Page 15

Confessions

Ultima: Rio

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T he journalists are here.

I can’t shake them off along with the questioning Guards in the parking lot. I’m half carrying an icy Katarzyna in my arms with a stressed nurse behind me trying not to answer any interrogating inquiries.

“Sir, we need to know what this woman was doing that started the conflict with an Elite Special Agent,” a Guard says for the fifth million time.

“Dammit,” I grunt. “As I said before. I got an urgent call and came immediately to help my friend—who I’m holding if you haven’t noticed—from a confrontation. I don’t know anything else besides that.”

This only sparks more questions. Did she know who she was interacting with before the situation turned hostile? Emeraldian Guards are totally not biased at all, I see.

Tess fends off some reporters and Guards, but it’s overwhelming. One Guard insists we come to the station for further questioning, but I refuse. I need to get my team back home safely. The poor nurse can’t even conjure words of his involvement in the whole situation.

Malice is long gone. Whatever she’s doing, I need to stop her and find that missing girl for Mildred.

No one is happy about our departure in the taxi. Since I refused to cooperate, I may be summoned by King Jonah for further inquiries. One fire after another.

T he patchwork on Katarzyna’s leg is shoddy, but it’ll do until the train arrives at Onyx. Thankfully, a swarm of Ultima members wait with the ambulance crew to rush her to the hospital once we depart. Katarzyna faintly squeezes my arm as I help transfer her to the stretcher, but I pry her clammy hand off me while she’s still whispering my name. Heat spins in my chest, but I try to contain it. It rushes to my cheeks and ears, making my nostrils flare. I join the Ultima crew in the truck and ride back to the base.

No one speaks the whole ride; even Tess, who looks embarrassed, dodges my scorned eyes. My phone won’t stop ringing from notifications and I’m tempted to chuck it out the window.

Tess is last with me to exit the truck once it’s parked behind the building. Her hazel eyes are shifty, her breathing unsteady.

“Commander Rio, I—”

“What the hell were you two doing, huh?” I snarl. “Tell me what the hell were you thinking going to Emerald Island after what just happened weeks ago?”

“W-We just... wanted to help the team, sir.”

“But you’ve managed to cause more trouble for us!” Tess flinches with a scrunched face, tears hanging at the edge of her lids. Lightning sparks invade my vision, but my blood is hot and bubbling. My chest and calves burn from the running because I wanted to preserve my power for a possible fight, only for Malice to get away again.

“I’m really sorry,” Tess whispers, swallowing hard. “It was very reckless of us.”

Before I continue my onslaught, Tess covers her mouth and flees into the building. I quiver by the truck, ready to punch it, but electricity courses through it and sets off the alarm. One member comes out with keys and turns it off, so I stomp inside before it happens again.

The receptionist tries to stop me, but I march right by her with cloudy, jumbled thoughts. She shouts as I slip into the sea of members in the lobby; I barely hear what she says about King Jonah.

I take off my jacket as I’m heading to the office but run into Lynn. Her eyes widen from the near collision.

“Commander, I heard what happened.”

“It was a great opportunity for us but also very dumb. She’ll be on her guard more, but we need to grab her as soon as possible.” We move aside for passing members. “Bring the squad together in an hour for debriefing.”

Lynn nods. “Understood. Um, you... visited your mother, correct? How is Queen Sophie?”

“Great.” My shoulders relax as the anger dissipates. “Still dating the doctor from Onyx Memorial, still devilishly smiling at me and withholding information, aaand still shaming me for avoiding my biological mom. You know, the usual.”

Judging by Lynn’s blank stare, I may have overshared.

She slowly nods. “I see. Does she know anything about Malice being on Topaz?”

“I think she does, but she’s secretive. Always has been.” I lean against the wall with a heavy sigh. Lynn sticks out her leg, almost tripping someone running down the hall. The eye roll is the best part as if she was inconvenienced and not vice versa.

“We will figure it out. Do you think they will cancel Wave Riding Season this year? We always stand guard for the dragons,” she muses with a small smile. “I hope Water Superior Wyatt makes an appearance this time.”

I smirk, logging in my brain of Lynn’s enjoyment of the annual end of summer Garnet Island event. Given that she’s a water Spirit User, I can understand her interest especially if there’s the chance of meeting the Water Superior.

Panic punches me when the realization of Malice still having Katarzyna’s phone surfaces. I apologize to Lynn and rush to my office, barely getting the keys out to unlock it.

Computer, wake up. NOW.

I open the door to find my desktop screens loading and bypassing the passwords to log in. Too much time has passed, and I should’ve been more diligent about this possible breach in security.

I sign into the U-Knit website and click “DESTROY” next to Katarzyna Steed’s name. First time I’ve ever had to do this, but I’m hoping it’ll work and wipe Katarzyna’s phone since she has the app installed. Malice—or Elite for that matter—won’t have much use for it now.

My head drops from the exhaustion catching up. It’s a small use of my powers, but I need to be careful. There are over fifty progress reports I must review and I’m itching to meet with Master Cedric sooner than later.

