by Jeanne Allen
I hear Jackson open the door. He turns the light on but says nothing.
“Do you think there’s something here she can wear? There’s so much—” My voice cracks, and tears spill out of the corners of my eyes, but I don’t have the strength to wipe them away.
Not for the first time, I question why Kin would pick someone like me, who can’t handle one battle, to lead her army.
A strike. Warm, like before, and soothing; Kin silently reminding me she knows what she’s doing.
With a sigh, I rub the place she warms, hoping that she’s right. I wish I had this kind of assurance when I first learned of the Kladí, but the guys think we were too far away from the birthplace of the original Phósopoi in Greece.
Another strike; Kin letting me know the guys are right. She must be stronger here then, which means Velus is as well.
We have to leave. Again.
By the time the guys join us in the safe house, Jackson has found a small shirt for the sleeping child and I’ve washed most of the blood from her strawberry-blond curls.
We sit in the entrance room, silent and contemplative, as the others arrive. I sit up from my position of being snuggled in Jackson’s arms and rush toward the last man who enters through the wall.
“Mina älskling,” he breathes into my hair, holding me tightly.
Inhaling, I realize I recognize my father by scent now. He smells like winter, cold and sharp but with the promise of warmth inside.
After a few minutes, we part and I rush to embrace my Kladí, silently thanking Kin for their safety. Then, we move toward the couches. This time, I snuggle in between the twins, my usual Omás council seat. Lyle offers his hand, and I place mine in it, happy to accept comfort from him and from Lucas, who uses his Gift on my other side.
“We have to leave,” Jackson tells the others.
I add my earlier revelation. “If Kin is stronger in Region One, so is Velus. We have to get away from the birthplace of the Phósopoi.”
The others nod, but nobody offers a suggestion.
“Our travel permits were only to find our Agora. We need to go where we have allies. But, as we already knew, all of our known allies are being watched.” Jackson sighs, resting his head in his hands.
The others show similar signs of frustration. We need time to plan how to defeat Velus and to gather allies, but we don’t have that time if we’re constantly watching over our shoulders.
“What about going back to Region Twelve?” I suggest.
Jin shakes his head, his voice affecting the emotionless quality he gets when faced with a dangerous situation. “Queen Njay was a good idea for transportation to throw off our tail. She respects Sarah as the Aporthètos, but as a young Queen, she has yet to establish any strong allies.”
My eyebrows raise at the mention of Sarah. I hadn’t realized that’s why Sarah choose to go there, but having met Queen Njay, I’m not that surprised. “Then we take Sarah with us.”
Sarah wasn’t here with us, but I’m sure she’s on her way. There’s no way she wouldn’t know about the restaurant incident by now. Kieran, too, would probably come with us.
Jin shakes his head. “No. Queen Njay is not an unnecessarily cruel Monarch, but she’s a shrewd one. She won’t hesitate to give us up or eliminate us if we prove a threat to her or her people.”
Again, after having met the Queen, I can’t argue with Jin’s assessment.
If only there was a Gift we could use—
“Why can’t we just use a Gift to change our appearance? Then, we could go back to Phóspolis.” I sit up in excitement.
Why hadn’t I thought of this before? If we changed our appearance, I’m sure Jackson could easily hide us in Region Five or Two.
Sebastian gently dispels my excitement. “That wouldn’t work. There are plenty of Gifts to change anything from your hair color to even your face, but the more powerful you are, the quicker it runs out.”
“Oh.” I sigh.
“And there are several Phósopoi in Region Two I can think of right now who can see through our disguise, my mother being one of them,” Jackson adds.
Defeated, I slump back against the couch.
“We need to go somewhere we can hide that’s powerful enough to keep the Sons of Zeus away, and hopefully Velus,” Sebastian continues.
“Anyone got any secret safehouses? I’m fresh out.” Lucas’s eyes twinkle with the joke, but his voice betrays his seriousness.
He turns to my father, who shakes his head. “Not any that would house a powerful Omás already rumored to be connected to the death of a Royal.”
“Rumored—” I burst out at my father’s words.
He eyes Jackson once, who nods. “We didn’t want to worry you more. I wanted to tell you, but the others insisted we wait.”
“Tell me what?” I demand.
“That there’s been word from Phóspolis that, well, they’re saying that Prince Jackson murdered his brother to secure the throne for his new Agora.”
“What?” I screech, nearly leaping out of the chair.
“There’s nothing we can do now, short of going back to Phóspolis. Right now, it’s just rumors, nothing more than idle gossip.” Jackson’s calm tone does nothing to placate me, but Lyle’s gentle touch brings me back between the twins.
Holding out my hand, I silently give Lucas permission to use his Gift to full effect. His Calm allows my more logical side to think through our current situation.
Jackson’s right. There’s nothing we can do about the rumors now. Getting somewhere safe where we can regroup, gather allies, and plan is our first priority. But where can we go?
Silence. Not even warmth from Kin as we contemplate our options.
