Shards of Hope (Psy-Changeling 14)

Marjorie’s response had been impassive. “Aden was Ming’s ace in the hole, or so he believed.” Nothing in her expression or tone said she regretted her decision. “Ming wasn’t stupidly arrogant back then. He knew part of the reason we’d threatened his power base was because the other senior Arrows trusted and respected us. Our status was why Aden was allowed into the training program in the first place, despite his low rating on the Gradient.”

The older Arrow’s eyes had met Zaira’s, the ice in them impenetrable. “What better way to ‘honor’ our memory than to allow our weak child to remain in the squad? Aden bolstered Ming’s image as an Arrow who abided by the wishes of his squadmates—in our case, even after death.”

Marjorie had meant it when she’d called Aden “weak.” Even after all the extraordinary things he’d done, his success in achieving what Marjorie and Naoshi couldn’t and freeing the squad from the Council’s clutches, Marjorie saw him only in terms of his known abilities. She had no idea of the man her son had become, no comprehension of just why the squad followed him with such steadfast loyalty, and no understanding of his leadership methods and dreams for the squad.

Quite frankly, neither Marjorie nor Naoshi had the imagination or the heart to see any other path but the cold, ascetic one Zaid Adelaja had laid down over a hundred years before, when he became the founding member of the squad.

“I thank you for your forbearance in letting my father live,” Aden said at that moment, not protesting when she began to explore the back of his hand with her fingertips, the craving inside her too huge a thing to totally stifle.

Zaira ran her thumb over his knuckles. “I did warn Naoshi that if he ever mentioned locking Alejandro away again, I’d snap his neck.” Aden’s father was bigger than her, but they all knew she was one of the deadliest Arrows in the squad. Never had she failed to acquire or dispose of a target unless she’d made a conscious decision to disobey orders. And when she disobeyed, she made sure her proposed targets went under so deep that no other assassin would ever locate them.

Ironically enough, Naoshi appreciated Zaira’s insubordinate streak, appreciated that even under Ming LeBon, Zaira had remained her own person. What Naoshi failed to understand was that Zaira was only that person because Aden had taught her she was an individual in her own right, one who had the right to make her own decisions, have her own opinions.

In contrast, Naoshi’s and Marjorie’s vision of the squad would’ve produced interchangeable carbon copies. And while they might not have done as Ming had and executed “malfunctioning” or “worn-out” Arrows, she didn’t think they would’ve given those Arrows any real quality of life, either.

“Alejandro won’t make it if we’re trapped here more than another day.” His compulsions would tear him apart from the inside out. “I have to find a way to let him know I’m alive.”

“Ivy knows about him,” Aden reminded her. “She’ll help keep him calm, and if that’s not possible, Vasic knows to sedate him.” He spread his fingers so she could weave her own into them, strengthening their private two-person network. “That’s why else you’re perfect,” he said, returning to the argument he had no doubt decided he would win. “You have the capacity to stand against the old Arrows who many obey without question.”

A valid point, but it didn’t alter her decision. “You’ve seen me snap, seen the carnage I can cause.” Broken bones, broken faces, broken bodies, she’d created it all with little more than her hands and the power of her mind. “Your partner can’t display such irrational rage, and if I break discipline to embrace a ‘normal’ existence, I can’t guarantee I won’t have an episode.”

And she couldn’t guarantee the violence wouldn’t one day turn on him. It could be his face she smashed in, his bones she crushed, his incredible mind she turned to mush. “The risk,” she murmured as his eyes turned jet-black in repudiation, “is too high.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Stalemate.

PSYNET BEACON: BREAKING NEWS

Aden Kai, rumored leader of the Arrow Squad, has disappeared. Sources say he was abducted over forty-eight hours ago and is presumed dead. The squad could not be reached for contact at time of press. Further updates to come.

PSYNET BEACON: LIVE NETSTREAM

Who is your source? Until you name him or her, this is nothing but scaremongering.

K. Benedict

(Tunis)

Who would dare abduct an Arrow? The individual or individuals involved must have a death wish.

Z. Ek

(Vancouver)

If even the Arrows aren’t safe now that Silence has fallen, how can we expect to survive?

Concerned Citizen

(Bogotá)

—

Deep in a quiet room in a reinforced building deep underground, senior Arrow Blake Stratton considered the PsyNet Beacon report. News of Aden’s disappearance had spread through the squad, but Blake hadn’t seriously considered that anyone could kill Aden. If this report was true, however, his path was now clear of obstructions. Aden was the only one who might have stopped him, the only one who might have put all the pieces together.

Without Aden, no one aside from his mysterious “friend” would ever know.

Aden alone had seen Blake as a child. Aden alone understood the jagged crag on which he stood. On one side lay the screaming abyss of insanity and violence that made his mouth water and his blood thunder. On the other side a civilized existence where his instincts and desires were kept under strict control . . . and fed just enough blood to keep him from giving in to the furtive hunger that beat beneath his skin.