shhh!” Aura begged. He’s going to come around the corner any second.

  She turned toward the edge of the hall to greet him just as he rounded, bumping into him. Aura stumbled and he reached out, holding her shoulder to steady her.

  “Oh, hey, Felipe,” Aura said. Be normal. Be normal.

  They stepped away from each other, and Aura felt the warming of her cheeks.

  Adie gasped and peered around the corner for any other Guards.

  Aura eyed him. “What are you doing in this area . . . of the Dome?” she asked.

  “My room is over there.” Felipe pointed.

  Of course it is. Aura tried to smile.

  “They’ve sent out a mandatory curfew, telling everyone to remain in their chambers.” Felipe looked to Samuel.

  “We’re . . . we’re just on our way to umm . . .” Aura looked at Adie as her brow furrowed. Aura cleared her throat. Just tell him the truth. “We’re about to head into some secret tunnels to catch a glimpse of what’s happening in Hatem so that Adie may be able to provide our mother with some information since she’s got the power of premonitions from the Rokis.”

  Samuel’s mouth fell open, and Adie stared speechless at Aura.

  “What? He’s going to be on Adie’s Council.” She shrugged and headed down the hall.

  “I want to view this projection,” Felipe shouted.

  “I’m afraid that’s not an option for you,” Samuel responded, turning back to look at Felipe.

  Aura flinched. Why is he acting this way toward him?

  Felipe raised his arms, pointing at Aura. “Well, as she said, I will be on the future Council, representing Nitari. They have no actual representation at this time, and I felt it would be good to introduce myself and give any expertise I could since I share a border with Vadim.”

  Aura looked to Adie, who did her best to beg with her eyes. Read my mind. Read my mind. Say he can come.

  “Felipe comes with us.” Adie said hesitantly.

  Aura detected guilt in her voice.

  Samuel frowned but nodded as Adie motioned for them to continue.

  They made their way down two more halls until they reached a dead end, and Adie ran her fingers along the etchings in the walls as they came together. She pressed both palms against the wall, turning her right hand at a sharp angle before stepping away.

  “Where’s the door?” Samuel asked, and Aura pointed in front of them.

  “That’s a wall . . .” Felipe looked at her quizzically. “There’s no door here.”

  Aura smiled at him. “There is, but most don’t know about it. Watch.”

  The designs danced along the wall, slowly merging to form a door.

  “How did you do that?” Samuel asked.

  “We didn’t. We just found it one day after following a few of the etchings in the walls. This one leads into a larger tunnel with openings to most of the rooms in the Dome,” Adie said.

  “Most?” Felipe asked.

  Samuel eyed him.

  “Come on. We don’t have time to discuss. Just follow.” Aura pushed open the door, and they walked into the shadowy opening that presented itself.

  Adie grabbed Samuel’s hand, who grudgingly grabbed Aura’s, and Aura reached for Felipe’s as the door closed behind them. Felipe’s thumb brushed against the top of her hand. Her cheeks flushed as the hair on her arms stood on end. She was thankful they were in the dark so he couldn’t see her reaction.

  They followed closely behind one another, hand in hand, with Adie leading the way.

  “I hope you know where you’re going,” Samuel said to her.

  “You’d be surprised what Aura and I used to do years ago. We know these tunnels by heart,” Adie replied. “Your eyes will adjust soon.”

  Aura smirked, remembering how they used to drive Michael crazy, disappearing suddenly around corners.

  “Normally, we do bring a lantern with us, but this was a little impromptu. As we reach certain rooms, you can see the light through the walls. It will brighten up soon,” Aura said.

  They continued, and a beam appeared on their right.

  “Over there!” Samuel said.

  “Yes. Now be quiet. That’s not the room we want. That’s my mother’s chambers.” Aura motioned him with her head to keep following Adie.

  The light coming from the cracks of the wall welcomed them, and Aura noticed a look on Samuel’s face she hadn’t seen before.

  “Samuel, are you okay?”

  “Let’s just say, if we get caught, this wasn’t my idea and I didn’t condone this,” he replied. “You’re both my responsibility right now, and if my father knew I had—”

  “We won’t get caught,” Adie assured him.

  Just ahead, they noticed the dim light of a door frame against the wall. It was enough to show them a pathway, and they released hands.

  “We’re coming up on the Council Room,” Aura whispered as she put her finger to her lips to stress to the group to keep quiet.

  “How do we see in?” Felipe whispered.

  “Shh!” Aura begged before
waving her hand across the blackness on the wall that the line of light surrounded. It cleared away where her hand had touched, like sand, showing a clear line of sight directly into the Council Room.

  “They can’t see us, but they can hear us.” Aura put her hand to her mouth to motion for them to be quiet.

  Felipe moved closer to Aura, and she could feel his breath on her shoulders as they peered through the opening she had created. His hand slipped into hers. The fluttering returned in her stomach as she tried to focus on her mother pacing the Council Room.

  Father is about to go into battle, and all I can think about is Felipe holding my hand? She shook her head, trying to remove Felipe from her mind, and silently prayed to Fate for her father’s safe return.

  16

  Ambrielle

  Ambrielle replayed the past few days’ events in her mind. How did we get to this point? What am I missing? The Rokis softly pulsated against her chest, comforting her. They had the Rokis, and with it they could defeat anything.

  Two groups of Tribesmen from Giriveen gathered in the Council Room, preparing for her to send them to Hatem. She glanced over to Gossamer, who fumbled with his hands as he watched the Tribesmen assemble into formation.

  She placed her hands on her brother’s. “We have Fate on our side.” She repeated the Sandman’s words, hoping they assured him.

  His blue eyes looked at her, swirling with brown. “You’re right. Just something Tut said is lingering in my mind.”

  “Tut is good at doing that.” Ambrielle stood, motioning to Nemiah. “Are they ready?” Her heart wavered as she watched him. He will come back alive.

  He nodded. “All other regions have reported on the Communications Globe to be in formation. Ologpha has mentioned that they have ships headed west to meet us with reinforcements.”