people riding one hoverboard, but I didn’t give them much thought.
My legs, my arms, my face—nothing even hurt. I had Vi. She loved me. Jag had charged me with her care. His trust meant more than my life, which I felt slipping through my fingers like water.
Fret held his fingers to my throat. “Brother,” he said. “We need to get him inside.”
“How’d you get here?” I asked, unable to move.
“I brought over two thousand people from Harvest. Trek contacted us. We now have more Insiders than Darke has clones.”
I didn’t respond. My head hurt too much and I didn’t know what to say.
“Please, Zenn—”
“Did you know Dad is dead?” I blurted out. I turned my head toward him and found the truth in his downcast eyes. “You did. Why didn’t you tell me? In Castledale, you could’ve told me.”
“I didn’t want to be the one to bring him up,” Fret said. “I regret it. I’m sorry.”
“That was—” I cut off, afraid to voice what I truly thought. That Fret was a coward. That he’d known Dad had loved me more. That he should’ve told me, no matter what.
A cheer rose from the crowd in the sky. I didn’t share their joy. I felt so, so tired.
“I miss you,” I said. I coughed, and tasted blood. Fret had done a lot for the Resistance. Father had never seen the value in Fret’s contributions because Fret had no talent. I hadn’t either—until now. Fret’s influence— however small—over thousands of people had brought help to Freedom. Help when we needed it most.
“I miss you too, brother,” he said. “You’ll be okay, you’ll see.” His voice cracked on the last word.
Another grenade explosion brightened the sky. I saw someone fall. “Take Vi inside,” I whispered. “Please.”
Vi woke as Fret attempted to remove my arms from around her. I still couldn’t move. She leaned over me, tears filling her beautiful eyes. “Zenn, oh no. Please.” Her hands hovered above me, not quite touching me, but flitting around like they wanted to.
“I love you,” I whispered again.
She bent closer and kissed me quickly on the mouth. “You’re my best friend,” she said. “I can’t—you can’t—” Then her tears fell, splashing against my face and neck. She cradled my face in her hands.
At her touch, I closed my eyes and focused on breathing. It was so, so hard.
Jag
57.
The conference room in Rise Twelve has seen better days. The sun streams into the room, and the table is filled with bottles of water and bags of food. It’s lunchtime, and I’ve gathered everyone for a debriefing before we send traveling teams to key cities in the Association.
“Our losses include River Isaacs, Thane Myers, and Laurel Woods,” I say, my voice tight with emotion. “I will file a full report on Thane’s death, as he gave his life to spare mine and to ensure the success of this mission.”
Next to me, Vi stares straight ahead. “Zenn Bower died,” she says. “Flying with my additional weight was difficult for him, and he took many hits before we made it back to Rise Twelve.”
I squeeze her hand, but it’s not enough to ease her grief. I’ve felt the pain of losing two parents in the same day, and there is never enough happiness to fill that void. Not now, not ever.
And with the loss of Zenn too? I suspect Vi will never heal completely. Sure, time dulls the pain, but there’s always something that brings it back to the surface. She has me. I’ll help her keep that pain at bay. Blaze and Pace had done the same for me many times.
I meet her eyes, and she raises her eyebrows in a silent question:
I might never be okay, but I simply nod. For now, I’m still alive.
And we won.
Irvine weeps silently into his hands, once again reminding me that our victory has a steep price. I’ll never get to explain myself to Indy. Never get to say good-bye. I clear my throat in an attempt to push back the grief at losing her without making things right between us.
“Traveling teams will leave tomorrow at first light,” I say. “Who feels like they can volunteer for these missions?” I’m through assigning, and I don’t expect anyone to raise their hands.
But Saffediene does, immediately followed by Mason Isaacs. They catch each other’s eyes, and I know they’d rather be anywhere but here. One lost a boyfriend, the other a daughter. I assign them the coastal northwestern cities. It’s the longest mission available.
Surprisingly, Gunner volunteers too, with Raine’s hand raised as high as his. They get seven cities to visit and instruct. With Gunn’s voice, I know everything will be taken care of.
“Irv,” I say. “Will you and Trek stay here? Maintain the transmissions and start the clean up?”
He nods, his eyes still rimmed with tears.
“Won’t you be here?” Gunner asks.
“No,” I say. “Vi and I will take the Mountain Region out west. Right, babe?” I look at her and find gratitude in her expression. She needs to go home, away from this city where the most important people in her life have died. She needs to sleep in her own bed, and sit on Zenn’s front steps, and skip rocks in the lake like she used to with Ty.
“Yeah, sure,” she says. “I want to go back to Seaside anyway. I’d like to visit my sister’s grave.”
“I’ll come too,” Fret Bower says. “I want to erect a memorial for my brother and my father in the Goodgrounds.”
I swallow hard, purposefully not looking at the empty seat next to me where my second-in-command—my once-best-friend—Zenn—should be sitting. I cannot imagine anyone but Zenn writing me notes and sliding them across the table. I cannot thank him enough for giving his life to the Resistance. For dying so Vi could live.
“It’s settled then,” I say, unable to contain the tremor of pain in my voice. “The three of us will go together.”
acknowledgments
Wow, a third book! What an adventure this series has turned into. From
Michelle Andelman is one of my biggest champions, and this book wouldn’t have even been written without her.
I appreciate all the questions and conversations about my writing and books from my friends and family. You
