Page 80 of The Art of Exiley

He speaks so softly I can barely hear him. “Hypatia didn’t come home last night.”

I gasp as dread and panic flood me.

Rafe turns to face the wall, hiding any emotion from me. “She’s too young to attend Carnevale. She shouldn’t have even been there! But she snuck onto the Atlas.”

“I… don’t understand.” Guilt is building along with my fear. I’dseenher. I should have said something.

“What’s to understand?” He whips around, glaring at me accusingly. “Sires were being hunted down, and I managed to helpyoubut not my own family.” The regret in his voice is clear. “There are rumors going around of another capture attempt last night that was thwarted. Two rescued Sires and one lost.” He stalks toward me with conviction. “Iwillfind Hypatia and bring her back. I need to find out everything about the other attempt and whether anyone else was contacted with the offer of an antimatter trade.Leo would never have touched Hypatia, but he must know something about whoever did. Until I’ve interrogated them all properly, you cannot say anything to anyone about their connections.”

Ah. Suddenly Rafe’s helpfulness, not to mention the fact that he kept me isolated in his room all night, begins to make more sense. He needs my cooperation. But if it means helping Hypatia, I’m happy to give it.

“I won’t say anything,” I promise. “I want to do whatever I can for Hypatia, but aren’t there more… qualified people looking for her? Won’t giving them more information make it easier for them to find her?”

Rafe barks out a bitter laugh. “The gravdamnedqualifiedpeople follow too many rules. They’ve known about this risk for months, and they chose to ship all the Avant Sires off to this island for protection instead of dealing with the root of the issue. They claim they’re trying to find the missing Sires, but they’ll never accomplish anything while being so careful not to interfere, not to harm—” His eyes blaze. “I’m not afraid to do harm. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“What about Prince Alexander?”

“He says he’s taking care of it. That he worked out a plan with Chorus—she gave him some cryptic prophecy like she always does. But Alex wasn’t around to watch Hypatia grow up the way I was. I can’t imagine he feels the same urgency.” His voice breaks. “She and I haven’t been on the best of terms lately.” He shakes his head ruefully. “Because of her friendship with you and your roommate. But I shouldn’t have…” He suddenly stalks to the other end of the room, obviously annoyed with himself. “Why am I even telling you this?”

“It’s not a bad thing to talk sometimes.”

“Talking is useless. I need todosomething. I’ve spent the past few hours trying to get off this rock, but they’re not letting anyone leave. I need to find out if those fools from last night can lead me to the Inquisitor scum who abducted my cousin.”

“How are you so sure it’s the Inquisitors who are behind the abductions?” If I let him chase the wrong culprit, he’s less likely to find Hypatia.

“Of course it is. They’ve been hunting us for generations, hoping to steal our knowledge and then finally wipe us out. We have the evidence, and we should have acted on it long ago.”

What evidence could they possibly have? Maybe I should tell him about Ozymandias Tech? But I don’t have enough proof that it’s actually them kidnapping Sires. Is their genetic research and Izzy’s text message enough to convince Rafe he’s barking up the wrong tree?

“I can’t believe it’s come to this.” Rafe covers his face with his hands. “Hypatia has urgent medical needs. I don’t know how she’s going to manage.”

I blink rapidly, trying to banish the memories of my own kidnapping, which are creeping along the edges of my sanity. I still don’t know much about Hypatia’s illness, but I do know what it’s like to be abducted. I can’t imagine her going through what I went through. It’s hard to speak past the lump in my throat.

“Rafe, I’m so sorry.”

He stiffens, the look on his face making it clear that he again remembers who he’s speaking to. “Your roommate and Master Loew were both hounding me about you all morning. As you seem to be feeling better, you should go to them.”

Even as he dismisses me, he looks so lost… so sad.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

Abruptly he bangs his fist against the wall. “Get out,” he says.

I’m not offended by his anger. In fact, I’m drawn in by it. I recognize that he doesn’t want me to see him vulnerable. But I don’t want him to feel so alone.

Why, oh why, do I care?

I walk over to him and lightly put a hand on his back. I feel hismuscles relax as he almost imperceptibly leans into my touch. But only for a moment.

“Just leave,” he says, his eyes squeezed shut.

So I do.

I head back to my room to change my clothes. Georgie’s not there, but I find her at breakfast, where she accosts me with a fierce hug.

“I’ve been worried sick!”

“I’m fine, but I’m not the one you need to be worried about.”

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