Page 110 of Echoes of War

I don’t know why I felt this protective over her—she’d betrayed me before we’d even met … Could I really blame her?

Her eyes widened. “You mean that?”

Those stupid cerulean eyes.They melted my heart against my better judgment.

“Our relationship, or whatever this is.” I gestured between us and pain displayed across her face like I had struck her. “You did what was right in the end, for selfish reasons, but still, doesn’t mean you deserve to die for your past mistakes.”

Jessa picked at her fingernails, glancing up, worried I’d be out the door if she said anything else. “I don’t know … I don’t know if my replacement is already here or not. You need to close the gates, for good.”

“Amaia’s not back yet, we can’t do that,” I said stubbornly. “People will die if we don’t let those who flee come in.”

She nodded, knowing full well what my father’s cruelty could do. “People will die if you do.”

Jessa was right. But would that damn Amaia and Alexiares if we did? I doubted closing the gates would mean anything. They were both resourceful; I was sure they could make it. But what if they didn’t?

“It’s not up to me, it’s up to Riley.”

“Then help me convince him,” she said as if it would be that simple.

Riley would never do anything that put Amaia’s life at risk. He would always put The Compound first, but not if that meant sacrificing the one person he cared for the most. That was where he drew a cold, hard line. And I couldn’t say I disagreed.

“What he does or doesn’t do is none of your concern,” I said, stepping away from her and heading toward the door.

“Wait—” she yelled, reaching out to prevent me from leaving.

“What, Jessa?” I hissed. “Do you have more pain to add to an already wounded heart?”

Tears welled in her eyes. “Will you be back?”

“I don’t know.” I paused at the door. “Give me time.”

I was exhausted. Finding space in my heart to hate someone when I was losing people left and right felt like the wrong move. Time was a luxury these days, something I wasn’t sure any of us had. Maybe spending what little time I had left with a glimmer of happiness wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I was tired of being betrayed.

The remorse coming from Jessa was raw; it called to my magic, begging it to aid in mending that broken part of her soul. Part of the blessing of my gifts was the ability to use it as a guiding light in the perception of the world around me. If that made me weak, then so be it.

Riley

Iplaced my hand against the door, waiting for my magical signature to unlock the artillery room. This one specifically had restricted access. It was important given what we kept inside. I hadn’t been here in ages. My fingers trailed around the dusty gray and black artillery room. I released a quipped whistle, glancing between Amaia’s note and what lay around me.

Codeword: White Moth

Plasma, Shadowstep and Chrono blades. Aqua-cannon. Soulfire Flamethrower. Acid Grenades.

The Appalachians sing, get the boys in the trees, and remember the Alamo.

PS: brother, I miss you so muchmy heart hurts.

To anyone but me, it would seem like a folly. A bunch of words on paper with no leading information. But I knew. Knew what she was asking of me. How dire our situation was if we were bringing these out.

Amaia had never wanted to use these. They were created as a precaution to ensure our survival. Her hope was that they’d never see the light of day.

These weapons had taken an immense amount of research from both Tinkerers and Seers alike. They were deadly, and while we only had a few, they would change the game of the war.

I grabbed the Shadowstep blade, swinging it around. It felt good in my hands. She’d created it for me, after all. Me and my men, that was. This would be fun.

Grinning, I pushed my magic into it and stepped into the shadows.

Amaia

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