Page 89 of Shadow Caster
“Fix it. You have to fix it. Give them back their memories.”
He looked at me blankly. “There is no fix. It’s done. And that’s why I must follow through, or they’d have lost their memories for nothing.” He smiled, as if that was explanation enough, as if his words should reassure me.
The urge to break his face burned down my arm and coalesced in my fist.
Payne placed a hand on my shoulder. “Indigo, please …”
His soothing tone took the edge off my anger, reminding me of the precarious position we were in. I took a deep breath and stood down.
“What are you going to do, Redmond?” Payne asked carefully. “Talk to me. Maybe I can help.”
But Redmond had that stupid dazed expression on his face again, as if he was fucking high, and who knows, maybe he was. “I couldn’t have done any of this without Mariana’s weaver power. We were going to have a wonderful life, but she’s lost her resolve. The breeder died a week ago, and the plan is unraveling. The morphs will soon break out of the bindings. There is no option but to get rid of them and start afresh. With the catacombs gone, I can offer the knights a fresh trial, one that doesn’t involve my having to catch feral hounds.” He stroked Mariana’s cheek. “But you’re not a killer, are you, my love? I can’t blame you for that. But I can’t let you warn Archer either.”
Wait a second. “What do you mean with the catacombs gone?”
He blinked slowly at me. “Oh, it’s all set up. I planted the explosives an hour ago. I’m going to cause a cave-in.”
Twenty-Nine
Acave-in. He was going to blow up the catacombs?
Oh, crap.
How long had I been unconscious? “What time is it?”
Redmond headed to the door. “It’s time I left. The cadets will be here in a moment, and I need to open the doors and then seal them in.” He had the grace to look guilty. “Seal you all in before the bombs go off.”
Seal us all in. That meant … We were in the catacombs. The lab was in the fucking catacombs.
“Wait, Redmond,” Payne said. “You don’t have to do this. I’ll help you get rid of the morphs. We can keep this between us. If you do this, you’ll be killing innocent students.”
“That’s what Mariana said.” He took a step back into the room, his expression earnest, as if desperate for us to understand why he was about to murder us. “But don’t you see, this is the only way to clear up this mess. A tragedy like this will make the knights rethink their trials. How many cadets have died in this trial in the past? Too many. It’s pointless death. This way, I kill two birds with one stone. I cover up the mess I’ve made, and I save future cadets from this pathetic ritual. In a few minutes, the cadets will be sealed inside, and two hours later, the bombs will go off. They will be martyrs to a greater cause.”
“Is that what’s going to help you sleep at night?” I felt sick. “You’re a murderer, plain and simple. A greedy fucking murderer.”
Redmond ignored me and opened the door.
“Redmond, stop. Please, reconsider,” Payne implored.
“I’m sorry, I wish it hadn’t come to this.” Redmond’s mouth turned down. “But I can’t risk losing my position.”
The door closed behind him with a firm click.
Payne grabbed the bars and tugged. He began to examine the cell, looking for weaknesses. Looking for a way out. My attention was drawn to the pocket of shadow in the corner of our prison.
Fucking hell. I’d had an out all along. I could have leapt out and smashed Redmond’s smug face in.
I made a sound of exasperation, which drew Master Payne’s attention.
“Don’t worry, Indigo. We will find a way out of this.” His mouth said one thing and his eyes another.
He was right, we could get out of here, but it would mean exposing my secret to Master Payne.
There was no choice.
If I didn’t act now, cadets would die. “I know we will because I can get out of here, but you have to promise me you’ll keep what you see to yourself.”
He frowned. “If you can get out of this cell, then do it.”
