the door. “We can continue this later. There are things we need to discuss.”
Folding my knife, I put it back inside my pocket and give one last look at the tortured souls before I exit the room. Draven waits for me just outside the door and, when I am standing next to him, he removes a long key from his pocket and locks the door behind us, tucking the key back inside his pocket.
He departs towards the wooden staircase that leads to the main floor and I follow behind him. The staircase is old and slightly sways under the pressure of our weight as we make our way up it.
Draven opens the door at the top of the stairs and the light from the hallway greets our eyes, causing me to blink. I follow him down the long hall towards his office. He ushers me to take a seat as he strolls over to the desk and takes a seat in his large leather chair.
“I have no doubt that you will be able to handle the Lost Souls, Alex. You are more than capable. We need to recruit more individuals so my—or should I say, our—army will be strong enough to overtake Helena.” He watches me, wanting a response.
“That shouldn’t be a problem. There are plenty of people walking down the nearby streets every day. We should be able to capture as many as we need—no one would even notice.” Leaning back in my chair I stretch my arms behind me and lean my head back on them.
“Unfortunately, it is not that simple.” He opens a drawer on his desk and takes out a thick book. I recognize it as the book he was reading once before—when he first brought Stasha into the room.
Flipping open the book, he searches for a page. When he finds what he is looking for he shoves the book across the desk towards me. “I want you to read the section on that page. It will explain in detail why your suggestion will not be a success for us.”
Leaning forward in my chair, I reach out to pull the book towards me. I can tell by the thick pages and elegant writing inside that it is very old and is probably something that was difficult for Draven to come by.
I glance down at the page that Draven wants me to view and skim through the words that are written upon the page. Everything becomes clear to me as I read the words and I understand Draven’s concern about finding the right people for our army.
Closing the book I slide it back across the desk. He picks it up and tucks it back inside the drawer he took it from before folding his hands in front of him as he watches me with his dark eyes.
“Do you understand now why it is imperative that we find the correct subjects for our army?” he asks me.
I nod my head. “I do. If we find people with powers such as Keepers and Witches, their strengths will be preserved in them as they become our Lost Souls. So the more powers they have, the stronger they will be for us.”
He is pleased and smiles. “That is exactly right, Alex. So I want to be sure that those that we… convert… have some kind of power. The more power they have, the more power we’ll have.”
We need power. I think I know just the person.
A slow smile creeps across my face. An Omnia is one of the most powerful people I know.
And I know right where to find one.
Chapter 32
Gemma
We land on the shore of the lake beneath the sun and are instantly blanketed by warm air.
“Thank God.” Aislin does a spin with her hands out to the sides of her, her hair blowing behind her like a cape. “It’s so good to be home.”
Home? Is that where I am? I stare at the castle at the top of the hill. Is that my home?
She stops spinning, letting her arms fall to the side, sadness filling her expression. “I just wish Aleesa could have been with us… she didn’t even really get a life, you know.”
“I know.” I have an urge to hug her, but, being an awkward hugger, I keep my arms to my side.
However, she hugs me, throwing her arms around me and gripping tight. It’s awkward, but not as much as it used to be for me. When she pulls away, she’s smiling and looking like her