“Which will lead him to you,” Mira said.
Declan shared a tight smile. “Some legionnaires will undoubtedly come through the cloudwall, probably not long after daybreak. They will all die. Everything that comes through the cloudwall is drawn into the void. It was expertly designed to that end. We can intervene by entering the vortex from our side, but of course we won’t rescue our enemies.”
“Did you design it?” Twitch asked.
Declan’s answering laughter degenerated into a hoarse cough. He hawked up some phlegm, shakily produced a bag, and spat into it. “If I could have produced the terminal void, I would fear no being in the Outskirts or beyond. I have no idea who designed the Eastern Cloudwall and the void, or the Western Cloudwall with its staggering output. I cannot comprehend the mind that conceived the possibility let alone executed it.”
“Could that person be hiding behind the Western Cloudwall?” Cole asked.
“Very doubtful,” Declan said. “I studied the Western Cloudwall for years, and there is no way behind or inside of it without being destroyed by the creative furnace that generates the castles. The cloudwalls have existed for all of recorded history. I suspect their creator designed them to be self-sustaining.”
Jace cleared his throat. “If everyone who comes here gets sucked into the vortex, maybe Mira should stay.”
Declan frowned and shook his head. “The legionnaires who brave the cloudwall will fail. But there is another way. Cloudvale is no island in the sky. This is a peninsula, jutting out from the Brink. Access is difficult, but I came here, as did Liam. Now that Stafford knows where to look, his people will find a way in.”
Mira winced. “I’m sorry to bring this trouble to you.”
“Can’t be helped,” Declan said. “It wasn’t deliberate. Your father was bound to catch up to us. This hiding place would not have concealed us forever. There are powerful shapers aiding Stafford. There are spies and mercenaries. Not only does he have the legion at his disposal, but also his secret police, the Enforcers. It was only a matter of time before his full attention turned to finding me.”
“Where should I go?” Mira asked.
Declan sighed, his eyes sad. “Stay here, and they will corner you and take you. Run, and sooner or later, they will catch you. I suggest you take the offensive. Track down your power.”
“The power that’s running wild?” Jace checked. “The power that leaves no living witnesses?”
“Her power,” Declan said. “This could be the chance you’ve been waiting for, Mira. Reclaim your power. Help your sisters reclaim theirs. I can’t risk more communication with your mother, not with all eyes turned my way, but from what I understand, I believe this is what she would want. It won’t be enough to run from Stafford. It won’t suffice to hide. You have to beat him.”
Mira returned Declan’s gaze. “How do I get my power back?”
“I’m not sure,” Declan said with a faint scowl. “I don’t understand how it was taken. I don’t fully grasp how it is acting independently. But I do know that it is your power. It cannot survive without you. So defeat it. Make it submit to you. If you must, kill the form it has taken. Exert mastery over your power, and it should return to you.”
“How do we know you’re not just telling her what’s best for you?” Jace challenged. “If she leaves, it will draw the attention away from here. Once she’s back out there, they’ll question whether she ever made it through the cloudwall. Maybe she snuck around it somehow, or hid in it temporarily, like we were planning to do. Then Mira attacks her power. If she defeats it, great. If it kills her, it destroys itself. Either way, for you, problem solved.”
Declan gave Mira a small smile. “Keep this one close. He clearly has your best interests at heart. The advice I shared does benefit me as well. That doesn’t make it insincere guidance. Heed as much of it as you choose. Your path is not mine to walk.”
“How would we leave?” Mira asked.
“That part will not be hard,” Declan said. “Liam will show you the way. And I will lend what aid I can to your quest. Why not sleep on it tonight? Decide in the morning.”
“All right,” Mira said. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“I wish I could do more to ease your burdens,” Declan said. He tapped one of his canes against the floor, and the door to the chamber swung open. “Go and rest. Jamar awaits without and will see you to your rooms.”
“Thanks,” Cole added to the mumbled gratitude of Jace and Twitch. He wondered how well they would sleep with so much to think about.
Chapter 22
VISITORS
In Cole’s room, every item of furniture balanced on a single leg. Not just the chairs and the table, but even the couch and the bed. He figured this was a way for a shaper to show off.
Supported by a slender central rod, the queen-size bed looked especially precarious. Cole tested it by leaning against the thick mattress and shaking it roughly. Though it swayed a little, the bed seemed improbably stable.
Cole sat down on a chair with a single leg. It wasn’t connected to the ground—he had checked by moving it around. But when seated in the chair, no matter how hard he tipped his body, it refused to fall over.
Somebody knocked on his door. As he crossed the room, he wondered if it was Mira, wanting to talk about the choice she had to make. He still couldn’t believe that she was a princess.
He opened the door and found Jace standing there. The other boy looked tired. His torn sleeve had grass stains on it. “Hey,” he said.
“What’s up?”
“Can we talk for a minute?” Cole backed away, and Jace entered, looking around the room. “Everything’s on one leg?”
“And it doesn’t fall over,” Cole said.
“Everything in my room is edible.”
“Do you usually taste furniture?”
“Jamar told me.”
“Is it good?”
“Not really. The curtains aren’t bad. Look. We need to talk about tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Cole said. “Want to sit?”
“I’m fine. In the morning, Mira will start hunting her power.”
“She told you?”
“She didn’t have to. I can tell. You heard Declan. It’s really her only choice.”
“Maybe she’ll make a run for it.”
Jace shook his head. “No way. Declan told her she might be able to get her power back. And that she can stop it from hurting people. And that it’s a better strategy than running or hiding. I saw her face. She’ll follow his advice.”
