Nalini never lost track of Kai.

It took a while for her to identify their strange link, the life force she was somehow always conscious of; it felt far and close all at once. Each time she cleared her mind and meditated, under the order of Warlord Enlil, to scan for relevant threats, she felt it. Him.

She was twelve when she consciously realized what it was. Over the course of the three previous years, it had been a familiar, yet foreign, presence she somehow got used to. It bothered her at first, but after months, she’d come to terms with the fact that she couldn’t cut it out or shield herself away from it. And later, she’d learned to find comfort in that familiar presence that made her feel a little less alone in her darkest nights.

She learned it was Kai the day he almost died. The usually benign, inconsequential awareness made itself pressing, almost painful. She knew what to do instinctively, as though something else—someone else—deep inside her had done it a thousand times.

She closed her eyes, letting her body collapse where it stood, although she’d been in a meeting. Poor Enlil made a fuss over her after the fainting spell. He’d insisted that she had to take more fresh air and fed her nice fresh fruits for weeks after that. He’d grown so very fond of his favorite weapon, losing it to sickness wouldn’t sit well with him.

As her shell fell, her consciousness travelled at an impossible speed, pulling her where she needed to be.

Kai was sitting on a plain single bed. He’d changed in three years; unlike her, he was quite grown up. He wore white clothing and, over it, a grayish sort of cape. And there was something in his expression she hadn’t seen before. Something darker, wilder.

“You!”

He saw her. She lifted a brow, startled and confused.

“Me,” she confirmed, turning on her heels to observe their surroundings, trying to understand what was happening.

They were in a small chamber that was kept neat, clothing folded and piled up on a shelf, the bed was made, and there was a blaster at the ready next to the pillow. Good.

“What are you doing here?”

An interesting question. Not sure how to answer it, she countered with one of her own. “Where are we?”

He observed her closely, frowning.

“Tenera, in the Krazu system,” he practically growled. “The royals make children fight in a pit for their amusement around these parts.”

The very idea seemed repulsive to him. She smiled, hoping against all hope that he’d stay that way. That he’d stay good.

There was a chance he wouldn’t. Someday, he might be a new Enlil. Only much, much more powerful. Part of her knew to fear him for that possibility.

“You’ve infiltrated them in order to attempt to break them out,” she guessed, impressed and a little proud, too.

Kai nodded.

“Well, I’m pretty sure you were found out. You’re about to die,” she told him, because she felt it at the core of her very being.

As a seer, she knew better than to ignore her instincts.

“Are you serious?”

She nodded. “And now that I’m here, I might just die along with you.”

A guess, but now that she’d said it, it felt right. To test a theory, she brought her fingers close to the nearest object—a chair. She wasn’t surprised when her skin touched the metallic surface, finding it cold.

“I’m really here,” she mused.

Nalini felt the presence before they heard a dozen footsteps speeding their way.

“I hope you’re good with that.” She waved toward his blaster, which briskly flew out toward him; Kai jumped to his feet, caught it, and raised it rather than asking questions. He trusted her implicitly, she realized, stunned because she wasn’t used to it. Enlil doubted her every word, questioning her motives. He demanded every detail, every reasoning, before settling on a course of action.

When the door slid open, Kai undid the safety and shot without hesitation. Good thing, too; the intruders had come armed, no doubt intending to catch him by surprise. That’s how he would have died, Nalini guessed.

One male fell, the second raised his weapon; she didn’t give him the time to shoot, tightening her fist and twisting it, breaking his neck. A neat trick she couldn’t do often; it took focus and her hold had to last for several seconds, which rendered that skill useless in an actual fight, when things moved so fast. Now that the ten official enforcers dressed in black and red had noticed her, she didn’t have that luxury.

Fortunately, Kai’s shots were lethal. The enforcers had noticed as much; they took cover on either side of the door, shooting blindly into the room.

Kai waved their way leisurely, and an energy wall erected, protecting them from the blasts. He hadn’t just changed physically; he was more powerful now.

Much more powerful.

Part of her wanted to take a careful step back. She wasn’t familiar with the feeling of finding herself in the company of someone whose mind was as strong as hers.

What if he became her enemy? What then? Could she defend herself from him? Possibly, now. But she’d spent twelve years learning just how she could control and manipulate the energy around her, training, one energy blast after the next in that cage. Other ways, too. Kai started to explore it three years ago. In another few years, he might surpass her. Have the ability to crush her.

