Page 48 of Abducting Sarah

“Power,” he coughed, “I’ve always told you, people will do stupid shit for power. You’ve never believed me.”

I frowned. “I believe you, Jac. I just don’t think power is as big of a deal as you think it is.”

He rolled his eyes at me. “People kill for power. You saw it with the Bateens and Justice specifically. How many of your friends and family will have to die, before you understand that people,” he coughed harder, “without power will do anything to get it and peoplewithit will do anything to get more? You havejust enough power to be satisfied, but most people are not like you!”

He hacked, so I quickly got him water with herbs.

Maybe he’s right, I thought as he drank. When he was breathing normally again, I asked, “What does any of this have to do with Sarah?”

“Some conduit myth is about a special conduit who is coming to save Halla. They’re afraid of this special conduit, Deacon. They’re going to want to kill Sarah, if they figure out that she’s one, too.”

“Special how?”

“I don’t know. But Sarah is a human and a conduit, and that make her pretty damned special to me.”

A sinking sensation took me over. “That’s why you barged into my father’s house? You knew Predict would kill her for being the special conduit?”

“After I put two and two together, yeah. It took me an embarrassingly long time to do that, though, and that’s why I wasn’t there faster. I should have been faster,” he grimaced and balled his fists.

“Ode says you’re going to be alright, Jac. Calm down—”

“Calm down?” he nearly yelled. “Sarah almost died!”

“That’swhat you’re mad about? Not the fact that you got stabbed?”

He scoffed and looked away.

“Jac, what is it about Sarah?” I narrowed my gaze on him. “Why did you take the knife meant for her?”

He sighed and said, “You might as well finish what Predict started.”

I shook my head in confusion. “What? Why?”

He looked away. “Because I don’t want you to hate me when I tell you the truth.”

“I never could.”

“Something tells me you might find a way,” he said sardonically. Then, he looked me in the eye once again. “I care for Sarah.”

“Of course, she’s a wonderful person.”

“No,” he insisted, and took my hand in his, staring into my eyes. “Icarefor Sarah. In a way that I shouldn’t.”

His truth hit me hard, making me sit down again.How could I blame him for caring about her, since I’d sent him to look after her on Earth?At first, I didn’t know what to say and had no thoughts. But a moment later, I had all the thoughts at once.

I organized them into a response and exhaled a deep breath. “After you have healed and the dust of Halla has settled, I will make an official offer of antagony, so we can settle this like the respectable Ladrians we are.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I am not lying.”

“I’m not respectable.”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Whatever you are, I respect you, Jac. We will duel, and whoever comes out the winner can have Sarah.”

He shook his head. “I think she would object to such an antagony.”

“I did not mean it as though she was a prize to be won. I only meant, whoever is left canpursueher.”

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