28
An hour later, Rook and I make our way toward the same tunnel entrance we used when we first returned to the city. It feels like it’s been a lifetime since we emerged into the busy market square and gave ourselves up to the Extinguishers.
We’re both wearing plain black clothes to avoid drawing attention.
The square is busy again, filled with people enjoying the afternoon market, and the mood is light, but they won’t be here much longer.
The clouds are gathering, and I have a feeling this is why the general wanted to meet with us today.
I’m grateful for it.
I desperately need to touch Spark.
We enter the alley, ensuring no one sees us, and then make the trek out of the city.
By the time we emerge at the exit, the sun is sinking and the clouds are growing thicker.
I itch the backs of my hands and notice Rook scratching the side of his neck before he rolls his shoulders and shakes out his arms like he’s trying to dissipate the same uncomfortable sensations.
“It’s been far too long,” I say. “I’m coming out of my skin.”
“I visited the rock wall while you were locked up,” he says. “But it wasn’t the same without you.”
I offer him a soft smile and take his hand as we both peer at the empty landscape.
“What time is it? Where is she?”
“We’re a few minutes early,” he says, just as the sound of a rumble draws our attention. A truck is flying toward us, bumping over the landscape. It skids to a stop, revealing General Sol behind the wheel, one wrist slung over it and the other hanging across the seat.
“Hop in,” she says. She’s so different from her usual put-together self. She’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and her hair is twisted into a messy knot at her nape. The effect makes her look younger. It’s hard to believe she’s dying.
Rook and I scramble into the cab with me in the middle seat, and then she presses the accelerator and we’re off, trundling deeper into the Tiera Frais.
“I wanted to make sure no one could see us,” she says. “Ideally, we’d do this at the top of the Citadel, but that’s too risky right now. My closest Circle Guards are entrusted with most of my secrets, but someone else might see you.”
“Don’t you need to be up there?” I ask, and she nods.
“Yes, but I have a bit of time. The forecast is calling for a light storm, and the Breakers can handle it until I get back.”
About thirty minutes later, she brings us to a stop in the middle of a clearing bordered by tall rocks. We hop out of the truck, and I look around. There’s nothing here. It’s just a barren landscape as far as the eye can see.
“This is a good spot,” the general says.
“For what?” Rook asks.
“The first part of your training.” She plants her hands on her hips and looks up, scrutinizing the flashing clouds.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“You’re Storm Callers,” she says. “Have you ever felt like the storms find you?”
“Yes. Many times,” Rook says.
Sol nods as if that answer pleases her. The wind tugs at the errant strands of her hair, whipping them across her cheeks.
“That isn’t a coincidence. The Spark isn’t finding you. You’re actually calling it, probably without realizing it.”
My brows dip together. It makes so much sense when she puts it like that.
Maybe a part of me already knew.
“Conversely, you can also do the opposite—push Spark away. It’s a useful method to protect yourself,” she continues. “You’ve likely also been doing it subconsciously.”
I shake my head. I’d never considered that before.
This would change so much.
The general takes several steps and then turns around to face us. “Additionally, you can learn to control it. Harness it.”
“Like you do when you power the city?” Rook asks.
“Partly. I can gather and store some of it. It’s how I built the grid that covers the Central Park Tree Farm, for example.
It’s how the Tempestade scientists are able to store some of the charge to use in your training simulations, and it’s how they’ve been able to craft the prototype for the vests they’re developing to protect Breakers. ”
She peers up at the sky again, hands planted on her hips.
“And you’re going to teach us that?” Rook asks. The storm is growing fiercer now, thunder rumbling overhead.
She glances across the landscape and then back at us.
“Tonight, I want to show you something I can’t ever reveal within the city limits.
I took a risk leaving tonight, but I think it’s important that we start here.
Plus, I promised to give you a reason to trust me, and I believe this will convince you of my sincere intentions. ”
“Start with what?” I ask.
“Channeling Spark is one thing, and that already makes you a threat, but what I’m about to show you is what truly makes you dangerous.” She levels us with a look. “Because you—we—can also use Spark as a weapon.”
Chills climb over my scalp at the severity in her voice.
Maybe a part of me always knew this, too.
“The chancellors have no idea,” she says. “No one does. Or at least they don’t know for sure. I think they may have their suspicions, but I’ve been extremely careful never to reveal that I can do anything beyond channeling galvanic energy into something useful.”
Rook and I share a nervous glance.
Sol backs up a few more steps, jogging away. The storm is whipping into a frenzy now, and in the distance, I watch a few bursts of Spark hit the earth. Vibrant purple plasma arcs explode up from the dirt, illuminating the horizon.
The storm drifts closer, churning overhead.
Rook reaches out to take my hand as we watch the general.
She stands with her arms out and her head up, chin tipped to the sky.
I wonder what she’s thinking. Is she addicted to the pain and euphoria, too?
Thanks to the strained look on her face, I think I can guess.
Another burst of Spark hits the earth a few feet away. My body reacts, aching with the need to reach out and touch it, but it’s obvious that she needs to show us something important, so I resist.
Then another cloud explodes overhead, and a bolt of amethyst light strikes the general. I know she can withstand it, but after a lifetime of conditioning, I still tense up.
Purple sparks crackle over her skin as she brings her hands together, gathering a small orb of amethyst light in her palms. Rook’s grip on my hand tightens as he notices it, too.
A line of concentration forms between Sol’s brows as her limbs shake and sweat beads on her forehead. The light in her hand grows, swelling out almost like a miniature globe. It crackles and flashes, then shifts, turning from vibrant amethyst to brilliant magenta light.
As she’s engulfed by the plasma arc, she grits her teeth, clinging to the pulsing ball of energy in her hands.
I watch in fascination as her hair rises from her head with the crackling electricity, and then the arc winks out.
Still clutching the orb, she lifts her arm and hurls it.
It goes flying across the landscape, hitting another pile of rocks about a hundred feet away.
They shatter on impact, exploding in a shower of stone and dust.
I watch in horrified fascination as the dirt settles, while the sounds of thunder crash overhead.
General Sol wipes her brow and then spins around to face us.
“That is what they’ll kill all of us for.”