Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,109

the link. When their powers unite, they’ll forget who they are. They’ll turn into pure energy for a moment, dangerous and unstable. They’ll need a tether, a reminder of their humanity, a heart. That’s Phoenix.”

“What about Rufio?”

“Isn’t it obvious, son? Rufio, the Idol born with the power of destruction, now an empty shell. He’s the vessel. He’s the God-killer.”

42

Morpheus

“How can Rufio become the God-killer?”

“Don’t ask me, son. But whatever the Fates decide, it will pass, no matter how crazy it is.”

My heart becomes tight all of a sudden. I press a closed fist against my chest, trying to massage the phantom pain away. Cold dread licks the back of my neck, and then I see the vision of the beach. It’s swarmed by were-worms, Chaos’s preferred beasts, and they’re attacking my family.

“No!”

“You’ve seen them too. They need your help, son.”

“I can’t help them if I can’t reconnect with my powers,” I shout, frustrated.

“You can break free from the shackles Chaos put on you like I did. Have faith, Morpheus. It’s your destiny.”

I point a finger at his face, shaking with anger. “Don’t fucking talk about destiny to me. I don’t want to hear another word.”

Erebus’s eyes flash bright orange while the shadows gather around his frame. “Sticking your head in the sand is not going to solve your problems.”

“The boy is weak,” Chaos’s disembodied voice echoes in the forest. “That’s what you get from procreating with scum.”

“My mother is not scum. You’re the disease in this world.”

Chaos laughs. “Your insults mean nothing to me. You’ll never be able to save your loved ones. Just take a seat and enjoy while I obliterate them one by one.”

The image of Rosie running straight to one of his monsters and then being devoured by it fills my mouth with bile. That’s the blood spilled that Erebus mentioned. Motherfucker. My heart aches for Daisy, knowing how hard she fought to protect her sister. Chaos needs to be stopped.

The wrath swirling in the pit of my stomach erupts like a volcano, taking over my entire being. I hear a distinct snap inside my core. The block Chaos placed around my powers broke, and my gift is unleashed. My roar echoes in the jungle, raw and savage, before I become the dark.

PHOENIX

I’ve just torn a giant worm in two using telekinesis when I hear Daisy’s war cry. Rufio, Mrs. Malek, and Renata are surrounded by the monsters, and Rufio is their only line of defense. Fuck. He doesn’t lack gumption, only the means to fight them.

From the corner of my eye, I catch Toby having trouble with a worm of his own. He’s found a broken tree trunk that he’s using as a club. But I can tell he’s running out of steam. I can get him out of danger and then run to assist Daisy and Rufio, but then Xavier joins Toby, and together they impale the beast.

A blur zooms across the white sand, piercing through the worm that was flanking Renata and Mrs. Malek from the left. Soren erupts from the other side of the beast, covered in gore. Savage. My appreciation for the Silverstone grows.

Daisy is still in trouble though. I run at breakneck speed toward her. She’s slowed the worms’ advance, but not by much. They seem to be partially immune to her gift. Damn it. Following Toby’s example, I acquire a piece of wood, but mine comes straight from the jungle. Drawing the tree to me takes more effort than normal. It seems everything is much harder here. Chaos is not fucking around. But neither am I.

The tree becomes a spear in my hand. I leap over the closest worm and shove my improvised weapon into the back of its ugly head. It jerks with a roar, sending me off its back. It squirms violently as it dies, and I almost get hit by its tail. I roll off to avoid a deadly blow, then jump back to my feet, ready to face another monster. But just then, the tattoo between my shoulder blades begins to burn. The pain is excruciating, debilitating.

In the distance, I hear Bryce holler as he drops to his knees. Heavy rain falls down on us and then come the fucking lightning bolts, striking the beach in rapid succession. Eventually, it’ll hit one of us. Fuck.

No sooner do I think that than one falls right where Rufio was standing. It misses him when a shadow pushes him off.

Morpheus!

No, that’s not him. It’s Erebus. He reaches for Daisy