ReDawn (Skyward, #2.2)(54)

“Finally the Superiority has done us a favor,” Arturo said. “I’ll take it. Are we flying in or hyperjumping?”

“We shouldn’t get any closer in our ships,” I said. “Let’s stop our ships and leave them. We can leave Chubs behind as well. That way we’ll both be able to get back here if something goes wrong.”

“Last time I hyperjumped out of my ship, I left it on the other side of the universe,” Arturo said. “But you’re the flightleader on this mission. And I’d rather your friends down there didn’t see us coming.”

    “Agreed,” I said, reaching out to Naga. I wound my way through the negative realm to the Council building, forming the coordinates in my mind. I’d traveled via hyperjump to Rinakin’s residence before, so I knew exactly where I was going.

And then I called Naga to follow as I jumped. The eyes fixed on me and I could feel their ire, like they wanted to swat me out of the sky. That was two hyperjumps in quick succession. I hoped I wouldn’t have to make many more.

We emerged in Rinakin’s study, next to the wide barkwood table. The room looked pristine, nothing like the mess it had been when Rinakin was working in here regularly. The shelves were empty, the table polished and clear.

Through the arched doorway I could hear a voice.

I grabbed Arturo by the arm and pulled him behind the door. Naga squirmed in her sling, trying to twist around to look up at me.

“Thank you, Cessil,” Rinakin was saying. “You don’t need to return for the tray. I’ll hold it until morning.”

“Of course,” another voice responded. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”

Rinakin was no longer broadcasting. I scowled. He was being treated like a guest, not a prisoner. Maybe Nanalis wanted to keep that a secret from the staff as well, and Rinakin had decided to go along with it. But that seemed so…spineless. Rinakin wasn’t the type to back down, even if they were threatening his family.

I heard the clicking of a spoon in a metal-lined cup. Rinakin was apparently taking tea.

    Behind me Arturo was silent, but I could feel his breath against my neck. Every part of me was suddenly aware of him, standing so near. Goosebumps broke out over my skin.

“How do you want to play this?” Arturo whispered. The pin read his volume, translating his words so softly I could barely hear them.

The spoon clicked against a table, followed by silence.

“Wait here,” I whispered back.

Arturo nodded. I was glad he didn’t feel the need to keep me in sight every second. I didn’t need him tending me like a child.

But I hesitated. He could jump away in a moment and leave me behind. I could follow, of course. I could jump right back to their planet and give them a piece of my mind, so it wasn’t being left behind that frightened me.

It was losing their trust, I realized. It was being alone.

It was discovering that I always had been.

“You ready?” Arturo asked. He was watching me quizzically, like he didn’t understand why I was hesitating.

“You’ll be right here,” I said.

He looked surprised. “Yes,” he whispered, his voice barely a breath. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”

I was a cytonic. With the inhibitor gone, I was in power here. I didn’t need some human watching my back.

But somehow it made me feel better anyway.

“Okay,” I said, and I stepped around the door and into the hallway beyond. The corridor opened up into Rinakin’s living space. It wasn’t the most lavish place—Rinakin preferred function over ostentation. He sat on a cushioned chair formed with branches that twined together high above his head. He had a wooden cup pressed to his lips, and he looked up at me in surprise as I approached.

    I glanced around. If Rinakin was secretly a prisoner, they might be recording and monitoring him rather than posting obvious guards. I put a finger to my ear. Are they listening? I mouthed.

Rinakin shook his head and set down his cup. “We’re safe here,” he said. “Alanik, I’m so glad you’ve come back.”

“I can take you out of here,” I said. “I got rid of the other cytonics.”

“It isn’t safe,” Rinakin said. “Alanik, I’ve learned so much since I’ve been here. There isn’t time to explain, but you’re in terrible danger.”

Obviously. We were both in danger. “You need to come with me,” I said. “I’ll explain everything, but let me take you out of here before the Superiority realizes I’m here.”

“That’s just it,” Rinakin said. “You have to come with me. I have a ship we can use. I’ll tell you everything on the way.”

I blinked at him. Had he used the exact line on me that I’d used on him? And why didn’t he seem at all concerned about whether or not I’d rescued his family? “I really think we should have this conversation somewhere else.”

“Of course. As I said, I have a ship—”

Hairs rose on the back of my neck. Something was wrong here. “Rinakin,” I said. “Where did I go when I left?”

“What?” Rinakin said.

“Where did I go?” I asked. “When I left here. Where did you tell me to go?”