“Hey . . .” Dan said.
“And Raven.” I turned to her. “You have to be at school, too. Just like today. Keep an eye on Ardith and Gideon. Make sure Cassie and Dan stay safe.”
She mock saluted.
“Great. Aunt Jo, Aaron. I need you guys to try to remember and dig up as much information as you can about James. And I need you working on your powers. Any Rogues you know of who you think we can easily get on our side, reach out to them. Tell them to come to River Springs. I think they’ll come if they know I’m at the helm. Explain that we’re starting a new faction, and they have a place in it.”
They nodded.
“The Rebellion broke away from the Order because they didn’t share the same beliefs,” I said. “Well, now, we’re breaking away from them both for the same reasons. We,” I said, looking around at everyone in the room, “are officially the Uprising.”
11
I couldn’t sleep.
In the dark, too many questions swirled in my mind. What had Asher been doing outside of Into the Woods last night? Where was James—and would my visions lead me, as I hoped, to the shadowy fourth Rogue?
Then there was the question of my mother. Her note said that she knew this day would come for me. That if I had questions, all I had to do was ask.
But what the heck did that mean? She was dead, and she wasn’t coming back. I wondered if there was some clue in the tiny wooden box, the mysterious etching of the key that became solid when I touched it. Aside from being an apology for keeping my mind a blank slate all those years, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some deeper, hidden meaning that I wasn’t quite getting.
Perhaps most unnerving of all, though, was this: What was the Order planning?
The Rebellion thought big picture—they could use their elemental powers to cause huge catastrophic events and natural disasters. But the Order worked on a smaller, more calculating scale.
They focus on nuances. A whisper of a breath. A hair out of place. They manipulate each and every small thing on this earth. And every little thing has an effect on something else.
I couldn’t help but think of my own life like this, every event, large and small, that had led me to this crossroads, this moment in time.
The Order had driven me here. But what were they planning now?
I held the power to blur destiny—their ability to see it, their control of it.
The Order starts small.
And my power, in turn, affected those close to me. Cassie, Dan, and Ian. Aunt Jo. Asher and Devin. Raven. Everyone’s fate was intricately intertwined, down to the tiniest of nuances. Could the Order still control me—kill me, even? If they could, they would have done it by now, right? I realized, with a start, that every day that passed it would be that much harder for them to get rid of me. I wasn’t the girl who they led into the woods the night I almost died. I was so much stronger now.
Unless . . . they were planning something else.
I shivered. This was not a good train of thought to hop on late at night.
I got out of bed and fished the wooden box out of my sock drawer, where I’d stashed it earlier. Instead of getting back into bed, I climbed out onto the roof again.
It was a gorgeous spring night. The warm air wrapped around me like a blanket, and the stars shone bright above the mountains. Instantly, I felt better, and I began to examine the box again. It was beautiful, with delicate inlaid panels and unique craftsmanship. Whoever had made it was a really skilled woodworker. There was definitely something special about it.
In one fell swoop, dizziness overcame me. It pitched the roof forward at an impossible slant, and black spots bloomed across my vision like inky bloodstains. I grasped at the shingles behind me, trying to keep myself from falling forward, sliding off the roof into the yard below.
What was going on? Was some power within the box doing this? Was it me? But this was more than just exhaustion or confusion—and it didn’t feel like a vision either. Instead of the feathery-light liquid silver shooting through me, I felt cold, heavy, like just focusing my eyes was a struggle. I clung frantically to the roof, as the stars dimmed and darkness moved in. And then I heard it.
A voice that had haunted me since it gave the command to Devin, months ago, to have me killed.
“Stay calm, Skye,” it said, in that bone-chilling way I remembered. “You’re not going to fall. In fact, you’re going to be just fine. You don’t care about standing your ground, do you? Haven’t you always wanted to find a place with no troubles? No anger or betrayal?” I could almost picture his lips curling back in a sinister grin as he said, “A place where the people who love you don’t leave you? Join us,” it whispered. “Join us.”
I felt myself slipping back, to a clearing high atop the mountains, the air thin and cold, the sky dark with menace. Asher was there, with his Rebel elder. And so was Devin—with his Gifted leader.
“No,” I said out loud, pressing my hands against my ears, though I knew it wouldn’t help. “Get out of my head, Astaroth.”
He had trained Devin and Raven in ruthlessness and sliced through Oriax’s chest like it was butter before turning Devin on me. He controlled the Order, and the Order controlled the world.
It wasn’t just his voice but his very presence that seemed to fill my head.
What am I doing? I thought. There’s no way I’m going to succeed at something where my parents failed. I’ll never find James Harrison. I’ll never figure out who the fourth is.
“Now you’re catching on, Skye,” Astaroth’s voice echoed in my brain. “It’s so very pointless. Your plan is never going to work.”
He’s right. I’ll never see Asher again, either.
“Asher,” Astaroth said. “You don’t want to see him again, trust me. After what he’s doing to you?”
All the muscles in my body tensed. What was Astaroth talking about?
It’s a trap, I forced myself to think. He’s influencing your mind. You have to block him out.
