“No.”
I gnaw harder. “Because they’ll hate me if they knew the truth?”
“Most of the people at the Dagger weren’t personally affected by what happened at the Ridge, but there are some in the valley who remember. Who suffered. I’d like to think they’re enlightened enough not to blame a child for her parents’ sins, but it was a dark day in our history and…yes, I worry some might hold it against you,” he says gruffly.
A dark day in our history, indeed. From what I recall, more than fourteen hundred people died during that attack, hundreds of them children. It sickens me that my parents were responsible for it.
It feels like my entire identity has been upended. I was desperate to join the Uprising so I could follow in their footsteps, and it turns out it was all a childish fantasy.
“Why?” I ask through the lump in my throat. “Why would they betray their own people?”
“There were many Mods who opposed President Severn’s reign. Your mother was one of them.”
“So she sided with the General instead?” Disgust climbs up my throat. “She helped him with his Coup? With the Silverblood Purge?”
“In her eyes, I suppose Merrick Redden was the lesser of two evils.”
I clench my teeth, trying to control my anger. “I never would’ve done that.”
Kallister stands, brushing the front of his trousers, then lowers his body next to me, stretching his legs out. It’s a bit jarring because he doesn’t seem like the kind of man who sits on the ground. Uncle Jim fit right in amid the dirt, doing hard labor on the ranch, mucking out stalls, but Kallister seems too put-together to get dirty.
“You would’ve sided with Severn?” he presses.
I don’t answer right away, a knot forming in my stomach. By all accounts, President Severn caused a lot of harm. He incited without remorse. Treated Primes as less than, scoffing at their inferior blood.
And yet…there isn’t a chapter inourhistory called the Prime Purge. General Redden killed tens of thousands of Mods in his purge. Severn, for all his flaws, never went that far.
“Yes,” I finally say. “Maybe he wasn’t the greatest leader, maybe hismorals weren’t entirely on straight, but he was still a Mod. I wouldn’t have gone against our people.”
“That’s good to hear. Because we’re at war again, and I need to know that unlike your parents, you’re going to fight for the right side.”
“I’m not like them,” I reply through gritted teeth. “I would never betray people who are counting on me.”
Kallister pats my knee, giving it a quick, reassuring squeeze. “I know you wouldn’t. My brother knew it, too. He wouldn’t have gone out on a limb to protect you, to keep you safe all these years, if he thought you weren’t loyal to the cause.”
“And exactly what is the cause?”
“Creating a world where we can live free,” he says simply.
“At the expense of the Primes?”
“Only if they choose to be expendable. They don’t have to be.” He shrugs. “Thereisa way for us to live together, but it won’t be with them in charge. Every time they’re in power, we become second-class citizens, and we’re not going to live that way anymore.”
“When President Severn was in charge,theywere second-class citizens.”
“Severn didn’t have an Authority. He didn’t have a council voting on important issues. He took it upon himself to make all the decisions, whether the people supported them or not. That’s not how we operate here. We care about your opinions, and we want to please the majority. All we require in return is trust and loyalty.”
“You don’t need to question my loyalty.”
“I don’t.” Kallister hops to his feet and extends his hand. “If Julian trusted you, then so do I.”
Chapter 13
The days pass. I spend most of my time at the range or in my room, despite Gray encouraging me to socialize with him and his friends. Meanwhile, he’s not there himself half the time. Turns out Grayson Blake is a workaholic. He’s constantly in the hangars, training new pilots, flying transports, even working as a mechanic when needed. At dinner last night, he pored over a flight manual on his tablet and ignored everyone, which pissed off Karra because she was one of the people being ignored. I heard them fighting about it later. Gray’s girl definitely has a temper.
Cross hasn’t been around much, either. I guess now that he’s no longer chained in a cell, he doesn’t have as much free time, but I wish he would check in more often and tell me what’s happening in the wards, what his brother is planning.
If my gut is correct, the Uprising has plans of their own. They might claim to be in dark mode, but I’m convinced something is stirring at the Dagger, at least among the Authority. Gray disappears into the war room every morning, and whenever I ask him what they’re discussing, he keeps it vague.
