“I need you to come and find me,” I whisper, as if my words could change time and space and bring me my heart’s desire.
The snap of a stick nearby makes me bolt to my feet. I reach for a stone on the ground, picking it up in my fist. I glance around, scanning the area for anything that moves. I hear a deep, male rumble of laughter. Winding back, I throw the stone in the direction of it. The rock changes course and veers away as soon as it reaches the entrance of the gazebo. It falls to the ground in the middle of the pavilion. My eyes widen in surprise as a voice says, “You almost hit me.”
“Giffen!” I whisper accusingly, still unable to see him.
“Your intuition is uncanny. Good throw, by the way.”
“Knob knocker!” I spit. “Where are you? Get me out of here!”
“You just got here.”
“Come out of hiding so I can murder you!” I growl.
He instantly appears under the archway of the gazebo. His hand falls away from a small, silver box clipped to the waistband of his black belt. He’s attired in the same type of uniform that I saw the matchstick soldiers of Amster wearing when I projected into their compound last night. He sweeps his light-brown dreadlocks back from his face, then rests his hand on the hilt of a knife holstered on his side. It makes him look dangerous, even when he doesn’t make a move to draw it. I take a step back from him. He notices. His eyes follow mine to his hand on the knife. He moves his hand away from the blade and strokes his beard instead, smoothing the hair that is the darkest side of blond. His green eyes pass over me as if he’s assessing my well-being.
“I’m not here to hurt you, Kricket.”
“Good, because I’ll kill you if you try.”
“You can’t kill me.” It’s not said in a derogatory way—it’s just a statement of fact.
“All I’d need to do is tell Kyon you’re here and you’re a dead man.”
His face contorts in anger. The muscles bulge around his rolled-up shirtsleeves. “Is he your man now?”
“Screw you! How did you even know I was here?”
“The Brotherhood deployed an armada of aircraft. They weren’t hard to detect. I’ve been watching the action on the beach. When it ended, I hung around and watched the house. Then . . . you came out, so I followed you.”
“You knew I was here.”
He shrugs. “I had an idea. You’re our ghost. I told you I’d find you and make contact.”
“You’re wasting your time—I’m not telling you anything until you get me out of here.”
He shakes his head. “That’s not how this works.”
“That’s how it works for me unless you’d like me to let Kyon know you’re here.” I make a move toward the entrance of the gazebo.
He takes a step in front of me to block my way. His jaw clenches as he points at me. “I’d be gone by the time you could make it back to the house.”
I want to scare him. “Don’t forget I know where you live—” No sooner are the words out of my mouth than I am lifted up off the ground and slammed into the stone pillar behind me. He keeps me pinned to the pillar using his telekinetic power. I cough and wheeze, trying to catch my breath as I dangle above the ground.
“Careful, Kricket,” Giffen warns. “The moment I actually believe that you’ll flip on us is the moment you’re truly dead.”
“How did you get past Oscil? The security on this island is extensive; there are sensors everywhere.”
“I’m unique, Kricket. I’ve been using my abilities to obstruct the sensors. They won’t pick up on me unless I allow them to.”
“What do you want?” I gasp. I must have bitten my lip because it throbs and I taste blood in my mouth.
“Information. What can you tell us about the ships we saw amassed around the island?” he asks.
I don’t reply; I just stare at him, hoping somehow it’ll kill him. Why didn’t I get that ability? Death-ray eyes. Seeing the future is completely useless compared to that.
He sighs. “You do know we have Trey? You were just there. His welfare depends on how well you do here.”
“Astrid won’t let you hurt him.”
“Astrid won’t have any say in what happens to him. He’s my prisoner. If you want to keep him alive, you’ll cooperate.”
Giffen underestimates Trey. He’ll have Trey only as long as Trey is hurt. After that, Giffen won’t have crap. I only have to hold on until then. All we need is time. I relent, saying, “The ships were sent by the Alameeda Brotherhood, led by Excelsior Ensin. He intended to swing by and pick me up.”
Giffen shows little emotion. “Kyon refused to relinquish you to his father?”
“That’s right.”
Giffen glances up at me, his green eyes narrow. “How long does Kyon plan to stay here—on this island?” He walks closer to me, coming to stand beneath where I’m pinned to the wall. The shadow of the pillar on him hides the golden streaks in his hair.
I study the handsome contours of his face before I reply, “I don’t know. Kyon said he wants us to get to know each other. He thinks it’ll be too hard to do that with other people around.”
Giffen’s lips twist. He almost looks jealous. “Why? What does he want to know about you?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Given our history, the only thing I expect from Kyon is pain.” Giffen’s frown deepens, causing me to say, “You don’t think I’m right.”
“He didn’t hand you over to Excelsior. He kept you instead.”
“Maybe Kyon wants something from Excelsior in exchange for me and is just waiting to raise the stakes.”
“Or maybe you’re what he wants,” Giffen retorts.
“You believe that,” I whisper softly.
“He could’ve demanded anything in exchange for you and it would’ve been granted by his father. He didn’t do that.”
“I think you’re wrong. They hate each other with the kind of loathing I’ve only seen in bad foster homes,” I murmur thoughtfully. “Kyon may not have given me up just because it’s Excelsior who wants me.”
He shakes his head again. “It’s more than bad blood, Kricket. Kyon has a plan in place. I need you to find out what it is.”
“You’re not taking me back with you?” Something inside me squeezes tight. I think it’s my bloodless heart, but I’m not sure because my entire chest aches.
“You’re valuable to us here—with Kyon. You can get close to him; find out what he knows about what the Brotherhood is planning. Win his trust. Stay valuable to us and you stay alive. Should that change . . .”
“What? You’ll kill me?” I ask, even knowing that his threat was implicit. “My father would let you do that?”
“This is bigger than any of us. This is the fate of Ethar. I know you don’t care about that—how could you—deep down, you still think you’re from Earth.”
“Whose fault is that?” I ask.
Giffen comes to stand just beneath me. “Be our eyes, Kricket, and you’ll survive this.” He lets me fall from the pillar, catching me in his arms. As my feet slide to the ground, he pulls me against his strong chest, holding me steady. My cheek rests briefly against the soft fabric of his uniform. I inhale his scent. A memory flashes in my mind—Chicago in autumn—my face resting against fallen leaves—an unbelievable ache in my chest—that smell—his smell—his voice saying, “You’ll be okay. I’m going to make you okay, just hang on—”