Interlude: Uri

  As the first light of dawn stretched over the city, Uri felt it—a shift in the ether. Somewhere, someone had awakened their potential. It sent a ripple through the flow of energy around her, a beacon that she could follow if she wished.

  But that would have to wait.

  Her gaze turned toward the hospital, where Raven was on the cusp of accepting responsibility for these people. That was more important. He had the instincts of a leader, but he needed to embrace it himself. Uri had been subtly guiding him—nudging Wilkes toward him, providing just enough information to push Raven into preparing for survival, and even pitting the two men against each other.

  She had hoped Raven would demand control, would take full command over the hospital, but instead, he had agreed to share leadership with the stern sergeant. A bit disappointing, but still workable. He just needed more time.

  Once Wilkes left, Uri continued to feed Raven small but vital pieces of information, staying with him while he took his first real step toward building something sustainable. She watched as he sat down to meditate, reaching into himself for the first time to shape the ether properly.

  Her curiosity got the better of her.

  Silently, she slipped from the room, her form flickering out of existence, teleporting toward the source of the etheric awakening she had felt earlier. A moment later, she reappeared—inside a cage.

  Uri blinked.

  Surrounded by prisoners.

  Mostly women, though a few men sat hunched in the corners, all of them battered, and some of them broken. A dim light flickered from a fire outside the building, casting jagged shadows across the dirt-streaked floor.

  In one corner, a breathtaking woman sat, her delicate hands gently stroking the hair of a crying teenage girl curled into her lap.

  Uri narrowed her eyes.

  This was the one. The one who had awakened her potential. Interesting.

  She crouched beside them, her gaze flicking over the terrified girl. "I’ll help you take care of her."

  For a long moment, the woman simply studied her. Then she nodded, shifting slightly so Uri could sit beside them.

  They had barely settled when the cage door screeched open.

  A filthy, leering man stepped inside and grabbed a woman by the arm. She shrieked, kicking and thrashing as she was dragged from the cage.

  The other prisoners turned away; faces set in stone.

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  Uri’s jaw clenched. She knew exactly what was happening.

  The woman beside her watched in bitter silence before muttering, "Bastards won’t try that with me again."

  Uri turned toward her, interest piqued. "What do you mean?"

  The woman smirked, her ethereal beauty twisting into something wickedly satisfied. "One of them tried to grab me last night. I felt that… tingling sensation, the same one when a monster dies. And his balls froze solid as I tried to rip them off."

  Uri snorted, then outright laughed. "Good for you. What’s your name?"

  "Annastasia." She met Uri’s gaze, a glint of pride in her eyes. "And you?"

  "I’m Uri." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "If you like, I can teach you how to do a hell of a lot more than just freeze people’s balls off."

  They spent the day together.

  Uri taught Annastasia—Anny, as she liked to be called—how to compress ether, shaping it into something usable. She wasn’t as fast as Raven had been—but then again, what he’d done was nearly unheard of. Within hours, Anny had formed a seed core and was practicing shaping ice. Small, jagged shards at first, but soon, sharp spears that could be thrown with deadly precision.

  By late afternoon, yelling erupted from outside.

  The captors scrambled, running toward the front of the building. Then—

  A gunshot.

  Uri grinned. Raven had found them.

  They sat in tense silence as the commotion outside grew louder.

  Two of the men burst back inside, panting, eyes wild. "Grab a hostage!" one of them snapped. "This fucker is dangerous! We need leverage!"

  They ran straight to the cage, shoving the prisoners aside until their hands latched onto a girl—Tabether.

  Anny’s little sister.

  Anny lost it. Her scream tore through the air as she lunged forward, fingers outstretched, eyes wild with panic—but Uri grabbed her, yanking her back. "Don’t!" she hissed. "If they shoot you, you’re dead. Stay quiet!"

  Anny shook in rage, her hands clenched into trembling fists. Uri pressed a finger against her lips, urging her to be patient.

  When the men left, Anny turned to her, her voice shaking. "We have to get out of here!"

  Uri nodded, glancing toward the cage door. "Then start using your power." She pointed to the lock. "Freeze it."

  Anny didn’t hesitate—but her hands shook.

  She pressed them against the rusted metal, her breath uneven, pushing past the exhaustion and fear. Ice crept over the surface, thickening as it seeped into the cracks of the old iron like veins of frost.

  Uri watched, then nodded. “Now.”

  Anny tensed as Uri smashed the icicle against the frozen metal.

  The lock shattered. They slipped out, moving quickly but silently. As they neared the entrance, Uri saw it—Raven standing in the open street, eyes filled with fury, but still stepping forward.

  "He’s sacrificing himself for her," Anny whispered.

  Uri glanced at her and saw it—the same realization etched into her face. The same respect.

  Anny’s fingers twitched. She wasn’t going to let him die for nothing.

  Uri watched as one of the men raised a pistol, aiming at Raven’s head.

  Anny didn’t hesitate.

  A spear of pure ice ripped through the air, so fast that Raven barely saw it move.

  Crack. The sound of shattering bone as the first man’s head exploded. For a moment, everything stopped silence ringing louder than the gunfire had. Even the captors froze, stunned by the sudden, brutal kill.

  The others barely had time to react.

  Another icicle slammed into the leader’s back, sending him staggering forward with a guttural cry.

  Two more spears followed, piercing the last men through their torsos, toppling them into the dirt.

  The leader jerked Tabether forward, then hurled her aside—as if tossing away a broken shield. His arm snapped up, a knife flashing toward the darkness.

  A glint of metal—a knife—spun toward the shadows.

  A sharp cry made Uri’s head snap around. Anny stumbled backward, her breath hitching as the blade buried deep in her shoulder. Before she could react, Raven was already there.

  His eyes landed on Anny, his expression freezing for a single, unreadable moment.

  Then, he turned to Uri.

  His voice was low, sharp, edged with barely restrained fury.

  "Where the fuck have you been?"