Isaac laughs at my distress, which angers me enough to push through the pain and stand straighter. I feel like myself but… more. My heart beats like a powerful engine; my bones feel as though they’re made of steel.
“Show him,” Hector whispers.
I take a step forward, then I stop. “I want to see Finn.”
“Who?”
I hold back my anger. “Once we’re done here, take me to see Finn.”
“Are you giving me an order, Caden?”
I don’t answer. Instead, I take the metal bar from Isaac, surprised by how light it feels. Despite the chunk missing from the dummy, most of it is still intact. I don’t need to concentrate or prepare myself; I swing at the dummy’s head, decapitating it clean.
Isaac grunts behind me.
I drop the metal bar on the ground, already feeling Hector’s gift fading from my system. He’s either decided to take it away, or it’s too much of an effort for him to maintain it. When I turn to see how pale he is, I assume it’s the latter. It might be the first time I’ve seen him showing any signs of weakness, and it makes me wonder if his gift might be used against him at some point.
But I have more pressing matters to focus on right now. “I want to see Finn,” I say. “Please.”
Hector smiles. “Why didn’t you say so?”
We leave Isaac behind and step outside. The car that brought me here is gone, so we enter Hector’s long car instead, which I think might be called a limousine. When we start to drive, I’m reminded of Isaac’s words about being a champion now and a conqueror later. “You’ve made Isaac your champion, but it was never about the arena.”
“Oh?”
“You’re setting him up to be your conqueror, to lead your army into battle.”
He nods. “That’s the gist of it, yes.”
“Then why do you need me in the picture? I can never replace someone like that, and your people will have a hard time following a Defender into battle.” I don’t bother mentioning thatIwill never fight against Unity and its allies. He can break every bone in my body, and it still won’t change a thing.
“In many ways, Isaac is the perfect soldier. Father created him and his kind to conquer. But when I tried to enhance him with my gift, his body rejected it. The technology that created him is too advanced for me to handle.”
“He can do enough damage without your gift.”
“For me to trust someone as the leader of my human army, he’d better receive my gift.”
I ponder his words until I understand his meaning. If Isaac can’t receive Hector’s gift, his control over him will always be limited. One day, he might turn against his New Father. And yet… I havebeen accepting his gift for weeks, and I’m still my own man, capable of making my own decisions.
Unless…
I taste bile. Is my sense of freedom all but an illusion? A temporary condition that Hector can easily alter?
Not trusting him to tell me the truth, I look out the window, heavy with dread.
Chapter 22
Finn
I wake up in a room I don’t recognize. The last thing I remember is being pulled away as I tried to reach Caden. They dragged me through a side exit and shoved me into a car, then gave me something to drink. I was dying of thirst, so I drank it all, but there must have been something in the drink, because I don’t remember anything after that.
I sit up with a grunt of pain. My face feels swollen, my ribs bruised, maybe even cracked. I’m wearing clean underwear and nothing else, with bandages covering my bruises and cuts. The moments of terror in the arena are blurry in my mind, but I do remember feeling relieved at the deaths of my rivals.
Once my dizziness passes, I open the blinds, blinking at the strong sunlight. Denver sprawls in front of me, many floors down. I can see the large arena from up here, and it makes me nauseous. I have no idea where I am right now or whether Caden is here as well. I’m still alive, at least, which hasn’t seemed like a realistic option in the last few days.
I open the closet and pick out plain clothes that are too big but comfortable. I try my luck with the door, surprised to find itunlocked. The hallway is long and dim, and there’s a chopping sound coming from the end of it.
“Hmm, hello?”
