Page 64 of Infinity Son (Infinity Cycle 1)

“Hey, Kirk. I—”

“How are you doing? I’ve tried reaching you. I want to understand why you made the decision to become a specter and—”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch, but everything has taken a turn and only gotten worse and worse.”

“Is this about your brother? I saw the video.”

Of course he’s seen it. My life is some show for people to consume.

“Brighton’s in trouble, and I might not be able to save him. But the Blood Casters won’t win if you keep Gravesend far away from the museum. Cancel the gala, get her out of the country.”

I tell him everything I know about Luna’s plan to use Gravesend’s pure blood to make herself immortal.

“Immortal? Emil, that’s not possible.”

“I would’ve told you the same before I came back to life,” I say. He’s quiet. This is the first time I’ve trusted anyone outside Nova with the big secret. “In essence, at least. Turns out Keon could resurrect. He became Bautista, and . . .”

“Now there’s you.” Then Kirk is quiet. “Emil, this is astonishing news, truly. I would love to help you work through this, but in the meantime, we can’t cancel the gala. The museum needs this funding to keep its doors open. The Halo Knights will already be present to protect Gravesend, but I’ll alert them to the threat.”

“Luna is planning to create her potion at the height of the Crowned Dreamer. Delay the gala.”

“Gravesend will have hatched by then. The Halo Knights are capable, I promise you. I’d like to ask you more about this resurrection business—”

I hang up. Between the Spell Walkers turning their backs on me and Kirk not taking my warning seriously, I’ve lost the little hope I had that we might defeat Luna.

I go to Ness’s room. He’s lying on his air mattress and puts down the book he was reading. “Finally, firefly.”

I sit in the center of the room, relieved when he joins me. I tell him everything—Luna pulling off the ritual, me flying away with the urn, Brighton being taken hostage.

He watches the video and hands me back my phone. “She wants me back.”

“It’s not fair, I know. I’m sorry. But Brighton is innocent.”

“What’s the plan? You offer me up, and once we secure Brighton, we all get away?”

If only it were that easy. “Iris would rather sacrifice Brighton.”

“She may have a point,” he says.

“I don’t care about some greater good. I didn’t ask for these powers and I’m not my past lives. I don’t know when Keon was born, and I can’t tell you what Bautista’s favorite meal was, and I’m already carrying around enough guilt for a war I didn’t cause. But Brighton getting jumped by the Blood Casters? That’s on me. No one matters to me more than my brother, and I won’t be able to live with myself if he dies.”

The door opens, and Maribelle and Atlas walk in.

“The good guys are here,” Ness says dryly while feigning a clap.

“They backed me up in there,” I say.

Atlas pats my shoulder. “We’re here to help you now too. You and Brighton have done more than we should’ve asked of you.”

Maribelle flips a dagger between her fingers while holding eye contact with Ness. “You coming willingly?”

“He has to make this decision himself,” I say.

“You’re truly not cut out for this life,” she says. It feels more like an apology than an insult.

Good on all the Spell Walkers who have stayed in this fight, even when they’ve wanted to bust out too, but the soldier life is too suffocating for me. Someone shouldn’t have to be a walking weapon simply because they possess powers. I’m not about it, and I’m done once I save my brother.

Ness stands. “I got myself into this, and I’ll get myself out of it.”

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