Page 37

PARADISE

Igripped the engraved metal orb in my hand. It was one of Kato’s artifacts—or at least it had been. With its magic gone, it was nothing more than a pretty piece of metal.

I wound up my arm and aimed it at one of the Cursed Ones…and hit it smack dab in the center of its forehead. The Cursed One threw back its head and let out an enraged shriek. The others joined in.

Then all four of them charged at me.

I held my ground, trying to steady my wobbly knees. The Cursed Ones came at me, mindless, enraged, driven by a dark, primal instinct more powerful than life or death. I choked down a cowardly whimper.

They were coming for me.

Thinking back, I’m not sure what happened next.

All I remember was my pounding heart.

My trembling hands.

Something that sounded like voices in my head.

And then the four Cursed Ones just stopped, almost like they were frozen in time, still and unblinking, like statues.

“Good job,” Kato said. He was standing right beside me, just like he’d promised. “Now, have them spread out in a search pattern to look for tears in the veil.”

I concentrated on doing what he’d asked—and was really surprised when it actually worked. The Cursed Ones fanned out to start their search, looking totally unlike the feral, bloodthirsty beings that they usually were. Right now, they almost looked human, even with their deathly-pale skin and horribly matted hair.

I was controlling the Cursed Ones withfear. That was so wild.

I watched them closely. I held tightly to Kato’s hand, ready to run as soon as I saw that distinct ultramarine-blue halo on any of them. If we were fast enough, we might even make it before the tear jumped again to another spot.

“Kato? Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Right, so I’ve always wondered what it’s like in Paradise,” I said, still tracking the Cursed Ones with my gaze. “The Government named their district Paradise, but is it truly a paradise?”

“Paradise is…opulent. The Government wanted the best view, so they built their district on the waterfront. The Cursed Ones can’t swim, you know.”

I nodded, remembering what the invisible stranger had told me yesterday.

Kato continued, “Some people call Paradise the Golden City for its towering, twinkling skyscrapers and bright lights. At night, you can see the glow for kilometers in every direction, even as far away as the Castle.”

“Where the Knights live.”

“Right,” he said. “The Castle is not as extravagant as Paradise, but it is far more beautiful. The people of Paradise—the Government officials—live a life of luxury, freedom, and safety. Just as most people everywhere else on Gaia live a life of poverty, oppression, and peril.”

“You don’t approve,” I guessed.

“No,” he replied. “I do not.”

That’s all he said on the matter.

“Thank you for telling me about Paradise,” I said.

“I’ve told you very little.”

“You’ve told me enough. Those few words tell me that although the Government controls who even gets a chance to become a Knight, the Knights follow their own moral code. Or at leastoneKnight does.”

“The other Knights follow that code as well.”