Read Online Hidden Trump (Bite Back 2) by Mark Henwick - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mark Henwick
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ready.” Pia could barely speak for her urgency, pointing at Mykayla.
Bian was rapidly disentangling Mykayla from David’s semi-conscious grasp. Diana turned and swooped low over both of them.
She stood back up and shook her head. “There’s nothing, no agent of change. What are you talking about, Pia? David’s barely started crusis, his bite can’t be active yet.”
“No, no! Listen to me. You think Amber bound me. She didn’t. I know David’s not supposed to have progressed yet, but you’ve got to believe me. His behavior today was late phase crusis mania and his bite was active. He bound me to House Farrell.”
Chapter 7
No one moved for a long, breathless minute. For the first time that day, Skylur’s face registered something other than anger—he was deeply shocked. So were Diana and Bian.
Diana bent her head over Mykayla again. After a while, she came upright and shook her head. “His bite definitely isn’t active now. Maybe Bian lowered it below the key level just now.” She frowned thoughtfully. “I’ll grant you, he did seem like he was in late stage crusis mania. And for that matter, Amber shouldn’t have even been able to change his marque in the first place.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “Are you saying I’ve passed through crusis?”
“I would have said that you were pre-crusis when we met last week. Your Blood acquires its strength during crusis, and that’s what gives you the ability to change a human by bite.” She gestured to David. “Or change a marque.”
“But I didn’t bite him.”
“He drank deeply from you. After you had given him some preliminary agent of change in a kiss. Prions, if that’s what you want to call them. That might achieve the same thing.”
“But it felt like he changed me ,” I said. “Before he bit me I was almost struggling against becoming Athanate. By the time he was recovered, I...well, I can only tell you how it felt in my head, but it felt like I could bite him and make him House Farrell. That’s when I ran away.”
“A resonance between Bloods?” said Bian. She held Mykayla against her.
“No, I don’t think so.” Diana turned to Skylur. “You realize what this could mean?” Her face stayed calm, but her eyes were starting to gleam with excitement.
“If you’re referring to another of Tolly’s unverifiable assertions, yes.” Skylur made a curt dismissive gesture. “I don’t believe any of it.”
Diana took pity on me. “Amber, David wasn’t due to enter full crusis for at least two months. The fitter you are, the stronger your body’s defenses, the longer you will hold it off and the better your chances in the end. That’s why our Aspirants are prepared so thoroughly, and why we work up to the full dose of the agent of change. And then, once an Aspirant is in crusis, it might last for two more months. That’s why the process is so slow, why we transform so few.” She stared intently at me. “Your Blood appears to have reduced his crusis to a few days.”
Days instead of months? How?
“This is impossible,” Skylur said.
“But if . Do you see the importance?” Bian said to me. “The crusis is the choke point, the bottleneck. With such a long period and such uncertainty, a Mentor can only safely handle a few Athanate going through crusis and with the physical and mental training, the whole process takes a year or more. If your Blood truly makes crusis quicker and easier, imagine what that means to the Athanate as a whole.”
“If it’s easier, then those that fail the Aspirants’ tests, those that become our kin instead, they now have a new chance,” Diana said.
“But it’s not easier. David’s reaction—”
She puffed dismissively. “That was worse because we weren’t here at the start. It would have been nothing.”
“Enough!” Skylur got to his feet. “You’re speculating wildly.” He grew quiet. “And I understand why, Diana.” He crossed to David and made his own
Bian was rapidly disentangling Mykayla from David’s semi-conscious grasp. Diana turned and swooped low over both of them.
She stood back up and shook her head. “There’s nothing, no agent of change. What are you talking about, Pia? David’s barely started crusis, his bite can’t be active yet.”
“No, no! Listen to me. You think Amber bound me. She didn’t. I know David’s not supposed to have progressed yet, but you’ve got to believe me. His behavior today was late phase crusis mania and his bite was active. He bound me to House Farrell.”
Chapter 7
No one moved for a long, breathless minute. For the first time that day, Skylur’s face registered something other than anger—he was deeply shocked. So were Diana and Bian.
Diana bent her head over Mykayla again. After a while, she came upright and shook her head. “His bite definitely isn’t active now. Maybe Bian lowered it below the key level just now.” She frowned thoughtfully. “I’ll grant you, he did seem like he was in late stage crusis mania. And for that matter, Amber shouldn’t have even been able to change his marque in the first place.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “Are you saying I’ve passed through crusis?”
“I would have said that you were pre-crusis when we met last week. Your Blood acquires its strength during crusis, and that’s what gives you the ability to change a human by bite.” She gestured to David. “Or change a marque.”
“But I didn’t bite him.”
“He drank deeply from you. After you had given him some preliminary agent of change in a kiss. Prions, if that’s what you want to call them. That might achieve the same thing.”
“But it felt like he changed me ,” I said. “Before he bit me I was almost struggling against becoming Athanate. By the time he was recovered, I...well, I can only tell you how it felt in my head, but it felt like I could bite him and make him House Farrell. That’s when I ran away.”
“A resonance between Bloods?” said Bian. She held Mykayla against her.
“No, I don’t think so.” Diana turned to Skylur. “You realize what this could mean?” Her face stayed calm, but her eyes were starting to gleam with excitement.
“If you’re referring to another of Tolly’s unverifiable assertions, yes.” Skylur made a curt dismissive gesture. “I don’t believe any of it.”
Diana took pity on me. “Amber, David wasn’t due to enter full crusis for at least two months. The fitter you are, the stronger your body’s defenses, the longer you will hold it off and the better your chances in the end. That’s why our Aspirants are prepared so thoroughly, and why we work up to the full dose of the agent of change. And then, once an Aspirant is in crusis, it might last for two more months. That’s why the process is so slow, why we transform so few.” She stared intently at me. “Your Blood appears to have reduced his crusis to a few days.”
Days instead of months? How?
“This is impossible,” Skylur said.
“But if . Do you see the importance?” Bian said to me. “The crusis is the choke point, the bottleneck. With such a long period and such uncertainty, a Mentor can only safely handle a few Athanate going through crusis and with the physical and mental training, the whole process takes a year or more. If your Blood truly makes crusis quicker and easier, imagine what that means to the Athanate as a whole.”
“If it’s easier, then those that fail the Aspirants’ tests, those that become our kin instead, they now have a new chance,” Diana said.
“But it’s not easier. David’s reaction—”
She puffed dismissively. “That was worse because we weren’t here at the start. It would have been nothing.”
“Enough!” Skylur got to his feet. “You’re speculating wildly.” He grew quiet. “And I understand why, Diana.” He crossed to David and made his own
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