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“I’m having friends over the evening of the debate. We can’t wait to watch you destroy Sunstar.” There is so much hate in Russell’s heart that I’m sure he’s actively cheering for Sunstar’s literal demise like so many others. “Please let me know if I can be of service to you again.”
“Absolutely, my friend.”
“And feel better!”
Roslyn escorts Russell out.
I drop my morph, and the Senator sits across from me.
“Does it make you proud how you’re cheating to win?” I ask.
“I am fighting fire with fire, Eduardo. Celestials have always had the advantage over us, and I will do whatever it takes to level the playing field in this country. The work you have done so far has been incredible, son. People are arming themselves with wands for protection, and a dozen celestials have been killed since your videos have been posted. The American people understand that I’m the solution to this great threat our nation is facing,” the Senator says as if he’s trying to convince me of all this once again.
It’s not a surprise that celestials have been killed, but the confirmation hurts. I have no access to even seeing their faces, which might be a blessing so I can’t be so haunted by them that I transform into them in the middle of the night.
Gray light washes over me and I morph into the man sitting across from me. “This is the face of the nation’s greatest threat. No matter what you tell yourself.”
The Senator grins. “That face is very presidential. No matter what you tell yourself.”
Thirty
The New Ember Sanctuary
EMIL
I grew up thinking Storm King State Park wasn’t real because its name feels fresh out of a fantasy novel, but it’s legit. Months ago Dad talked about taking us all there when he got better. He had so many plans for us, all of them involving Ma too, and she’s not with us either. During this hour-long car ride with Brighton and Prudencia, I’ve brought up how maybe Wyatt and Nox can track down Ma the same way they found Tala. It’s just enough hope to hold on to.
We drive past countless trees, freshly grazed by autumn with their orange, red, and yellow leaves. The deeper we get through the park the more we see massive boulders along the side of the road with different phoenixes painted onto them. The bright paintings are so bold they could probably be seen from the sky. Prudencia follows the path as I finally answer the seventh of Wesley’s calls and immediately apologize a thousand times and update him on everything.
“So you’re on the way to their super-cool phoenix palace?” Wesley asks.
The Halo Sanctuaries I’ve seen images of over the years are gorgeous: a Gothic mansion in New Orleans that worships obsidians like Nox; a town house a quick drive from the Grand Canyon where gray suns have been known to dive; a hilltop castle in Paris that tends to crowned elders so they’re comfortable in their immediate old age. I wonder what the New Ember Sanctuary looks like; I’m keeping myself in suspense since this may be the only time I’m ever personally welcomed inside of one.
“We should be pulling up soon, I think,” I tell Wesley as we drive through a clearing and a brown phoenix with emerald-colored wings and a scorched belly lands inside the nest of a tree. These evergreen blazers are true champions of nature, best known for swallowing any flames during forest fires as if it’s nothing but scorching hot food. If I weren’t on the phone I’d record this sighting. “I don’t know how long we’ll be here, but—”
“You have some nerve,” Iris says, surprising us all as her voice comes over the speaker. “Not only did you run away from safety at a time when your powers aren’t dependable and Brighton is new to his, you left Wesley, Ruth, and Esther vulnerable by letting them think you were home. What if they’d been discovered and needed your help while I was out looking for Eva and Carolina?!”
I must be so damn red in the face because I’m burning up. “I’m sorry, it all happened so quickly. This Halo Knight’s phoenix might be able to track down Ma and Eva; then we can all team up—”
“No! Teams are built on trust and communication, and you didn’t honor either of those when you all stole Wesley’s car without telling anyone.”
“You’re so right, Iris, we didn’t mean—”
Brighton turns around from the front seat and snatches the phone. “You’re one to talk! Don’t come down on us like we got Wesley’s family killed, when Atlas might be alive if you’d been honest with Maribelle about everything!”
We hear nothing but Iris breathing for a few moments. “I hope Maribelle’s hospitality will be as generous as ours. You’ve chosen your side. Don’t contact us.”
The line goes dead.
“Bright, why’d you have to swing at her like that?”
“She was acting all high and mighty, like we’re the bad guys!”
“Iris is grieving too,” Prudencia reminds him. “Maybe not as hard as Maribelle, but I’m sure she’s already blaming herself. You’re better than that, Brighton.”
It’s hard getting Brighton to stay quiet, but if he’s actually trying to make something work with Prudencia, he needs to get better at not lashing out at our friends and allies. I’m tempted to call Iris back, but I’m going to give her some space.
We drive around a mountain and there’s a drawbridge stretching toward a home fitting for Halo Knights—a two-story stone castle with turreted-observation towers that are reaching for the sky. If Iris doesn’t ever want to see us again at the cottage, hopefully we can all cram into a closet here or even the garden shed that overlooks the Hudson River. Wyatt, Tala, and Maribelle are waiting outside the Sanctuary’s front doors while Nox and Roxana bob for fish in the nearby stream.
