Despite my swollen knee screaming in protest, I force myself to walk evenly. By the time I made it back onto Loot Alley, late afternoon had cast the street in a warm glow. I always enjoyed it down here. There’s nothing regal about the slums of Ilya, and yet, it’s refreshing in a way the stuffy palace never could be.
My eyes sweep back and forth as I weave through the throng of people bartering, cursing, and shopping. I allow myself a moment to take in the sights and smells of Loot—neither of which very pleasant. Everything down here is dull, leeched of color. The banners, the food, the people. By midday, the street always smells of sweaty bodies and questionable food.
But despite it all, Loot is buzzing with life.
The crowd pushes and pulls me in different directions like a human current, and I fight to escape the wave of people. I finally break free to head down a smaller, less crowded alley where homeless crouch against walls, some begging for money while others use their powers to entertain themselves. Though the slums are mostly home to the Mundanes, I spot the occasional Defensive Elite sprinkled among them. The purple glow of forcefields engulfing a few catch my eye, as well as a Shimmer manipulating the light around him into a darting beam, occupying both himself and a stray cat.
I keep walking as I look around, paying no attention to the path before me.
And apparently, neither was the person who slams into my chest with a grunt.
Instinctively, I reach out to steady the individual before they fall over from the impact, my arms wrapping around their waist. Her waist. The body I’m holding undoubtedly belongs to a female, though the mass of long silver hair brushing against my arms is proof enough.
She’s small but strong, leaner than most of the scrawny girls from the slums. I can feel it in the curve of her waist where my hand fits comfortably, though it’s evident that malnourishment stripped her of most of the muscle she evidently once had.
Her palm is pressed to my chest where a thick ring hugs her thumb, and after a few seconds of studying her while she attempts to steady herself, she heaves a shaky breath before meeting my gaze.
It’s like drowning in the ocean.
Her eyes are the color of the Shallows Sea deepest corner, a clear sky as it begins to drift into night, the subtle shade of a forget-me-not. And like the hottest flame, her eyes are blue and full of fire. Her high cheekbones lead up to equally strong, dark brows, now slightly raised as she takes me in.
Her ocean eyes widen, and I watch a faint flush rise to her cheeks when she realizes how closely I’m still holding her against me. She drops her hand from my chest and, like the gentleman I am, I slide my hands from her waist with a smile tugging at my lips.
“Do you always fall into the arms of handsome strangers, or is this a new thing for you?” I say, watching as a smirk that could rival my own lifts her lips despite the bottom one being split open.
Interesting.
“No,” she answers, sarcasm dripping from her every word, “only the cocky ones.” She holds herself with a certain confidence that tells me there was once a time when she did not. And just like that, I am suddenly, annoyingly intrigued.
She clearly has no idea who I am. Perfect.
I laugh at her remark and run a hand through my hair, doing little to tame it. She watches me closely, intensely, seeming to be just as interested with me as I am with her.
I drown in her blue eyes. Every time our gazes meet it’s like ice meeting the hottest fire, like gray mist rising on the deep blue ocean. I look away briefly before saying, “Well, looks like I’ve made quite the first impression then.”
“Yes, though I still haven’t decided if it was a good or bad one yet.” Her lips twitch into a slight smile, the type that makes a man’s head turn just to get another glimpse of it in the hopes it was meant for him. And that small, precise gesture alone tells me I’m not the first she’s practiced it on.
My hands stray to my pockets, and I shrug indifferently as I lean against the grimy alley wall. “I caught you, didn’t I?”
She laughs, the sound warm yet sharp. Playful yet pained, as though happiness isn’t habitual for her. Her head tips back slightly, silver waves falling nearly to her waist as she looks up at me, eyes crinkled with laughter.
I lean in slightly, daring to close some of the distance between us as. “Maybe you should consider that detail before you decide, darling.”
And with that, I’m suddenly curious, suddenly wondering what power she possesses. So I reach out to her ability with my own.
Nothing. I feel nothing.
I study her face as I try again and again to sense her power. Normally, this would be the part where I either throw the girl over my shoulder and carry her to the dungeons to be further examined, or I simply kill her on the spot due to the mere suspicion of her being an Ordinary.
And yet, I don’t move.
You’re tired. Injured. It could be a mistake.
Before I have time to decide her fate, she takes a step back towards the crowded alley. “I’ll keep it under consideration, darling.” She gives me a small smile, holding my gaze while continuing to back away. “And thank you for saving me from eating cobblestone. I seem to be cursed with clumsiness.”