“I can’t hold that forever, and they’ll soon realize their technique is useless. You have to get out of here.”

He was thinking of her safety. He wasn’t a threat to her. Not now. Possibly not ever. Her one action that day, years ago, might have earned his loyalty—something he didn’t bestow easily.

This was guesswork. With most, Nalini would have simply scanned their mind and intentions. With him, she couldn’t. He kept her out completely, and effortlessly.

“I can’t.” That wasn’t quite true; now that the immediate danger had passed, she felt like, if she let go, calmed down, and concentrated on getting back to her body, she could. But there was just one problem with that. “They’ve seen me. If they report my presence, I’m dead. I need to….”

Those two nasty words wouldn’t cross her lips. Kill them. End a life. She’d done it a moment ago, but stopping to think of it made her nauseous.

Still, there was no other choice. Her looks were too unusual; if they talked to anyone of importance of a young girl with eyes of a different color, a bald head, and beige clothing that would befit a monk, she’d be identified immediately. Enlil would have her chamber gassed in the middle of the night, killing her in her sleep.

Not needing her to elaborate, Kai nodded before launching out of the room. She followed.

When he discarded his blaster, she wondered why for a second; then he pulled two strange weapons—rounded disk knives—out of the back of his coat and slashed through arms and throats at the speed of a tornado.

She got it. He fought with the precision of an artist and the ferocity of a wild beast; blasters probably slowed him down. Nalini stared openmouthed until she felt one of the enforcer’s intention. A blaster, aimed at Kai’s back. She moved instinctively.

It was the first time she actually fought, really physically fought, against an adversary who’d destroy her if he could. Until then, she’d simply trained by herself, or sparred with fighting masters who treated her like a porcelain doll.

She realized just how weak her little arms were. Just how hard a kick to the stomach felt. But still, she held her own against simple Teneran law enforcers. Her power helped. She kicked one male in the head and took his baton as he fell forward; using the metal weapon, she bashed through bones with speed and purpose. Her muscles might be puny, but backed up by her mind’s compulsion, her blows were deadly.

The entire fight didn’t last more than four minutes; then Nalini and Kai stood—him unscratched, her, winded and a little bruised, but fine.

He seemed impressed. “Not bad, little lady.”

She huffed a nervous laugh, all the while looking around the corridor’s ceiling. It didn’t look like there was a camera.

“I could say the same.” He’d taken out seven of the guys, leaving her just three.

“First time I had someone guarding my back,” he confessed, bending down to retrieve his blaster. “Could get used to it.”

“Let’s try not to do this again, instead,” Nalini replied, rolling her eyes. “Ever.”

“Why are we doing this? Why are you here?” So much for not being the type to ask questions. Apparently, he was just the type of guy who saved them for when he wasn’t about to die. She frowned.

“Not sure.” She shrugged to emphasize her ignorance and innocence in the matter. “I guess the cosmos doesn’t want me to let you die, or something.”

He looked at her for a long time, his dark gaze intense. Finally, he inclined his head, accepting that response.

“I owe you, either way. Again.”

“We’ll keep a tab. You can repay me with interest.”

Kai smiled. “Cute.”

She rolled her eyes.

“You’ve grown up,” he remarked, sizing her up. “How old are you now?”

“Twelve.”

He nodded. “And you’re still a prisoner. You’re not really here; I can’t smell or feel your presence.”

Nalini nodded.

“I’ll really get you out, someday.”

“Unlikely.”

He frowned.

“I need to go.”

But his intense dark eyes kept her in place, scrutinizing her in a way that made her feel strange, more self-conscious than she was with dozens of drones constantly set on her.

“Right,” he sounded reluctant. “Until next time then.”

She bobbed her head before letting go of the link she was holding on to. She felt light, lighter than air.

“Wait,” Kai called out. “What’s your name?”

She could have answered, but Nalini chose to say something else before she disappeared.

“Wear a mask. Your face is on record.”

That seemed more important than anything else.

When she felt the presence again, the day after, and the day after that, she knew exactly who she was linked to. She felt it when he got hurt and, once or twice, pushed some of her own energy through their bond to allow him to heal faster.

Nalini might have gone insane within the five following years if it hadn’t been for that bond.

Then, that day she’d seen so long ago finally came.