Tess walks in, lightly knocking on my door. Her face has fallen like a wounded warrior with her eyebrows in straight lines. She takes a hesitant step closer and sighs.

I raise my hand before she speaks. “Hey. I’m sorry about earlier. I was gonna come see you after I figured this—” I gesture at the piles of paper on my desk. “—crap out. But I’m truly sorry. It wasn’t fair or professional of me.”

She nods and sits in the egg chair tucked in the corner of the office.

“Thanks for apologizing. I um... actually came to talk about Kate.” Tess’s russet brown skin glows in the light. She leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “She called from the hospital. It seems that the member summoned what looked like to be Skylar and ordered him to destroy Katarzyna. Then he morphed into a scythe.”

I shake my head incredulously. “Really? So, it’s true.”

“Yup. And Kate said the boy from the park, Wren? Her grandma adopted him. He knows about Malice and says she’s trying to save the dragons?”

Crap. I forgot to go to the station, but it’s nice to know he’s in a permanent location where I can question him. He may be our biggest lead. I doubt Malice is saving anyone though. My eyes lock with Tess’s as the weight of it all settles in the humid room.

“The Legendary Holy Bird of the Glorious Paradise, Naven,” she breathes. “Think it’s true like the twins said?”

So, the twins got to her, too.

“Eh, for starters, saying the whole name is a mouthful,” I chuckle.

“No doubt about that. But man, he’s ancient. Historians say he was created by the Superiors centuries ago; he’s the essence of the Air Superiors.”

“So, maybe Malice is an air Spirit User?” I massage my head. “Traced by Air Superior Amelia?”

“Not sure. But... it’s impossible for him to be Skylar, right? She would have to absorb his powers. In doing so means touching him, which he never allows. Also, she would need a way to Naven for any of this to make sense.”

The more we talk about Naven and Skylar the more confused I am about logistics.

I look at the time on my computer.

“Gotta go—oh, you haven’t heard anything about Wave Riding Season yet, have you?” I ask while powering down the computer. Tess stands up and smooths out her white shirt that looks like it gave a home to a coffee stain, but it displays her tribal arm tattoo perfectly as she waits by the door with a smirk.

“Me? Hear anything before Master Cedric and Commander Rio?” she says, but I smile sheepishly. “I doubt it’ll be postponed if that’s what you’re thinking. You can literally own or rent a dragon and surf the waves of Zeala. Water Spirit Users and avid dragon riders love that stuff. I’d bet a week’s worth of coins they won’t cancel.”

Convenient for Lynn to go from interest, even better for Ultima to go for protection. I’ll have to ensure that is still the plan for this year.

T he squad meets in the library. I scatter some history books about Skylar and Naven on the table. Hopefully, the stale smell won’t be a problem because we haven’t lifted the discolored navy carpet from the floor in years.

Lynn leans forward and folds her hands on the table. “Do we have a plan?”

Her hair is free from the ponytail and spilling in loose curls over her jacket while her violin case is strapped to the back of her chair. The twins sit on opposite sides of her, stealing looks at each other. Drake shows up uninvited. He’s the sore thumb of the group and doesn’t look like he fits in with the other three since he’s sitting on the other side of the round table.

“Quite a bit of things: We need to find Wren at Kate’s grandmother’s house. We need to confirm that Wave Riding Season is still happening. We need to....” I hesitate but rip the bandage off. “We need to find a young girl named Fae. Advisor Mildred from Garnet Island is requesting we use discretion. We need to... figure out what Malice is after. Think we can swing all that?”

“I’m still baffled that someone wants to basically destroy the world,” Derrick scoffs. “Like bro, what did Zeala ever do to anyone that they just wanna nuke it?”

“Unless they don’t believe the world will die and they’re just a dragon hater,” Eric counters, leaning his chair back on two legs.

Lynn scoffs. “Did you meet with Master Cedric yet?”

“No, we rescheduled, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. Elite may have something to do with the missing girl Mildred is looking for,” I murmur. Eric flails his hand. “What?”

“So, like, maybe Elite was SUPER petty about not being involved, and they kidnapped her.” When everyone gives that “what the hell” look, Eric puts his chair back on all fours and holds up his hands in defense. “I’m just sayin’.”

Drake clears his throat, reminding me he’s still at the table. “Any ideas on what to do first or what our approach should be?”

“Well, we need to capture the Elite member—that’s our biggest priority. We have motion activated traps we can use. Once they’re placed, they’re invisible so she won’t be able to see them. We take her, interrogate her, and then brainwash her,” I explain. Freakin’ Derrick gasps fiercely as if he didn’t know it was going to escalate to that.

“How are we gonna get her alone?” Drake presses.

I float around the idea of someone scouting the base or tracking her movements. Drake is intensely vocal about not doing that but doesn’t have a good argument as to why except that it’s a bad idea. Lynn stares dubiously at him.

I groan. “You can’t shoot down my ideas and not suggest any.”

“I dunno, man. I just... yeah, I don’t know.” Drake shrugs.

“The girl who was arrested, we can question her,” Lynn mumbles. Drake snorts as her eyes narrow and stare him down, but he’s not even paying attention. Derrick raises his hand, so I reluctantly call on him.

