Before I knew it was a new year. It was going to be my last term at the University of Queensland before I transferred to Culver University in the States.

I would miss the girls' but they'd all be graduating and finding new adventures to embark on.

In fact, the Gilberts and Emma already were traveling the world and Emma took her SSCE (Australian version GED) early.

So when I returned I was at the dorms and seeing the remaining girls even less than I had before.

A desire to see my soulmate more had been swelling in myself for some time. A new goal was set in my soul: every chance I would sing the song of the full moon, but this time I would try to do when dry and on land. I doubted my soulmate was in the sea as often as I was, and the last couple instances I seen him a rarity.

So the first full moon of the new year, I traveled to Mako and sang the song of the moon from its jungle rather than its moon pool.

A rush of air surrounded me and found myself outside a stone abode. I looked around for my soulmate, he had always been in eyesight whenever I transported myself.

"Darya!"

My soulmate called and I turned to see him come up upon a black steed.

"You've come." He dismounted, his black cloak swirling around him. His granite eyes looked over me, as if inspecting every inch of me.

"Do I measure up?" An odd sense of deja vu came upon me as the old language slipped from my tongue as he neared.

He hadn't changed much since the last time I saw him, his features were a little more defined now.

I smiled as he came closer, having the odd sense that he was a wary creature and I was a woodsman entering his territory.

When he stood before me, I realized for the first time that he was taller.

"You are not fading." He glanced at my hands.

I shook my head, "I think each time I visit I can stay longer." I shrugged, "Another is that I arrive whenever you need me."

The smallest flicker of some emotion passed through his features before it was tucked away behind his piercing eyes.

He held his hand out to me, "Come and see what I've made."

I didn't hesitate before slipping my hand into his gloved one. He led me and the horse behind the stone structure.

"It's just the beginning." He nodded toward the structure, "A place for Grisha to be safe."

I tilted my head to the side, "Grisha? Do you mean those who can summon elements?"

He nodded his gaze tracking every emotion that went through me.

He pulled me with him. Once we were at the stable he let go for a while as he put his horse's tack up and situated it back in its stall.

He came out and slipped a hand around me before directing me forward. I glanced at where his hand rested on my waist and tried my hardest not to blush. This was more touching than we had ever so far. It almost felt too intimate.

The building at first rose up in front of me. I saw a couple of figures pass by its windows, some faces glancing down at my soulmate and I in curiosity.

His arm slipped away and my waist felt barren without the weight of his arm around it.

I turned toward him, "How can I help?"

This time the emotion that flickered across his features rested upon his lips where they lifted ever so slightly.

"In your world…" He paused and for a moment I feared I was already fading but a glance down at my body showed it still solid.

"In my world are there Grisha?"

He nodded but I could see from the hint of disappointment in his eyes that wasn't the question but there was also curiosity.

"There are those with abilities that are superhuman in nature. Bending of elements, super strength, rumored mind control and mind reading. There's an academy where those that are lucky are taken too where they can learn how to use their abilities. I had a pen-pal once who had been taken there, but not everyone gets that chance. There's governmental spies that are always looking for the unordinary, but the two countries where I've lived for the most part are safer than others. In others the ability users are hunted."

"So it is the same." He gestured to the building behind him, "One day I hope this will become an academy for all Grisha."

"What's the problem with now?"

His gaze darted away before glancing back at me, "We are soldiers now fighting a never-ending war. But rather than being hunted we can enlist, it is better than always running."

I pursed my lips. A bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Do you have a safety net?" I looked into his gaze, "A plan B in case things go south."

His features got more confused.

"I've learned that you should always have an escape plan, just in case."

His face turned cold and he turned away.

"This is the only path available for my people."

I sighed, and looked down to see my hands starting to fade.

"I believe you can achieve anything if you set your mind to it just…" I paused but I needed to be quick before I was taken back home. "Please be careful."

The last thing I saw was him turned away, his gaze determinedly set toward the stone building.

I blinked and I was back in the brush of Mako island.

"Well that could have gone better."

The next full moon had me seeing my soulmate hurrying back and forth. I looked around me to see we were in some old type of ruin, the stone worn and chipped.

"What happened?"

His gaze darted up to mine, "You were right."

My gut sank. I looked back behind me. The halls echoed with crying children and a low rumble of voices speaking over each other.

"After everything I gave to the king, he betrayed me. Now these Grisha will die because I pulled them out of hiding."

My mind went through a whole bunch of scenarios but without more details I was stumped. My initial thought was to take out the king, but I shook my head. A full scale revolution didn't seem to be the right direction.

An 'a ha!' came from my soulmate as he combed through some more boxes looking for something.

I came closer and saw the old language scribbled down in a small palm sized book. The words were worrying, talking about taking strength from the individual to make something…the pages were smudged.

I looked up to find his gaze upon me.

"This is my escape plan." He held up the book.

"Whatever that is, it sounds like it might be dangerous."

"I don't have a choice. I need to make the king's strength mine."

"How?"

"Merzost."

My brow wrinkled. I thought about the roots of the word, although I wasn't sure how much Latin roots would help here. Mer = portion, part of. Zost could have many meanings 'warrior's belt' or the worrying 'of unknown origin'. If you broke it down further 'zo' meaning animal.

From the stories my grandmother had told me, the old world, the one my soulmate was in, functioned as a whole. The planet was almost sentient, providing power to the creatures and humans upon it in a pursuit for a balance.

The protectors that we came from were one of the beings closer to the Making, to the fabric of reality. Their magic, a sort of science that worked with the elements not against them.

The powerful summoners were supposed to have this ability too, working with the elements not against. But if this merzost went against that then…well I wasn't sure what might happen. There would definitely be some sort of price.

"Don't do it."

"If I don't, my people will die."

"If you do, they may die in a worse way."

He shook his head, before he glanced at my hands a sneer on his lips.

"You are fading."

I had a theory about my transportation and I closed my eyes and willed myself to stay.

I opened my eyes to see my skin was no longer transparent.

"Let me try to protect you and your people first."

"And when you are gone? What then?"

Shouts came from deeper in the ruin and a man came running, "They are here."

"Please let me try. I can distract them long enough for the people to escape."

He pursed his lips and walked by my side out the building. We stood on the steps together overlooking an army of what looked like hundreds. All here to hunt the defenseless. I could feel myself growing angry. There were older ones and children back in that building.

I stood in the alcove as they called my soulmate forward calling him 'Darkling'.

Softly I began to sing the old storm song.

Clouds began to form above the heads of the soldiers.

They raised their crossbows, all aimed at my soulmate, and I had enough.

With a flick of my hand lightning crashed down at their feet. A downpour came from above them. As they threatened my soulmate they didn't look down to see the puddles of water forming into walls behind them.

My breath caught in my throat, what was I doing?

Not all these men could be bad, war was ugly and…

They shot arrows toward my soulmate.

Without another thought I shot them down with lightning before they could notch another arrow.

I felt myself shake as I saw men laying on the ground not moving.

Behind me I could hear those that had come for sanctuary exiting through the building.

I stepped out from the alcove.

"Stand down, or feel the rage of a sildroher!"

The remaining men whispered among themselves.

The storm had calmed with my voice no longer singing the old song but that didn't mean I couldn't use the elements the moon pool gave me.

From the corner of my eye I saw my soulmate pulling an arrow from his arm. I winced.

My inattention cost me as an arrow shot came right towards me.

My soulmate shouted, "Darya!"

I blinked and I was back on Mako island. Shock caused me to fall to the ground, dry sobs exiting my throat.

I would not sleep that night. Not with the sight of the immobile men on the ground, or the fear in my soulmate's eyes.