Declan shared a tight smile. “Some legionnaires will undoubtedly come through the cloudwall, probably not long after daybreak. They will all die. Everything that comes through the cloudwall is drawn into the void. It was expertly designed to that end. We can intervene by entering the vortex from our side, but of course we won’t rescue our enemies.”
“Did you design it?” Twitch asked.
Declan’s answering laughter degenerated into a hoarse cough. He hawked up some phlegm, shakily produced a bag, and spat into it. “If I could have produced the terminal void, I would fear no being in the Outskirts or beyond. I have no idea who designed the Eastern Cloudwall and the void, or the Western Cloudwall with its staggering output. I cannot comprehend the mind that conceived the possibility let alone executed it.”
“Could that person be hiding behind the Western Cloudwall?” Cole asked.
“Very doubtful,” Declan said. “I studied the Western Cloudwall for years, and there is no way behind or inside of it without being destroyed by the creative furnace that generates the castles. The cloudwalls have existed for all of recorded history. I suspect their creator designed them to be self-sustaining.”
Jace cleared his throat. “If everyone who comes here gets sucked into the vortex, maybe Mira should stay.”
Declan frowned and shook his head. “The legionnaires who brave the cloudwall will fail. But there is another way. Cloudvale is no island in the sky. This is a peninsula, jutting out from the Brink. Access is difficult, but I came here, as did Liam. Now that Stafford knows where to look, his people will find a way in.”
Mira winced. “I’m sorry to bring this trouble to you.”
“Can’t be helped,” Declan said. “It wasn’t deliberate. Your father was bound to catch up to us. This hiding place would not have concealed us forever. There are powerful shapers aiding Stafford. There are spies and mercenaries. Not only does he have the legion at his disposal, but also his secret police, the Enforcers. It was only a matter of time before his full attention turned to finding me.”
“Where should I go?” Mira asked.
Declan sighed, his eyes sad. “Stay here, and they will corner you and take you. Run, and sooner or later, they will catch you. I suggest you take the offensive. Track down your power.”
“The power that’s running wild?” Jace checked. “The power that leaves no living witnesses?”
“Her power,” Declan said. “This could be the chance you’ve been waiting for, Mira. Reclaim your power. Help your sisters reclaim theirs. I can’t risk more communication with your mother, not with all eyes turned my way, but from what I understand, I believe this is what she would want. It won’t be enough to run from Stafford. It won’t suffice to hide. You have to beat him.”
Mira returned Declan’s gaze. “How do I get my power back?”
“I’m not sure,” Declan said with a faint scowl. “I don’t understand how it was taken. I don’t fully grasp how it is acting independently. But I do know that it is your power. It cannot survive without you. So defeat it. Make it submit to you. If you must, kill the form it has taken. Exert mastery over your power, and it should return to you.”
“How do we know you’re not just telling her what’s best for you?” Jace challenged. “If she leaves, it will draw the attention away from here. Once she’s back out there, they’ll question whether she ever made it through the cloudwall. Maybe she snuck around it somehow, or hid in it temporarily, like we were planning to do. Then Mira attacks her power. If she defeats it, great. If it kills her, it destroys itself. Either way, for you, problem solved.”
Declan gave Mira a small smile. “Keep this one close. He clearly has your best interests at heart. The advice I shared does benefit me as well. That doesn’t make it insincere guidance. Heed as much of it as you choose. Your path is not mine to walk.”
“How would we leave?” Mira asked.
“That part will not be hard,” Declan said. “Liam will show you the way. And I will lend what aid I can to your quest. Why not sleep on it tonight? Decide in the morning.”
“All right,” Mira said. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“I wish I could do more to ease your burdens,” Declan said. He tapped one of his canes against the floor, and the door to the chamber swung open. “Go and rest. Jamar awaits without and will see you to your rooms.”
“Thanks,” Cole added to the mumbled gratitude of Jace and Twitch. He wondered how well they would sleep with so much to think about.
Chapter 22
VISITORS
In Cole’s room, every item of furniture balanced on a single leg. Not just the chairs and the table, but even the couch and the bed. He figured this was a way for a shaper to show off.
Supported by a slender central rod, the queen-size bed looked especially precarious. Cole tested it by leaning against the thick mattress and shaking it roughly. Though it swayed a little, the bed seemed improbably stable.
Cole sat down on a chair with a single leg. It wasn’t connected to the ground—he had checked by moving it around. But when seated in the chair, no matter how hard he tipped his body, it refused to fall over.
Somebody knocked on his door. As he crossed the room, he wondered if it was Mira, wanting to talk about the choice she had to make. He still couldn’t believe that she was a princess.
He opened the door and found Jace standing there. The other boy looked tired. His torn sleeve had grass stains on it. “Hey,” he said.
“What’s up?”
“Can we talk for a minute?” Cole backed away, and Jace entered, looking around the room. “Everything’s on one leg?”
“And it doesn’t fall over,” Cole said.
“Everything in my room is edible.”
“Do you usually taste furniture?”
“Jamar told me.”
“Is it good?”
“Not really. The curtains aren’t bad. Look. We need to talk about tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Cole said. “Want to sit?”
“I’m fine. In the morning, Mira will start hunting her power.”
“She told you?”
“She didn’t have to. I can tell. You heard Declan. It’s really her only choice.”
“Maybe she’ll make a run for it.”
Jace shook his head. “No way. Declan told her she might be able to get her power back. And that she can stop it from hurting people. And that it’s a better strategy than running or hiding. I saw her face. She’ll follow his advice.”
