39
Twenty-four hours later, I head underground with Rook, Domino, and Journey to rendezvous with Ada and the Fog. During our training session, we let Brooklyn know we had information to share, and she arranged for us all to meet.
Now we’re gathered in the same safe house where they first brought us. Henry has made a full recovery and welcomes us with a smile.
“I hear I have you to thank for saving my life,” he says after I enter.
“I don’t know about that,” I say. “I just saw you go down and . . . I reacted. I knew Raine would never have forgiven me if I let something happen to you.”
Henry’s expression softens. “It’s funny, because from the moment you walked into Amery, I’ve had the exact same thought.”
I glance around the room, aware of our audience, but I have questions that can’t wait another moment. “How long did you know?” I ask. “About Raine?”
“From the very beginning,” he says. “I was already working with the Fog when we met. He never became an official member, but he helped us where he could. He was worried that his proximity to your father could risk our secrets, so he kept his distance.”
While everyone is chatting, waiting for the meeting to begin, Henry pulls up a chair and gestures for me to sit next to him.
“Did he know about me?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No. He wondered, and he worried about it. Raine said he’d watch you when the storms arrived, and he suspected something was up.”
“Why did he never say anything?” I whisper. “We could have talked about it. We could have been there for each other.”
“The same reason he didn’t want to be too close to any of us. He was scared for himself and for you. I think he was waiting for you to enter Amery, so you would no longer be under your father’s constant watch, but . . . he never got the chance.”
I bite my bottom lip as I stare at an empty spot on the floor. “We could have been so much less scared together.”
“I’m sorry.”
I nod. “I wish . . .”
“I know,” Henry says. “I’m sure he does, too.”
At that moment, we’re interrupted by the doctor’s arrival. Domino and Journey take a pair of seats, and Rook leans against the wall right behind me.
Then Ada addresses us. “I understand you have information for us?” she asks, getting straight to the point.
“First, I want to know what your goal is,” Rook says.
“We cannot reveal everything to you,” Ada says. “We’ve been operating for years, and you’ve just arrived.”
“I understand that, but what we’re about to tell you will change everything you know about New Manhattan, The Shield, and Keepers.”
Ada arches a brow, tipping her head. “That’s a rather bold statement.”
He folds his arms and spreads his stance, saying nothing as he waits.
The members of the Fog all share a look with one another before I notice Ada checking in with Henry. “Very well,” she says. “We hope to cure and protect Keepers, while exposing The Shield and their lies. We know they’re hiding things from us, but we need proof.”
“To what end?” Rook asks.
“To force a change in New Manhattan. We’ve heard how they do things in some of the Neo-Cities, and we believe the hierarchy developed by our leaders is inhumane. We want to change . . . everything.”
A rush of shivers spreads over my scalp. This is bigger than we imagined, but I’m also not surprised.
“Tell them,” I say, peering up at Rook, and then we lay out everything.
We tell them about our break-in with Edward.
The video I saw of Raine’s death.
How we ran.
I tell them about everything I saw in the Veil.
Then we tell them about General Sol and everything she shared. The only thing we leave out is the lesson she gave us about turning Spark into a weapon. These people might be on our side, but Rook and I agreed that was one secret we should probably keep between us for now.
We tell them why Rook and I returned, and then about how we’re searching for the cure Sol claims does exist.
When Rook and I are finished, the room is so silent I can hear the creak of stone and distant drips of water.
I twist my fingers together while we wait for them to absorb everything we’ve just said.
“Well,” Ada says, running a hand across her forehead. She’s clearly shaken up. “I’ve suspected some of this. I’ve wondered. I hoped there was a cure.”
“They’re keeping it from us,” I say dully. “It’s monstrous.”
Ada nods. “If there were a cure, then we wouldn’t need them anymore, and they know it.
” Then she claps her hands, her tone shifting into action.
“It seems the first thing we need to do is find out where they’re keeping Edward.
If he discovered something that night, then he might be the key to finding out more. ”
“If Captain Dire hinted at his capture, Edward is likely being held somewhere in the Tempestade’s holding cells,” Henry says. “There are plenty of places to ‘lose’ someone down there.”
“If you have any leads,” I say. “Please, I’m worried sick about him.”
Ada and the others launch into a discussion as they strategize how to find Edward and get him out safely. It’s obvious they’ve done this sort of thing before, and I already start to feel better.
Rook and I silently check in with each other.
It was foolish to think we could do any of this on our own.
Maybe I got so used to being alone that I forgot how to ask for help.
But as I watch the people in this room, a new feeling starts to take hold.
One that feels like hope and the beginning of a shift.
For the first time since we escaped to the Tiera Frais, it feels like we might be able to accomplish something important.
Me. Rook. All of us.