A shiver crept across Ridley’s skin at the word ‘revolution.’ It was so huge, so dramatic, so … historical. The kind of event that belonged in textbooks, not in everyday life. But that’s exactly what this was, wasn’t it? They were overthrowing the current order of things. Ridley had just never put the label ‘revolution’ onto it before.
“And Nathan’s probably done the recording by now,” Saoirse added. “I know we mentioned in passing that perhaps Archer should do it, but we can’t trust him with anything anymore. I’m sure Nathan’s already sent whatever he’s recorded to various news networks. He would have done that once he was close enough to the city to get signal. Hopefully someone will be brave enough to broadcast it once this is all done and everyone wants to know what’s happening. They’ll be scared at first, but Nathan’s message will help everyone understand.”
A bolt of magic zigzagged down from the sky and struck somewhere in the distance. “And the Shadow Society?” Ridley asked. “You never came to an agreement on that particular detail, and it’s kind of a major one. We’ll never be safe as long as they’re around.”
“We know who the director is now. We also know the mayor is one of them. Nathan can name them in his recording and the proper authorities will take care of them.”
Ridley frowned. “The authorities that are probably under the Shadow Society’s thumb and have been stuck there ever since the Cataclysm? Have you actually spoken to Nathan about this recording? Do you know for sure what he’s telling everyone? A moment ago you said he’s probably done it already.”
“Ridley, just—” Another tremor shook the earth, and Saoirse threw her hand out to grab Ridley’s arm. “I don’t know, okay? The only thing I know is that we all have our part to play in this. Yours is to burn through as much arxium as you possibly can. You need to leave the rest to other people. I don’t know the details, but Nathan’s been planning this for a long time. I’m sure he’ll do whatever’s necessary to make the world a safer place for all of us.”
“So … he’s going to kill them.”
Saoirse wiped rain from her face. She looked past Ridley toward the city. “I don’t know what Nathan’s going to do. But at some point, you have to trust everyone else involved in this.” She fixed her green gaze on Ridley once more. Firm and steady, yet still … gentle. “I know you’re used to acting on your own, relying only on yourself, but you’re not alone anymore. We’re all in this together.”
“I—I know I’m not alone—”
“Do you? Several days ago you took off on your own to find Archer.”
“Because nobody else wanted to help!”
“That’s not true. If you’d had a little more patience, you—” Saoirse cut herself off, shaking her head. “Trust, Ridley. That’s my point. The responsibility of this operation isn’t entirely on your shoulders. Yes, you can probably do all the arxium burning on your own, but there are other parts to this equation, and it’s okay for you to not be in control of all of them.”
Ridley blinked at Saoirse through the relentless rain—which was beginning to slow from deluge level to shower proportions. She couldn’t deny that her anxiety level was pretty high not knowing exactly what Nathan had said on his recording or what the plan was for the Shadow Society or where Dad was and whether he would stay safe. But Saoirse was right. They each had their own role to play and, just like with her magic, she had to let go of the control she so badly wanted to hang onto. It’s not my plan, she reminded herself as she wiped rain from her eyes yet again. I don’t have to know everything about it.
“Okay,” she said eventually. “I focus on my part, you focus on your part.”
“Exactly.”
“I’ll wait for the storm to calm—which might actually be starting to happen—then head up there and burn as fast and far as possible.”
“Yes. It would be better if you had your mother’s stone—I think magic would understand you more clearly if you did—but you still have plenty of power without it. You can fragment and send your fire self as far as possible, but it’ll be a bit wild and all over the place, and I don’t know if you’ll be able to control where all the burning arxium ends up.”
“Which is why my dad and the others will be waiting down below.”
“Yes. And I’ll find Maverick and tell him you’re okay before I join the others.”
Ridley turned her gaze to the sky again, blinking through the rain that was no longer falling as fast. Magic and lightning flickered intermittently in the clouds, which were a lighter gray now and even allowed a streak of sunlight to crack through every now and then. “It’s definitely starting to quieten. Probably almost time for me to head up there.”
“Put this on,” Saoirse said, crouching down and opening her bag. She straightened and handed Ridley a gas mask.
“What about you?”
“I brought two. I was hoping to find you, remember?”
“Right. Thanks.” Ridley pulled the mask on and secured the straps behind her head. “Okay, I think I’ve—” The earth heaved beneath her feet, throwing her entirely off balance. She tumbled backward, shoving her magic outward a second before she would have hit the ground. She splashed onto the rocky earth as water, then returned to human form and sat up. She sucked in a breath at the sight of the jagged rift racing through the ground toward Lumina City’s wall. It struck—Ridley tensed—and a crack splintered its way up the wall.
“Crap, this is really happening.” She reached for Saoirse’s hand as they both stood. “Right now. On a random Sunday morning. We’re …” She looked at Saoirse through the mask. “We’re changing the world.”
Saoirse held her gaze, a smile forming on her lips. “We’re changing the world.”
Ridley looked up again as a larger gap appeared between the clouds, allowing bright sunlight to stream down. The earth shook again, and she almost lost her balance a second time. She focused forward instead, eyes pinned on Lumina City. “Time to do this,” she whispered.
Then she started running. Her form melted into fire and she launched herself upward, shooting into the sky as a mass of flames. As she neared the city wall, she wondered vaguely if anyone was watching her fiery form hurtling across the sky. If so, were they afraid? Would they assume it was another manifestation of the wild wasteland magic? Whatever they believed it to be, they probably thought the shield of arxium panels above their city would protect them. She knew they’d be afraid once those began burning. Their fear would only increase when they realized their wall was burning too.
Only for a short time, she assured herself. Nathan will explain everything. If no one wanted to broadcast his message, they could put it on all the social feeds instead. Soon there would be no more fear. Only a world that was free to use magic.
She flew higher and higher. The panels grew nearer. Near enough to make out their true size. Impossibly thin, but at least the footprint of a bus, if not bigger. Squarer. Even as a magic-powered fireball, Ridley felt tiny in comparison. She imagined a deep breath, urged her magic faster, and slammed into the first panel.