“Okay, bud, let’s get back into the tent.” Damien grabbed his brother’s arm and marched him off. I could tell he was angry for what Jeremy had said, but I was actually grateful. Jeremy was right. I quite possibly could do what the breeders did and collapse their world, but at what cost? It wasn’t something I wanted to dwell on right now, but it was food for thought.
Peering at the base of a tree, I smiled when I saw Master Aki meditating with his eyes closed. Padding softly so as not to make a sound, I tried to sneak up on him like I would when I was a teenager. When I got within ten feet, his eyes sprang open.
“Nice try, you clumsy elephant.”
I burst out laughing. He’d said the same thing to me all those years ago. “No one can get the drop on you.” I sat before him, knee to knee.
“That’s because you walk with your feet, not your mind.”
Another laugh. “You speak in riddles, old man.”
This time he cracked a smile. “Age is a privilege denied to many. I am proud to be old.”
I sighed. “I feel older than I look.”
He gave me a conspiratorial nod. “As do I.”
We sat there for a long few moments just breathing, looking around at the tall trees, no words needed. Master Aki was like a father to me; being in his presence was so comforting, we never needed to speak much.
“The boy is right. What he said about collapsing their world. You can do it.” Chills broke out on my arms. He must have overheard us talking.
But at what cost?I wanted to say, but kept that to myself.
“How?”
Master Aki saw things, like the future or whatever. He hadn’t fully explained how, but I trusted him.
“Right now there are too many breeders to go against you. You need to cull them down before you go for it.”
Cull the powerful breeders who’d just dropped acid rain on us? Easier said than done. But it made total sense. The fewer of them there were, the less power they would have. Hadn’t Jeremy said the same thing on Skyhome? I simply nodded.
“And, Kit…?”
I flicked my gaze up to meet his and saw unshed emotion swimming in his eyes. “Ending the Dream Wars will come at a great cost. But it will be worth it.”
What. The. Fuck?
Seven
After Master Aki dropped the bomb on me, Mrs. Tight Bun showed up. “My team is ready, and the president wants to speak with you.”
The president was here already? I hadn’t even seen anyone fly in.
Standing, I straightened my shirt and followed her to a large tent. I’d been on the president’s inner team, her own personal Dream War protection detail. She’d trusted me with her life once, and I hoped I could trust her now.
When I stepped into the tent, I recognized right away that Kevin was here, my old friend who was a makeout buddy but we’d never really took it to relationship level. He’d saved our ass by tipping us off to when the government was after us. When I met his eyes, he nodded.
Next my attention flew to the president’s daughter. She looked older, probably the age of maturity now. The ghouls would be after her. Finally, I looked into the brown eyes of President Buckley herself.
She stood and offered a hand. “Hello, Kit. It’s nice to see you again.”
I shook her hand. “Hello, Ma’am.”
Buckley was a good leader. She was political and soft when needed, but she could grab you by the balls and twist when necessary too. I’d always respected her, but now I wasn’t sure what to believe. Kevin had said that she’d tried to fight that whole New World Vision thing and they’d threatened to kill her daughter. So maybe we could be allies?
“Let’s speak privately?” The president motioned to an opening in the back of the tent, which led to another tent.
I moved to follow her and four of her protection detail moved with me.
