He didn't know how to answer, because he didn't know what to do with Kira. Didn't understand her. She was too good and too strong. Too far beyond him to comprehend. And this was how she accomplished it. The same way Imani did.
“If you can't win a war, your mission is to survive.”
Ashantae spoke it to Imani and Zayne both when they first fled the north.
Now here was Kira saying to live. Not just survive.
SEIZE YOUR LIFE
“I'll poison her,” he said finally, almost drifting off to sleep.
Imani's thumb brushed the side of his hand. “You're poisoning her now, stupid.”
Despite that Zayne didn't want her to worry about him, he fell into the deepest sleep he'd had in weeks, even after seeing Edwards smile in his dream.
CHAPTER 23
Miya
The Territories
Archai, Caspador
833 P.C. [Post-Collapse]
Miya rested against the brick wall of the building where she planned to meet her handler, Aiden, watching the crowds mingle with the vendors. Ahead of her, ruby red apples, uniform in size and free from worm holes and bruises, glistened in wooden crates, displayed with care, completely different from the markets in her corner of Caspador. Women, adorned in beautiful dresses, with obedient children in tow, ordered politely. Miya smiled at the conflicting image of her market, where shouting matches and fist fights broke out, and apples were arranged to hide the defects, not to appeal to the eye.
It had taken two days to establish a meetup with Aiden. Her local contact pulled through for her, fixed her up with clothes and shelter, and put her in touch with the boss. When the Krowes called to ask about her whereabouts, the lady lied and said she didn’t know.
With nothing better to do, she figured she’d keep herself in plain sight for when the captain came looking, that way he couldn’t accuse her of running. She had a little over an hour before Aiden should arrive. She’d caught a break with Lanceletting her leave, but beyond that, things couldn’t have gone worse. Not that the strange situation with Lance made her feel better.
Another twenty minutes passed while she took a stroll through the alleyways. On the back of a shop, someone had painted a picture of her father. King Moress bowed down before a statue of the Phaedra.Cowardwas scrawled beneath it in colorful letters.
She couldn’t agree more. After her father had taken her mother’s hand for the treaty, he’d ignored her requests to improve life for her people. Her mother was born to the True Followers. In Caspador and Antor, this sect of the Followers branched off into their own new religion. Many saw them as a cult. They functioned like their own government within the two kingdoms. Though her mother wasn't a believer, they would never let go of a valuable resource like a beautiful woman.
At the time, her father desired peace with the villages, so they didn't threaten his sovereignty.
Mom made for a lovely treaty.
But then a sickness swept through the villages, and her mom went home to care for her people. She paid the ultimate price. Instead of accepting his blame for abandoning his subjects in poverty, her father set his sights on the leader of the villages, Bale. Apparently, he’d even found a way to pin Miya's disappearance on him.
Miya had her own reasons to hate Bale. He was culpable like her father. Neither of them took any responsibility for how they used their ruling power. The worst kind of cowards.
She hated them both.
“There you are.” The captain's voice drifted from behind her.
“You kept me waiting long enough,” Miya said. “I was starting to think you didn’t miss me.” Her muscles felt twitchy, as though her body was trying to force her to do the sensible thing and run. There was nowhere to go, though. He would find her. Miya didn't want to run yet, not until she uncovered the danger this kingdom faced.
“We should wait for your handler inside.” That the captain’s voice had started to sound familiar made her cringe.
“I tried, you know,” Miya said. “I gave it my best shot.”
He gripped the back of her neck, hard enough to be uncomfortable. “Go.”
Holding her breath, she led him through the door of a small apartment the contact allowed them to use. The captain closed the shades, leaving the room dim. With his back to her, Miya sought out potential weapons. The cast-iron pan on the stove looked promising.
“You were smart not to try escaping.” He rested against the door, physically barring any hope of exit. “I thought you'd try.”
