Nick James - Crimson rising

Cassius moves past Thamus and crouches beside me to look at the boy. “It’s him,” he whispers. “Of course it’s him.”

I bring my head down and meet the kid’s eyes. And I see it. Instantly. There’s a familiar expression in them-a warped curiosity. A slightly rattled look.

I turn back, heart in my throat. “Theo.”

The boy stands. I back away, scared that he heard me. I push Cassius to the doorway and we watch as Theo approaches Thamus. The red energy pulses behind the desk.

The dagger falls still in Theo’s hands. He sheathes it at his side and crosses his arms. He’s just a kid, but the way he stands-the look in his eyes-there’s nothing innocent about it.

“My son,” Matigo’s voice booms. “Soon you will undergo a journey. A test run. You may be lonely for some time, but I will not be far behind. They are using an energy transport system against us. We will use Ridium against them. It has already been set in motion on Earth. There’s only one thing standing in our way, and it belongs in the hands of the Resistance.” He pauses. “Sons. Children, like you. And once they are disposed of, there will be no stopping us.”

The words blast through me like an explosion. They echo, as thunderous as Matigo’s voice. Disposed of. I stare at the five-year-old Theo’s face, committing everything I’ve heard to memory. Ridium. Shifter. Herald. Submerged.

Disposed of.

Suddenly, everything collapses around us. The walls fragment and fold into each other. Theo’s body disintegrates right in front of me. The hypnotic carpet swirls so quickly that it becomes a starburst. We dive into the endless sea of lights. They begin to change, multiply, and spread apart until they’re stars.

It’s cold. Then windy.

I’m in the middle of the sky again. Free-fall.

Only I’m not falling anymore. Ryel’s cube tumbles from the air and lands in my hand. Something carries me.

Someone.

It takes me a moment to see him. My mind is so muddled. But then I notice the glow. Green, all around me. A cocoon of Pearl energy protects my body. If deflects the wind until I can’t feel anything.

A pair of arms support me, stronger than they look. The Drifter’s face comes into view as he gently holds me in the air. I meet his eyes, though I can’t speak. I let my body droop against his hold, confident that he won’t drop me. I’ve got no reason to be, but the Pearl energy makes everything feel better.

The Drifter speaks. “You saved me. Now, I shall save you.”

My shoulder jerks back as I hear his voice. “English?”

He nods. “English.”

“Wait.” I analyze his face, looking for markings, hair color, anything to identify him. “Are you-”

“You freed me,” he interrupts. “From a dark machine. There was a tunnel. Darkness, all around.”

“You’re the guy from the generator back at the Academy,” I say. “From three nights ago. I didn’t know if you’d lived.” A smile breaks out on my face. I don’t mean it too. It fades as soon as I remember the events of the night. “Hey… what about Cassius?”

“He is with my friend,” the Drifter replies, his voice calm and low. “You are both safe. It’s lucky you found a senso-cube. It bought you some time.”

“That’s what that thing is? A senso-cube?”

He nods. “You and your brother were suspended in the air for nearly thirty minutes. Frozen, like statues.”

The thought makes me cringe, not only for the sheer weirdness of it, but for the thought of what Theo could have done to us in that time.

I glance toward the stars. The vessel of Ridium is gone. Theo’s disappeared.

The Drifter’s grip loosens around my midsection. “We are nearly on the Surface, now. My transport energy is beginning to fade. I won’t have many more flights left in me.”

The sun begins to rise over the mountains. Not enough to kill the darkness, but the sight captivates me. It’s been so long since I’ve been this high in the air. I used to witness sunrises like this every morning out my dorm window. I’ve been on the Surface too long.

Before I know it, the Drifter’s feet touch ground and he places me in the dirt. I lie there, trying to get my bearings. Only when I’m sure the earth won’t collapse underneath me do I stand.

Cassius stands beside a second Drifter. I pivot to scan the stark landscape. We’re back outside Lenbrg, right where Theo conjured that vessel of Ridium. I crane my neck and search the stars, past Skyships to the darkest part of the sky. He’s up there. He wanted to kill us.

Matigo’s son.

We have to stop him.

It isn’t long before I see the others come over the hill toward us. They must have seen the glow from the Drifters. Avery takes off at a sprint toward me, then wraps my torso in a tight embrace.

The second Drifter helps Cassius to his feet. We stand in a bubble of dim green, which is already starting to fade.

The Drifters tell us their names are Talan and Sem. Sem’s the one who plucked me from the sky, and speaks better English than Talan. The language processors in their Pearls vary in structure, he says. Some are damaged during transport, and others move more slowly to cater to individual brain functioning.

“Where have you been?” Avery clutches my arm. “By the time we headed outside, you guys were gone.”

“Theo’s escaped.” Cassius steps past her. “He’s Matigo’s son. He wants to kill us.”

Eva follows him. “Matigo has a son?”

Sem looks down at his fingers, watching the last of the Pearl energy drain from his body. “The boy’s shifting powers have been unlocked. He’s in control of Ridium now, just like his father. But he’s young. Inexperienced. We may be able to strike before he has a chance to do any major damage.”

I turn to face him. “How are we supposed to do that?”

Sem stares directly into my eyes. He looks strikingly like Ryel. “Pearl energy is the most powerful force we have. If we can knock him off balance, we’ll attack when he’s most vulnerable.” He sighs. “Talan and I are nearly dissolved of our energy. We won’t be much help in this regard.”

“But you’re talking to the Pearlbreaker.” Skandar moves beside me. “Jesse can get more Drifters.”

Sem extends his fingers. “Let me see your arm.”

I hold up my right hand. He grabs hold and pulls me closer. “Ridium, I see. Your father gave this to you?”

Cassius kicks the dirt before turning to face us again. “It was in the form of a box, at first. It melted and… and now we can’t get them off.”

“These are a problem in the hands of a Shifter like Theo.” Sem glances at Talan. “Though they might be something more.”

I swallow. “Ryel said that it could be programmed.”

“A Shifter can do many things with Ridium,” Sem says. “Not the least of which is programming. It’s possible that your parents coerced a Shifter to imbue these bracelets with a purpose.” He drops my hand.

I stare down at the blackness. “Like what?”

“That isn’t clear, but once a chunk of Ridium is given a purpose, it will follow its programming until another Shifter tells it otherwise. This could be a problem, or a blessing. Only time will tell.”

Cassius rubs his wrist. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

I let my hand fall to my side, forgetting about the bracelet for a moment. “Drifters. We need Drifters.”

Sem nods. “We must attack the boy, and soon. But we need all of the artillery we can get.”

“Okay.” I turn and face the distant mountains. I close my eyes so that nothing can distract me and work through the events of the past few days, considering my options. Allies and enemies, and everything in between. When I open them again, a single vision fills my mind. “Okay. I think I know what to do.” I turn back. “What’s the nearest Skyship?”