Free Midland Refugee (Ultimate Passage Book 3) by Elle Thorne Page B

that to happen. ‘Put the little boy down.’ She told Saraz. ‘Please put him down now, if a situation escalates out of control, the only ones who will pay are the innocent ones. Please. Do it. Now. Release the child.’
    Saraz stopped, stood still, his eyes on her, then on Finn and Norn. Then he turned to look at the Elders. Without taking his eyes off of the Elders, he lowered Feroz to the ground. Feroz, clearly completely unaware of the turmoil ran to his mother.
    “Mother, look. Look at what Saraz gave me.” He held out a necklace made of black stone, maybe obsidian. Shiny and tear-drop shaped, several symmetrical shards hung from the necklace. “It is called Saraz’s Tears. Do they not look like perfect teardrops?”
    Raiza picked the little boy up.
    Marissa felt Raiza’s fear, understood it completely. She glared at Saraz. ‘Why have you come here? Why are you creating problems for us?’
    He didn’t answer her, striding confidently toward the scarlet-cloaked Elders. The Elders’ thrumming grew louder and louder. Except that there were no sounds, it was louder in her head, louder in the vibrating that was happening in her body.
    ‘Perpetrator of all that is evil.’ A chorus of voices spoke. It was the Elders. Except Marissa was watching them the whole time, their mouths never opened. And she understood everything they said. “That was in English,” she said to Finn. “Did you hear it? But they didn’t say it.”
    Finn gave her a weird look. “English? No. that was Asazi.”
    Norn said, “No. It was the universal language, Paonian. The Elders speak Paonian in their minds. And everyone understands Paonian.”
    Marissa closed her mouth, because she knew her jaw had dropped open. If they spoke a language everyone could understand, in their heads, then why did they let Raiza do the translating? Could she do it? She tried. ‘Why let Raiza translate if you can talk like this?’
    ‘We had to be sure, human Marissa.’
    No way. She tested them again. ‘You can hear me if I talk like this too?’ The resemblance to what Saraz did wasn’t lost on her.
    ‘Of course.’ Two of the Elders nodded, the other two smiled. The last two glared at Saraz, who still had a smug look on his face.
    He threw his cloak off, his wings unfurled, his thrumming became louder than theirs. ‘You seek fear from me? You? Monsters? Scourge? Unwanted? You think I should fear you? Do not make me rain disaster on your kind.’
    The Elders pushed their cloaks off, revealing garb that resembled a warrior’s fitted armored attire more than it did the wise men they were portraying themselves to be. Behind each Elders’ back, two long scabbards crossed in the shape of an X.
    They put their hands over their shoulders and drew swords that glowed. Marissa stared at the swords. That can’t be. Their blades—where their blades should be, were blades of white light.
    Saraz stepped back. ‘You think I should be concerned? You do not want me dead.’
    ‘Is that what you believe? Why would we want you alive? You are the Perpetrator. You are the reason we are here. You have disregarded the tenets. We are assigned to keep you from returning.’
    ‘What are you talking about? How do you know about tenets?’
    ‘Thane.’
    ‘Where did you hear that name? Where did you get those swords?’
    Marissa didn’t know what to say, if anything. This was confusing. She had questions, but didn’t know who to ask. She turned toward Saraz a thought on her mind, a question on the tip of her tongue when a cramp seized her. She doubled over, grabbing Finn’s hand to keep her from falling.
    Instantly, Finn’s arm was wrapped around her, his other hand holding her up. “Marissa. What is it?”
    “I hope it’s not a contraction.” She tried to breathe in, but her breathing was labored. “This tension, the baby. God, the baby.” She panted.
    “Look what you are doing. You are hurting Marissa and our child.” Finn’s voice overpowered the vibrating