I’ve never felt more hopeless about the people I’ve been cheering on for years. They couldn’t be bothered to save me or even back up Emil. “Whenever you head out, I’ll be there too.” I turn to Wesley and Iris. “I’ll prove to you why no one messes with my brother.”
I storm out. They better not try to leave without me.
I go to Ma’s room, where she’s eating with Prudencia. They both look like they haven’t slept the past several nights. I don’t know the last time anyone has had a full night’s sleep. Prudencia tries to hug me, but I take a step back and look at Ma.
“My shining star,” Ma says. Her bottom lip trembles. “You’re okay.”
“But now Emil isn’t. I’m going to get him back.”
“No, please, you have to stay here. Let the Spell Walkers handle this,” Ma says.
“They didn’t even back him up the first time!”
“You can’t risk yourself the way Emil could,” Prudencia says. “I know that’s the last thing you want to hear, and I know you want to be the one with powers, but you aren’t, and you have no business being out on the battlefield again. Look what you and Emil are putting your mother through!”
I look her dead in the eye. “I’m sorry, have we met?”
Prudencia comes around the bed and gets in my face. “You don’t get to be upset because I didn’t tell you I’m a celestial.”
“Yes I do! What, all those times you were looking over the journal with Emil, were those actually meetings to talk about how amazing it is to have powers? What a shame that I’m not in on the fun? Laughing behind my back, I bet.”
I will never tell anyone about my Brew experience. How powerful and victorious I felt when I believed I killed Luna and Dione and that acolyte. I’m a big enough fool without anyone knowing all that.
“Brighton, I had no intention of ever using my powers again. I would’ve loved to have trusted you with that secret, but I didn’t want you to pressure me into doing some piece for your series or shame me for not nurturing my telekinesis. I care enough about you and Emil that I broke my own promise to myself to look after you both on missions.”
“Some good that did.”
Prudencia’s eyes fill with tears, and then they fill with rapidly moving stars. The deep breaths she takes are probably the only reason I’m not flying through that window.
“You’re not being fair, Brighton,” Ma says.
“What do you both know? You’re both liars.”
Ma inhales deeply, and I regret what I’ve said, but I’m too pissed to take it back, and if I stay here any longer I might make it worse.
“I’ve got work to do,” I say, and leave.
I’m exhausted and starving and want to shower, but I can’t stop thinking about if Emil is still alive.
I get back to my room, pop open my laptop, and go straight to YouTube, that reflex of mine that’s as strong as breathing. There aren’t any trending videos of Emil’s captivity. I search his name online, and nothing new pops up beyond the standard praise and hate. I check out the stats on the video where Stanton beat me around. Over two million views since Stanton forced me to upload it early this morning. The comments range: Lore keeping me in their prayers; Silver Star Slayer and his followers claiming this is staged; I apparently shouldn’t have stuck my nose in any of this and left everything to the authorities, as if the enforcers were rushing to save my life; people speculating on where the meet-up was, like it was going to be some opportunity to get photos with Emil; and the last one I read is someone trying to get a bet going on how long it takes for Emil to save my life. How little they know.
The door opens, and Maribelle comes in.
“We messed up trusting that shape-shifter,” she says. “We followed his lead, but we should’ve known better.”
“Emil would trust Luna if she promised to turn over a new leaf. His heart is too good.”
“You’ve got fire in you.” She crosses her arms. “Taking that shot at Luna took a lot of guts. Come train with me so we make sure you don’t miss next time.”
I put down the laptop and rise.
I’m going to be my brother’s hero. No matter what.
Thirty-ThreeInfinity-Ender
EMIL
I wake up to find four acolytes aiming wands at me like a firing squad. My wrists are chained above my head, and my arms are sore. This migraine eclipses the one I had after my first casting. I cannot believe I trusted Ness—that two-faced bastard who played to my fears of escaping war. Dude straight seduced me.
I have no idea where I am, but in the silence, I hear the golden-strand hydra’s howls. Another life that’s going to be lost.
Maybe I screwed up this war even more. If I’d never agreed to fight and just hung around Nova minding my own damn business, then Brighton would’ve never found himself doing fieldwork, and I wouldn’t have bothered connecting with someone who has committed crimes for the city’s greatest queenpin. I don’t know what went down after Ness laid me out with that urn, but I hope Brighton and Prudencia and the Spell Walkers are all good. I’m shaking hard thinking about what comes next, but better me than my brother. I suck at saving lives, but sacrifice is heroic too.
The door creaks open, and Luna and Ness enter.
“How far you’ve fallen, my little wonder,” Luna says while twirling the infinity-ender she thinks will extinguish me and my phoenix fire for good. “Keon was a mastermind, the first of many specters. Despite Bautista betraying me because he was enthralled by an even greater traitor, he still managed to establish a movement that has impeded me
