The boy doesn’t say anything. Despite his bravado, I can sense his fear on my grid. He doesn’t want to die. Finally, he nods.
I reluctantly release my grip on him and get up so he can stand.
He does, hesitantly. He looks back at me and Peter, and for a heartbeat, I think he’s going to attempt attacking again after all. However, he turns and races out the apartment door. I track his presence on my grid as he runs and runs, never once pausing. I keep an eye on him just in case he doubles back to attempt following us later.
Peter turns to our still-muttering assembly. They fall quiet when he speaks. “Sorry for the interruption, folks. But I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that we’re in the middle of a war—one that the Order is actively participating in. One that you will soon be participating in if you decide to join us, however directly or indirectly. If you’re afraid, you’re free to leave.”
When I look back at our small group, it’s to see Father half-standing from his chair. At first, I think it’s because he’s preparing to leave. Then I realize from his posture that he’s been standing and that his presence is a bright red-orange of alarm. Was he frightened by the spy? No, it’s not quite fear he’s feeling. Was he … worried about me?
He sits back down as I continue to watch him. He won’t meet my eyes.
“All right, we’re going to need to speed things up,” Peter says with a clap of his hands. “Gotta finish up before any reinforcements can come. It’s a shame, but we won’t be able to use this place again. Okay, who’s next?”
17
ERIK
IT WAS ELLIS’S idea to have a sparring contest while we wait for Cal’s team to return from the latest raid. We were comparing scouts’ reports on the military’s patrol schedule in her office, but when none of us could focus, Ellis said we’d have a competition. See who was the strongest of the rebel leaders.
It sounded like a pain. I tried to get out of it, but since Ellis made Gabriel the ref, that left Ellis, Joan, Devin, and me; and Ellis insisted we needed an even number to make it a real contest. Of course Devin was all in. Joan wasn’t excited about it, but she agreed. And since no one else was complaining, I pretty much had to join.
Ellis beat me easily in the first round, even with our no-gift rule, and after a long, grueling fight, Joan took down Devin. Her disgust for him was obvious as she sent him to the floor. Great. That means I have to fight the maniac next.
We’re all taking a break now, though. I sit next to Gabriel by the wall while I take a huge pull of water. Luckily, that’s one thing we’ve got plenty of, since there’s an underground lake.
“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this right now.” I wipe an arm across my forehead to get rid of the sweat. “Man, you’re lucky. I call ref next.”
Gabriel cracks a small smile. My heart stumbles. “I’m not envious of you. But you are doing well, you know.”
“Please. It took Ellis all of, what, two minutes to take me down? That girl’s a Feral.”
“Really, Erik, give yourself a little more credit. It had to have been two and a half minutes at least.”
I elbow him and he laughs. My heart jerks again. I want to hold his hand or lean my head against his shoulder. I’ve never been into kissing or the more physical stuff, but I want to be close to Gabriel. But then I remember the reports I send Lai every night. I think of Gabriel’s friends who come back dead. Because of me.
Ellis stands and stretches her arms overhead. “All right, are we ready for—” Her expression drops abruptly. She gets that look that comes when she’s speaking to someone through one of her butterflies.
Everyone freezes. My heart trips again—this time for a very different reason. The Order must’ve attacked. Is Cal okay? Did the Order win? What’s happening? I nervously finger Lai’s power crystal on my bracelet.
Finally, Ellis turns to us. Her face is weirdly blank. “Cal and his team are currently retreating. They weren’t able to gain any supplies before the Order attacked them.” She doesn’t sound angry like she did all the other times the Order interfered. But she doesn’t sound put off, either. Why does she have to be so hard to read?
The immediate tension is crushing. No one talks. Everyone just stares at Ellis.
“Is Cal okay?” I try not to wince when everyone looks at me. But hey, it’s a valid question, isn’t it? It’s definitely not something that makes me sound like a spy. Right?
“He said he’s fine, but we lost a friend and two others are injured,” Ellis says. Her eyes switch to Gabriel. “He also said he fought someone with a neutralization power crystal—an Etiole, apparently.”
Something passes between them that makes me think this is something they’ve talked about before. I forget sometimes just how far back they go. But Lai told me about how the both of them were originally part of the Order, when it was just some no-name group of friends. Ellis knows about the Order’s origins. And she should know that Gabriel gave all the remaining core members his power crystals before he left them, too.
But Devin wouldn’t know about any of that, and he’s not good enough at reading people to realize this is something both Ellis and Gabriel were obviously already aware of. “Traitor,” he snarls. He strides across the training room toward Gabriel, but I’m on my feet and between them in two seconds. Devin looks like he’s going to try to shove me out of his way, but he stops when Ellis holds up a hand.
“Gabriel and I have discussed this already,” she says. “The Order has roughly six neutralization power crystals.”
Devin and Joan stare at her in shock. I barely remember to do the same.
“That’s news to us,” Joan says slowly.
“I’m sorry for not warning you,” Ellis says. “We weren’t certain before now that the group behind all these attacks was the same one we knew.” She smiles ruefully. “It would appear they’ve changed quite a bit since the last time we saw them.” She looks at each of us in turn. “You needn’t fear. Gabriel hasn’t betrayed us.”
I hold back a sigh of relief. It’d be bad if the rebels suddenly turned on Gabriel. I don’t know how well I’d be able to protect him, given my own shaky standing.
“It doesn’t change the fact that someone had to have leaked our plans to the enemy,” Devin says. My relief at Gabriel’s clearance dies in my throat as Devin swings around to face me. “The six of us were the only ones who knew the details of tonight’s raid ahead of time. Which means someone here is a traitor.”
“Or,” Ellis says, “we were bugged and we still haven’t found the devices. Or a Nyte used their gift on us. Maybe someone has the ability to see into the future?”
The suggestion reminds me of Paul and my heart plummets. But I’m careful to keep my face totally neutral. Don’t give anything away. Don’t give them any more reason to suspect you.
“As I said before,” Ellis continues, “do not make accusations against someone without first bringing me proof.”
“How is this situation not proof enough?” Devin asks incredulously. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard him question Ellis—which means this is bad. “Sara, I know you trust the people you’ve chosen, but can’t you see how shady this is?”