Page 123 of Requiem of Silence

“I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive Her for letting you die in order to test Kyara,” he added, “but this army? This destruction? What does She gain from it?”

Jasminda shook her head and crossed her arms, shivering. “Where has She been and where did She go after the attack? I wish She was here if only to answer some questions.” With a heavy sigh, she pushed up from the chair to approach the desk. “Do you have the report about the shelter usage?”

“Somewhere in this stack,” he muttered, flipping through folders until he found it and handed it over. Hopefully, all the work ahead would take the sting off of the referendum results, but Jack wasn’t optimistic.

She settled into the chair, scanning the pages of the report. “Shelters were, on average, at less than thirty percent capacity. So sixty-four percent of Elsirans want to have Lagrimari around, but not too close, I guess. And they don’t want to trust Earthsingers with their safety.”

“To be fair, we didn’t have a lot of time to deliver the message about the shelters,” Jack said.

“Now that the power is off in most of the city the radio is out, and the newspapers can’t be printed.” She tossed the papers down.

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I really don’t know. I think—”

She looked down and then took another deep breath, as ifcoming to a decision. “I think we need to do something drastic.” Jack sat next to her, giving her all of his attention.

“Half the citizens want to burn the Goddess in effigy for hiding the True Father’s escape. They don’t trust us either and it’s not only to their own detriment, but everyone else’s. The more people the spirits overtake, the worse the attacks will be.”

Jack nodded, urging her on. “You were right.” She blew out a breath. “I was… I was blinded by my anger. My rage. Our voices aren’t going to carry right now, but I know someone’s who will.”

Realization dawned, but he wasn’t certain. “Who?”

Her teeth clenched. “Zann Biddell.” It was obvious that she hated the conclusion she’d come to. “I’m wondering if he would be amenable to making a few announcements.”

Jack spoke carefully. The issue of Biddell had already been a minefield between them. “You want him to convince people to go to the shelters?”

“Getting their attention will be hard, but he could do it.”

“Do you think the Lagrimari will protest?”

She spread her arms. “We have no idea how the True Father is staging these attacks, no idea how many more there will be, or how much power he has left. He could have found a whole new energy source to fuel the amalgamations for all we know. Until we can find a way to stop him permanently, we need to limit his strength in some way and right now, reducing the number of potential hosts for his army is key. Our differences don’t matter anymore, not in this situation.”

Jack’s fingers moved rapidly against his thighs as he thought. “Do you think Biddell will cooperate?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we can appeal to his patriotism? It’s in his best interest just like everyone else’s to be protected from the spirits.”

He leaned forward. “Do you want me to talk to him?”

She gave a barely there smile. “I made this mess. It should be me.”

“And what will you offer him? Freedom?”

The hint of a smile bled from her face. “If that’s what it takes. Unless we find a way to stop the True Father, nothing else really matters, does it?”

He reached for her hand and she met him halfway, gripping his fingers in hers. “We’re going to find a way,” he said. “We’re going to beat him once and for all and make a place that’s safe—a home—for everyone who wants one. If I do one thing with the life I have left, it will be that.”

She squeezed his hand harder and he repeated the vow to himself. It was almost like a prayer, though he had no deity left to pray to. Only his hope. Only his love.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Are destiny’s ties binding or elastic?

Iron or plastic?

Will you run screaming from its bruising grip

or embrace its hold, enthusiastic?

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