Page 49 of Ashes of Gold
“I’m not telling you anything.” He looks both ways, and I summon my magic. It crackles between my fingers. “Answer the question.”
I step toward him again and his eyes glow with fear. He backs up, bumping into Jhamal’s chest. He twists the Loyalist’s arms behind him and he howls. I grab him by the collar and take him back to the trap.
“Shut it off.”
He fidgets with the wires, but more lasers shoot from the device, scanning in every direction. Red light blinds me a second. Pinchers snap in my direction, but I move out of the way.
“Faster!” I shove him. His hands work over the device and it shudders a moment, then the red light goes off as it powers down.
I exhale.
“N-now let me go.”
“For a foot soldier for the Chancellor, you sure are scared.”
He chews his lip.
“What do we do with him?” Zora asks.
“He’s going to tell me what I want to know, then we’ll decide.” I reach for him and he holds his hands up, flinching, his sleeves rolling down. His wrists… I push up his sleeve. No onyx. Where there would be onyx is the X-shaped scar of someone never Bound, someone… magicless.
“You’re Macazi?” The magicless are in league with the Chancellor’s followers now? They’re murdering Macazi all over this City, they’ve treated them like shit for generations. Make it make sense.
I look to Bri and she shrugs. “No idea. I didn’t even know he’d amassed a following of Loyalists, let alone that he’d recruit Macazi.”
“I’m sure the Macazi would be shocked too,” I say, “to learn one of their own is playing both sides.”
The Loyalist’s eyes dart between us.
“Explain yourself,” I say.
“I’m not saying anything. I-if you’re going to kill me, so be it.” He folds his arms but he stinks of fear. Brave when it counts. It’s almost admirable.
“What were you going to do with that trap?”
“I do what I’m told. If anything will be said about me, it’ll be that I follow through.”
Jhamal unsheathes his blade. “Jelani, we’ve wasted enough time on this. He’s a pawn. Useless.”
The Loyalist’s eyes flicker with something I recognize: determination.He knows plenty. And I’m going to get it out of him.
“Don’t kill him. He goes with us.”
“Rue, Macazi don’t have the best reputation,” Bri whispers to me. “I mean, they’re not trusted with magic for a reason.”
“I said, he is going with us.”
Zora pulls the binding tied to the Loyalist’s wrists; moonlight shines bright overhead. My feet ache. Totsi’s is literally no more than a couple of blocks away, from what I remember, but we might need to make camp somewhere if we don’t find it soon.
“You did good back there.” Jhamal brushes up against me, our hands dangling next to one another. His pinky finger reaches for mine. That alleyway would have been trickier without him and Zora. I’mreallygrateful he pushed to come with.
“You gassing me up?” I eye his finger, dangling there for me to take it.
“I do not know what that means. I just admire how you handled it.”
“Well… thanks.” I hook my finger onto his and try to ignore the somersaults my insides are doing. He smiles at me and my cheeks burn so hot I can’t help but smile back.
“I still do not think it is worth our time, but he fears you,” he goes on while we walk, basically holding hands.What am I doing?
