Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,6
“She’s working as a double agent, isn’t she?”
“Well, yes, but the information she’s been giving to the Neo Gods is mostly harmless to us. However, we know now that there’s dissent among their ranks, and that’s something that can greatly benefit us.”
“Rufio was right. She isn’t working for his father.”
“No. But it seems the son of a bitch who has her on a leash is far worse than that Kent asshole,” Soren spits out.
“You said you felt something in the alley,” Mr. Silverstone continues. “You believe Andromeda was marked by a demigod?”
I swivel on my chair to glance at her. My gaze drops to her hand, but what I’m searching for can’t be seen by the naked eye. The demigod signature is there, underneath her skin, almost dormant. Normally, I shouldn’t be able to sense it, like I couldn’t sense the mark Phoenix’s disgrace of a father used to control him. Why can I sense Andromeda’s when it’s not even active?
She stirs in her sleep, and her eyelids begin to tremble. Her eyebrows furrow, but she doesn’t wake up. Instead, she begins to move restlessly on the couch, turning her head from side to side as if she’s having a nightmare.
“What’s happening to her?” I ask.
Mr. Silverstone stands and walks over to the couch. “I don’t know.”
Andromeda reaches for her right hand, letting out a screech of pain. The mark of the demigod flares up in an instant, becoming a hot beacon of energy to me. It’s probably still invisible to everyone else though. Her noises become louder and laced with agony. Mr. Silverstone drops next to her and tries to wake her by shaking her gently.
Soren jumps from the chair, body tense as he watches the scene unfold. A cloak of uneasiness has wrapped around him. I can sense it without even looking in his direction. I’m not sure why I can tune into the emotions in the room like that. It’s never been one of my abilities. But I push those details to the background. The longer I watch Andromeda struggle, the surer I am that I know the identity of the demigod who marked her. His signature feels familiar somehow.
“Move aside,” I say as I walk over to the couch.
Mr. Silverstone glances at me with eyes that are rounder than before. His surprise is obvious, but at least he doesn’t offer resistance and moves away from the girl.
I take his spot, crouching as well, and then grab Andromeda’s hand. I’m not surprised that her skin is burning up. My guess is that’s exactly what she must be feeling right now—like her hand is on fire. I close my eyes, blocking out all external sounds so I can focus on the energy emanating from her mark.
I sense the will of the mark’s creator, strong and malicious. I try to block it, stop the pain it’s inflicting on Andromeda, but the harder I try, the further I’m sucked into the dark chasm of the mark’s power. I can’t let it trap me in that void. I unleash my shadows, letting them envelop my body in a protective barrier. I sense the antagonizing energy diminish, but before it vanishes completely, I hear the sound of wicked laughter in my head. It makes my skin crawl. I’m still holding Andromeda’s hand when the laughter ceases, but a voice speaks in my mind.
“Hello, brother.”
My eyes fly open, and I let go of Andromeda’s hand. Immediately, bile pools in my mouth while my stomach clenches painfully. I drop onto my ass, breathing hard as I try to grapple with what just happened.
“Are you okay, dude?” Soren asks.
I don’t answer right away, and while I attempt to recover my voice, Andromeda opens her eyes and glances at me. Her eyes are unseeing, and yet I can still feel the weight of her stare.
“You stopped him,” she whispers.
“I’m not sure what I did.”
“Stopped who?” Soren looks from me to her.
“The Neo God who controls me.” She sits up.
I get back on my feet, still jittery from the battle I waged in the nether. “Did you know who he was when you pledged your life to him?”
“Do you mean did I know he was a Neo God?”
“No. Did you know he was a demigod?”
The blood drains from Andromeda’s face, turning her complexion even paler than before. “Nathaniel is a demigod?”
“If that’s his name, then yes, he’s a demigod.”
Her shoulders sag forward. “Now everything makes sense. No wonder he wasn’t worried about Daisy using her Unmaker powers