Page 41 of Cerulean Truth
Maria's face turned an angry shade of red. "James, I did not anticipate you becoming an advocate for the soft approach. The world we know is changing, and we have to change with it. I won't allow one person to jeopardize our kind."
The room was thick with tension, our heated argument echoing off the walls. I couldn't believe how Maria, my mentor and superior, could be so ruthless and unforgiving. Emma's life hung in the balance, and I wasn't about to let her be cast aside so callously.
“James?”
I blinked away the residual anger I felt while a voice brought me back from my daydream.
I raised my gaze to find the triplets—Sam, Sarah, and Simon—all staring at me. It took a moment to focus on each one of them because, being siblings, they looked nearly identical. For a split second, I thought I was seeing three times the same person.
The triplets were exceptionally gifted. They were the heads of the Universitas, where every magus or maga in our Collective was trained. I knew Sam best as she was an Offensive. Sarah was a Healer, with whom I had rarely crossed paths, while Simon, a Defensive, trained most of his students outside of the Universitas. All three of them were Councilmembers.
"What's up?" I asked, still a bit dazed.
"So this Humanborn coming in, she’s twenty-three, you said?" Simon tried to play it cool but his eyes betrayed his excitement. I couldn't blame him; the retrieval of a Humanborn that old was unprecedented.
“Yes, what about her?” I asked, trying to mask the overwhelming surge of defensiveness tightening its grip on me.
"We were wondering what exactly we could do to help her navigate Cyclos at her arrival?" Sarah said softly, and I instantly felt a newfound appreciation for her consideration.
I hesitated, unsure of how to answer. The only thing which would genuinely help her transition was keeping her connections to the Human World, and I wasn't even able to offer her that comfort. My anger at Maria flared up again. She of all people should’ve known how important these connections were...
"Could you maybe get her a Nexus? A fully equipped one, with voice recognition, just in case she has trouble translating at the start," I suggested without revealing too much.
"You want her to have all the drops—even the red ones?" Simon inquired.
"Yes, all of them.” The red drops, activated by touch instead of translation, were typically reserved for children who couldn't generate the energy themselves yet. Receiving a Nexus with red drops after Entry—which was the level of education we reached at the age of sixteen—was unheard of. Then again, a Humanborn coming “home” at twenty-three was unheard of as well.
I hadn't told anyone she only translated when her life was in danger, not even the Maumars, but considering she was already twenty-three years old, the rest of the Collective simply assumed she had little emotion or trouble translating anyway.
"We'll get her one as soon as she arrives," Sam promised, and I shot her a thankful glance.
With a Nexus, at least she'd be able to contact whomever she wanted. I had no intention of isolating her from everyone she loved. The mere thought of it made me sick to my core.
Fuck it.
If the Council was putting a ban on Emma’s freedom, I’d help her break it. If she wanted to leave Cyclos, I'd help her navigate the portal. If she wanted freedom, I'd be the one to grant her the day pass. And if she wanted to visit anyone from home, I'd be right by her side, all the rules and Maria be damned. I ignored the small voice inside me, welcoming back the “rebel.” I didn’t give a flying fuck. Emma’s well-being was my responsibility, which meant her happiness was as much my priority as her safety.
I excused myself to the triplets and portaled to the Cube, knowing Matthew, Jackson, Justine, and Nino would be there.
I needed a drink.
ELEVEN
EMMA
The spacious black car glided through the night, cocooning us in its white luxurious interior. Edward, our silent chauffeur, raised the partition, muffling the outside world and granting us a semblance of privacy. The gentle hum of the engine and the rhythmic motion of the car did wonders to ease my racing heart.
Stephen and I settled into the plush seats in the back, a subtle air of anticipation hanging between us. He turned to me with an encouraging smile, one I tried to reciprocate though I failed epically at the attempt to mask the anxious flutter in my chest.
“Don’t worry, it’s a magically enhanced car.” Stephen grinned. “It will only take us a few hours to get to Nevada.”
A few hours? What if I needed to pee? I realized in all the Harry Potter books, the guy never took the time to pee… he did take a bath once, wasn’t it in the fourth book? With the egg? So why didn’t he pee? Maybe he did but chose not to write about it.
Darn it…now I need to pee…
“I thought about portaling you into Cyclos since James has gotten you clearance, but I found this would be the ultimate opportunity to teach you how to access a localized sphere, which I can’t do if we portal in,” Stephen continued.
Cyclos? Enhanced cars? Portals? Spheres? I could feel the color drain from my face. My mind started to fill with an unexpected form of self-doubt and a brand-new fear of failure. What had I gotten myself into?
