As I drove the final blow home, he collapsed. He didn’t wail or cry, instead curling into a ball and shaking as if he had lost all control of his limbs. I stepped toward him before halting. I had no place in this moment of raw grief.
And it was more than just the fresh grief about his mother, or even the guilt. He had just lost his idol as well, his whole life’s purpose crumbling around him.
I had never relished speaking the truth less. And I—one of his victims—could offer him no comfort.
Chapter 17
Airlie
The minutes drew out, each less comfortable than the last, until Renley finally gave a deep, anguished groan. Stretching out slowly, he rose to his feet, his dry eyes red with fury.
“I’m going to kill him,” he said with gritted teeth, turning toward the distant settlement.
I sprang forward, racing in front of him and placing both hands out to make him stop. He ignored me, walking straight into my raised palms. I dug in my heels and pushed back until he finally halted, looking down at me in surprise, almost as if he’d forgotten my presence.
“I can understand the sentiment,” I said quickly. “But think about the logistics.”
The fight went out of him, the fever pitch in his eyes dulling.
“I wouldn’t even get near him,” he muttered.
“Exactly. What we need is a plan. And allies.”
He turned to me, some of his earlier animation returning. “You! You can activate me. That’s a start at least.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Activate you for what? So you can use wild power like your mother? There’s not a lot else out here. I’m not having your death on my hands. Besides, I can’t. One of your father’s friends already asked me about that. I’m bound by a neutralizer, remember. I’m basically the same as you and every other unactivated person—I can’t access any part of my power.”
I hesitated, unsure if he could withstand another blow. But it was better to get it all out in the open.
“There’s something else you should know. The General told me himself that people with a power affinity can’t have their ability strengthened. He wouldn’t tell me how it’s done, but he seemed certain about that. It’s why they want Cadence so badly.”
He paled at my words, but after the earlier revelation, this one had lost some of its power.
“Do you know how he does it?” I asked. “How can he strengthen someone’s ability when no one else can?”
Renley grimaced. “I’m not in the inner circle yet. I don’t get access to his secrets.” His fists tightened. “When I think of the years I wasted…What I did to my own mother trying to get the General to accept me…” He ground his teeth together.
I put a hand on his arm. “You didn’t know what it was doing to her.”
“But I should have.” Now that his eyes were opened, he wasn’t shying away from the truth, and I admired him for that. “I let myself be blinded because of my desire to be part of the inner circle—to be important and powerful. I was a fool, and my mother paid the price for it.”
He paused, drawing in a ragged breath while I waited in silence.
“I should have realized after the first time that he was never going to let me in, that he was using me all along.”
“The first time?” I asked.
He started, giving me a wary glance.
“Out with it,” I said sternly, alarmed at his expression. “What else did you do?”
He swallowed and began walking slowly toward the settlement. I matched his stride, letting him have the small ease of not having to face me directly while he made whatever confession was coming.
“I was the one who told the General about you,” he mumbled.
“What?!” I shrieked.
He winced. “I heard my parents talking about you a couple of years ago. Father was saying that if your father had agreed to come, between him and the two of you, they might have been able to keep the General from taking over. They mentioned the strength of both of your seeds, and that Cadence had a power affinity. Later, when I was trying to think how to demonstrate my loyalty to the General, it occurred to me how valuable he would find you. So I told him.”
I drew a deep breath to keep myself from shouting at him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “At least I didn’t remember where you lived, given I was six last time we went there. I assumed it must be on the Tartoran side of the border, so the General was scouring the area looking for you. Unsuccessfully, of course.”
“Didn’t he ask your parents where we were?”
Renley grimaced. “They told him that you moved after our last visit because your father didn’t want us to know where you were. Since he’d cut off all contact, it was close enough to the truth to be convincing, although he thought you would have stayed near the border. It’s the best region if you want to hide because of the number of refugees.”
“So all those villages he attacked?” I asked, feeling sick again. “He wasn’t rescuing persecuted Calistans, like he claimed? He was looking for us?”
Renley’s brow creased as he considered the matter. “It’s not as straightforward as that. He was looking for you, but also recruiting for his cause at the same time. There were plenty of disgruntled Calistans in those villages, he wasn’t lying about that. I went on one of the trips myself.”
I nodded, feeling marginally better. The General had already demonstrated his propensity to combine goals, and it had been an effective move on his part, even if he hadn’t yet managed to capture Cadence.
“At first he was delighted with the information,” Renley said. “But when he couldn’t find you straight away, he said it wasn’t enough. That I needed to do more to help. I should have seen through him then.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” I said softly. “I’ve witnessed him in action, and he’s incredibly persuasive. I nearly fell for it, too. I would have if it wasn’t for you.”
“Me?” Renley stared at me.
I nodded. “I didn’t know about your mother then, but he told me about not being able to strengthen a power ability. I realized he’d lied to you, and it all started to lose its luster.” I sighed. “I’m sorry you didn’t have something like that to open your eyes.”
He shook his head angrily. “But I did. My own parents. I just didn’t believe them.”
I winced. “You wouldn’t be the first youth in that situation.”
Renley suddenly halted, his hand flying out to stop me as well.
“Airlie! Wait!” His eyes had gone wide. “The most recent attack—Cadence!”
“That was a while ago.” I frowned at him. “The General said she survived it, and she obviously wasn’t captured.”
He shook his head. “That’s almost worse. That must mean she fought it off. They used wild power in that attack—sending it down the river.”
An icy cold sensation trickled down from the top of my skull. “What does that mean?”
“When I was younger, the wild power always stayed on this side of the border. My parents told me there’s some sort of ancient barrier there, set up by past kings on both sides. It was enough to keep the power contained in Calista. But it clings to people, apparently. And with so many of us traveling back and forth across the border on these raiding parties, it’s started breaking through more and more often.”