Nat rolled her eyes, exasperated. ‘Damn it, Ek. Don’t you get it? That’s why I’m here.’
‘Get what? You haven’t told me anything.’
Nat clenched her fists like she wanted to punch Asta. ‘You haven’t let me talk, bitch!’
Asta gaped at her, whacking the bed in frustration. ‘So talk!’
‘I’m going after Hummer.’
The words hung in the air, half visible and pungent as smoke.
‘Are you crazy?’
‘Obviously. But it’s now or never, right? If I go up there and take that prize, the Bruce name won’t mean shit ever again. This isn’t who we are. We don’t always play by the rules, but we aren’t cheaters.’
Asta could barely find her voice. ‘What are you going to do?’
Nat scrunched up her face. ‘I haven’t totally worked that out yet.’
‘Nat! The ceremony starts in less than an hour.’
Nat stood up, flicking her nails nervously. ‘I gotta do it, though, right?’
Asta’s mind was racing. ‘I’ll go with you to Flávia right now. You can tell her everything. It’ll be quick and quiet. Then we’ll get you out of the city, somewhere safe, until they lock Hummer up.’
Nat looked at Asta like she had suggested she take up needlepoint. ‘What, are you stupid? There is no “quick and quiet”. Quiet means dead.’ Nat scratched her head. ‘I gotta go big.’
‘How big?’
Nat bounced her eyebrows. ‘Big. Asta-Ekenberg-Big.’ She stepped closer and poked Asta’s shoulder with her finger. ‘It’ll be like old times. One last run, you and me.’ Nat’s eyes sparkled with mischief. ‘But we’re going to need Golden Boy.’
28
Mounted on their dragons and ignoring the stares of passersby, Asta and Felix made their way toward the exercise grounds. Although Felix had not charged the magic yet, the golden cord that had gotten them in so much trouble the day before was tied between them, one end anchored on Asta’s belt, the other on Felix’s.
Behind them, the vertiginous walls of the raceway loomed. It was almost noon, and the shadows lay tight against the building. The sky above was bright and clear, with white clouds moving swiftly across it. The blustery wind carried snatches of music to them from inside the raceway.
‘They’ll do the drakes first,’ Felix said, adjusting the strap on his helmet. ‘But we better hurry.’
They reached the exercise grounds and showed their badges. The attendant hesitated when he saw Asta’s name, but he looked at Felix’s badge and waved them in.
As soon as they were inside the fence, they headed for the canyon towers. Asta directed Carmine to the ladder on the nearest tower; Essie and Felix climbed behind them.
Carmine pulled himself on to the top of the tower and made space for his sister to join him. A cheer rang over the Horizons complex. The music, now at its peak, bounced off the housing units and the storage buildings, tumbling over itself in jubilation. The wind was even stronger up here, and the minute wobble of the tower made Asta a little queasy.
‘Nat’s next,’ Felix said. ‘You ready?’
Asta looked down at the little golden flame on the wrist of her jumpsuit. Maybe there was some power left in this charm yet. ‘I’m ready. Are you sure you can do it?’
‘I’m a magic genius, remember?’
‘I swear, I’m never giving you another compliment,’ Asta said, lowering her visor and tightening the straps on her gloves. ‘It goes straight to your head.’
‘Too late. You can’t take it back.’ Felix gave her a wide grin and then flipped his own visor down.
‘Alright, genius. Do your thing.’ Asta focused intently on the shimmering lines of the containment fence that surrounded the exercise grounds. Beside her, Felix was speaking the words of his spell and flexing his right hand in a pattern of spasmodic movements. Suddenly, a hole opened up in the magic net and began to widen, like flame burning through paper.
‘Let’s go!’ Felix called, and he spurred Essie forward. The black- and-gold dragon pushed off from the side of the tower, her wings already pumping. Carmine followed without Asta needing to direct him. Essie passed through the opening, then Carmine. Asta turned in the saddle and saw the hole in the fence mend itself behind them.
