I know she’ll direct me to the one on the first floor, but Ender’s study is on the second. I need to go upstairs.
She gives me a look, and I glance at Knox.
Mercy’s mouth tightens. She knows I’m going to do something stupid. And she understands that I need her to distract Knox.
“Would you like me to read a chapter to you, Knox?” Mercy asks.
Knox lifts his head, blue hair falling into his eyes. He looks stunned by the request.
“Oh, me?” He points to his chest.
“Yes, silly,” she says.
“Is that my new pet name?” Knox asks, straightening in his seat. “Nobody’s given me one before.”
“No,” Mercy says. “Your new pet name will be Blue.”
Knox smiles, revealing his perfect teeth.
“I’ll take it.”
Mercy pats the cushion beside her.
“Come here, Blue.”
Knox crosses the room in two steps and sinks to the seat, long legs stretched before him as he stares at her avidly.
I dash across the foyer and climb the stairs, two at a time.
Ender’s study is the last door in the corridor. There is a security camera on the wall. I’ll have to use my powers, so they don’t catch me on the video recordings.
I freeze time and cross the hallway. There’s a passcode, and I frown. I type in a range of numbers, but none of them clicks.
I pause and press the numbers I saw tattooed on his ribs. The green light blinks, and then the door opens. I swallow the urge to fist-pump the air and rush inside. I can’t hold the time freeze for long.
I head straight to his desk and pick through the correspondence on his tablet. He must own a couple of these devices and keep them at his various offices.
I click on the latest message that just came in from Orion Bridges about an hour ago.
The strike team is prepared for Prosperity Falls.
Prosperity Falls is a dense forest area in Division Three. An ideal spot to build out a rebel settlement.
Slowly, I put down the tablet. That has to be the location. I try to access his monitor to confirm, but I can’t guess the password. It isn’t the same as the door keypad.
I filter through his desks and some old, meaningless case files. My fingers drift across a structured box. My heart spikes as I draw it open.
A gold ring sits cushioned in the velvet padding. At the center lies a big, glistening emerald the same shade as my eyes.
The wedding ring.
This must be it.
It isn’t the classic silver band and grotesquely big diamond that the women in the capital prefer. It’s oval-shaped and vintage, like it was plucked from another lifetime. It is perfect.
I slide the lid shut and put it back where I found it. My stomach is tight with dread, and my palms are clammy.
That ring frightened me far more than breaking into Ender’s space. It puts things into perspective. This marriage is real, and it is happening. Sooner than I expected.
