Page 161 of Cerulean Truth
“I have no fucking idea,” I replied honestly.
“I thought you said Antwerp wasn’t a Collective. That it only housed about five thousand magi?”
“It does,” I confirmed.
“So why were they targeted? And by whom?”
“I don’t know Emma, but Antwerp is where our Board of Directors and United Chiefs headquarters are located. My guess would be that it was a political attack.”
Emma’s voice trembled. “The Board sounds kind of scary. They’re just magi like you and Stephen, right?”
I nodded. “Fifty of the most powerful magi to have ever existed, but yes. Magi like me and yourself.”
Halting her movements, she raised her head slowly, meeting my gaze. “Why do you think they want to talk to me?” She swallowed and something akin to fear etched itself in her eyes.
I crossed the room in two strides and took her face between my hands.
“You are trained by me and will have me by your side every fucking second. I’m not letting you out of my sight. And if it turns out they know about your untraceable translation, we make a run for it. Together.” I spoke with all the conviction in the world, cursing my inability to comfort her more. “If you don’t want to go to Alliance and meet with the Board, I’ll fight every magi on this earth so you don’t have to. It’s your choice.”
She smiled sadly. “I want to go.”
My anxiety rose at her words, but I pushed it swiftly aside. It had to be her choice. I kissed her cheek, a little proud of the courage she displayed.
“You’re Emma fucking Thompson,” I continued softly, “you went head-to-head with Radicals twice now and came out on top each time. You’ve successfully shaken the entire magi world to its core, simply by walking in. There’s nothing you can’t do, you hear me?”
She nodded, the fear in her eyes slowly being replaced by thankfulness.
I retracted my hands but she quickly moved in closer and kissed me softly on the lips. The kiss was quick, almost like a habit and I dropped my forehead onto hers.
This woman and her effect on me.
“We’ll be fine. We’ll listen to what the Board wants, we’ll come back here after, and I’m taking you on that date. What do you say?”
Emma chuckled softly. “You really are the worst when it comes down to timing.”
I snorted. She wasn’t wrong.
Letting her finish packing, I quickly sent a message to Stephen’s Nexus, informing him of what we’d learned. He didn’t reply but I had heard he was high up somewhere in the mountains of Japan, struggling to get them on board.
I had three escape-plans ready just in case it turned out the intel on Emma’s translation had leaked. I was going over them in my mind, when Emma interrupted my musings.
“That Dennis Dale…” Emma began and my heart sank, wishing she wouldn’t ask me too many questions about him. So far, I had lied to her by omission about the death of her former boss and about the discovered mole in our Council who had leaked her untraceable translation to the Radicals. I really didn’t want to pile on even more but if she pushed it…
“It seemed like you two know each other?”
I nodded once. “Please hurry with the suitcase.”
“How do you know him?” she pressed.
“He helped me gain my position.” That wasn’t a lie.
She frowned. “As First Offensive?”
I shook my head. “Leader.”
She sighed. “You’re being cagey again. Every time I ask you questions you don’t want to answer, you reply with one word-sentences.”
Furrowing my brow, I looked at her in confusion.