“I think we should totally do a stakeout—” Derrick begins, but Drake shouts in protest. “—hear me out! I know it’s bonkers because if we’re caught, Elite will slay us, but it’s also the quickest way to just confront homegirl, ya know?”

Eric nods. “Yeah, now that Kate has tipped her off, she’s less likely to be as open and approachable as she was before.”

“So, then.” Lynn finally stops eye-stabbing Drake and leans back with crossed arms. “Who will be the one to spy on them?”

“NOSE GOES!” the twins shout, immediately touching their noses and scanning everyone else but we don’t move.

I frown. “Grow up. Let’s just have Natasha do it. She can get closer, because she can tell them she’s quitting Elite.”

Drake snorts and shakes his head with a slight chuckle. No one laughs or adds on, so I maintain the awkward silence until he realizes.

“Sorry,” he says with a twitchy smile. “You don’t think Natasha will really do that, right? She’s not ready.”

My stubbornness is getting the better of me, and I’m trying to fight it. Natasha hasn’t gone through an official Ultima orientation or reached out to any family to inform them of the switch. I want her to have the best experience, but this can’t wait.

“I believe in her,” I lie. “Lynn, please debrief Natasha on her orders. Give her a new phone from storage and set up the U-Knit app. She will go at it solo with the twins watching from afar. You and I will be on standby depending on what Natasha reports back. Send her down here when you’re done.”

Lynn nods and reaches back to grab her violin case. “Understood, sir.”

“So, we’re babysitting her?” Derrick asks.

Eric leans back on the two legs of his chair again. “That’s whack.”

“Don’t care. Everyone will wait for my orders before proceeding. I need more mental time to prepare,” I explain. Drake casually waves his hand, but he’s not smiling or chuckling anymore. I’ve had it with his weirdness. “Drake, stay here and do nothing.”

Everyone leaves, but I hang back to catch Drake before he goes upstairs. He’s an antsy deer, ready to prance off the second he gets with his bulging eyes of secrecy.

He exhales sharply and scowls. The cut on his face is a wrinkled line of agitation that’s only bubbling underneath the surface of Drake’s cool persona. I wait for random members to check out books in the dimly lit library before confronting him.

“Why are you here? You don’t seem as invested as the others,” I say, unfolding the repressed anger I have left. “ I needed you that day; you could’ve turned into a dragon and scared that girl. Instead, you chose the useless power and slipped away.”

“Do you remember what I was trying to tell you before the invasion?” he asks.

“No.” I grind my teeth until the overhead lights flicker.

Drake’s eyes are a softer green than Lynn’s. His doesn’t carry her intensity, which is comforting. “It’s okay. I haven’t been the best at communicating lately. But uh, I like someone from Elite.”

I take a seat at the table, and he mimics the movement. A heavy sigh escapes my lips. “Wow. How’d you two meet? Emerald?”

“Yeah. When the second Elite group was walking back to their car that day. Our eyes locked, but we couldn’t do anything. We just stared at each other. Like, insta-love.”

“Who is she?”

Drake hesitates and waits for someone to walk by with a stack of books they took from the shelf of new releases. He meets my eyes with a disturbing level of urgency radiating. At some point, the twins must’ve been bored, because I notice blue ink scribblings on the other side of the table where they were sitting. That wasn’t there before.

“Well?” I press.

“Her name is Evangeline,” he replies. “Sh-she came in with the girl who was arrested. That’s why I left. I didn’t want to be involved, but I swear, Rio, I had no idea she was visiting!” A few people hush us, so he lowers his voice and leans closer to me. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to deal with any of this. It’s all so new to me, and of course, it had to be someone from that side. Please, trust me, I really am sorry.”

“I believe you, but this doesn’t make it any easier for me.”

“I know,” he chuckles and relaxes. “This is all... very new for both of us. She’s frightened of my ability to transform; she’s scared I’ll kill her.”

I nod and force a sympathetic smile. If anyone finds out about this, they’ll eat him alive. But Drake will kill me if I dare brainwash her. This will be a true test of loyalty and friendship.

“So, when we eventually eliminate Elite...” I begin.

“Please don’t do it,” he pleads. “She may lose memories of Elite and still remember me, but she just wouldn’t be the same.”

“She’ll resist us if we don’t. She’s with Elite for a reason, which isn’t a good one.”

He frowns. “We don’t know that.”

“Wanna bet? Can you trust her when she’s so frightened that you’ll kill her?”

“Yes, but she’s worried about the forest behind Elite. I’m not a fool.”

“What’s so special about the forest?” My stomach rumbles. I need to stop talking and get some food.

Drake shrugs. “No clue.”

“Hey guys. Lynn sent me down here.” Natasha walks up to us, smiling. “Couldn’t help but overhear you talking about Evangeline Springtown.”

Drake’s eyes widen. “How the hell do you know that? The procedure didn’t work?”

I jump to my feet. “Wait what? Natasha, how do you remember who she is? What do you know?”

She shrugs. “Evangeline is a treeling. They’re those beings from ancient history who are half-tree and half-human. Her life is connected to one in that forest; destroy it and you kill her.”