We pull into the Forge. There are stretchers waiting for us along with a row of three doctors, five medics, and two aides. The doctors approach me. They possess the highest qualifications in the field of medical science and also have the powers to back them. Naturally, they flock to me, concerned by the blood that dampens my leg and head.
“Fix the boy,” I snap, pointing at Spider.
“You’re bleeding, Ender,” Knox says. “You need to get checked.”
“The team first,” I say.
This failure feels personal. I knew something was wrong when the heat signatures were masked. They were using a device to jam our signal.
There are two traitors. One warned them. And one was knowledgeable enough to understand the intricacies of war to convert a settlement into a kill zone. Or maybe they are the same person.
Knox escorts me to the clinic, despite my protest. I don’t want to be lying in a bed when my team needs me. I have to remain nearby.
Once we reach our destination, Knox forces me onto the mattress.
I wave off the unnecessary sedation, refusing to be put under. I need to know how the others are. I need to know that Spider is okay. His mother will bury me if anything happens to that boy. I’ve met her before, and each time she didn’t fail to warn me of what would happen if any harm ever befell her precious boy.
Whoever did this will die, a slow, painful death.
Knox arrives with Haven trailing behind him.
“I came to check on you,” Knox says. “And Haven came to say ‘I told you so’.”
Haven marches forward.
“If you took me, you wouldn’t look like this,” she says with her little nose in the air. And then she so kindly adds. “You look like shit.”
“Get rid of her, Knox,” I grumble, looking out the window.
The last thing I want to hear when I’m being forced to stay in the clinic overnight is her insufferable voice. Haven yanks my chin back to meet her gaze. I hate that my skin burns where she touches me, that my eyes trace her face like a starving man.
I don’t know why my gaze seeks her out in every room I enter, nor why I’ve come to appreciate her weird sense of humor. Or why her mocking smile makes me feel special.
I feel something encompassing and drowning when I look at her. Something that pricks my heart like a thorn.
“I could have protected you,” she says.
I stiffen.
“You’re nothing but a weak Common,” I spit. “How could you save me?”
I don’t know where the words come from. The last thing I would ever call Haven Warrick isweak, but this is my second failed mission, and if you count the rescue mission, it’ll technically be my third. The Supreme Director is going to lose his mind.
Haven’s fingers drop, and my skin feels cold without her touch. I immediately regret the words when she spins on her heels and vanishes.
“Low blow.” Knox shakes his head disapprovingly.
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“She cares about what you think about her as a soldier. Her eyes light up when you praise her,” Knox chides. “I doubt her father was one to highlight her achievements. And you must have sounded just like him right now.”
His words make me feel worse than I already do. It’s clear to see he cares about her, and Knox, despite his friendly demeanor, doesn’t trust easily. We’re alike in that way.
It speaks volumes about her character that Knox chose to befriend her.
“Leave,” I bark.
Knox shoots me one last disappointed look before he vanishes. I lay my head back on the bed, letting out a frustrated growl.