Finally, Jackson speaks. He enunciates his words slowly, his voice so grim it’s like he has to force himself to utter them. “There’s only one choice, as much as I hate to offer it. I’m so sorry, my brother. It’s our only recourse.”
He turns to Jin, who pushes himself into the leather couch like he hopes it will swallow him whole. His eyes, when they glance up to catch mine, are full of an emotion I never thought I’d see in my Assassin: fear.
Those eyes are gone in an instant as they move to stare at the floor in front of my feet.
He’s silent, as are the rest of us. I can almost hear the Twins’ steady breathing as we all wait for the verdict. I don’t know what Jackson meant when he said those things to Jin, but it’s clear Jin’s the one to decide whether or not we should go to this “only recourse.”
After a few more minutes of silence, I can’t help myself. I’m burning with too much anxious curiosity. “What choice would that be? Where are you suggesting we go?”
While I aim my question at Jackson, my eyes remain on Jin, who stares back.
The fear vanishes from his eye to be replaced by a haunting emptiness, and I can’t decide which one frightens me more. His voice comes out flat as he finally answers. “To my birth-Region. We must flee to the Dragon Queen Seat.”
Glossary of Terms
Agèma- A warrior-line of Kladí. Given prestige and more freedom than other Kladí and greatly sought after as Knights. Ancient Greek: Leading Unit.
Agora- The Phósopoi with the power of Will and the power to Bond their Kladí and help regulate their power. Ancient Greek: The Center.
Aporthétos- The winner of the Games. Ancient Greek: The Undefeated.
The Council- Made up of 12 region monarchs and one High Monarch.
Elite- The Warrior-division Knights of Region 13. Given autonomy and act as enforcers of Phósopoi laws.
The Games- Happens every four years at the Summit. They are like the Olympic games of the Kladí. The winner is given near-Royal status for four years and travel permits.
High Monarch- Referred to as High King or High Queen. The ruler of Region 13 is elected by the Council and is not hereditary. They preside over the Summit and as mediator between regions.
Kenós- Kladí or Agora who have been d
rained of power or cut off from their Bond. Need the flesh of the Agora to survive and gain power. Ancient Greek: Empty One.
Kladí- The Gifted Phósopoi. Those with “powers.” Must be Bonded to the Agora or to a Royal Agora as a Knight if they are Agora-less. Ancient Greek: Branch.
Knights- The Agora-less Kladí that serve a Royal, Noble, or region and is Bonded to a Royal Agora. Some are Warrior-division Knights but others serve as domestic workers or in other fields.
Monarch- The ruler of a region, referred to as king or queen. Hereditary role. Always an Agora. Always a Royal. The monarch’s Kladí are referred to with the title Consort.
Omás- Term for an Agora and his or her Kladí. Can be from two (with one Kladí) to Seven (With six Kladí) but usually Omás consists of three to four Phósopoi (two to three Kladí). Ancient Greek: The Group.
Phósopoi- The “mutant” people. Ancient Greek: People of Light.
Phóspolis- The hidden city of the Phósopoi, located near Toronto in Lake Ontario, Canada. Ancient Greek: City of Light.
Region- The are in which a Phósopoi lives. Modern borders mean little to the Phósopoi. They are born into a region and cannot move unless Bonded to an Agora in another region or given travel permits. There are 13 regions, with Phóspolis being Region 13.
Royal- The Royal Phósopoi are those born in the Royal bloodlines. Not all Royal Phósopoi are in line for the monarchy. Royal Agora’s have the power to Bind Knights to themselves or to their region or monarch.
The Summit- Happens every four years. It is when the Council convenes to discuss matters, socialize and enjoy the Games.
Regions, Monarch, and Colors
I.Queen Victoria/West Europe, U.K/Green and Gold
II.Queen Jacqueline/Canada-Phóspolis/Powder-Blue and White
III.King Javier/South America, Mexico, Central America/Bronze and Crème
IV.King Kavri/Oceana, Artics/White and Silver
V.King Richard/United States, Puerto Rico, North Mariana Islands/Purple and Gold
VI.Queen Sun-Ja/Central Asia, East Asia/Red and Gold
VII.King Daljeet/South Asia, India/Orange and Yellow
VIII.King Yusuf/Middle East/Yellow and White
IX.Queen Ebele/African Continent/White and Green
X.Queen Zorya/Easter Europe, Russia/Crème and black
XI.King Lars/Norwegian Peninsula, The Netherlands, Denmark/Navy and Brown
XII.Queen Njay/Pacific Islands, Caribbean/Red and Blue
XIII.High King Ahmad/Phóspoli, High Seat of the Council/Black
About the Author
Jeanne Allen is a high school teacher by day and cat-mom by night to a spoiled Chinchilla Persian named Princess Yue.
She moved to South Korea in 2014 and hasn't left because of her maybe possibly unhealthy addiction to dakgalbi. She enjoys reading (of course), writing, and spending time with her friends, who are more like family. She is currently working on book two in the Agora series and is excited for where the story is going.
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