"Vael isn't in there now, but that doesn't mean he hasn't slipped in before," Soren says when I'm in his study the next day for training. "If you have some sort of connection to the Accord, it may be useful if we can control it."

We. Okay.

He leans back against his desk, "Right now, your mind is open to whoever is able to enter it. If I can slip in without you noticing, Vael can do the same. That's why we're training. If it's possible for you to control when you enter his mind, that would be even better."

"So you want me to be your spy? Sounds great." I say sighing. I'm not sure if him including me in all this is supposed to make me feel better or worse, but I suppose the sooner he gets the rest of his horn back, the sooner I can go home, assuming I don't die first. It's not exactly a win, but if I have to pick between two crappy options, I'll take the one that doesn't involve a bunch of ancient scientists poking and prodding me all day long.

Soren pushes off the desk, "This isn't something to rush though. First thing first, you need to learn how to sense me immediately. No hesitation, and no second-guessing. Sit," he gestures back toward the sofa. I do, slowly, watching as he takes the same chair across from me as yesterday. He rests an elbow on the armrest with his fingers brushing over his temple like he's already half inside my mind. Then he floods into my awareness all at once. It's not subtle this time. My eyes widen, locking onto his.

Soren hums, watching me with amused patience. "Too slow."

I grit my teeth. "You didn't even tell me you were starting."

He leans forward slightly. "That's the point. Vael isn't going to warn you that he's starting. If you can't catch him right away, it's already too late."

I take a breath, trying to shake the intrusive sensation of him settling inside my awareness like a shadow stretching into my space. "Again," I say.

His smirk deepens. "Good, now try to catch me before I'm in."

He tilts his head slightly, as if considering how difficult to make this round. One second, everything is normal. The next, I think I feel something, but it's so light, so subtle, that I almost convince myself that I'm imagining it.

"Too late."

"Again," I say. I need to trust my instincts. I brace myself for something even slightly noticeable like before, but this time it doesn't come. Maybe he's hesitating just to put me on edge. Still, I search for some sort of difference in awareness just in case.

"Too late."

I curse under my breath.

Soren leans back in his chair, unimpressed. "At this rate, I'd have enough time to sit down for tea before you notice me."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I glare at him.

He smirks, "More than I should be."

I fight the urge to throw something at him.

We go again. And again. And each time, I either miss him entirely, or realize too late that he's already there. Sometimes he waits so long that my nerves trick me into sensing him before he's even there. The only time I catch him fast enough is when he deliberately floods my awareness all at once, which of course, isn't ideal on my part. By the time I finally feel something smaller on my own, nearly an hour has passed. I slump back into the sofa, exhausted.

Soren watches me for a long moment before standing. "Not bad."

I snort. "You just spent an hour proving it was bad."

"True," he admits, "but at least you've improved a little. You're going to need consistency."

"What do you mean?"

"You're only focusing when I force you to, but that's not going to be good enough. You need to be ready all the time, not just when you think we're training." He moves to his desk, picking up a pen and a notebook. "Along with an hour of focused training like this each day, you're going to train on your own during a set four-hour window. During that time you'll stay completely alert. I'll slip in at random, once or multiple times, whenever I feel like it. If you catch me, note the time and duration here," he hands me the notebook, "If you don't catch me, you lose. If you do-"

"I win a prize?"

His lips twitch slightly. "Something like that."

"And outside that window?" I ask.

"I stay out," he says simply.

I study him for a moment. "You promise you'll let me have privacy outside of training?"

"I have no interest in being in your mind more than necessary."

I nod slowly. I don't exactly like the idea of spending four hours a day on edge, but at least I know when to expect it. And if it'll help me catch Dr. Vael... Realistically because of the possibility of Dr. Vael entering my mind I'm going to be on edge at all hours of the day...

"Fine," I sigh, "We'll try it."

"Starting tomorrow," Soren nods.

* * *

The sterile scent of the lab fills my lungs as the cold metal of the restraints around my wrist come into my awareness. I turn my head to see two familiar Velkeros sitting restrained in their own beds beside me. Their gold and periwinkle blushed skin is dulled by exhaustion, but alert. Their gazes are locked onto me like they already knew I was coming. I shift slightly in my seat.

The boy tilts his head slightly as his golden eyes sharpen with something calculating, but there's no hostility, only curiously. "You're here," he says steadily, "whoever you are."

The girl sighs, leaning forward as much as her restraints allow, "Don't scare her, Jeten." Her voice is softer. There's something thoughtful about the way her eyes study me.

"She's not startled Tanna," Jeten mutters, relaxing, "If anything, she looks like she's settling right in. Enjoying the hospitality, even," he chuckles dryly.

"You already know about me?" I ask curiously.

"She, Ella, told us." Ella. So that's her name.

"Where is Ella?" I ask uneasily, "and why am I able to speak through her like this?"

Jeten's smirk fades, "She's still there watching. She's letting you take control because we need to know who you are, and we want you to understand what's going on."

I stiffen. Tanna studies me for a long moment before saying, "You have Prince Soren's magic in you."

"I assume Ella does too?" I ask, "Does she watch my life too? Can she, or Dr. Vael control me the way I can control Ella's body right now?"

"She has no reason to watch you," Jeten says, "She uses a combination of Prince Soren's and her own magic to let you have control like this. Neither you nor Vael can wield magic in a way that would allow you to take control over each other. The connection that you and he have thanks to Prince Soren's magic is sporadic at best, like two broken pieces trying to pull themselves back together."

"Since the Accord hasn't captured you yet, we assume you're with Prince Soren?" Tanna asks.

"Yes. I gave him the piece of the horn I found. I told him about everything I've seen here so far. So it's obvious Ella touched the horn, but is she concealing the physical piece like the scientists suspect?" I ask.

Jeten and Tanna freeze, staring at me as a heavy wave of sickness overtakes Ella's body that I don't think is coming from me, "That's what they suspect?" Jeten asks pointedly.

Tanna continues, "Ella touched the horn to prevent its magic from being fully utilized by the Accord, but she doesn't know how to shift. She teleported the physical piece to somewhere safe before the Accord caught up with us. If they suspect she can shift though..." she trails off.

"They're going to do whatever it takes to force her, and the Accord doesn't have a great track record of being humane to our kind," Jeten finishes. "If they realize Ella's telling the truth about being unable to shift, it won't be before subjecting her to some fu-"

"Ella's still here!" Tanna cuts him off harshly.

I release a shaky breath as the feeling of dread in this body grows, but before I can ask anything else, the sound of footsteps cuts through the air. Jeten and Tanna immediately tense.

"Where the sky meets the roots, where silver drinks from the earth, you'll find what you need. Tell this to Prince Soren, and don't mention the piece of the horn directly in case Vael is watching through you," Tanna says in a hushed voice, "Don't talk about Ella letting you into her mind anymore either in case Vael tries to force her to let him in too."

"Time's up," Jeten says firmly, "Wake up."

The lab flickers and the walls blur like I'm being pushed out.

Everything fades to black until I blink into my own body again. My pulse is hammering in my ears as I stare at the ceiling in my bedroom back at the stronghold. The starlight swirls above me and I flex my hands to get rid of the lingering phantom weight from the wrist restraints. I shove the blankets off and sit up, trying to shake off the feeling. I press my palms to my forehead, taking slow, deep breaths. I'm back, and I'm safe, but they're still there. It makes me sick to think about what horrors Ella might be subjected to soon. I need to tell Soren about the horn, and I need to figure out if there's a way we can help get the three of them out of that lab.