Jinx nods his head and stands up.
“What are you doing?” I demand.
He looks at me like I’m crazy.
“Going to the desert to scope the area out,” he says. “Are you listening at all?”
“I’m going with you,” Aziza says, also getting to her feet.
I should be the one making the decision on who goes, but to be honest, I would have chosen Aziza anyway, and Jinx is good in a fight. They’re probably the best two candidates to go.
“Be careful,” I say. “And report back to me the second you have the area narrowed down.”
Jinx makes a portal.
“Got it,” he says, and steps through.
“Is there anything else we need to know, Nexus?” Aziza asks.
Sand blows in through the portal as she waits for an answer.
“Anytime today, Az,” Jinx shouts back through the portal.
“No,” Nexus says. “Just heed Rye’s words and be careful.”
Aziza nods and steps through the portal and it closes behind her.
“Rye, Sailor, I need to talk to you two alone. The rest of you can go,” Nexus says.
Mel laughs as she stands up.
“This teacher thing is going to your head, Nexus.” She laughs.
“It is kind of more fun than I thought it would be,” Nexus admits. “But the germs. My God the germs. Teenagers really are disgusting. Some of the things they do horrify me.”
The team files out, laughing at Nexus’s disgust until only Sailor and I remain in the room with her.
“What’s the catch then?” I ask.
“What do you mean?” Nexus says with a frown.
“You wanted just us two. That means you’re going to drop some major bombshell on us, right?” I say.
Nexus shakes her head.
“No. I just want to remind you two that a member of your own team is the Horseman,” she says. “It means you will have to be extra vigilant. And Sailor? I know this is a lot to put on you, but when the time comes, you need to be able to kill that member. Can you do it?”
Sailor looks down at her desk for a moment and then she looks up at Nexus.
“With any other weapon, honestly, I don’t think I could do it. But with this weapon, yes,” she says.
“Sailor, I know this sounds like it’s a bit less up close and personal, but believe me when I say it’s not. You will have to touch the crystal to the fatal wound, a wound which you must cause. And you will have to watch the life leaving the person’s body so you know when the soul is truly out.”
I feel a shudder go through me at Nexus’s description, but Sailor still just looks thoughtful.
“That’s the thing though. I can watch the soul being sucked from the body. And I can stop when the Horseman’s soul is out. Before the soul of the team member is removed from the body,” she says.
Nexus pales visibly but she doesn’t respond.
“It’s possible, isn’t it?” Sailor presses her.
“Yes, it’s possible. But Sailor, it’s so dangerous. It’s not something I would recommend you try.”
“Why not?” Sailor demands.
“Because if you’re off by even a second, the consequences will be dire. If you’re too early, the Horseman won’t be contained. And if you’re too late, you will shatter the soul of the team member, trapping half of it in the crystal and leaving the other half to wander in limbo for eternity.”
“Then I’ll have to make sure I time it right then, won’t I?” Sailor says defiantly.
“Sailor—” Nexus starts.
“No,” Sailor interrupts her. “These guys are like family to me, and if there’s a way to get rid of the Horseman without killing one of them, then it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
She is fierce, and even Nexus seems to see there is no talking her out of it.
“Then prepare for the hardest thing you have ever done, because the idea of any of these guys stuck in limbo, well, that’s a fate worse than death.”
Sailor nods her head.
“I can do this, Nexus. I know I can,” she says.
“I hope you’re right,” Nexus says.
She jumps down off the desk.
“Well I have a staff meeting to get to. Can you two clean up the sand off the floor?”
She’s gone before I can tell her no, and I sigh and get up and head for the cupboard in the corner. I get out a dustpan and broom and begin to work on the sand. Sailor watches me in silence for a moment, lost in thought.
“You believe I can do this don’t you, Rye?” she asks.
“Yes,” I say simply.
She looks surprised and I laugh.
“What? If anyone can do this, it’s you, Sailor,” I say. “I was more worried that your nerve would go and you wouldn’t be able to kill someone. But saving them? I know you’ll pull that one off. The real danger in my mind isn’t going to be splitting the souls. It’s going to be fatally wounding the Horseman in the first place.”
Sailor nods thoughtfully.
“Yes, that’s not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination. Everyone is so strong, but everyone has a weakness too. Once we work out who it is, we can formulate a plan. Rye, who do you think it is?”
I don’t answer immediately and Sailor keeps thinking out loud.
“I hate having to be suspicious of the team when everyone is helping me so much, but I do think it’s a little off how Jinx and Aziza were so keen to go and search for the weapon alone. Do you think it’s one of them?” she says.
I don’t like the idea of questioning Nexus’s intel, but I have to be honest with Sailor. I stand up and go to the trash can to deposit the sand as I speak.
“Sailor, Nexus
