Our attention turns back to the handkerchief, still crumpled where Clarice left it. I lay a gentle hand on Nirav’s shoulder.
“You don’t have to do this,” I whisper.
“You don’t,” William echoes me.
Nirav’s eyes are hard, dark. His lips pinch and he nods once.Yes, I do.
Kiyoko looks uncharacteristically jittery. “Can you…choosewhat you see?”
Nirav’s jaw shifts and he shakes his head.
“So you have to sort through everything—all of it—to get the information we need,” I say.
Nirav shrugs. Nods. He lowers his chin, glaring at the handkerchief through the tops of his eyes, narrowing his focus to this object.
“This is absurd,” I say. “We can’t ask him to do this.”
Nirav ignores me and picks up Blanck’s handkerchief. He clutches it with both hands to his heart. His eyes roll back in his head. He trembles. A small froth of drool forms in one corner of his mouth.
“Nirav?” I say. “Nirav!”
Nirav’s face contorts through an array of emotions as he cycles through the memories Blanck has embedded in this kerchief. He laughs. He scowls. He grimaces. He cries out in agony.
“Nirav!” I try to pry the cloth out of his hands, but he’s clutching it so tightly. It’s almost like it’s not him holding it.
His fingers simply will not pry open. Nirav pants, his body spasms.
A cold, metallic shadow closes in on me, the tunnel vision that occurs before the sensation of a free fall.No!I shout at the Darkness.You cannot approach him! Stay away from Nirav. Do you hear me? NO!
And just like that, Nirav releases Blanck’s handkerchief.
The silly little scrap of cloth floats to the floor. Innocuous. I never would’ve thought a physical object could be capable of holding so much energy.
Nirav slumps into a chair. He blinks, runs a hand through his sweaty hair.
We’re silent.
Kiyoko approaches him with a cup of tea, but he shakes his head.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
His face lifts in half a grin. Then, a full grin. Then, incredibly, he chuckles. Nods.
Pax smiles like a sunbeam. “You found it?”
Nirav lifts his hand and tilts it to and fro,Kinda.
William says, “So you know he has one but you’re not certain where it is.”
Nirav nods enthusiastically,Yes!
Pax beams. “Good work, Nirav.” He gently lays a hand on Nirav’s shoulder. Nirav, surprisingly, lets him do this. “I know it couldn’t have been easy, absorbing all the energy from that monster. But please know this plan wouldn’t work without your Sight. Withoutyou. You and your vision—they are very important. A gift. Please remember that.”
I forget sometimes what a true believer Pax is. A Spiritualist, through and through. The opposite of my jaded point of view.
Nirav’s eyes glass over at Pax’s words. He looks like he received praise from a big brother.
Dammit, Pax.
