“I am not, unfortunately.” His face is like a headstone, worn with years. “Ran has been taunting me with the possibility of your capture since I arrived.”
“Doc Min wanted to capture me?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then…?”
“He has been using your freedom to threaten me. He said if I did not give him the information he desired, he would do you harm. Then I learned Nina invited you onto The Parallax as part of their plan to recruit you. I suspected things might take a turn for the worse.” He folds his hands into his loose sleeves, an old movement, habitual, also familiar. “You’ll be wanting the full story, I’m sure. But first, let’s get you some water, hmm?”
“I’m not thirsty.”
He procures a small waterskin from within his robes. “I insist.”
“Really, I’m fine.”
“Keller.” He gives me a look, and all at once I’m nine years old again. “Your eyes are dilated. And your complexion is a worrying shade of gray. If you faint, I won’t have the strength to catch you.”
The Master holds out the canteen. This time, I accept the item with trembling fingers and take a drink. Cool water slides down my throat. Once I start, I can’t seem to stop. I gulp until my stomach pangs in protest.
When I’m finished, I wipe my mouth on the back of my hand and give the canteen back.
I think I’m supposed to be asking the Master questions right now.
I can’t stop staring at him.
He’shere. He’s here, and I’m here, and I can’t make it make sense.
“You said Ran Doc Min wanted information?” I finally manage.
“About Mount Kilmon,” Master Ira says, propping himself against the bars on his side of the cell. “Doc Min’s guards captured me shortly after you left for the Academy. The Determinists wanted to know about Mount Kilmon, its explosion cycle, and most importantly, our colony there. You remember that to become a Master of the Order, initiates must live on the volcano for one full eruption cycle, but we don’t just liveonthe volcano—we live inside it. Under the mountain’s surface exists a labyrinth of tunnels. We use those tunnels for training, housing, storage. Some extend all the way into the volcano’s core. This information was important to Doc Min.”
“I saw the heat collectors,” I say. “He’s filling them with voroxide. He wants to plant them inside the volcano.”
“He already has. They started switching real collectors out for fake ones earlier this year.”
“And no one noticed?”
“How would they? They are perfect replicas.” Master Ira’s face creases. “If you know about the collectors, then you must know about the rest of Doc Min’s plan.”
I nod. “I broke into the simulation room.”
At that, the Master’s mouth twitches. “Did you now?”
“Doc Min caught me. He admitted everything.”
“His plan—forgive me for saying so—is genius. When Mount Kilmon erupts, Ran Doc Min’s prediction will appear to come true. The Venthrothians who pledge him loyalty will use his neutralizer to survive. When the rest of the galaxy sees that Doc Min predicted this event and saved those devoted to his movement, they’ll be scrambling to join him.”
I’m tempted to bury my face in my hands. “This is shit.”
“Indeed.”
“Three years,” I say, as something else occurs to me. “You’ve been trapped here for three years. So does this… I mean…” My mouth works uselessly. A part of me feels like it’s the wrong time to bring this up. There’s so much else going on—so many more pressing problems. But… “Does this mean you weren’t… ignoring me?”
His expression is suddenly wary. “Ignoring you?”
“I sent you messages,” I tell him. “After I left for the Academy. I thought—I mean, I thought you’d disowned me.”
“Keller.” He looks stunned. “What?”
