“It sounds crazy, I know,” he added with a brief laugh and that half-smile she’d fallen in love with. “Like I’m telling you the plot of a superhero movie.” His expression grew serious once more. “But this is all too real. And the reason I know this is because I’ve been on the inside. The wrong side. That secret organization of people who murder elementals and then tell themselves they’re just doing their bit to keep the world safe?” He inhaled deeply. Ridley’s arms tightened around her knees. “I was part of it.”
Ridley’s eyes ached with unshed tears. The pain hit her all over again. The pain of losing Mom. The pain of knowing that Archer had been involved, even in a small way. Her hand shook ever so slightly as she squeezed the commscreen a little tighter.
“I … I’ve been responsible for people’s deaths,” Archer continued. “Not directly, but I was involved in—in devastating events, and that means my hands are just as blood-stained as everyone else’s.” There was the slightest tremor in his voice, and he had to swallow before continuing. “I’m sorry.” He looked directly at the camera, and Ridley felt that he was looking at her. “I’m so, so sorry.” She sucked in a trembling breath as the tears she could no longer hold back spilled onto her cheeks.
“I’ve lied,” Archer said. “I’ve betrayed the trust that was given to me. I have deeply hurt people I care about. And I’ve learned that I was wrong. I’ve spent time with elementals over the past year. They’re not dangerous or evil or soulless. No more than any other person who has the free will to choose the way they want to live their life and treat others. Their magic is …” He stared past the camera, shaking his head a little as if he could’t find the right words. “It’s right. It’s beautiful. It’s the most natural thing in the world for them to interact with the elements. To commune with magic. It’s …” He let out another breath of a laugh. “To be honest, I wish I was like them instead of like me. But I’m not. I’ve done terrible things, and I will never stop trying to make up for all the pain I’ve caused.” He looked straight through the camera and into Ridley’s soul. “I will never stop hoping for forgiveness.”
Ridley unwrapped one arm from around her knees and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Within seconds, more tears fell to take their place.
“Why am I telling you all of this now?” Archer asked. “Because the world is about to change, and you need to know why. You deserve to know the truth. Others will tell you a different story. I know the people behind all this secrecy, and I know they’ll try to keep controlling you with their lies. They’ll try to keep you afraid. Of magic, of elementals, of change.
“So here’s the truth of what’s happening: Elementals want to return the world to the way it used to be, and they want to be able to safely live in it.” Archer shrugged and smiled. “That isn’t too much to ask for, is it? That isn’t something to be afraid of. Remember when magic was part of our daily lives? Remember when it helped out with everyday tasks, and when certain medical procedures were quick and easy, and when art and dance and food were literally magical experiences? Remember when we didn’t have to be afraid to leave our own city, and when we didn’t have drones constantly flying overhead? Remember when a magical storm was a spectacular light show in the sky, and not something angry enough to rip through vehicles and buildings?”
Archer leaned forward, getting even closer to the camera. “Don’t you want to live in that kind of world again? I do. Maybe it seems impossible to you, but it’s not. We just have to get rid of our walls, our panel shields, our AI2s. And that stupid law that forbids us from using magic. Just think about that one for a moment. How can it be a law that we can’t pull magic and use it when some people are born with magic inside them already? We’ve been told over and over that magic is too wild now, that it will kill us if we try to use it. And that’s simply not true.” Archer sat back and lifted one hand. Nerves tightened Ridley’s stomach again. Was he really about to film himself performing a crime in front of thousands of—
Yes. Yes he was. Archer curled his fingers and dragged them through the air, pulling bright, glowing wisps of magic from it. Soft blue light illuminated his face. He cupped both hands around the magic and did a quick conjuration, fingers flicking apart and then touching lightly together. His thumbs circled around one another to end the conjuration, and the magic fell from the air as droplets of water.
“See?” Archer said, looking at the camera again. “Not dead. Except for the fact that I just broke a death sentence-worthy law, so someone in authority will make sure I end up dead for what I just did.” He shook his head. “Messed up world, right? That’s why it needs to change. That’s why it’s already changing. You saw what happened in Linevale this morning, right? Same thing happened just an hour or two ago in a city on the other side of the world. It wasn’t a freak storm or angry magic. It was intentional. It’s the start of a new world.”
He sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “So I guess that’s it. I just wanted to make sure someone told you the truth before all the lies start spreading their way through the media.” He leaned forward again, his hand reaching for the screen. Then he paused, and Ridley knew he was speaking to her when he said, “Be brave. This is the future we dreamed about. You’re strong enough to make it happen.” Then he tapped the screen and the video ended.
Ridley stared blankly at the device in her hand. Her mind was a jumbled confusion of emotions. The truth of her existence was out there. Thousands of people were aware of elementals now. Soon thousands more would know. Her immediate instinctive response was fear. But beneath that was relief. She had never wanted to hide forever. Hopefully now she wouldn’t have to.
Well … unless the Shadow Society remained intact. Archer hadn’t mentioned any names. Ridley didn’t think she could really blame him for that. The director was his father, after all, and she didn’t think she could give up her own father, even if she knew he’d done terrible things. But if no one knew who was part of this secret organization, they would probably—as Tanika had said—continue to quietly get rid of elementals.
One step at a time, Ridley reminded herself. Free the cities first. Then worry about the Shadow Society. Archer had done a great job at making sure everyone would understand what was going on when all the arxium protection came down. Now Ridley had to focus on making sure it actually happened and that his father didn’t somehow put a stop to it.
She switched the lamp off, lay down on the couch, and pulled the blanket she’d used earlier up to her chin. With her face turned away from the door, Shen would hopefully think she was asleep when he got back. Perhaps she would be asleep. Either way, she didn’t really want to talk to him. Her mind was full of everything Archer had said, and that was the way she wanted to keep things: inside her head and wrapped around her heart.
He’d spoken to the public, but so much of it had been for her. She didn’t want to rehash it out loud with Shen. She didn’t want to argue about whether she’d been right to trust Archer or not. She had been right. She knew it with everything inside her. He shouldn’t have kept so many things from her, but he’d apologized again and again, and she believed every word he’d said tonight.