Dark Empathy by Archibald Bradford (inspiring books for teens TXT) 📕

reading her emotions to allow her the chance for some semblance of a surprise later.

Both knew that they were kidding themselves.

Shaking off her own personal mission involving her heartstone, Erica looked around the room with a concerned expression all over her face.

“Is... anyone else really worried about Nina?”

An angel wing wrapped around her as the Valkyrie sidled up to her.

“I’m sure she won’t take things too far.”

But through their bond Nameless knew that Volka spoke with more confidence than she felt.

“There is nothing we can do about it now, let’s go and get some breakfast.” Ophelia said with finality, though her look turned arch as she turned to face Milly; “Or maybe stay in and get some breakfast?”

The Minotaur turned a bit pink as she smiled bashfully.

“If-if anyone is hungry?” She asked coyly as she unbuttoned her shirt.

Nameless smiled and sent a wave of gratitude Ophelia’s way at the distraction; the girls were feeling a great deal of anxiety at whatever it was Nina intended.

Now they were just hungry, and a bit horny.

He strolled over to Milly and helped her unbutton her shirt.

“I am definitely staying in for breakfast.”

Chapter 22:Trials

Chained against the wall of the bunker, Yana was in a bad mood.

Stalking before her was Jonathan Pym, and the lunatic was ranting as he tried to justify his actions.

“-you see? The Aegis protects humans more than monsters! They hand out licenses for men to enslave these poor girls!”

He’d been at it for only a few minutes that morning, but Yana was already fed up.

She gave a snort of derision.

“You’re a fool. The overwhelming majority of crimes committed against monster girls are by people without proper licenses from the Aegis.”

Jonathan clutched at his hair in consternation.

“No, no, NO! That is wrong! You are just another poor girl duped by a corrupt organization!”

The warleader gave him a look of contempt.

“Says the madman abducting bonded monsters from their families.”

Jonathan’s eyes boggled at her words.

“We’re not abducting anyone! We’re freeing slaves!”

The Amazon warrior looked to the Antlions all around her.

“Funny, all I see here are more slaves.”

The dark eyed girls wore placid expressions on their faces as she spoke.

Following her gaze, Jonathan shook his head again.

“Soon you’ll understand, you’ll stand with them and help us. And when it’s over, I promise you: you’ll awaken to a better world, one where you are truly free.”

Her eyes narrowed and she raised her chin proudly.

“When this is over, I will kill you, Jonathan Pym. I have endured far worse than whatever one feeble coward of a man such as you can inflict upon me. Your dark whore was right, you will never break my mind.”

“You will thank me one day for-”

She turned away before he finished, her eyes going distant, as if he were gone from the world already, or simply unworthy of her notice.

“I will hear no more of your words. You are Neucta, and your ancestors are ashamed of you.”

He pursed his lips and nervously fingered the platinum-blue anklet containing her heartstone. Seeing him holding it made her heart burn with rage, but she harnessed it, as a warrior should; tempering and focusing it within herself.

After several seconds he sighed and drew himself up before her.

“Then I suppose we’d better begin.”

Every muscle in her body tensed up as she steeled herself against whatever he intended to do.

His eyes became unfocused and drifted closed, then… nothing happened.

They stayed like that for ten minutes, she had no idea what he was even doing, she didn’t feel any different.

But gradually as she waited her thoughts darkened, pessimism and anxiety seeping into her mind as she dwelled on mistakes from her past: Juni being burned, taking her husband’s eye, the death of Kar, shouting at Milly…

Failures.

She was a failure, a failure as a warleader, as a warrior period.

She drew in a sharp breath and rapidly shook her head from side to side in a vain attempt to cast away these thoughts clinging to her mind like cobwebs.

Then her eyes widened, and she barked out a harsh laugh.

“Is this it? Is this what you intend? To show me things I know already?”

She spat at him, the spittle striking his cheek and making him flinch as his eyes flew open.

“Failure is part of life. We learn from it, we grow from it! No wonder your dark whore thinks so little of you! You are a child!”

He wiped off his cheek with a frown, his cheek twitching slightly as she struck a nerve.

“I didn’t really think that would work, but it was worth a shot. Now we do it the hard way.”

“There is no hard way! You are a fool if you think-”

Abruptly her words cut off as her eyes grew distant, mirroring his as he invaded her mind directly.

Yana was seeing herself from the inside out; equipment racks filled with training gear were everywhere, while echoing all around were the sounds of disciplined Amazons crying out as they thrust in unison, practicing with their mighty spears.

The memories of her failures were still fresh and playing out in the background, but they had no more effect on her here than they did in the world outside her psyche.

But she was not alone and she braced herself as she felt Jonathan’s presence.

His mental form was emaciated, starved for love and affection by Evadne, but as wiry and stubborn as a gnarled root.

He made a vague gesture around them and his words echoed from everywhere in her mind.

You know, this is exactly how I ended up in a coma for a decade.

They were circling each other in the training ring, her form stalking with the confidence and surety of a goddess