Mustering all the presence of mind I could, I closed my eyes tight and did exactly as Gideon had taught me. Methodically, slowly, I placed brick upon brick, watching the wall in my mind grow taller. It blocked out the voice, the moon and the wind, it blocked out the clouds and the snowcapped peaks and everything as far as I could see. It blocked out the entire world. I was alone in the darkness of my own mind.
My entire body felt cold, empty. Devoid of all hope and joy.
Shadows danced against deeper shadows. I didn’t feel the calm Astaroth wanted me to feel. I didn’t hear the voice anymore, I didn’t hear anything except the blood in my ears and the beating of my own heart. But I didn’t feel relief. What I felt was emptiness.
I am alone.
“The Rebellion may be watching your friends. . . .” Astaroth’s voice was fading away.
My family is dead. My friends can’t help me. Asher will betray me.
“But I am watching your mind.”
Alone. Alone. Alone.
I was floating in space, nothing above me or below me, no—
“No!” I cried. My eyes burst open. I was hanging on to the edge of the roof, my body dangling over the side, legs kicking the air for something to grab onto. Panicked, I scratched at the shingles with my fingernails, trying with every ounce of strength to pull myself back up.
I was about to yell out for help—but then I remembered I had wings.
They unfurled just as my fingers gave out, and I couldn’t hold on to the roof any longer. I cried out, but my wings held me aloft in the night air, bringing me back up to the roof, to my window, to safety.
Inside, I crawled under the covers, but I still couldn’t stop shaking—both from the near-fall and from Astaroth’s words.
You’re not alone, I told myself. Your friends aren’t going to leave you. Aunt Jo won’t abandon you. Earth looks up to you. You have help.
A tear of frustration slipped out and trickled down my cheek.
But do I have Ash
er?
It had taken me so long to get over Devin’s betrayal. I didn’t know if I could handle Asher betraying me, too. Was the angel who had sworn to fight beside me now the one I had to fear?
Hours later, I still hadn’t quite calmed down. And just as I slipped into sleep, the thought came rushing into my head:
Is this the Order’s first attack?
12
“Guys, I figured it out.”
It was lunchtime the next day, and the weather was finally warm enough that we could ditch the cafeteria and sit outside on the quad. We picked a sunny spot near a big oak tree—close enough to other people so that it didn’t look suspicious, but far enough away so that no one could hear what we were saying. The gentle breeze brushed against my cheeks, urging me to feel hopeful. But I kept replaying my conversation with Astaroth. Picturing Asher as my enemy filled me with dread. I had pushed him away—but I never dreamed I would push him that far.
“What?” Cassie asked between bites of her kale salad. My turkey and Swiss sandwich sat, untouched, on the tray by my feet.
“I had a visit from Astaroth last night.”
“What!” Ian’s head snapped up protectively.
“Not in person,” I said. “He was—this is weird—”
“Not any weirder than most of this stuff,” Dan mumbled.
“In my mind,” I finished, shooting him a look. “Last night, I was having trouble sleeping. I went out onto the roof to clear my head, and suddenly he was in my head.” Cassie’s eyes grew wide and concerned, and even Dan looked tense. Ian remained on high alert, his eyes darting around the quad for any sign of danger. Ellie, my former ski teammate, was sitting with a group of friends several feet away. She caught Ian looking and swept her blond corkscrew curls over her shoulder with a half-smile. Ian remained oblivious.
Cassie nudged him. “She thinks you’re looking at her.”
“What?” Ian blinked. “Who?”
“Ellie, you nimrod,” Dan said.
Ian glanced over at Ellie again.
“And from the looks of it,” Dan added, “she doesn’t seem too upset about it.”
Ian looked panic-stricken. “What should I do?”
“You could ask her to prom,” Cassie suggested.
“There’s that word again,” Dan muttered.
“I don’t know,” I said, trying to suppress a grin. “Ian shouldn’t be distracted with all that we have to work on right now.”
“That’s true,” said Cassie. “He has to stay focused.”
“What!” Ian protested. “That’s bullshit. Skye gets to cozy up to angels and you two can’t leave each other’s side for five seconds. Why can’t I have some fun, too?” And with that, he jumped up and marched over to where Ellie sat with her group of friends. Cassie and I beamed at each other, satisfied.
“That was some of the best reverse psychology I’ve ever seen,” said Dan. “You guys should work for the CIA.”
“Who’s to say I don’t already?” Cassie winked.
We watched Ian talk to Ellie, then shove his hands in his pockets and slink back to us.
“Aw, sorry buddy,” said Dan. “Next time, don’t listen to these two. They are evil, evil ladies.”
“Wow,” said Cassie. “I really thought those were come-hither eyes. I’m usually so spot-on about this stuff.”
“I am never listening to you guys again,” Ian muttered.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “But maybe what I have to say will put it in perspective?”
“Right,” Ian said gravely. “Tell us more.”
“Guys, it was like he controlled how I felt. Like there was no hope for our mission. I blocked him out, but by the time I succeeded I almost fell off the roof. It was scary. It definitely felt like an attack.”
Dan’s face clouded over. “So that’s what the Order is up to?”
I nodded.
“The Rebellion is attacking using their powers over the elements,” Ian said. “And the Order plans to shake you up from the inside out.”
