Page 36 of Cage of Starlight

“No hard feelings,” says the boy, who clearly has enough hard feelings for both of them.

Tory glares at Iri, who only crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow.

Riese continues with a thin-lipped frown at Sena. “The fact that he is a Seed and the fact that he’s with you are why he’s still alive. If he attempts to betray us or I’m given any reason to believe he might , I’ll kill him myself.”

“You can’t—” Tory starts, but Sena interrupts.

“I would expect no less.”

Riese shrugs, and his smile is directed at Tory, not Sena.

“I wanted to start out with honesty, however unpleasant it might be. In any other situation, we conduct an . . . entrance interview of sorts with any new inductees. Judge has the ability to discern truth from falsehood. Apparently when someone lies, it tastes terrible. However, your friend’s unique constitution means that Judge is unable to get a read on either of you. ”

“Because you tied us together.”

“Yes. I have enough hotheads here—” at this, he flicks a glance first at Judge, then at Iri “—that caution is second nature. I didn’t know what state you’d be in when you woke and wanted to prevent others using their abilities to harm you or you doing the same to harm us.”

Tory grumbles under his breath. Just because it’s reasonable doesn’t mean he has to like it.

“Luckily, my conversation with you in Ms. Belmin’s caravan made it quite clear that you’re just the sort of person I’m looking for, though I’m not especially pleased that you’ve arrived with company.

Wasn’t this the Box-dog who dragged you back when you were so close to freedom?

I don’t understand why you’ve allowed him to live. ”

The old anger surges through Tory, but it simmers down just as quickly.

“He’s—” What is he? Discomfort knots in Tory’s gut.

Sena is a fool, unwilling to defend himself, but he’s also protected Tory, over and over, even when he didn’t have to.

Even when protecting Tory meant hurting himself.

He’s an ally, dangerously close to becoming something almost like a friend.

Tory can’t make himself say any of those things, so he says only, “Sena’s on our side. ”

Riese’s expression is bone-dry as he drops down on the box Judge was sitting on when Tory first woke. At eye level now, he pins Tory with an unblinking stare. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“I would.”

Riese scoffs. “You’ve let them domesticate you.”

Tory bares his teeth. “I didn’t let them, and I sure as fuck won’t let you.”

Riese laughs.

Judge steps in, still glaring, but his knife, at least, is nowhere to be seen. “It doesn’t have to be him. We can find someone else.”

“Give him grace,” Riese says. “You’ll see what I saw in him soon enough. We’ll sharpen him up again. As for the other one . . .” Riese’s eyes flick to Sena. “I’ll have to ask you to keep your dog in line, Tory. Some things, I fear, freedom can’t fix.”

“Maybe some things are none of your fucking business.” It settles, with a dizzying lurch, that Tory would have agreed with those words mere days ago.

They hit wrong, now, stirring anger in Tory’s gut.

“You’re acting like I’ve agreed to whatever it is you want me to do, but the way I’m hearing it, you need someone like me. ”

Riese looks away into the woods. “We do, yes. Very much.”

“Then it sounds like all the power is in my hands.”

“Yes, well. Your hands are a little tied up at the moment, aren’t they?”

At Tory’s incredulous scoff, Riese laughs.

“I apologize. We’ve lost many, many lives to people like your Sena here, and it’s made us crude.

We have an active mission and we’re missing an important piece of the puzzle.

We’d greatly appreciate your assistance if you’re willing to render it.

I’m sorry for treating you this way. The purpose of the bonds was to keep things civil until I’d had a chance to speak with you. We’ll untie you momentarily.”

“And what’s to keep me from walking away when you do?”

“Curiosity?” An elegant shrug. “The things we could do together, we’d rewrite the way this whole country works. You’d change everything.”

Tory bites his lip to keep from showing how good that sounds. “That’s all about what I can do for you. What can you do for me?”

“You mean aside from freeing you and other Seeds from Westrian control?” Riese waves over his neck.

“To start, we can help with this . I know someone who’s had .

. . moderate success removing Cores. She’s the only Reacher in the country who freelances for the right price.

I’m sure you’re eager to be rid of that thing. ”

Giddy relief surges through Tory. He crushes it down before it can spread. If there’s someone out here who can remove their Cores, they won’t have to go back at all. “When? As long as it’s still installed, they can track us.”

Riese shakes his head. “They can’t. We have something that . . . I suppose you could say it prevents them from getting close. They won’t find you as long as you’re with me, and the tracker won’t matter for long. Once it’s removed, we’ll destroy it.”

