Green criss-crossed lines snapped back, disappearing with a zing of golden glow. The Son fell to his knees and Kai could swear he saw the invisible outlines of a second person inside the tube. A familiar man, with bare feet, his strong hand resting on the back of the bowed Son.
“Tau.” Kai breathed the name, and the man turned, a broad grin creased his cheeks.
I’ll take over here. You go see to the others.
The Son in the next tube stood defiant, scowling, chest heaving, hands flexing in tight fists. Gnarled armour glowed, covering his head and chest. Kai hung back, unsure. Just how thick was the glass? Maybe he should go check with Tau before touching this one. He spun back, but Tau was gone. In a panic, he swung around, stepped on his own foot, and fell at the tube. His hands shot out to catch him and images rushed through his mind.
A boy on a bench, legs swinging too short to touch the ground. Waiting. Hours passing, while cold wind whipped goose bumps down his bare legs. The slow shift from confident trust to fear. Abandoned. Alone. Cold tears. Cold heart. Kai wept.
A car, late. Driving too fast. An icy road, slipping tires. Bone-jarring crash. Ambulance and DOA. Mom wouldn’t be fetching her boy today.
Seven glowing beings standing watch around the boy on the bench, flaming swords of light in their hands, the boy’s eyes blind to their presence.
Kai felt them now, surrounding himself and the tube, swords singing with dancing Light.
Not knowing how, he released the flood of images back to the Son in the tube and watched Truth dissolve the armour. In a moment, Tau was there, holding him up as his knees buckled under him, speaking words that Kai couldn’t hear. Tau caught his gaze with a satisfied nod and Kai thought his heart might explode.
Tube after tube, everything bent or broken was restored.
Until he got to Torn. Bristling cold fury, his tube flicked between amber and green. Tau appeared at his side, “Let him go.”
“But You could—”
Tau was shaking his head before the words could form on Kai’s tongue. “Not now. He isn’t ready.”
Kai took in Torn’s twisted features, dripping pure hate. “Will he ever be?”
Tau smiled, though it didn’t quite make it to his eyes. He shrugged. “Stand back. I’ll let him out.” The door swung open, and Torn shot out, muscles bunching in his arms and chest.
“You worm. Do you know what you’ve done? Years of work—” His nostrils flared and his mouth pulled shut in a tight line. He stuck his finger under Kai’s nose, his breathing saying everything his mouth wasn’t, and then he left.
Tau had vanished too, leaving Kai with a bunch of bewildered ex-Sons who were grinning and slapping each other on the back. Vin turned to him, looking lost. “So what now? What do we do?”
Kai checked behind him, but there was no-one else in the room. Don’t ask me formed in his head, but never made it out of his mouth. A tiny spark of an idea shot through him. This building...kids with Affinity waiting to be shaped for dark or Light...
“I have an idea.”
32
“It worked!” Zee’s eyes sparkled and her face flushed from the jog across the rooftop. She swayed as she got close, and Kai grabbed her hand to stop her from falling. Her ordeal had taken its toll. “How though? It doesn’t make sense. Must have needed all four of us.”
Kai was about to answer when Runt pulled on his arm and pointed.
Elden hadn’t moved from his corner. He crouched on his haunches, arms looped around his legs, forehead resting on his knees.
The three turned and walked towards him. Kai couldn’t begin to think what had changed his mind, why he’d joined them. He only knew that without Elden, they’d still be up to their elbows in darKounds. He didn’t look up as they sat around him, close enough for their knees to touch.
“Why’d you do it?” The question burned in Kai, stirring in his gut with a dose of mistrust.
Elden looked up. His eyes were sunken with dark circles below, but they were lit with a strange fire. “I heard her. In the song. She was calling you.”
Runt hung back, hiding behind Kai’s back, and squinting at Elden in his OS uniform.
“What are you talking about? Who?” Kai’s heart beat hard, blood rushed past his ears. He already knew what he was about to hear.
“Bree. She’s alive. We have to go get her.”
Thank you…
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