I nodded again, goose bumps trickling up my arms. “I think that’s exactly right.”
“But how can you protect yourself from that?” Cassie asked.
I looked around at them. “Before you guys knew the truth about all this, Gideon was helping me to steel my mind against mental manipulation from the Order. Mainly, at the time, we were concerned about Devin and Raven and the Guardians at school. But I can use it now. If I practice, I can get better.”
Dan raised his hand. “Uh, not to sound slow or anything,” he said, “but Gideon’s a Rebel. How does he have mental powers?”
“He was kidnapped and tortured during the last war between the sides. They used their mental manipulation to try to get him to reveal the Rebellion’s plans. But he wouldn’t cave, and the tactics they used got worse.” I grimaced. “Guys, I’ve felt what it’s like to have your mind messed with. It takes something from you, leaves you cold. He’ll always carry that darkness around in him. I don’t know if you ever shake it.” I shook my head, trying to erase the memory of what it felt like to have Astaroth in there. “Anyway, during his capture, he taught himself how to protect his mind against them. He’s the only Rebel who’s been able to do so.”
The group looked at me, the mood subdued.
“So now I’m on the lookout for visions about elemental attacks, and I also have to block my mind from invasions by the Order.” I sighed. “Sorry I always have to be such a downer.”
“Skye.” Cassie put her arm around me. “You’re not a downer. You’re just doing your job. And we’re going to help you, no matter what. Even if it’s just making you laugh a little.”
I felt a little better knowing Astaroth was wrong about at least one thing. My friends were awesome. And nothing in the world could make me question that.
School was tense during the next few weeks. It seemed like everywhere I went, I stumbled into Ardith, Devin, and Gideon. I couldn’t shake the feeling that every time I ran into Gideon, he averted his gaze so we didn’t make eye contact. At first I thought it might just be that he felt bad about being on opposing sides. But then he showed up one day with a slight—but noticeable—tweak to his appearance.
Gideon had replaced his usual wire-rimmed glasses with dark aviators. He wore them everywhere—not just outside on the quad or shuffling down Main Street with Ardith by his side—but roaming the halls at school, too. I almost didn’t think much of it. But then I remembered the first, and last, time we made eye contact since the Uprising began. The way his eyes burned red when he looked at me.
Like the sun. Like fire.
What was Gideon hiding?
If it was something to do with the attacks the Rebellion was planning, I had to figure out what it was. But it was going to be difficult. Ardith never left his side. And something told me she would be ruthless about protecting him.
Every night, the gang gathered at my house. Even though we were preparing for battle of some kind, part of me loved that we always had a full house. Aunt Jo was in her cooking element, making all of my favorites—and some new recipes, too. I watched her and Aaron with fascination. She seemed to want to impress him, and he, in turn, appeared to want the same. He’d cleaned up a little since that night Raven and I flew to Rocky Pines. His hair was combed and the stubble was gone. He shaved pretty much every day now, and someone had given his hair a trim. Maybe people can change, I thought. Maybe they were both working to undo the mistakes of the past. I watched the way they were with each other. Sometimes, when they thought no one was looking, Aaron would put his hand on the small of her back, and Aunt Jo would lean against him, gently.
“Do you think my dad and your aunt are going to get married?” Earth and I were spread out on the floor of my room. I was going through the journal for the thousandth time, looking for some clue to James’s whereabouts. She was lying on her stomach by my feet, studying an astronomy chart.
“You like the stars, huh?” I asked, nudging her.
> “You didn’t answer my question.” She chewed thoughtfully on the end of her colored pencil.
I stared her down, one eyebrow raised. I had a feeling I’d met my match in Earth. Just like the real earth and sky, she kind of kept me grounded. I wondered if her name was a coincidence.
“Do you want them to get married?”
Earth seemed to consider this. “I want a mom again,” she said.
“Me too.”
“You have a mom.”
“No, I don’t. My mom died. And left me with this.” I gestured around me to the sea of papers, childhood artifacts, the little wooden box. “Riddles.”
“But you have Aunt Jo,” Earth argued. “You’re lucky. She makes such good cookies.”
“I can’t argue with that,” I said, watching her. “You seem really lucky to have your dad, too.”
“He’s all right,” she rolled her eyes. Then she seemed to grow serious. “I don’t think he’s happy.” It was a shocking thing to hear out of a seven-year-old’s mouth.
“How do you know?” I asked.
She looked thoughtful. “I can just tell.”
“Are you?” I asked her carefully.
“I want a family.” She sighed, studying her star chart.
“Me too, Earth,” I said. “Me too.”
“Do you think they’re in love?”
“They sure look like it.” I put the notebook down.
“I don’t think that when you love somebody, it ever really goes away,” Earth said, looking out the window. “It’s like riding a bike. You can decide you don’t like bike riding any more, and do soccer for a while, but then when you get back on a bike, it’s like your body remembers how to do it without you even having to think about it.” She looked up at me. “I think love is like that.”
I felt surprising tears prick at the backs of my eyes, and swallowed.
“You’re a smart kid, Earth,” I said. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you don’t know what’s up.”