“But when ?”

“Soon. I know you might be in a bit of a hurry, but I’ll need to arrange things with our Reacher and carve out enough time for safe removal.”

“What do you need us to do, then?”

Something glows in Riese’s eyes, bright as flame.

He clicks his tongue. “I don’t think we know each other quite well enough for that yet, Tory.

But I swear to you, I’ll share the details as soon as I can.

For now, I can tell you this: the things we can do together—Westrice has had us on the run for years.

With you, we can finally fight back. The future I imagine would see us all free. ”

Tory forgets the ropes as Riese leans close.

Hiding has kept him alive for so long, like medicine that breaks a man to give him breath—but Riese is offering a chance to strike a blow against all the people who’ve kept him under their thumb. “I want it,” he whispers. Then, louder: “Let me help.”

Riese laughs. “Excellent. Let’s get you out of those ropes, then. Iri, if you don’t mind?”

Iri paces toward them, but Sena speaks up before he arrives. “Before you untie us . . .”

There’s a sudden slackening of the rope around Tory’s chest, and it falls onto his lap. Sena stands in one quick push, hands raised in surrender, lifting the blindfold from his eyes.

Tory gapes.

Iri smashes his thumb rings together to make sparks and has flame floating above his palm in an instant. Riese leaps to his feet, predator-fast. Judge must have found the knife an unsatisfactory threat last time, because he pulls a gun from his belt and levels it at Sena.

“Whoa! Hey!” Surging to his feet, Tory skids between them. He’s never tried throwing the energy from a bullet, but there’s a first time for everything.

Iri’s flame flickers out. “That’s on me,” he says to Riese, quiet. “I failed to consider that he could decay the rope when I bound him. He must have found a way to put it in contact with his skin.”

In the gray light, Sena is parchment-pale and greasy with sweat. “I unbound us shortly after you arrived so we could free ourselves if you proved to be a threat. That I didn’t attack was a gesture of good faith.”

“Judge,” Riese says. “ Lower it .”

The gun’s barrel points at the ground, but the air rings with tension.

Riese breaks it. “It was my oversight as well. Don’t blame yourself. We haven’t dealt with a Seed of this type before. Iri, if you could escort them to the fire? Dinner should be ready soon. Do whatever you must to defend yourself if the officer tries anything.”

“I did not need your permission,” Iri says, lips twisted with malice.

Riese massages his temples. “ Do control yourself. I would prefer not to have to break up a third unprovoked murder attempt. Judge? With me.”

Judge’s low grumbling suggests that he thinks the murder attempt was plenty provoked, but he follows obediently at Riese’s invitation.

Iri’s shoulders go up when Riese is gone. “This way,” he says unnecessarily. “You go first.”

“Tory,” Sena says before he can obey.

Tory freezes. “Huh?”

“The box. Look.” Sena gestures at the box Riese was sitting on. There’s text stamped along the side, the same text that was on the sides of the boxes guarded by the Arlunian cell they slaughtered yesterday. This must be where they were delivering the supplies.

Iri’s hands twitch, like he’s aching to make sparks.

Tory shakes his head. To Iri, he says, “We ran into the people who took these supplies. They—not all of them made it out.” Seventeen, was it? Maybe eighteen corpses.

“They knew the risks.” Iri’s expression cools. “We all do. We’re working toward something more important than any one life.” He gestures again to the path ahead. “Please.”

Tory steps around him and walks. For once, Sena is the one trying to keep up, gait unsteady and eyes trained on the ground.

That awful, helpless dread creeps back, slick like oil. Tory’s hands ache to heal, but of course Sena would be the one person his healing doesn’t work on. “Your Westrian is excellent,” he tells Iri, to break the silence.

Iri’s voice is flat. “I was born on the border. It was not a proficiency I sought, but it has proven useful.”

They pace along the leaf-strewn path toward the fire blazing between the trees, and when he turns, Tory could swear he sees the sparks of it in Iri’s eyes.

“My mother lived at the border,” Sena says.

Iri’s eyes narrow. “We all know of your mother. A traitoress who lies in the bed of a warmonger.”

Sena’s mouth clamps shut, and Tory feels the blood leaving his face. Iri knows, then. He knows exactly who Sena is.

He must catch Tory’s expression, because he scoffs. “Riese is not aware. I do not judge whole cloth for one foul stitch. I don’t expect much of you since you come from rotten stock and have served them for years, but I will judge you for your actions.”

“I’m sure you chose your parents, too,” Tory spits. “I’ll bet they’re perfect.”