“Wait.” Emilio’s world tilted as he processed August’s words. “What do you meangetting Wren back?” A cautious wave of hope rose inside Emilio. “Didn’t she…we had all assumed she’d…”
August shook his head.
“She wasn’t sacrificed,” he whispered. With those three words, the hope inside Emilio finally burst open.Wren had made it.“Edith took her to the Order’s encampment. Held her prisoner there.”
“Why?” Olivier asked.
August sucked in a sharp intake of breath.
“Right…” He shut his eyes. “You don’t know.”
“Know what?” Catherine pressed.
And then, with another four words, the hope bursting inside Emilio was extinguished.
“Wren is the catalyst,” August muttered, a dark edge to his voice. “The one prophesized to destroy Blackwood.”
Olivier let out a cackle. Even Emilio flinched at the sudden outburst. “Fuck off.”
August blinked. “Excuse me?”
“There’s no way,” Olivier muttered through a chuckle of disbelief. “Wren. As in Wren Loughty. As in the same Wren Loughtywho once nearly had an aneurysm because she was five minutes late to class? The one who would literally throw a tantrum anytime someone almost beat her top score during reaping assignments? You’re telling mesheis going to destroy Blackwood?”
August didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even crack a smile. “Yes.”
Olivier’s face fell. “Oh.”
“Last night…” August swallowed, voice wavering. “She changed. She had a vision. It…transformed her.”
“But…it’sWren,” Emilio said. “Can’t we just try to talk to her—”
“It’s not Wren,” August snapped. He shut his eyes, inhaling a quivering breath. “I mean, I think she’s still in there…somewhere…but she didn’t just rip her humanity out and succumb to the shadows. It’s like she’s become an extension of the SoullessOne.”
A piercing silence fell upon the group.
Catherine reached into her knapsack, unveiling a small amber jar with a strange black liquid inside. The moment she uncorked it, the black liquid rose into the air, billowing until it began to change form, growing larger and larger by the second.
August cocked his head and stepped closer. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sending a message back to the Resistance,” Catherine muttered. The inky darkness ebbed and flowed until it had morphed into a perfect oval. But there was something forming inside it. A face.Catherine’s face.It was like a reflection, as though she were looking into an obsidian mirror. “If the catalyst has truly awoken—then we’ve run out of time.”
She cleared her throat and turned to face the strange mirror.
“This is Catherine Clarke speaking.” Her voice shook withevery word, though her gaze remained anchored upon the projection, never once wavering. “The catalyst has awoken. Gather all factions and prepare to storm Blackwood. The time for waiting is over…the battle has begun.”
She placed her hand upon the mirror and it disintegrated, vanishing beneath her touch.
“Does that mean we can look for Masika?” Olivier asked.
Catherine gave a hesitant nod. “We can try. It might be impossible, and she might not even be there—”
“Masika?” August interjected, stepping forward. “What do you meanlookfor her?”
“We think she was kidnapped by Ascended,” Emilio explained softly. He didn’t miss the flicker of rage that passed over August’s eyes. “We have no way of knowing if she made it, but…”
August nodded in understanding. He ran a hand along the back of his neck. “I’ll help. We’ll find her.” He paused, eyes flitting between the group. “What the hell were you all doing out here, anyway?”
Catherine’s gaze settled on August with a flicker of distrust. Eventually, she conceded with a sigh. “I suppose if you truly want to join us, then there’s a few things you should know.”
