Page 99 of Fortress of Ambrose
“I’m okay. It protected me. That must have been what you wanted, deep down.”
His color returns, and his thudding heart settles, then he asks, “Are you feeling better?”
The weight on my chest is lighter. “I am. But what are we doing here? Seeing my mother only makes me more determined to have a life that’s mine. I want to be free, Jordan. Not in a new kind of safe house for toushana. Not running for my life or hiding. I want tolive. Don’t I deserve that? Don’twedeserve that?”
“I want that, too.”
“Then the world has to change. And the Dragunheadhas tobe dealt with.”
“Dead. He has to be dead.”
Silence hangs between us.
“I could face him.”
“Not with all of dark magic inside you. It’s too much of a risk. We have to extract the Sphere’s toushana and put it in something safe. Then rewrite the rules for this backward world. Nova Misa shouldn’thaveto exist. Jordan, the people Knox and Willam are trying to help deserve freedom, too.”
“And Zecky?” His jaw works.
I sigh. “You have to see what I mean. You’re trusting toushana now, too?”
“Because I know what I am and am not capable of. Same goes for you. I don’t know them. Willam never struck me as honest. And now I see I was right. People like that can’t be trusted with toushana. It’ll corrupt them.”
“The magic will corrupt them?”
“Yes.Like it’s corrupting those people razing cities. I’ve told you before, it takes a lot of self-control to be this close to this much power and not be incensed by it. But none of this matters if the Sphere’s magic is not safe.Wehave tobe careful. Keep our eyes on one another. Trustno one. Willam can prove himself. Time will tell.”
“We’ve brought Zecky’s people here.”
“To do a task. Then they are free to go.”
“Into a world that would destroy them? Or force them to hide in a place like Nova Misa? I’m not for that. I won’t stand for that. It’s not right.”
“So you suggest we hand out trust like candy?” he asks.
“What is your plan, then, huh?” I ask.
“I trust you. You trust me. We have all of magic between us. We can decide who gets to use it and who doesn’t. I was thinking of a set of rings, tied by tracer magic, perhaps. Each family with a ring can pass it down in their bloodline. If the family misbehaves, the ring is taken away.”
“The Order by another name.”
Anger flickers across his expression. He takes a beat, scoping out a spot to store the metal box with the diadem and locking it in a cabinet. “We’ll need to find a better place for it. But this is good for now.”
I blow out a breath. And step closer to him. He doesn’t step back, but I can feel his nervousness.
“Are you sure you’re alright being away from your mother like this, after—?”
“I am. It’s time I fly on my own.” When this is all said and done, I will see her again and we will bury our toes in the sand. “We extract the dark magic and kill the Dragunhead. That frees us and them. Whatever else needs to happen with a new Order can be figured out after that.”
The green in Jordan’s eyes shimmers. “Alright.” He raises a thumb to my lips, and I dare to lean into it. He rubs it roughly across my mouth, and I burn for him in another way. Then he blinks. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
I smirk. “You must have wanted to do that, too, deep down.”
He takes a full step backward. “I’m sorry, I feel things so strongly now.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets. “I thought about…and then, next thing you know, I was…never mind.”
“I’m going to move up to the Headmistress suite to make as much room as possible for everyone. I don’t want to sleep up there all alone.”
“We’re already playing with fire, Quell. Wemustbe careful. You have to get through this unharmed.”
