you know where he is now?”
“No,” Madame responded. “That’s why I’ve come here. I have a surprise for you.”
She motioned Theo to her side. The boy pulled the pack from his shoulder and handed it to her, backing away without a sound. Madame unbuttoned the top flap and pulled a communicator from inside. Cassius recognized it instantly. Badly worn, unrealistically large. It had belonged to him only a few short days ago. Fisher’s communicator.
She tossed it across the room to Avery’s waiting hands. “Old Unified Party technology. Cassius was using it to speak with Jesse Fisher. We’ve switched it off until now. Go ahead and turn it back on.”
Avery ran her fingers down the side of the device, searching for the switch. Cassius knew exactly what to press, but he remained silent.
Madame threw the pack back to Theo. “It’s only a matter of time before Fisher tries to contact his brother. When he does, he’ll find you instead. And that’s when we’ll construct our story. The two of you will be reunited.” Her brows raised. “See? I do keep my promises.” Avery examined the communicator. Her hands shook. Her face remained blank.
Madame crouched on the ground beside the bed. “I know about love. It may seem disingenuous, coming from me. The two of us have been strangers for some time now, but I remember it. At times it seems there’s nothing more important.”
Avery switched on the communicator.
“That’s a good girl.” Madame patted her knee. “You remember the plan. Everything hinges on timing and trust.”
Cassius stepped forward. “What are you going to do to Fisher?”
Quiet.
Madame stood, a half smile on her face. “I’m not going to do anything to him, Cassius. Calm down.”
“You’re bringing him here,” he continued. “And obviously it isn’t so he can see her.”
“What exactly are you accusing me of?”
Theo laughed from the window. “Maybe the great Cassius Stevenson needs another dosage.”
Cassius glared at the kid. “I am so sick of you.” He bolted toward the window and shoved Theo into the slats. His fingers tightened around the boy’s neck, eager to snap it.
“Stop!” Madame shouted.
Cassius’s grip loosened, half under his command, half from the sound of her voice.
A shot punctured the silence, coming from the street beyond the window. Theo ducked. So did Cassius. Madame froze before striding to the window. She bent to peer between the slats, then gave a great sigh. “Fringers,” she said. “And their guns. Always bullets. So unrefined.”
Avery stood, still clutching the communicator. “They don’t know about me. I expected them to scavenge the building, even just for shelter, but it’s been safe.”
“They’ve probably seen the cruiser.” Madame turned. “That ought to have set them off.” She pulled Theo to his feet and dusted off the corner of his jacket. “Go outside and make yourself useful.”
The boy swallowed. He hesitated a moment before nodding. As he went for the door, he made a point of bumping into Cassius’s shoulder. Cassius eyed the kid in disbelief before turning back to Madame. “You’re sending him out by himself? You don’t even know how many Fringers are out there!”
“I saw three. There may be more.” She held out a hand to stop the boy. “Names. I’d like names, if at all possible, Theo.”
Theo nodded before sprinting out the door.
Cassius scoffed. “They’re gonna kill him.”
“They won’t.”
“Trust me. If they’ve got guns-”
“They won’t kill him,” she repeated. “You and Theo have a lot in common. Don’t underestimate him.”
Cassius stared at her, searching for the truth. Her face was impossible to read.
“Why do you want names?”
She clasped her hands at her waist. “There’s been rumors of an uprising in these parts. It’s the closest Fringe Town to the Lodge. It would be fantastic news if any of the Fringe leaders were disposed of today.”
“You mean-”
“You felt the blade of Theo’s knife yesterday.” She glanced at his chest before meeting his eyes once more. “It’s his favorite. I gave it to him several years ago. You didn’t know about it, of course. You didn’t know about him.” She paused. “But you soon will.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Shut the door,” she said. “He’ll knock when he’s ready.”
Cassius took a moment to peer into the hallway before closing the door. Theo had already disappeared.
Madame moved to Avery’s side and placed one hand on her shoulder. “Let me show you how this communicator works.” She coaxed Avery into a sitting position. “This is all we had back in my day. Primitive, yes, but it does the trick.” She tapped the bed with her free hand. “Why don’t you come join us, Cassius?”
He stood still, listening to the sounds outside. There were more shots. Two, then a third half a minute later. After that, nothing but silence.
To the bed, Cassius.
He moved to the side of the bed, positioning himself as far from Madame as possible. He wished he could do something. If he’d had his full senses, he could break free and warn Fisher.
He stole quick glances at Madame. The way she hovered over Avery, the hint of lavender coming from her skin… it was all too familiar. He recalled nights when he was a boy and she would come to his room to read to him. The classics-never anything trivial or childish. She’d been like a mother, then. She looked like one now. No one had ever made him feel more important.
A knock came at the door. Three equal thuds.
Madame passed the communicator back to Avery. “That was quick.” She smiled, then raised her voice. “Come in.”
The door opened and Theo entered the room, jacket torn at the shoulder and hair stuck to his face. He raised his knife, wet with blood, and dropped it to the floor. “Randy, Paul, and Joseph,” he panted.
Cassius stared at his face, then down at the weapon, the dark-red splotch against the wood.
Madame frowned. “Pity. Not an important name among the three of them.” She stared at the tear in his jacket. “You can take it off now if you want, darling. No risk of Surface Tan in here.”
16
There used to be more of Japan. That’s what they say, at least. There are still underwater ruins, proof that civilization once existed here. But above the water it’s just a string of small islands. Once mountains, now buried.
Some are wide enough to land a shuttle or two. Most look more like oversized stepping stones. It’s a necessary pit stop for us-a chance to get our bearings. Away from the Academy, but not too far in case we have to turn back.
It won’t be long before they start tracing us after what happened on the island. We have a limited window to talk-decide what to do-before we’ll need to get airborne.
The shuttle sits behind us, empty and quiet. Waves lap upon the rocks at our feet. The Pacific stretches endlessly before us. This place is as silent as Russia, probably more. The grass that remains is eternally marshy. Sinkholes abound, but we’ve found a relatively stable piece of land.
Eva chucks a pebble into the water. She’s got a handful of them ready to go. I think it makes her feel better to be doing something. “They’ll take him back to the Academy,” she says. “That’s the first thing they’ll do. And knowing Skandar, he won’t talk.”
My leg shakes with nervous energy. “Alkine wouldn’t hurt him, right? I mean, it’s Skandar.”
“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. “At the very least, they’ll get a story out of him. I’m going to have to
