Page 37 of The Infinite Glade
“The truth is always the last thing to be believed. People fight the truth,” Cian said. “You,” he pointed at Old Man Frypan again. “You couldn’t take the truth earlier and left. It’s what’s expected.”
“Well . . . the truth sucks!” Jackie whipped another rock overhead and Isaac waited for the thump of it hitting the earth, maybe a tree, but instead he heard a metalCLANK. A sound he missed hearing from the forge back home.
“Watch it, we’ve got our equipment over there.” Cian stood up and looked over into the darkness.
“That Berg’s been hit with a lot worse than a pebble,” Erros said, but all Isaac really heard wasBerg.
“Jackie! They have a Berg!” Isaac wanted to scream, to hug her, find his own rock to chuck. Maybe even hug a rock. He turned to Frypan and then to Cian. “Can you take us to Alaska to find our friends? They’re with the Godhead. Maybe the Godhead knows how to get to the Sequencers, and?—”
Cian cut Isaac off. “Whoa, there, little fella. Bergs aren’t cheap to fly. Plus, the Godhead is as power-driven as those in WICKED ever were. The Godhead . . .” Cian looked to where the sound of the rock hitting the Berg came from.
“The Godhead is its own disease,” Ximena mumbled.
“But we need to get to our friends. Please.” Isaac would get on his knees and beg if he had to. The thought of never finding them or seeing them again had been gutting him since they separated. “Please . . .” He turned to Ximena and the backpack on the ground in between them.
“Isaac, don’t even think about it.” Ximena shook her head.
“Please.” He held his hands together to ask of her the one thing he knew she didn’t want to do.
“What’s going on?” Jackie whispered to no one in particular.
Isaac kept at it. “We can help themandfind our friends. Please.”
Ximena merely looked at the fire.
Jackie tossed another rock into the center of the flames. Ash kicked up sparks.
“Alaska,” Old Man Frypan said. “Huh. Site of the Maze . . . is that where the Sequencers are?”
Please . . .Isaac begged Ximena with his eyes.
Cian shook his head. “Yeah but no. The aurora’s gotta be ten times stronger up north in Alaska. I don’t know what that will do to the Berg.”
Erros didn’t add much hope. “And we’ve already surveyed all of Alaska—no pink or orange lake. We have to save our remaining fuel for finding the mark of the buried.” Cian cleared his throat and looked at Erros expectantly. “Sorry, the mark of the Sequencers.”
Isaac knew Ximena could convince them.She had to.He didn’t want to take the Cure from her, but he needed it. “It’s bigger than the Villas,” he whispered to her. She could destroy as many Villas as she wanted to, but it wouldn’t change things. This might.
“Dammit, Isaac,” Ximena picked up her backpack.
“Please . . .”
She let out a sigh and stood up. “I can help the Sequencers,” she announced to Cian and Erros. “Take the islanders to Alaska to find their friends, and I’ll take you to the Cure.”
The two brothers said nothing, just stared at her. But it was only a matter of time, now. She’d convince them for sure.
Isaac let out a sigh of relief.
Thank you, he mouthed to Ximena.
Ximena had no intention of giving them the Cure. But going to Alaska? Fine.
She’d escape and make her way to the Alaskan Villa, as good a plan as any, but she wasn’t dumb enough to give something so valuable away, especially to strangers. She’d make them believe thatshetrustedthemenough to share the Cure.
Cian didn’t seem on board. “It doesn’t really matter, anyway. The Cure is useless without finding the Sequencers, and Kletter made sure that the entrance and coordinates were kept secret. We’ve been looking for . . . well, for longer than I want to even admit.” He threw another log on the fire. “You can sleep here; there’s plenty of wood.”
“Man, I got my hopes up,” Jackie said. Isaac just gave her a sad nod.
He certainly seemed to have no intention of giving up. “What if we go up there, and we talk to the Godhead? They’ve got to know where these people are, right?”
