Page 19 of Siriarna

Did I do that on purpose? Yes, I suppose I did.

“Is that Siriarna next to you? Are you inherroom?” she accuses, evidently overhearing my not-so-accidental groan.

Roman jumps off my bed and rushes from my room, mouthing a wordless goodbye. Through my now closed door, I remain privy to Alexandraya’s screeching tones. And my lips make an involuntary curl upwards.

Chapter11

Siriarna

Winter Solstice has arrived. And, the time has come for our group to perform the mission we were sent to this realm to complete. As midnight strikes, we embark upon our journey to the power station, the remaining communication vials around our necks. Roman gives my hand a quick squeeze before joining Alexandraya at the head of the group to light our way.

We follow the same protocol used the last time we were here—through the power station to the maintenance shaft and to the tunnel that leads directly to the base of the falls. This time, I have no hesitation climbing down the ladder.Thank you, Braxton.

As a precautionary measure, Leister and Sage remain positioned at the top of the waterfall to circumvent any possible arising issues. On cue, a mirrored orb appears in Alexandraya’s hand and Leister confirms the area is clear.

“Okay, let’s get this done,” says Alexandraya brimming with positive enthusiasm.

Julius moves forward, chants, and points his blue-stained finger to the cascading waterfall stopping the mighty flow mid-stream. Then he and Brooklyn raise the entire watery contents of the whirlpool above the earth. It is impressive to see how fartheir powers have come since the Propensity Selections.

Alexandraya tries to use a light shard to slice open the earth and tunnel it toward the core. However, it does not penetrate the exposed exterior.

“We can’t hold this volume of water much longer,” utters Julius in a deeply strained voice.

“I’ll slow down Time as much as I can without stopping it,” Braxton says, jumping in with a chant. Ribbons of Time appear in his left palm. He selects the string relating to the Surface Word and expertly twists it between his right thumb and fingers.

“Help me Roman,” Alexandraya says urgently.

“If I do that Alexandraya, we will lose all light, and no one will be able to see a thing.”

I throw a suggestion into the conversation, “What if we use an electrical current to try and create a fault line?”

Alexandraya’s eyes narrow into slits, her lips purse and she shoots a hostile glare in my direction. But she knows this is a good idea and soon concedes. “Mykos should be the one to do it. His skills are far superior to yours Siriarna and we can’t take the chance that you won’t stuff it up. This is not a classroom experiment.”

Without hesitation and with his chest puffed out from Alexandraya’s praise, Mykos steps forward. He chants and points his purple finger at the ground under the suspended water. It doesn’t work. He tries again but, still, he cannot penetrate the stubborn ground. “I think I see movement,” he says optimistically.

Yeah, I don’t think so.

“Hey Siriarna, I think you should try,” pipes up Roman, making eye contact and giving me his standard wink.

I’m questioning if his faith in me is severely misplaced. But after the one-on-one time we shared in my room, I need to show him I can do it. For my own pride.

Mykos glares at me, eyes narrowed with haughty scepticism. The doubt creeps in.

“Guys. Seriously. We can’t hold this water much longer.” Julius says, straining under the enormous pressure.

Brooklyn’s eyes are closed while she concentrates all her Propensity strength on the task. The sweat dripping down her forehead, the only giveaway of her struggle.

“Give it a try Siriarna, work with Mykos and create the fault line.” Roman encourages.

“Are you insane Roman? She is as useless as mortal right now. Everything she does is sub-standard. She can barely use her skills. She’s only here because Simeon felt sorry for her. She should never have been part of this mission.” Alexandraya spits out the words with pure hatred.

At the insult, a flash of anger burns behind my eyes, begging to be released. Way too pent up to try and rein in the building force, I direct my gaze to the location where Alexandraya is unsuccessfully working her light shard. A crack immediately appears. Slow at first but gathering momentum, catapulting its way directly to the Earth’s centre.

“I did it,” rejoices Alexandraya, hugging her body in self-congratulation.

I’m dumbfounded. Does she really thinksheopened the fault line? Seriously? But from the way she is gloating, it’s obvious she does. I did not use a chant nor point my finger to the split point. I used my mind, and no one witnessed it.

As soon as the crack reaches the core, the problem is exposed. A blindingly bright, gooey liquid is slowly leaking and rising, heading straight for the surface. Henry steps forward using his magic to shroud the liquid with a shot of darkness, enough so we can comfortably see the issue.

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