Chapter 11: Confessions

“No, no, it’s OK! Just keep trying. Focus hard on the color of my eyes.”

I laughed silently to myself. How could I not focus on the color of her eyes? It was like asking me to remember to breathe. Nonetheless, I focused even more intently on the breathtaking green of her eyes and tried again. I pushed the light up through my eyes and willed it to bend, watching her expression for signs of improvement.

“They’re turning yellow, keep trying!” she said encouragingly as she gripped my shoulder.

I redoubled my effort, becoming entranced by the shade of her eyes. Turn green. Turn green! Turn…

“Gray, they’re green! You did it!” She leaned in unexpectedly and kissed me, sending my senses over the edge. “Whoa, now they’re REALLY green…Gray, that’s kinda scary. Gray, calm down.”

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Chapter 10: Unexpected

…I was suddenly aware that I was still holding Krista tightly against me. I looked down and was met by her brilliant green eyes, wide and penetrating. Her face was close to mine – I could feel the gentle warmth of her breath against my cheek. The sound of my heart thumped faster in my head. Her hand reached up and grasped softly at my hair, pulling me closer. There were no thoughts, no distractions, no reservations. There was only her.

My left arm supported her, tracing the contour of her back, while my right gently cradled her head. I considered her for a moment – every line was perfect and beautiful. She smiled sweetly back at me and moved closer, closing her eyes. Our lips met and a sense of pure elation tingled through to the very tip of every nerve. What my words could never say, I etched into her heart with every moment of our passionate kiss…

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Chapter 9: Flight

Locked in Krista’s gaze, time seemed frozen.  Part of my consciousness remained aware of the tumult still churning all around me but it seemed somehow vague and distant.  All I could think of was how close I’d been to losing her and how I should have never left her alone.  I felt frail and weak [...]

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Chapter 8: Hero

The outraged cries of the pack echoed against the shaft’s walls, giving a sense that they were still behind us in pursuit.  Krista remained huddled against the front of the cart, her head buried in her arms.  Her skin was so pale it seemed almost translucent in the dull purple glow.  I knelt down beside [...]

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Chapter 7: Encounter

The dense cavern air beat against my face as the cart moved briskly down the shaft.  The cart was sturdy.  Like most things in the mines, it was constructed of the same dingy steel that formed the walls of the barracks.   It even had smaller versions of the glowing purple light strips, both inside and [...]

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Chapter 6: Hope Rekindled

If the Guard were in disarray before, it was nothing compared to what they were now.  Their captain was gone – permanently – and it showed.  Jonas had been so completely dominating in his role that I doubt any of them dared to think of who was second in command.  They glanced hastily around the [...]

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Chapter 5: Wake of the Shadow

I’d only heard stories of cloaked men like the one that had just taken Jonas, and though all accounts were unclear as to exactly who they were, everyone was certain of two things:  one, they worked for the Overseer, and two, no one who was taken by them was ever seen again.  Jonas was gone.  [...]

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Chapter 3: Unspoken

Before long, I heard the clinking of machinery and saw the familiar amethyst glow flickering in the corridor up ahead.  We formed a narrow single file as we came to a cold steel suspension bridge – the singular entrance and exit to the dig site. Below us, the darkness was thick, impenetrable; it seemed to [...]

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