Everett knows it, too. “I ...” he whispers, sputtering blood. “I’m finally ... free.” He’s dying, but his mind is clear, sharp. Veda is still determined to help, but he whispers, “Stop.”
Veda looks like she’s about to be sick.
“She . . . she . . . cursed. My bones are stone.”
Hiram can’t imagine the pain his brain has blocked from him.
“I ... that night. That wasn’t—”
“I know.” Veda rests her hand on his forehead gently. “I know that wasn’t you. It was her.”
“The Dalneau Bridge ...” Everett says. “Rest of the truth ... there. Did you ...”
“We figured out what you’ve been trying to tell us. We won’t let her get away with this.”
Relief explodes on his face and tears roll down his cheeks. “I ... I can rest?”
“Yes.”
As if waiting for permission all along, the light in Everett’s eyes extinguishes.
Twenty-Three
The world races, but Veda stands still.
Investigators swarm every inch of the school grounds and the surrounding forest. Scene analysts preserve what evidence they can. Medics rush Francisco to the hospital; even as they load him up, he’s demanding they find Marlene. The real one.
Everyone who passes Veda asks if she’s okay. She isn’t.
A bottle of water appears in her line of sight. She’s about to brush it off when she notices the onyx ring. Hiram has his own bottle and sits down beside her on the edge of the fountain. After he spits the first mouthful to clean out his mouth, they drink in silence, the quiet lasting only as long as their water.
“Gabriel?” she asks.
“Terrorizing everyone who isn’t letting him leave. In addition to the media showing up, the FCD’s higher-ups are here with questions. I’m trying to find out what they want to talk about that’s more important than finding Ariadne or, better yet, the real Marlene and Seren.”
“They probably want to talk about the wolves in their henhouse.” Veda pauses. “Idohave enough tact to not say that in front of him.”
“Do you?”
It’s oddly playful with the chaos surrounding them: People are running around, news reporters are setting up, and medics are only at bay because Veda bares her teeth. The combination forms a cacophony of incoherence. In that moment, they sit with the crushing realizationthat the Botanist has been steps ahead for months, maybe years. Changing Veda’s statement sent them on a wild-goose chase, leaving Ariadne to work uninterrupted from the inside, and banking on the distrust of the Oracle Council as well as Veda’s.
“I’m not heartless,” Veda says, cutting her eyes at him. “They were fooled. Gabriel more than Francisco. They considered Marlene and Seren friends. This isn’t an ‘I told you I had a reason not to trust you all’ moment.”
Hiram hums in agreement.
Veda notices how pale and shaky he looks. “Still sick from the smell?”
“Yeah, but a medic gave me something to help.” Hiram scrubs a hand over his face and winces. “What about you? Still shell-shocked?”
“I’m coming out of it.”
“You did great out there,” Hiram tells her. “Francisco wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you.”
“You did the casting. I—” She’s disarmed by the way he looks at her. “We wouldn’t have made it withoutyou. Who taught you how to fight?”
“I was a sick kid, and not everyone kissed my ass because I’m an Ellis.” Before he can say more, blue eyes slide away, his body stiffening. “Part two of this shit show is about to begin.”
Ruth has arrived in her van, blowing the horn like a battle cry Gabriel doesn’t hesitate to answer. He breaks off mid-conversation and runs, escaping to the full van. The elderly woman peels out of the parking lot like she’s being chased by enforcers. Hiram stands and extends a hand. “Shall we?”
