Light (Gone 6)

She waited until he had absorbed all of that before telling him the last fact.

“Sam. Brianna is dead.”

He just stared at her. Then, in a soft, almost childlike voice, he said, “Breeze?”

“She stopped Gaia. It looked like Brianna almost killed her. The second time she . . . But this time . . .”

There were tears in Sam’s eyes. “My God. How is Dekka?”

“Like you’d expect. Destroyed. Roger’s dead, too, so Edilio . . . It’s been really bad, Sam. Really bad. It’s like we’re in a war.”

“We are,” he said. “I don’t understand why Gaia didn’t kill me.”

Astrid said nothing.

Lana came over then, so Sam didn’t notice Astrid’s silence. “How do you feel, Sam?”

“Better than I should,” he said. Then: “I know you did all you could for Breeze.”

Lana shook her head. “I never had the chance to. The gaiaphage hit her point-blank through the heart with your light. Burned a hole six inches across. That’s not something I can heal.”

“What do you mean, my light?” Sam asked.

Astrid shot a dirty look at Lana, but it was too late. Sam wasn’t going to be put off.

“You need to tell him,” Lana said. Her voice wasn’t unkind, but it was uncompromising.

Astrid said, “It seems Gaia has some connection to your power. There’s a . . . I don’t know what to call it . . . no one knows what to call it, because it doesn’t exist in the world out there . . .” She was stalling. He saw it. So Astrid said, “Diana says Gaia let you and Caine live because if you die you take the power with you.”

Sam’s face turned to stone, completely immobile. Astrid wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. Lana flicked a dead cigarette butt into the corner of the room.

Sam held up his hands, looking at them as if he might find some meaningful answer in his palms. Finally he spoke in a near whisper. “My light killed those kids at the lake, all those kids? And Breeze?”

His gaze went inexorably to the big automatic pistol hanging at Lana’s waist.

“I know what you’re thinking, Sam,” Astrid said finally, “but no. No.”

“I’m not thinking anything,” Sam said softly, lying.

“You cannot take your own life,” Astrid said, putting steel into her voice. “It’s a crime. It’s a sin.”

“I thought you were done with all that religious belief,” Sam said.

“It’s worse than a sin or a crime; it’s a mistake,” Lana said. “At least for right now.” She knelt down to be closer to eye level. Patrick sidled up beside her. “Let’s say Gaia suddenly doesn’t have the light thing. Right? She still has Dekka’s power and Jack’s power and Caine’s power. Caine’s bailed. Which means how do you think we’re going to kill this monster? Jack’s not very useful lately, Caine’s gone, so it’s Gaia versus Dekka and Jack? How does that come out?”

Astrid didn’t like the At least for right now part at all. But she kept quiet and let Sam think it over.

“Then I have to take her on right away,” Sam said. “Before she can go after anyone else. I have to do it now.” He stood up and staggered a step. Breathed deep, steadied himself, and headed for the door.

“Best I can do for you,” Lana said privately to Astrid.

Astrid knew she wasn’t talking about the healing but about what she had said to Sam. She nodded in respectful acknowledgment and followed Sam out.

Where are you, Petey?

Why won’t you talk to me?

“Maybe because I killed you?” she whispered mordantly. Yeah. Maybe that was it.