“You don’t think…”
He grins bitterly. “A year ago, I wouldn’t have. Six months ago, maybe. But now?” He lets the question hang there, the answer implied.
I don’t know what to say. Brennan seems convinced, but murder still seems a stretch to me.
“One by one,” he says, changing the subject, “she’s collected us. A full set. A water diviner, a catalyst, an oracle, a dream spinner, a night bearer, and a fire rover. Water, magic, night, fire… For what?”
I shrug. It might sound preposterous, but Brennan knows this group and its leader in ways I don’t. Is he seeing something the rest of us, even Cadence, are missing? Or has his time with the Fathom addled his mind?
“With every new person that comes into the group, Arla develops a new ability,” he continues. “I didn’t realize it at first because she was moving things like I did from the moment we met. I didn’t notice that when she talked about water magic growing up, it wasallshe talked about. But as Cadence came along, Twig and Rock, you, I began to see how her magic grew, her powers mirroring ours. And I realized that was the real reason we were there. The real reason she wanted us close. She’s using us, Jude. Our abilities. Siphoning our magic like a parasite.”
“How?” I ask him, but he looks at me sadly.
“The Fathom may seem like just a secret club to you,” he says, eyes sparking with emotion—anger, pain, hunger, fear. “But it’s so much more than that. There are things she hasn’t shown you yet. Things that will change you. Forever.”
“What things?” I press him, tired of being kept just outside of a loop that holds all the answers I’m seeking. “Tell me. Please.”
He purses his lips. “I can’t. It doesn’t work that way.”
My frustration ramps up, taking control of my mouth. “I don’tunderstand. First you tell Aaron all this stuff you shouldn’t. Now you won’t tell me whatever it is you should. You’re kissing Arla’s hand one minute and calling her a parasite the next.” I drop my hands in my lap, take a breath. “If you knew this about her before, why not leave once you realized? Why stay? Why help her? Why recruit me?”
He laughs again. “I told you. She changes you. There is no going back. You’ll see.” When I don’t respond, he adds, “Besides, I only just put it together. After last night—”
My brow furrows. “Last night? What does last night have to do with any of this?”
His face lights up, something hopeful, wistful, shifting behind it. His hand reaches out for mine. “The levitation… It’s not something I’ve ever done before. It’s new. I’m getting stronger.”
“Okay.” I blink, take another breath. “Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? A good sign?”
His face falls. “It might seem that way, but you don’t know Arla like I do. She won’t like that.”
“Why?”
“It means she’s losing favor. It means something isn’t under her control. She can’t abide that.”
Sighing, I rub my temples. “What about the others? Have you tried telling them about your concerns? Maybe they could shed some light on what’s happening.”
Brennan laughs sourly. “I wouldn’t get anywhere with them. Trust me, I know. I live sandwiched between them all. Twig and Rock and their undying devotion on one side, Cadence and her weak-kneed fear on the other. She’s terrified of Arla. They’re in love with her. Exactly who do you think I could trust in that scenario?”
He has a point. “Why is Cadence so afraid?”
He shrugs. “Her power is all twisted up inside her, hard to read, harder to control. It was never like this before. She’s used to the ways autism manifests in her life, the sensory stuff and the stimming. It used to be something she felt was a part of what made herher. But even that has changed in confusing ways since she came here. She thinks Arla has something to do with it, that she’s using Cadence’s own power against her, to keep her from seeing…”
“What?”
“We don’t know,” he admits. “But it can’t be good. Not if she’s hiding it from all of us.”
I get up from my seat and walk around it, leaning down over the back, thinking. “Maybe you’re not giving Arla enough credit. She wants to keep everybody safe, that’s why she asked me to spend time with you. As long as it’s not a danger to the group, she shouldn’t have a problem with this new growth you’re experiencing.”
Brennan rolls his eyes. “I wish it were that simple.”
“Okay, so, play to her needs,” I suggest. “Tell her that you being more powerful means she can be more powerful. She can’t take issue with that.”
Again, he looks annoyed.
“Look, whatever is going on between you two, you shouldn’t have brought Aaron into this,” I tell him, fed up.
“I know,” he says, genuine remorse in his voice. “I panicked.”
