Page 49 of Storm Caller

“Really?” I ask. “But I feel so strange after I touch it. Like my mind is stretched.”

“A normal side effect,” she says. “A harmless one.”

Her words are a balm, easing the terrified knot that I’ve been carrying in my chest for years.

“Why are you lying about what you are?” I ask. “To what end?”

“Chancellors Marks and Orsen do not appreciate the position I hold,” she says. “I am not one of them. I came from the underground, a Hollow. Even worse, a Scavenger. The order of New Manhattan was never designed to benefit someone like me. But I made myself useful. Without my ability to capture Spark and fuel the city, we wouldn’t have made so many advances over the past decades. We wouldn’t have become self-sufficient.

“They are threatened by me and, by extension, they fear all Keepers. It’s no secret that without my abilities, the city would fall. They’ve spent years trying to undermine me, and when Marks created the Extinguishers, it was a warning to me and anyone like me. They hunt down Keepers to ensure they are controlled and eliminated, so that no one else might wield the same influence I’ve managed to cultivate.”

General Sol stops speaking, her gaze landing on the fireplace and then returning to us. “And while my mind is intact, my body is not,” she says, her tone weighed down with iron chains.

I exhale a small gasp.

“Last year, the doctors gave me a prognosis that I wouldn’t live much longer. A year or two at most. That was sixteen months ago.”

Her words settle around us as I study her face. She appears healthy—in the prime of her life—but I suppose looks can be deceiving.

“I need someone to take my place,” she says. “And you are the only ones who can do it.”

“You want us to lead the Storm Guard?” I ask.

“No,” she says. “I mean, perhaps in time. But for now, I need you to learn from me. To understand how to become the node point when the storms arrive. Funnel energy into the network, work with the Breakers, and power New Manhattan.”

Rook and I glance at each other. “What’s the catch?” I ask.

“Marks and Orsen can’t know what you are, nor why you’re different. The moment they do, they’ll kill you. I need you to return to New Manhattan and resume your places at the academy. Pretend nothing is amiss, and we will work together in secret to teach you everything I know. Once I’m gone, they’ll have no choice but to accept you.”

“They think I’m a Keeper,” I say. “Trinity exposed me.”

“I understand,” she says. “You’ll return and convince them that her accusations were false. You’ve already passed the blood test once, and you can do it again. Their technology doesn’t work on Callers—I’ve made sure of that. I will vouch for you. Others will speak on your behalf, too. Many people believe the treatment of Keepers is inhumane and want to protect them.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” I ask. “Why would they believe me? You know the Extinguishers are all about acting first, asking questions later.”

“You’ll have to trust me,” she says. “I have a plan.”

“Oh, that’s very reassuring,” I say as Rook places a hand on my knee and squeezes. “What about him?” I ask. “They don’t suspect what he is?”

“They all believe he returned to the Wastes and took you with him. Either against your will or as his lover. Either way, it doesn’t matter.” She sits forward in her seat, leaning closer. “Poet, I’ve spent my life trying to protect Keepers. I’ve done everything in my power to stop them from falling into the Extinguishers’ hands, but I am only one person, and the chancellors are working together to thwart me at every turn. There is a cure to the madness, and they have it.”

A sharp intake of breath sticks in my windpipe.

Rook was right. There is a cure.

We’re silent as we absorb her words. I can’t stop thinking about my father and what he did to protect me. I wish I could speak with him. I’m not sure I can live with never understanding why.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this when I left for New Manhattan?” Rook asks his father.

“I only learned most of this last night. It’s been many years since General Sol and I last spoke.”

Next, Rook turns to General Sol. “And did you know who I was?”

The general shakes her head. “Not at first. I knew a Solitude had arrived to attend Amery Academy, but it wasn’t until later, when I heard your name, that I put it together. By then, it seemed you were adjusting to your studies, though I had no illusions you planned to remain.”

Rook huffs out a breath. “So, where is this cure?”

At that, Sol shifts in her seat again. “That is a long story.”