Rui climbed eagerly into the passenger seat. Before she could shut the car door fully, Ash floored the accelerator.
“Where are we going?”
“The Barracks.”
“The Barracks?” she repeated, surprised. It was a military facility that also housed the Guild’s research labs. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
Silence.
Perplexed, she glared at Ash. Had tonight’s mission gone awry? The only injury she could see on him was an old one. The shaved side of his head had grown out, and short ashy-gray hairs covered the nasty gash he’d gotten from the Outram incident. But there were fresh tears in his combat uniform.
“Are my friends okay?” she said, pulling out her phone to call Ada.
“Put your phone down. They’re fine,” Ash said, brow twitching as though something else was bothering him. “We’re holding them in the infirmary for the night, just in case. They’re a little unsettled, but nothing they won’t get over. I’ll fill you in later. It’s easier to explain after you’ve seen it.”
It?
“Rui.” Ash’s sudden use of her nickname meant he was veering from Guild business. “My brother.” A topic she preferred to avoid. “I’m worried about him.”
Why did everyone thinkshewas the person to talk to about Song Yiran?
“I could never figure out what was going on between the two of you.”
“Platonic relationships exist.” Rui huffed, pretending to misunderstand.
But Ash wasn’t easily diverted. “I’m not saying you dated. I’m saying I sensed a connection. I felt it that night at dinner with my grandfather and even from the time at Zizi’s shophouse when Yiran first showed me his magic.” Ash leveled a pointed glance at her before turning back to the road. “I thought he might have confided in you about what caused his magic to appear and disappear so suddenly. It can’t be a fluke.”
“I don’t know anything,” Rui lied.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded, ignoring the twist in her stomach. She had a feeling Ash didn’t believe her.
“Why don’t the two of you hang out anymore?”
“I was recovering, and Yiran went back to normie school. We didn’t really know each other for that long.”
“I wish he would talk to me about what’s troubling him.”
“Maybe he will when he’s ready,” she said, trying to sound encouraging. Ash could be an obnoxious prick at times, and he’d learned politicking and stagecraft at his grandfather’s knee, but one thing was certain: he cared deeply for his half brother.
“He’s been spending a lot of time out of the house,” Ash shared.
“How is being stuck in Song Mansion good for him? You should know how your grandfather makes him feel.” Rui wasn’t going to mince her words when it came to Song Wei. The Head of the Exorcist Guild had lost her respect, both as a leader and as a grandparent.
Ash’s expression puckered. “In hindsight, maybe it’s better for us to stick to business, Cadet Lin.”
“Let’s talk business, then,” she retorted, crossing her arms. “When are you telling the rest of my cohort about the existence of Hybrid Revenants? If they’re going on missions, they deserve to know.”
“We intend to. The briefings have already begun.”
That was news to Rui. “Are you telling the juniors and everyone else at the Academy too?”
“It’s a fluid situation that we’re constantly evaluating.”
“That’s just PR speak. How about the public?”
“You know that’s not going to happen.” Rui started to protest, but Ash shushed her. “We arenotdiscussing that right now, Cadet Lin. There are more important things we must deal with first.”
