“They’ve gone five days with no contact.”
“The lack of contact doesn’t necessarily mean they failed.”
“I know what it doesn’t necessarily mean,” she says, the sharpness in her tone quickly turning soft again. “But the Lost Islands have claimed better sailors than four students and one professor on a stolen ship.”
She’s right. Most ships that enter the Lost Islands don’t leave. Crews that survive don’t always stay sane. The Aldridge archives are full of accounts, and none of them are pleasant reading.
“The Lost Islands have never seen a Revenant before, and Logan’s powerful, even amongst the Blood Coven,” I remind her. “Kieran Cross is the best weapons master in centuries. And Jade…” I trail off, because there’s no saying what Jade is truly capable of.
“Power isn’t always enough.” Helen’s fingers twist together in her lap. “I keep running the variables. The currents around Scylla, the temporal distortions near Charybdis, the cyclops, the sirens, the Laestrygonians, and the dozens of other dangersthey’ll possibly have to navigate before reaching the Pillars. The odds of their survival lessen significantly by the day.”
Her observations are clinical, but underneath them, fear bleeds through. Because I’ve been running the same variables and arriving at the same uncomfortable conclusions.
“I have to believe Logan will succeed and bring Jade to Ambrogio as planned.” She straightens, like she’s convincing herself as much as me. “After everything we’ve invested in positioning him, in protecting his cover, and in keeping the star touched hidden from the Council…” She takes a breath. “It has to work.”
“And what happens once Jade reaches Ambrogio?”
“That’s Gwendolyn’s domain.” Helen waves a hand, although her eyes gleam with undisguised hunger. “But the goal has always been the same—a star touched fighting for the Revenants would be unprecedented, and Jade’s lightning combined with Revenant strength will make her the weapon that tips the balance in our favor.”
Weapon.
The word echoes in my mind.
It’s hard to picture Jade Harrington as a weapon.She can barely sit still long enough to finish a class, let alone execute the kind of calculated manipulation that weapon-level power requires. She projected every emotion so loudly in Pyropsychology that reading her was like standing in an open doorway. Yes, Jade has raw power, but she feels too much, too loudly, and too publicly. She’s a wildcard, and those in power—whether those people are the Council or the Revenants—never like wildcards.
“This is what we’ve been working for.” Helen’s genuinely enthusiastic now, the vulnerability of moments ago sharpening into hunger. “Logan positioned us perfectly by gaining Jade’strust and making her dependent on him. He’s very persuasive when he needs to be.”
Persuasive.
The word lands wrong. Because in our world, persuasion means compulsion, memory manipulation, and reshaping someone’s thoughts until they believe what you need them to believe. It means smoothing the edges of their will until they can’t tell the difference between their own desires and the ones you’ve planted there.
It’s the tool the Council uses to maintain control, and the one the Revenants swore they were fighting against.
Helen straightens, her vulnerability vanishing.
“There’s one more thing.” She glances at the ballroom below, where the last clusters of people are dispersing. “Tobias.”
“What about him?” I ask, remaining calm. It’s the type of calm that only comes with a lifetime of practice.
“He’s been avoiding me for days. He won’t meet my eyes, and he flinches when I enter a room.”
During the memorial, Tobias stared at those fifteen portraits like he was seeing ghosts. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his hands were trembling. His gaze kept drifting to Avery, but he always stopped himself before focusing on her completely.
I don’t know what happened between them, but I need to find out, sooner rather than later.
“I’ll watch him,” I say, leaving it at that.
“Good.” Helen rises from the bench, smoothing her skirt with practiced efficiency. “The Aldridge family has been invaluable in all of this, Nina. Your mother would be proud.”
I doubt that. My mother’s proud of results, not methods. She’d want spreadsheets, leverage, and quantifiable returns on investment.
“When the Revenants rise, your family will have a seat at the table,” Helen continues. “Everything you’ve worked for, everything you’ve sacrificed… it will all be worth it.”
“I look forward to it.” The lie slides out smooth and practiced.
Helen doesn’t notice. She never does.
She gives me one last nod, then crosses to the stairs, her heels clicking against the stone. Her orb follows, drifting after her like a loyal pet.
