The Pearl Wars by Nick James

searching his memory. “The Shipper on the rooftop … ”
    Her eyebrows raised. “Rooftop?”
    He took a sip of water and looked to the side, uneager to talk about his failure in front of her. “I had him hanging on—barely. He was about to drop off the ledge when he … I don’t know what he did. We separated and he fell twelve stories to the ground. I thought he was dead.”
    She nodded. “But he wasn’t, was he?”
    “It’s impossible. He was just a scrawny little coward.”
    She laughed. “Impossible? Impossible like burning down a dormitory without so much as a matchbook?”
    He met her reassuring eyes, shaking his head in disbelief.
    “He’s dangerous, Cassius. He ignited this inside of you. This … sickness. And it’s through him that we’ll cure it.”
    Cassius set down the glass. He held his hand in front of him, spreading apart the fingers, trying to imagine flames shooting from the tips. It was crazy. It couldn’t be real.
    “In the meantime,” she removed a small envelope from her pocket and set it on the bed in front of him, “we can do our best to control the situation.”
    He picked up the package, opening the top and peering inside to find three tiny white pills. “What’s this?”
    “Insurance,” she replied. “Very expensive, too. The medication will slow your heart rate and calm your system to a level where you’ll be able to control any further outbursts.”
    He winced, struggling to give voice to his next thought. The words came out slow and muttered. “I’m not sure I believe you.”
    Madame pursed her lips. “Cassius. I could be … very angry with you right now. Your lack of judgment in traveling to the Fringes has caused me a great deal of unnecessary stress.”
    “Kids don’t burst into flames.”
    “And planets aren’t meant to grow unlivable,” she countered. “We live in uncharted territory, and you’re going to have to accept that. Things happen. You’re a very special young man. You have a lot to accomplish yet. I didn’t want this to happen. Not until we were ready.”
    “Ready for what?”
    “It’s a numbers game. Always has been, ever since the Seps took to the sky. I’ve been lobbying the heads of the party to do away with the birthing limits for years now. We need bodies.” She crossed her arms, drumming her fingers on her cashmere jacket. “They’re right above us, Cassius. Have you ever actually considered what that means? We thought we had it bad with the terrorists, but they were half a world away. Shippers could drop down on us any m inute. And to be honest, I don’t think we’re ready.”
    “For war,” he whispered. “Like you were talking about last night. And this Jesse Fisher … him triggering this … thing in me has got s omething to do with it?”
    She nodded. “It has everything to do with it. In fact, if we don’t take care of this situation quickly, he may just be the lynchpin that triggers the opening shot. I do no t wish that to happen. Not yet. Not while there’s a chance we could lose.”
    He rubbed his hands together, trying to work some warmth into them. “Why’s he so special?”
    “That is on a strictly need-to-know basis.”
    He scoffed, then caught himself as Madame shot him an icy look. “Well,” he muttered, “considering the circumstances, I think I need to know.”
    “You need to trust me,” she replied. “Fisher has his uses. He’s very important.”
    “He’s just a kid.”
    “Pearls,” Madame responded. “Without Pearls our empire would crumble. We would be left in the dust like the Fringers. They would tear us up and burn us all, Cassius. The Skyships would lower to the ground and reclaim the country. We need Pearls.”
    Cassius winced. “So what’s Fisher got to do with all that?”
    “Pearls,” she repeated. “That’s all you need know.”
    He looked down at the bed sheet, avoiding her fiery gaze. “How are you going to capture him, then?”
    “Not me,” she paused. Her expression