I swallow a lump of pain. “Yes.”
“Our intel says there was an inciter in the crowd. Someone nearly succeeded in inciting the firing squad to turn their guns onthemselves. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
The knot in my throat thickens as my chest tightens with guilt. I wasn’t able to save him. Itried.I tried so fucking hard. But all I could do was stand there and watch him die.
I bite my lip to stop it from trembling. “Why don’t you ask me again tomorrow during disclosure?” I finally say. Because now is not the time to relive that particular trauma. Or reveal that particular secret.
That gets me a soft chuckle. “Fair enough.”
“What about you?” I can’t help but pry. “Jim was a powerful mind reader. Is that your ability, too?”
“I can’t read minds, no. To be honest, I prefer it that way. Sounds like a very noisy ability to have.” He surprises me by revealing, “I’m a precog.”
“Oh wow.” I give him a wry grin. “Does that mean you saw me coming to the Dagger?”
“Trust me, kid,” he says, sweeping his gaze over me. “I did not see this coming.”
We’re interrupted by the arrival of a girl who enters the war room holding a metal tray. She has blue eyes and blond hair arranged in two braids and can’t be a day older than fifteen.
“Dinner,” she says.
Kallister goes to take the tray from her. “Thank you, Poppy.”
I watch the girl dart off. “How old is she?” I ask once the doors close behind her. “There’s no way she’s old enough to be a field operative.”
“Poppy just turned sixteen. She’s Fiona’s daughter. And here at Fi’s insistence. Normally we don’t allow civilians to live on the base,” he explains. “There’s an entire community of civilians in the valley at the bottom of the mountain. That’s where the families of our operatives live, as well as other Mods—and some Primes, too—who were extracted from the city.”
That’s promising. If there are Primes here, then maybe Xavier will be able to stay.
If they decide not to put a bullet in his head, that is.
“How do these civilians remain undetected by Command aircraft?” I ask curiously.
“We jam their radar if they get too close, but the Company rarely flies this far south. Not just because of the Blacklands and their lack of visibility, but this mountain is too close to Tierra Fe airspace. The Tierrans are merciless when it comes to anyone breaking the airspace treaty.”
Kallister sets my dinner in front of me. To my delight, it looks incredibly appetizing, comprising a hearty stew that smells fantastic, a fluffy bread roll, and a small container of grated cheese.
“Is this real cheese?” I exclaim.
“Indeed. You’ll find very few synthetic items here. We’ve got great farming in the valley, and most of our base rations are either smuggled in from the city or imported from Tierra Fe, which means real coffee. Real whiskey, too.” He winks at me.
“I drank real whiskey for the first time on an undercover assignment in the Point,” I confess. “It was fucking sublime.”
Kallister chuckles, a wholly alien sound coming from a mouth that looks like Jim’s. Uncle Jim wasn’t prone to laughter, but when he did laugh, it came out like glass shards scraping his windpipe. A sharp bark of humor. Kallister’s laughter resonates from deep in his throat. It’s a soft, almost comforting rumble. I like it.
“Nothing beats the real thing.” He gestures to the tray. “Go on, eat.”
It’s awkward eating dinner while someone is watching you, but I can’t stop myself from inhaling the meal. I didn’t realize how famished I was. Xavier and I didn’t eat much in the Blacklands. It’s difficult to let down your guard and enjoy a meal while engulfed in pure darkness.
I swallow a bite of bread before imploring Kallister with my gaze. “Would I be able to visit Xavier? I know you probably don’t want me walking around the base until you officially decide whether I’m staying, but if it’s possible, I’d really like to see him.”
“You’re very attached to this lieutenant,” he observes, a gleam of intrigue in his eyes. “Are you romantically involved?”
I laugh. “Absolutely not. But I consider him a friend. He risked his life for me, and I feel like I owe him now.”
“You don’t owe anyone anything,” Kallister says without a trace of empathy, and for once he actually sounds like Jim. My uncle warned me to never go out on a limb for another person, not even him.You owe loyalty to nobody but yourself, little bird.
I disagree. I think Xavier deserves my loyalty. Not only did he help me escape, but he’s Cross’s best friend. And Cross, well, he’s certainly earned my loyalty.