“Well, your clumsiness found me, so I’d hardly call it a curse.” My grin only grows when she rolls her eyes at me before spinning on her heel and heading back towards Loot. I finally allow myself to skim my eyes over her, taking in the fitted black pants and olive vest currently covered by silver hair. Nothing about the way she walks gives me the impression that she sleeps on the streets, though her ragged clothes and busted bottom lip tell me otherwise.
I run a hand over my face, realizing I’ve been staring after her for far too long. So, I turn and begin heading down another small alley, now quiet in the setting sunlight, my thoughts occupied with the fact that I may have just let an Ordinary walk free.
But I’m not distracted enough to miss the four large shadows rising up on the alley wall beside me. “Listen,” says a gravelly voice belonging to one of the men behind me. “All we want is that pretty pouch of coins on your belt. Hand it over, and no one needs to get hurt.”
I huff out a sigh, pressing the heels of my palms into my eyes.
This day just keeps getting better and better.
And that’s when I feel it.
With my attention finally on the coin pouch at my side, I suddenly notice how much lighter it feels than before—
Before her.
Why that little—
A shadow shifts on the wall, lurching towards me. I spin around, ducking under the man’s punch before landing one of my own to his stomach. With a grunt, he doubles over coughing while I take in the others.
Two Brawnies, a Blazer, and a Crawler.
Only the most desperate Defensive and Offensive Elites find their way to the slums to beat down beggars for the few coins they have. With that in mind, I let the Blazer’s power seep into me, let the flames flick over my fists.
Another Brawny comes charging at me with a smile.
They’re always so cocky. And that’s coming from me.
I crouch low right before he collides with me, his momentum sending him rolling over my back to land hard on the cobblestone. My flaming fist connects with his jaw and the sickening stench of burned flesh stings my nose.
I look up to see the Crawler scaling up the wall, intending to drop on top of me and pin my body to the ground. As he leaps from where he clings to bricks, I drop the Blazer’s power and take on the Brawny’s. My now supernaturally strong fist meets the Crawler’s stomach in midair, and he’s thrown backward against the wall before falling to the ground with a thud.
The Blazer stalks towards me, his mouth curled into a snarl.
He chucks a ball of fire in my direction, and I leap to the side to avoid it—not quickly enough. I curse colorfully as fire scorches the outside of my bicep, burning my flesh and slowing me with the pain.
My mind is racing nearly as fast as my heart. I can’t get close to him when he’s forcing me to play defense and dodge his fire, but I know if I start throwing it back, we’ll most definitely burn a street down.
I am not in the mood for this.
I let the Crawler’s power quite literally crawl to the surface before grabbing hold of it. Dodging balls of fire as I go, I run up the side of the alley wall and along the building until I’m parallel with him. In one swift movement, I leap from the wall, tackling him to the ground before quickly switching powers to raise a flaming fist at his face.
“Y-you’re Prince Kai,” he stammers. “The … the future Enforcer.” Being so close, he’s finally recognized me and my ability, now clearly regretting his decision to jump the prince.
“Unfortunately for you, I am.” I cock back my blazing fist and—
A piercing pain cuts through my skull like a dull knife.
The Blazer’s power flickers out, and I’m unable to do anything but clutch my pounding head, panting from the pain. I’ve grown very familiar with torture over the years, but this is like nothing I’ve ever endured.
Through the haze of agony clouding my vision, I see a tall figure step into the alley. His hand is raised towards me, face grim, thin lips pulled downward in a scowl.
Silencer.
Impossible.
My thoughts scatter, leaving nothing but pain to ponder.
The Silencer smothers my power. Smothers me. They can do more than just strip you of your ability, making you no more than an Ordinary. He’s incapacitating me. My mind, my ability, my body.
My vision goes blurry, spots swimming before my eyes.
Fight it.
I can’t. I’m going to pass out. Die. Both. And there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
Fight. It.
I slump to the ground, my head slamming against the stones.
If Father could see me now…
I’m fading fast. Even with all my training, I’ve never felt so weak, so powerless, so out of control. I take one last look at the man leaching me of my strength. I hadn’t realized we’d drawn a small crowd until I see faces swimming in my vision.
They have no idea who I am.
An unsuspecting audience to watch me drift into darkness.
Or worse, maybe they do know who I am. Maybe they’re celebrating at the sight of the monster finally being put down, put out of his misery.
And then something catches my eye.
I blink away the blurriness long enough to see something glint in the light behind the Silencer—the sun reflecting off a mass of silver hair.
