Katie smiled wanly, her cheeks glowing. She put the tray down on the side table between the beds.
“About your brother...” Auri said again, and James’s attention snapped back to her. “When the incident in New York happened... it was all so sudden, you know.”
“I don’t know, actually,” James said. “What happened, Auri? What they said on the news...”
Auri shook her head, anger flitting across her face. “They have no idea what they’re talking about. They say that attack was unprovoked.”
“Was it?”
Auri took a breath, and the anger faded, leaving her looking defeated. “They captured Ros, James. The government, this... SIA organization, they lured her there and took her hostage. When it happened, we were divided. Half of us were on a recon mission in California. Lychnus, Avus, Leo, and your brother responded at the scene, and... as you know, it turned ugly. Before the rest of us could assemble and reach them, they had disappeared. We knew we had to disappear, too. This base”—she indicated to the walls around them—“was the agreed-upon rendezvous point should anything happen. Six of us made it. Five did not.”
James sat against his pillow, letting it all sink in. He’d thought for a few moments that he had finally found Derek, only to discover he was as far away as ever. But Derek’s clues had sent them to Nepal, had led them to discover the Chintamani Stone. It hadn’t all been for nothing, had it?
“So you have no idea where they might be?” James said.
Auri shook her head, but she didn’t meet his eyes. She’d always seemed timid, and having to tell James the bad news couldn’t be easy. “Calico has been working night and day, but I’ve been left mostly in the dark. He’ll want to talk to you when you’re up to it.”
“I can now.” James pushed himself off his pillow, ignoring the bout of dizziness it caused.
Auri gave a gentle smile. “You must rest for now. Besides, he wishes to speak with both of you,” she said, nodding to the still-unconscious Rocky.
James begrudgingly agreed, and Auri left him to rest. Katie lingered behind, her eyes on the ground.
“It’s good to see you,” James said. “I thought—”
Before he could finish, Katie rushed forward, throwing her arms around him in a hug. James grunted in pain, and she jumped back, releasing him.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s okay. It’s just a little tender.”
“No, I mean I’m sorry.” Her eyes shone. “For leaving you guys. I regretted it right away.”
“Ah, you shouldn’t. We were caught immediately at the airport, just like you said. How did you find Calico?”
“Actually, he found me. Apparently they heard we were all over the news. He sent Myrcellus. You know, she’s good at disguising herself. They brought me here, and I told them you were probably in Kathmandu, so we kept an eye on the city. Good thing we found you.”
“Good thing,” James said. Katie still seemed weary, much more subdued than her usual self.
“Well, I’ll let you rest,” she said, shooting a glance toward the door. “Hopefully Rocky will be up when I’m back.”
“Katie,” James said as she turned to leave. “Thank you for saving us. Really. I’m glad to see you.”
She smiled, more genuine this time. “Rest up.”
She left and James settled back in his pillow. He shook his head, trying to clear it, his thoughts sluggish. Everything had happened so quickly. The events of earlier flashed through his mind as he tried to piece them together. Calico and the other Supers must have been watching them, just as the SIA had been. Calico himself flew in and intervened when they were taken. That was why the van had crashed.
Dangerous, James thought. Sloppy, almost. They could have easily died in the crash. But he supposed he was used to the way Derek did things. Usually, James put himself in unnecessary danger while Derek figured out the safest way to rescue him.
James knew he should be thankful for being saved. The SIA seemed willing to do anything to stop him and Rocky. Those men had shot at them. James had stared down the barrel of a gun, certain he was about to die. He shuddered at the memory of the SIA agent standing above him. But why? Didn’t they need him for his information? Were they just undisciplined?
The Supers had found them. They were safe. But James was left with even more questions than before.
What was going on?
AT SOME POINT, JAMES drifted off to sleep. When he awoke, he didn’t know if hours or days had passed. It was impossible to tell, with no windows and no clocks in sight. He groaned as he emerged from sleep. He might have been healed by Auri, but his whole body was still sore, making every movement painful. It felt like the time he accompanied Rocky to the gym a few months back and woke up the next day unable to move. He’d vowed to never set foot in a gym again.
“Good morning,” Rocky said from the bed next to him.
“Rocky!” James sat up quickly despite his groaning muscles.
Rocky was sitting up in his bed. He squinted at James. “What’s up?” he said, his voice weak. “Good to see you’re okay.”
“You’re the one that got messed up,” James said.
“Eh, more like I’m the one that took all the hits for you.” Rocky flashed a smile and winced slightly. “Auri and Katie came and visited me already. Told me everything they told you, I think.”
“So you know...”
“We’ve still got to find Derek? Yeah. Just another obstacle to get over, right?”
Not for the first time on this strange journey, James felt a rush of gratitude for his friend. Despite lying in a recovery ward after being brought back from the brink of death, he was positive, cheerful. He could’ve taken the near-death experience as a reason to leave,
