Page 133 of Forsaken Secrets

53

Kaiya

"Little thief," Lynk said, voice gentle.

I stared at him, those silver eyes tight and lips pressed together.

No. No. He wouldn't do this. Perhaps he was undercover and trying to save me?

Surely that was it.

Then he was pulling me forward, exposing my back, and I had to face the truth. Lynk had betrayed us. Betrayed me.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't supposed to happen this way," he whispered as a sharp fiery pain traced the length of my lower back. I arched away from him and cried out against the gag, eyes burning as my tears came faster.

Why was he doing this? Had he been using me this whole time for some sick ritual with Ellingsworth? The conversation from the forest replayed back in my brain.

He'd accused me of lying to myself, of not trying hard enough!

Was any of it true?

The lies twisted around my heart like thorns, stabbing and shredding worse than any physical pain he could deal. My ears rang, and my body was numb.

I felt nothing as he continued doing whatever he was to my back.

A side effect of his magic? The drugs Ellingsworth had given me? Or the reaction of my brain to his betrayal?

I didn't really care. I just wanted to be done with this.

Finally, he stood up, holding a small, black shard in his hand. The piece was gone before I could study it much, but it looked like a splinter … a porous, black, stone splinter.

"It's gone. She's whole." He shot one more look at me, then stepped back.

That had been inside me? Why? Who’d put it there? How did he know about it?

Questions bombarded my brain, and I desperately tried to get the gag out of my mouth, to scream, to demand some answers … but it was stuck firmly.

"Miss Maderoth. Dear. It won't do to struggle." Lord Ellingsworth's voice was calm, as though he hadn't just watched a man rip a piece of stone from a girl's back. "I know it hurts, but honestly, he's done you a great favor. Someone thought to dampen your power, to keep your true self from you. He has freed you from that! Touch the korra realm now and you'll see what I mean."

Wha — is that what Lynk meant by whole?

I wanted to refuse them out of spite, but the image of Aunt Grace smiling and telling me we could do this together rose unbidden in my mind.

It was up to me to save her. I'd do whatever it took.

So I closed my eyes and reached out. Further, then further still. Where was the usual resistance?

Suddenly everything started spinning and instead of seeing a couple korras, hundreds of them surrounded me.

Bright korras shone everywhere, different colors, different intensities … some twirled quickly, while others were more sinuous.

It was beautiful. And completely overwhelming.

I tried to pick out someone familiar, but there were too many! The more I looked, the more lost I felt.

It was like a flood of korras, and I was just a small stick being washed away.

"Miss Maderoth."That voice … Lord Ellingsworth? Finally! Something familiar. Desperately, I grasped onto it and pulled until I found myself again.

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