“That’s what you ask me right now?” Jace glanced over, a smirk sliding across his face.
We flew out the back of the hotel. Jace had his levibike idling, ready to take off. I didn’t understand why. Where were we going to run? Once we were on the road, I finished snapping the top half of my corset. I tied string from my skirt around the busted clamps—my stomach nauseated and weak. I’d been about to…
No. I couldn’t think about that. I couldn’t even understand what had taken place. I had to focus on something, anything else. Reese had told me to run. Why would he say that?
Jace hovered up to the park. It was dark. A half-crescent moon and only a hint of twinkling stars lit the sky. Jace stopped near the entrance, parking his levibike under a dim gas lantern. He turned off the engine, popped off the seat, and offered me his hand. I stared at it, my mind blank. He took me into his arms, pulling me off the seat and clutching me to him.
“I’m sorry,” he said into my ear.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Yes it is.” He pulled away. The blue glow of his eyes shimmered, glistening. “I abandoned you. Instead of trying to understand what you were going through all these years, I allowed my stupid prejudice to control me.”
My eyes stung. “Jace, you have nothing to apologize for. I treated you horribly. You had every right to be angry with me. I…” I lowered my eyes from his, breathing in courage. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. For leading you on, and for just not telling you the truth from the beginning.?
?? I kept my eyes hidden from his—not wanting to see the hurt I knew was there.
Jace’s hand skimmed my cheek, raising my face to meet his. My eyes scanned over his lips—curled up on one side—and his brightly glowing eyes. “I understand why you hid. I get it.” He brushed a stray hair behind my ear, his eyes taking in my features. “And as for you and me”—he raised his eyebrows—“we’re good. Don’t feel bad. And don’t regret what happened.” He smiled. “I don’t.”
I opened my mouth to continue, to make him understand how sorry I was. But I changed my mind, and simply nodded as everything that had happened at the hotel came rushing back to me.
“What’s going on? How did you even find me?” I squeezed my eyes, mentally cursing myself. I kept forgetting about the trace on my stupid communicator. I bowed my head, ashamed.
He led me toward a bench under a gas lantern. “Remember that scroll we found?” he asked. I nodded, patiently waiting for him to fill in the details. “Well, I don’t know how the Narcos got their hands on it, but it’s a text—some kind of prophecy. I had the proofs analyzed by one of my father’s friends. A member of the Shythe Council. I had to take the risk. Dr. Thailow is an historian, and one of the only Kythan that can still read, well, partly read ancient Egyptian.”
“So they know we broke into the airship.” I said, fear lacing in my voice.
“Dez, our council hasn’t completely trusted the Narcos this whole time. They wanted a way to unite the races, fend off war, and save us from extinction. They were willing to chance the Peace Act because the Narco Council promised a way to do just that.”
“But I don’t understand.” I swallowed hard. “Reese called me the ‘one.’ What does…and what the hell is a Feyan Army?”
“You were part of an experiment, right?” Jace studied my face. “One that only the Narcolym actually knew the outcome of. The scroll states that one Kythan will be born with the ultimate power of two races. That only this one Kythan will hold the power to lift the curse, our dependency on the humans for our survival.” He took a deep breath. “Dez, we’ve been lied to all this time. Yes, Kythan were guardians to the pharaohs. Yes, when they died out, we should have ceased with them. But a Narco—way back when—thought by killing the last pharaoh it would set us free. But he didn’t know that the sorcerers had placed a spell. If a Kythan Guardian ever went against their rulers, a curse would befall all the races. One of war and servitude to humans for all time.”
My mind tried to process everything he was telling me. “And the scroll? It tells us how to lift this curse?”
“Yes. Somehow the Narcos got their hands on it and deciphered it. That’s why they didn’t kill us off when they destroyed the Leymak race, only weakened us. They still need one other race, one they can use to unite and find the power to lift the curse.”
“But how is that me? How can you think it’s me?” I threw my hands up. “Jace, Reese is just like me. And according to you, we aren’t the only ones.”
Jace cupped my face. “I saw that power, Dez.” His eyes lingered on my face. “You know that you’re not just like Reese. You have to know how much more powerful you are than him. I’ve heard him say it.”
My chest tightened. “You’ve been spying on us?”
“I’m sorry.” His eyes sought mine, pleading. “But I didn’t have a choice. I had to understand you. And I had to find out what Reese and the rest of the Narcos were up to.”
His words brought my world crashing down around me again. “Reese,” I said. “He’s one of them.”
Jace clasped my hands. “I’m sorry we couldn’t decipher the scroll faster.” He bowed his head and shook it. “But right now, we have to get you somewhere safe. I can explain more later.” His eyes searched my face. “But, Dez…I need to know first. Are you all right?” I managed one nod before he continued. “We haven’t finished decoding the rest of the scroll, and we need to hurry and do that before the fighting starts.”
“Fighting?”
Jace ushered me toward his levibike. “You don’t think Reese is going to let you get away now, do you?” He started the engine. “Now that his plans have been ruined, I’m sure the Narcos will try and take you by force.”
Reese’s warning echoed in my mind, adding to the fear in Jace’s voice.
Run.
Jace took us to his house. For now, there was no going back to the Academy. When I walked through the door, Lana wrapped her arms around my neck.