words, not a single damn Crest.”
“When you catch the stinking weasels, you each get first pick in the executions,” Ryder offered.
Well, that was something at least.
“I think I’ll just pass on that tempting reward,” Terra commented and slid the box over.
“Fine,” Everett told the room of Revs. “I’ll do it.”
“Fabulous!” his father exclaimed.
Everett sank into his chair. Time to save the world. He sighed. Again.
“You look like you could use a few more tarts, dear,” his mother said. “How many would you like?”
Everett looked at her. “That depends. How many do you have?”
CHAPTER FIVE
~ Drugs, Pain, Torture ~
527AX January 9, Eclipse
JASON HAD BEEN away from Eclipse for a while. He’d left Terra there, safe behind the protected portals. And when he finally returned, she wasn’t there.
He’d spent weeks hunting down leads on what he was now certain were experiments on Elition children. It was just like what the Xenens had done centuries ago. Discovering that the Selpes and Avans were at it now had made him angry. dKnowing Terra was out there in a depraved world dead set on enslaving her—that had nearly sent him over the edge.
“Where is she?” he asked Lana.
His sister pressed her lips together and locked them with an invisible key.
“This isn’t funny.”
But Lana found the whole thing enormously funny. Her eyes sparkled with a mischievous emerald fire.
“This is the Rev’s influence,” said Jason. Everett had a bizarre sense of humor, and it was starting to rub off on her. “You two are spending far too much time together.”
“You don’t get to pick my friends, Jason. And you don’t get to glare menacingly at them either.”
Jason stepped to the edge of the tea terrace and looked down over Eclipse. “Where is Terra?”
She planted her hands on her hips.
“I’m serious,” he said.
“So am I.”
“I don’t have time for this, Lana,” he said. “Tell me where Terra is.”
“What will you do to her if I do?”
“Keep her here. By any means necessary. I don’t care if I have to knock her out and tie her to the temple walls.”
“What’s going on between you two?” Lana asked.
“Nothing.”
“That’s not what I heard,” she said with a smile.
The number one pastime at Eclipse was spreading gossip. That’s what happened when the majority of the population never wandered beyond the boundaries of the protected bubble. Most of them hadn’t left town since they’d arrived there a decade ago.
“This is all beside the point.”
“The fact that you think that, Jason, is the whole problem.”
“I have a lot of problems,” he replied. “Once I’ve taken care of them, then maybe I’ll have time to work on figuring out what you even meant by that.”
Lana chuckled. “Fair enough.”
“There are vile things brewing out there. No Elition is safe, and with her powers, Terra is a target. They want her.”
“Who?”
“The Avans. The Selpes. Everyone. We can’t let them have her.”
The humor faded from Lana’s face. “You’re afraid.”
“We can’t let them have her,” he repeated. “You should see what the Avans are doing to Elitions.”
“I’m not sure I want to.”
“The Selpes are no better. I’ve learned what went down at their Summit. The Selpes and Avans have tried to keep it a secret, but you can’t cover up something like that.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“The Selpes and Avan are both experimenting on Elitions. Each brought their ‘project’ to the Summit to intimidate the other. They left Marina Bay at war.”
An agitated crinkled formed between Lana’s eyes.
“If they get Terra, they will use her just the same,” Jason told her. “I didn’t trust Aaron Selpe as a Diamond Edge, and I trust him even less as the Selpe emperor.”
“Jason—”
He set his hands on her shoulders. “We need to keep her safe.”
Lana looked up, meeting his eyes. “She’s back. She just walked through
“When you catch the stinking weasels, you each get first pick in the executions,” Ryder offered.
Well, that was something at least.
“I think I’ll just pass on that tempting reward,” Terra commented and slid the box over.
“Fine,” Everett told the room of Revs. “I’ll do it.”
“Fabulous!” his father exclaimed.
Everett sank into his chair. Time to save the world. He sighed. Again.
“You look like you could use a few more tarts, dear,” his mother said. “How many would you like?”
Everett looked at her. “That depends. How many do you have?”
CHAPTER FIVE
~ Drugs, Pain, Torture ~
527AX January 9, Eclipse
JASON HAD BEEN away from Eclipse for a while. He’d left Terra there, safe behind the protected portals. And when he finally returned, she wasn’t there.
He’d spent weeks hunting down leads on what he was now certain were experiments on Elition children. It was just like what the Xenens had done centuries ago. Discovering that the Selpes and Avans were at it now had made him angry. dKnowing Terra was out there in a depraved world dead set on enslaving her—that had nearly sent him over the edge.
“Where is she?” he asked Lana.
His sister pressed her lips together and locked them with an invisible key.
“This isn’t funny.”
But Lana found the whole thing enormously funny. Her eyes sparkled with a mischievous emerald fire.
“This is the Rev’s influence,” said Jason. Everett had a bizarre sense of humor, and it was starting to rub off on her. “You two are spending far too much time together.”
“You don’t get to pick my friends, Jason. And you don’t get to glare menacingly at them either.”
Jason stepped to the edge of the tea terrace and looked down over Eclipse. “Where is Terra?”
She planted her hands on her hips.
“I’m serious,” he said.
“So am I.”
“I don’t have time for this, Lana,” he said. “Tell me where Terra is.”
“What will you do to her if I do?”
“Keep her here. By any means necessary. I don’t care if I have to knock her out and tie her to the temple walls.”
“What’s going on between you two?” Lana asked.
“Nothing.”
“That’s not what I heard,” she said with a smile.
The number one pastime at Eclipse was spreading gossip. That’s what happened when the majority of the population never wandered beyond the boundaries of the protected bubble. Most of them hadn’t left town since they’d arrived there a decade ago.
“This is all beside the point.”
“The fact that you think that, Jason, is the whole problem.”
“I have a lot of problems,” he replied. “Once I’ve taken care of them, then maybe I’ll have time to work on figuring out what you even meant by that.”
Lana chuckled. “Fair enough.”
“There are vile things brewing out there. No Elition is safe, and with her powers, Terra is a target. They want her.”
“Who?”
“The Avans. The Selpes. Everyone. We can’t let them have her.”
The humor faded from Lana’s face. “You’re afraid.”
“We can’t let them have her,” he repeated. “You should see what the Avans are doing to Elitions.”
“I’m not sure I want to.”
“The Selpes are no better. I’ve learned what went down at their Summit. The Selpes and Avans have tried to keep it a secret, but you can’t cover up something like that.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“The Selpes and Avan are both experimenting on Elitions. Each brought their ‘project’ to the Summit to intimidate the other. They left Marina Bay at war.”
An agitated crinkled formed between Lana’s eyes.
“If they get Terra, they will use her just the same,” Jason told her. “I didn’t trust Aaron Selpe as a Diamond Edge, and I trust him even less as the Selpe emperor.”
“Jason—”
He set his hands on her shoulders. “We need to keep her safe.”
Lana looked up, meeting his eyes. “She’s back. She just walked through
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