“You don’t… you don’t think it might be Rye, do you?” I stutter.
“No,” Nexus says firmly. “You know how Aziza can shoot fire from her hands? Well, Rye’s godly gift is super strength. That gives him great strength of mind too. He is the only person who could resist a possession. The Horsemen are no fools, Sailor. They won’t attempt to take over someone who can fight them when they have a wealth of other options.”
“So why the secrecy?” I push her.
I am relieved to know that Rye can’t be the Horseman. I really think that’s the one thing that could have broken me. But I know there’s a reason Nexus and I are out here alone, and her secrecy is only making me more aware of it.
“Rye already knows the signs,” Nexus says.
“You’re lying,” I state.
She frowns at me and I relent a little.
“I believe Rye knows the signs. But that’s not why he isn’t out here. Tell me the truth, Nexus. No more riddles,” I say.
“Fine,” Nexus sighs. “Rye is a great leader. Loyal. Moral. But he has his faults like anyone else. And in this case, his loyalty will let him down. He is convinced no one on the team would succumb to a possession. He overestimates their strength that way. And I need to know you’re looking for the signs. If Rye knows you know them and are actively looking for them, he will try to explain them away. And something tells me his influence over you is stronger than you know. You can’t afford to let him talk you down from this, Sailor, or you will end up dead. Is that blunt enough for you?”
I nod, remembering how Rye was so sure Nexus was wrong about this.
“He thinks if it is one of the them, it’s a betrayal because they should be strong enough to fight off the Horseman,” I say.
“I know,” Nexus says. “And that’s my point. Not only will he try to convince you it isn’t a member of his team, but when he realizes he’s wrong, he will get in your way when you try to separate the souls. He will be convinced that the team member deserves to die for betraying you. I guarantee you this isn’t a betrayal, and I think Rye will be more likely to see that once the Horseman is gone and you’re left with a broken team member.”
“Broken?” I say.
“Not physically, but one riddled with guilt. Only then will Rye see they are genuine and realize he had it wrong all this time.”
I nod my understanding.
“Okay, that makes sense.”
“Rye knew I wanted to talk to you alone. When he asks what we spoke of, you must tell him only of the shrinking of the spear. Tell him that it took you some time to master growing it.”
I nod again, although I don’t like the idea of lying to Rye. My discomfort with the idea must show on my face because Nexus reaches out and touches my arm and smiles reassuringly at me.
“You’re doing it for him, Sailor. Can you imagine the guilt that would eat at him down the line when it clicks that he was never betrayed and he let not only a member of the team but a member of his only living family die? He already lost his family once, Sailor.”
That makes sense and it convinces me Nexus is right and I have to do this.
“Okay, I’m in. What signs am I looking for?”
“The same sort of thing as what you have been looking for now. A member of the team trying to get you to split off from the others. Anyone with a vested interest in the spear.”
“There’s more,” I say.
Nexus wouldn’t have pulled me all the way out here to tell me shit I already know. She nods her head.
“Yes. You are perceptive, Paradox.” She smiles. “I think you’ll learn the identity of the Horseman easily enough if you follow those instincts. Do you remember how Pestilence spread disease when he became aware of who he was?”
I nod my head and shiver at the memory.
“And War will cause an actual war?” I say.
“He could, but I think he’ll be more subtle than that. Being around War makes people testy and irritable. You will find that arguments spring up over nothing. That the team and anyone else who regularly comes in contact with War will be fighting and bickering over things that don’t matter. Where War goes, chaos isn’t far behind.”
“Great,” I say. “Nexus, how am I supposed to watch for signs and figure out who is the Horseman when just being near him will make me angry in general?”
“That’s the beauty of being the Paradox. His presence won’t affect you in the same way it affects others. Now enough talk. Rye is going to be sending out a search party if you’re not back soon.”
She stands up abruptly as she says it. I remain on the ground for a moment, my mind reeling with all of the information. I get to my feet after a second. I follow Nexus back through the woods. When we reach the edge, she turns back to me.
“Remember, Sailor. Be on your guard and don’t let that weapon out of your sight. Now go and enjoy your pizza. You deserve it.”
She vanishes before I can say anything else, and I shake my head, trying to remember everything she’s told me. The main thing that keeps coming back to me is the effect War will have on everyone around him. It’s not going to be pretty, and the sooner we fix this thing, the better.
I head for the cabin and step inside. I can hear chatter from the game room and I make my way towards it, ducking into the kitchen for a slice of pizza and a beer on my way. I enter the games room. Jinx and Mel are playing a video game. Ya-Ya and Sunday are playing pool, with Rye and Aziza
