Page 92 of Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World
Now that he mentioned it, Ihadpicked up on some vague vibes, but I’d been too distracted to give it much thought. I’d only ever known Amira to date cis men, and Lex’s emotional state was set permanently to “irritated.” Watching them really go at it, though, I gave an inward shrug. It was far from the strangest thing to happen lately.
Belatedly, I asked the question that I probably should have posed first. “Did we win?”
Eric nodded wearily. “I think so. You disappeared inside that thing and we heard it scream. Then it…imploded. Like it was sucked into something.”
“Sucked where?”
He held up the Black Blade. “I think it’s in here.”
I let my eyes drift closed again. “Great,” I mumbled. His hand came to rest against the side of my face. “I really want to hold your sword sometime,” I think I said, before I went away again.
If this were some feel-goodstory where everything works out and only the villains get their proper comeuppance, the peoplewho’d disappeared would miraculously return after we destroyed The-One-Who-Hungers. But this isn’t that kind of story. Ms.Crenshaw had been right—things weren’t going to be wrapped up in a neat little bow.
The final count of the missing eventually stood at somewhere over a million people. It was a devastating number, but given what I’d loosed on the world, it could have been much, much worse. There was panic and recriminations and a thousand different theories about what had happened to all those people, but Dark Enterprises made sure that none of those theories got anywhere close to the truth. Our secrets remained safe.
In the end, the government issued some vague statement about an act of terrorism committed by persons unknown. As explanations went, it was unsatisfying and nonsensical, but most people ultimately shrugged and turned their attention to more pressing matters like college football andThe Masked Singer. New York itself would take years to recover, but on the upside, there was a lot of unoccupied real estate and it was priced to sell.
The day after our climactic battle against an Abomination, I met Eric at Madison Square Park. I’d called in sick to work—I figured I’d earned it—and after fourteen hours of sleep I was feeling almost human again. Now that the disappearances had stopped, people were slowly daring to venture out from their homes, but the two of us still had the park entirely to ourselves. I found him sitting on a bench, watching pigeons coo and peck at the ground. His injuries were gone, as were mine. He’d used the Conclave’s magic to heal us both while I was unconscious.
“Hi,” I said quietly as I sat down.
“Hey.” He gave me a smile that faded a little when he noticed the careful distance I was keeping. “How are you?”
“Fine.” I looked away from him. “Look—” I started to say.
“Colin—” he said at the same moment.
We both smiled this time.
“You go,” I told him.
He was quiet for a few moments, gaze lowered. Then he looked up at me. “I know things between us are uncertain right now. And that’s okay. We can take whatever time we need to figure things out. First, though, I want to give you this.”
I looked down at the Black Blade, lying in the palm of his hand. Was it my imagination, or did restless shadows now move within the dull metal? “I assumed the Conclave would want this back.”
“They do, especially because it didn’t destroy the Abomination after all. They think it’s too dangerous in any hands but theirs.”
I said nothing as I studied the ancient knife. With it, I would have real leverage. Was it worth the risk?
“Take it,” he urged softly.
“What does this mean for you?” I asked instead.
He let out a long breath. “They’re already angry with me for…borrowing it without permission. Giving this to an employee of Dark Enterprises on top of that would mean excommunication from the Conclave. Banishment from their ranks.”
“Then I’m not taking it.”
Eric gave me a sad little smile. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve already quit.”
I stared at him. “What? Why?”
He lowered his head, gaze focused now on the bench between us. “I’ve been unhappy for a while now. Following orders without question…it started to chafe. I was expected to be an instrument of the Conclave’s will, nothing more. And then I met you.” His lips quirked wryly, though he didn’t look up. “I’ve never met anyone sodetermined to control his own destiny. Nothing stops you. Not even the fate of the entire world.”
Despite myself, I laughed. “I guess I deserve that.”
“It’s inspiring, honestly.” His eyes rose to meet mine. “Frightening as hell, but inspiring.”
Silence fell between us while pigeons wandered around and dusty sunlight trickled through the leaves overhead. Then I cleared my throat. “If you’re sure, then I’ll take the Blade. It’ll give me something to bargain with.”
