Page 76 of Cerulean Truth
"Great, then let’s all get on with our lives, shall we?" James curled his lip, expressing impatience.
A.J. nodded reluctantly and turned around, exiting while retracing his steps. Disputing James’s authority was evidently “not done,” and I felt an odd sense of pride in being his friend. If, indeed, “friend” was the appropriate term...
"I'm so sorry about that," James apologized when he turned back to me.
I shook my head, saying, "No apologies necessary. Who was that guy?"
James shrugged, looking bored. "Nobody interesting... Look, I, uh..." He scratched his neck hesitantly, and I fought a smile athis obvious awkwardness. Mister James Walker. Mister Leader of the whole of Cyclos, in all his glory, standing before me, struggling for words.
"I just wanted to say hi. I have to go now, so I’ll see you around," he said quickly, cutting our conversation short for no apparent reason. Before I could respond or extend our interaction, he created a green portal and vanished into thin air.
As inept as I was with magic, I did seem to have a remarkable talent for making James disappear.
TWENTY
JAMES
On Saturday, the day of the Joint Committee’s reception, I woke up feeling uneasy, a pit in my stomach hinting at something bad to come. The ominous feeling lingered, putting me in a sour mood throughout the day. Again.
The recent news about Radicals and the possibly fragile state of international relations, protected by the Joint Committee, had never been more important to uphold. Made up of Leaders and Specialists from different Collectives, the Joint Committee was a powerful entity.
Being invited to their reception was an honor for any outsider, let alone a first cycler, which was unseen in the history of magi. Then again, there had never been a first cycler appointed as Leader, so there was that.
The invitation stood as proof of the gravity of the moment and the heavy load of duties laid on my shoulders. Though none of that made it fun.
By the time Jackson came to pick me up, my ever so present scowl was back with a vengeance. It complemented my dark blue tux, the white shirt underneath, and the absence of a tie. Jackson was of course all dressed up with a fancy bowtie and everything, adding that slight touch of class to my outfit by being my “date.”
Arriving at what I wish I could call a party—though it was really just a painfully dull affair with bland music playing in the background—I felt eyes pricking on the back of my head, as if someone was watching me. I turned my head left and right but couldn’t discern anything out of the order.
"James!" A voice barked my name, jolting me from my thoughts.
I swiftly turned to see Maurice gesturing for me to join him. Without hesitation, I set my champagne glass on a nearby table and followed him into the hallway, where Maria awaited us with a mix of urgency and concern etched on her face.
In an instant, my instincts as a First Offensive kicked in.
"What's the situation?" I demanded, my voice steady, my expression impassive.
Maurice leaned in, his voice urgent. "Some Resistants breached our Layers and slipped into Cyclos without clearance."
“What? How is that possible?” I hissed in shock.
"We're not sure," Maurice admitted, his frustration evident. "We've alerted the entire Council, but finding them in Cyclos, where our tracking capabilities are limited, won't be easy."
"How many are we dealing with?" I asked, keeping my tone low.
“We detected three different energy signatures, they somehow deceived our river into recognizing them as native.” Maria sounded furious, and with good reason.
"I don’t understand. How the hell are they still alive? And what's their objective here?" I pressed.
“We don’t know. Maybe all they want is a meeting with the Council?” Maurice said in a hopeful tone.
Maria scoffed. "If that were the case, they would have requested clearance instead of breaching our security."
Maurice’s mouth tightened. “Maybe they thought they wouldn’t get any clearance because of their status as Resistants.”
“More importantly, how do we find them?” I interrupted their bickering. “Now, they’re withing the sphere, it won’t be that easy, if not impossible.”
Maria spoke first. “I propose we send out a covert team, small, only a handful Offensives, to look for them and question them.”
