Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass Page B

one?” Not that she had any choice. Fallen were Shadowchaser quarry.
    “You?”
    Kira didn’t know how a woman four inches shorter than she, even in heels, could look down at her, but Sanchez managed it. “If you think you and your Men in Black clones can handle a Fallen, go ahead. But you better make sure your affairs are in order, because you will die. Quickly, if you’re blessed. You and I both know that a Shadowchaser’s the only one with any chance of going up against one of the Fallen. It’s what Gilead developed us for, isn’t it?”
    “Being angry with the Commission’s decisions isn’t going to help you find out who did this to Comstock or why,” Sanchez retorted. “It certainly isn’t going to bring him back.”
    Kira refused to rise to Sanchez’s bait. She knew the woman wanted her to go off like a Roman candle, just so she could file a complaint with Gilead. Staying calm would stick in Sanchez’s craw and give her nothing to fill out forms about. The thought of really spoiling the chief’s day that way was the first pleasant thing to pass through Kira’s brain in hours. Keeping herself out of bureaucratic hot water was an added bonus.
    Kira settled her hands on her hips. “Rumor has it that a few Shadowchasers have passed through town, and yet none of them have stopped by to say hello. Are you trying to replace me? That almost hurts my feelings.”
    Sanchez pursed her lips. “It pays to have contingency plans, Solomon, especially where you’re concerned.”
    “What’s your deal? Not that I care; I’m just curious.”
    “Gilead indulges you to its own detriment. You are a loose cannon, an undisciplined child with too much power. First Nico, now Comstock—”
    Kira fisted her hands against the unbidden welling of her power. “Don’t ever say their names again. You don’t have the right.”
    Sanchez didn’t flinch. “You’re twenty-five. You’ve had two handlers since you left Santa Costa and they’ve both died violently.”
    “No one told me that Comstock was my handler, did they? Not you, not Gilead, not Comstock himself. Given that we were a few thousand miles apart at any given time and have never spoken about the Commission, why in the world would I think of him as my handler?”
    “The fact that your handler didn’t confide in you is even more troubling. People are starting to wonder.”
    “Like I give a crap. People have been wondering about me since my parents dumped me on Gilead’s doorstep. So what?”
    “There have been some who’ve questioned your loyalty, wondering who you really serve.”
    “Are you kidding me?” Kira laughed. “Obviously some people have too much time on their hands and need to get a life.”
    Sanchez didn’t like that one, if the twist to her lips was any indication. “I don’t know who you think you are—”
    “I know who I am! I’m a Shadowchaser, raised by Balm herself. That woman’s work ethic and ideas of discipline make Roman legions look like Boy Scouts. Gilead has been my world for half my life. I have used my training and my extrasense to serve the Light to the best of my ability despite losing Nico, despite what you people did to Comstock. I’ve seen more and done more than you and most of you suits on the Commission and yet I still serve the Light. I’m going to find Bernie’s killer and send him back to Shadow no matter what it takes, and when I’m done, I’ll still be holding my Lightblade.”
    Her skin glowed a pale neon blue. “I live and breathe the Light, more than I can say for many on the Gilead Commission. And you want to question my loyalty?” She turned on her heel, needing to leave before she really gave them a reason to doubt her.
    “Chaser Solomon—”
    “If you had more than idle speculation, I’d be talking to a Commissioner or to Balm herself, not a section chief. Quit wasting my time and let me do my job. We both know I’m the only one who can go up against whatever’s controlling a seeker