"You're not a monster, Lila," Elon replied.
But her eyes had glazed over, her expression tightening in fear. She seemed to being seeing past them, even past this room. "I–I can't control it."
Carissa found herself equally terrified and fascinated as the waves of light seemed to bleed on Lila's skin, intersecting and meshing together.
Elon didn't seem nonplussed in the slightest, though his brows were crumpled in sympathy. "It's alright, Lila."
Her laughter was brittle, the sound far too dark to be coming from a child. "It's alright? I'm about to destroy you."
Elon shook his head. "I have a power that protects me, remember?"
She shrugged. "Then if I don't destroy you now, I'm going to destroy someone else later." Her gaze speared Carissa, her blue eyes colder than ice. "You should kill me like you killed Zorelle."
Carissa's chest cramped with pain at Lila's words. "I'm not going to do that. Zorelle was a monster. You are not."
Lila opened her mouth, likely to retort, but Elon placed a hand against the side of her face, and she stopped.
Elon remained silent for a few seconds, simply cupping her cheek as the lights above them sputtered. "Lila, who do you love?"
"Love?" She clenched her jaw. "I've destroyed everyone I love."
"Who?"
The air in the room grew thicker, hotter, and the lights flared. Carissa considered telling Elon that perhaps he ought to stop his line of inquiry.
Lila swallowed tightly. "My parents. My grandmother. My friends. They're dead now—because of me."
"Who else do you love, Lila?"
The flames in the chandelier shrunk slightly, the air cooling.
Lila wrapped her arms around her bruised knees. "I loved the gardener. And Aleck." Her gaze flicked up to them. "And... I think I love both of you too."
The light in the room died, until it was as dim as when they'd entered.
A smile blossomed across Elon's expression. "Perfect, Lila. Well done."
She lifted her head. "What did I do?"
"You controlled your powers—instead of them controlling you." His thumb brushed across her cheek before he lowered his hand. "You have a lot of fear, Lila, and there's only one way to overcome fear."
"With courage?"
"Close. Where does courage come from?" Her nose scrunched in confusion, and when her answer wasn't forthcoming, Elon said, "It comes from love. Remember that." Elon helped Lila to her feet, and when she swayed, he clasped her shoulders. "Would you like me to carry you?"
She nodded, and Elon swept her up in his arms and began walking towards the doors.
Carissa quickened her strides to keep up with him. "Now what?"
Elon glanced at her. "Now we destroy the Nephesh and find the rest of our group."
***
The Nephesh glowed, painting the walls in a haunting purple color. It rose out of the stone floor in spikes, the edges of which looked sharp enough to draw blood. But more notable than its appearance was its feel. It emanated cold, bathing her skin in icy air, and the closer she got to it, the colder she grew. Carissa reached out to touch it, but Elon grabbed her wrist and tugged her backwards.
"You might not want to do that."
Carissa's gaze slid away from the Nephesh to Elon. "Why not?"
"The Nephesh reacts with the gifting, and because you have some of my gifting, it would burn you."
Was this what they had put in Elon's manacles that burnt him? And in Lila's collar? "Then how do we destroy it?"
Elon tapped the hilt of his sword—which he'd found when they'd had a quick stop at the armory. They'd also taken a coil of rope, though he hadn't told them what it was for yet. "These weapons are special; they can channel the gifting through the blade and shatter the Nephesh like glass." He gestured to the stone. "I destroyed the Nephesh last time. Why don't you use your dagger to try it this time?"
Carissa smoothed her thumb over the bejeweled pommel of her dagger and withdrew it. She edged closer to the gem, being mindful not to touch it, and raised her dagger. She swung it down before plunging it into the gem.
Before she could fully drive her dagger in, it exploded, flecks of shimmering purple scattering over the ground. The purple light in the room dimmed as the flecks lost their glow.
Carissa would have stared at the dead shards of crystal for a few seconds more if not for the explosion of noise down the hallway.
"And that would be our cue to leave." Elon strode over to a window and gestured for Carissa and Lila to follow.
He loosed the coil of rope from his belt and began knotting it. Carissa realized it was a harness and began removing her plates of armor so the harness could better fit her. Elon gestured her forward, and she placed her legs through the two loops he'd indicated.
He tightened the rope around her waist and tugged a few times to ensure it was secure. "You'll rappel down first. Then I'll send Lila down, and you'll catch her."
Elon rose, and Carissa placed her hand on his chest. "And what about you?"
His eyes crinkled in a smile. "Perhaps I'll get one of the Reapers to assist me." Before she could demand a sincere answer, he nudged her towards the window. "There's not much time left, Carissa. Go, and I'll lower you down."
Carissa swallowed her protest and approached the window. The sheer distance between the ledge and the ground was enough to make her palms sweat and her head feel light.
Elon gripped her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "Keep facing me as you go out the window, feet first. You can cling to the ledge." He squeezed her shoulders before releasing her. "You'll be alright. I won't let you fall."
She drew a fortifying breath and began to back out the window, trying not to think of what she was doing. She laid on the ledge with her stomach, her legs dangling out the window. Elon loosened his grip on the rope, trying to lower her, but she still clung to the windowsill.
"You can let go, Carissa. I have you."
She pried her hands away from the edge and folded them against her chest lest she be tempted to cling to the windowsill again. As Elon lowered her, she made the mistake of glancing down. If the rope were to snap from this height, she would spend a split-second falling, air whipping past her, and her journey would end in an eruption of pain and crunching bones.
Carissa forced her gaze back to the wall and pressed a hand over where her heart thrashed wildly. Elon would keep her safe. She would survive this.
When she next glanced down, she was relieved to see that at worst if she fell from this height, she'd have a concussion, perhaps a broken leg.
And then her feet met the ground. Carissa loosened the harness and stepped out of the holes. As soon as she'd relieved the rope of her weight, it flew back up the wall, disappearing into the window.
Lila appeared next, the rope tight around her waist and legs. The girl was trembling so hard that the entire length of the rope vibrated. Someone shouted from the window, and the rope jerked, making Lila sway. Was Elon fighting someone?
Lila clung to the rope above the harness tightly, appearing too frightened to move. When she was within reach, Carissa caught her, set her on the ground, and untied the rope harness.
But this time, the rope didn't zip back up to the window. It swayed where it was, a half foot above the ground. Carissa swallowed thickly and stepped back a few paces before craning her neck to glance up at the window.
Where was Elon?
***
Author's Note: Say "aye" if you want to find out what happens to Elon!
Alright, for everyone who said "aye", you're in luck. The sneak peek will tell you exactly what happens to Elon, and as usual, you can find it as a link in my profile ;)