Brood of Vipers by Maggie Claire (good books for high schoolers .txt) 📕

quickly that I cannot follow any of them to fruition, passing through my mind at a breakneck pace. My emotions shift with each one: heartache, anger, fear, sorrow, ecstasy, grief, terror, panic. They pour from my heart, each passing second a different feeling. My mouth opens, but only a low moan escapes me.

The last thing I see is the darkness in my skull as my eyes roll back into my head. Then my mind is too far gone to register any shred of my former self. At least in this insanity, I can forget my many failures….

“Iris!” Cyrus’s hand slaps me hard across the face. Sputtering, I snap out of the vision with a cry.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I hold him fiercely close to me, reveling in the sound of his breath. In this moment, our confused relationship means little to me. The fact that he and Siri are alive is enough for me. It wasn’t real; he and Siri are still alive. I’m not going crazy.

Cyrus’s hands brush my back strongly as he rasps, “My gods, you had us terrified! You went all pale and started screaming—”

“And you vomited.” And wet yourself, I think, Siri adds privately to avoid more embarrassment. Her silver eyes seem to glow above me, hovering like an angel of silver fire over my head. I saw it all, she whispers with a grim frown. I’m sorry.

Releasing my hold on Cyrus, I wipe my hands over my burning eyes, gasping for every strangled breath. Each part of my body feels raw, as though I’ve just been pulled out of a raging fire. “Are these truly glimpses of the only possible future, Siri?” I struggle to make my words understandable, my voice hoarse from my fear. My eyes keep fluttering between Cyrus’s concern and Siri’s shuttered expression. “Is there a way to change what I’ve seen?”

“I don’t know,” Siri answers, her voice unconvincing and flat. “A Gwen is a rarity among our Cadogans. I can recall only one mentioned in our histories. Her powers were never detailed clearly, but I do know her visions were never wrong. Still, there are some Ddraigs in our ranks that are older than I am. I will see if they can recall anything I have forgotten.” She hurries off to do as she wishes, never looking back at me. I suspect she knows more than she’s shared, but I keep my mouth shut. I’m not yet prepared for any kind of bad news, my body still in shock from the intensity of this vision.

“Everything seemed so real,” I mumble, wiping a clammy hand across Cyrus’s throat, tracing the place where his blood had poured. “You…you died right beside me. And Siri—”

“She told me,” Cyrus whispers as his hand runs across my sweat soaked hair. “When you started screaming, Siri used your connection to watch what you were seeing, and she told me everything. I’m so sorry, Iris. That must have been a terrible thing to endure.”

“We’ve got to change it,” I cry, resolve burrowing into my heart and quietening my fears. “I can’t let her die.” Or you. I catch myself before I speak the words aloud. Cyrus would mistake my meaning, and deep down, I’m not proud of myself. My reasons for keeping him close are selfish. I want an ally, someone who can be beside me when I need assistance. Not a romantic partner or a bonded mate—just a true friend I can count on to have my back in the war that is brewing.

“You were only worried about Siri?” Cyrus questions, pressing the issue, seeking to hear that I value him. I gasp as his brows furrow, his eyes turning as black as onyx. A tiny smile creeps along his lips as he smirks, “Liar.” Then he’s back to normal, all signs of his Asíle abilities gone. The change happens so quickly I wonder if I am still hallucinating. What did he see? I wonder as a blush heats my cheeks. What does he think he knows? This truth-reading ability of his unnerves me!

Cyrus’s demeanor relaxes, but I cannot shake the feeling that he’s mistaken my worry for something deeper than it is.

“What triggered your vision, Iris?”

“I hardly want to talk about that now!” I wail, stopped from running away by his steely grip on my shoulder. I need space. Freedom. The chance to process everything I’ve just witnessed. And I need to do this part alone.

“I understand what you’re saying better than you realize,” Cyrus begins, his hold tightening when I attempt to jerk myself away. “But think about this: the best time for you to analyze what just happened is immediately after it’s over. The events are fresh in your mind, making them easier to review. A little discomfort now could save you hours of work in the future. Think about it! How much better would it be if you could control these visions? If you can learn how to force yourself to see the future, then you can anticipate what needs to be done to alter it. You can change this fate, Iris.”

My nose begins to bleed, the warmth of my blood oozing down over my lips, some of it slipping into my mouth. The metallic flavor makes my stomach heave. Every blink is a new lesson in pain too. My eyelids feel like sandpaper as they scratch over my pupils. Pinching the bridge of my nose, my voice comes out sounding whiny. “I…I saw blood right before it began. Blood on my feet. The vision began with blood too, so maybe the similar circumstances propelled me into the hallucination.”

For a long while, Cyrus does not speak, his thoughts far away as he considers my insight. I stay beside him, gagging as the scents of my own filth slowly assault me. Embarrassment heats my cheeks at the thought of how helpless and vulnerable I must have looked. I hate being weak, especially in front of him.

“There’s got to be more to