Read Online The Reckoning by Teyla Branton - Free Book Online

She left then, leaving me clutching the towel. I closed my eyes, focusing inward to my own consciousness. There was an area that was much the same as anyone else’s, except I was inside my own thought stream and it seemed much larger, more like a band of asteroids than a stream of sand. There was so much space between pieces of sand, or my awareness so small, that I often didn’t notice any thoughts at all but the ones I was concentrating on. In one corner—if I could call it that—there were two black boxes I’d created that were similar to the black snake, constructed from my thoughts and manifesting as a smooth, shiny substance. Inside one of these boxes, I’d stored away my acrophobia, taking it out nearly each night on the roof of our building to stare it into submission. I’d conquered it—or at least the paralyzation caused by it—but the fear never disappeared entirely. The other box was the one I’d made for Delia’s evil little present to keep it isolated from the rest of my mind. On the outside, the box appeared unchanged from every other time I’d examined it.
    Wait. There was something different. Two thin shoots of blue light seeped from the box, wavering and weak, traveling a short distance before disappearing altogether. Did that come from my box or from the snake inside? The other box containing my acrophobia didn’t have anything radiating from it, and it had been there longer. Whatever the light was, I didn’t like the look of it, but I would still wait for Ava before I opened the box. Where Delia was concerned, it paid to be careful.
    I dressed slowly in jeans and a long-sleeved aqua T-shirt. I pulled on the gold chain Ritter had given me in New York along with its three gold rings. I tucked it between my breasts where I always wore it except during training. The weapons he gave me might be his way of courting, but, for me, this is what had made us real. The two simple gold bands had belonged to his mother and little sister, both murdered by the Emporium. I was now the keeper of his most beloved memories. Sometimes I worried that I couldn’t be enough.
    But I was going to try.
    The third ring, the one with the diamond, was for our official engagement, proof that he was trying to learn my language just as I was trying to learn his.
    As I emerged from my suite, Mari caught up with me. Today her long, dark brown hair was free around her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face. Her eyes resembled deep shadows. “I can’t believe all of this, can you?” She shivered. “I don’t know anyone in Israel, but I looked up how many people live there and my mind keeps adding up all the deaths. Over eight million. That’s the population of New York, give or take a couple hundred thousand. Or almost the populations of LA, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, and Long Beach combined! Add that to the number of people all over the world who might be affected—so many numbers that my mind wants to count and categorize. I just—” she broke off with a groan. “Oh, let’s talk about something else. Let’s see . . . uh, I got a call from Oliver this morning.”
    Oliver Parkin, her Unbounded cousin we’d sent on loan to the New York Renegades. I really didn’t want to talk about the arrogant new addition to our group, but I would if it calmed Mari down. “How is he?”
    Mari wrinkled her nose. “Same as ever. A snotty, know-it-all jerk. Only talked about himself.”
    “He came through in the end when it mattered,” I reminded her as we started down the stairs, which was usually faster than waiting for the elevator.
    “Well, believe it or not, I actually miss him. I just hope he doesn’t get himself killed.”
    I grinned, knowing that was a big admission on her part. “If there’s one thing Oliver’s good at, it’s self-preservation. Besides, their leader knows what she’s doing, and she promised he won’t be in danger. If he can help them rebuild, sending him is the