Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,67
prophecy doesn’t spell out the details of how. We’ve always assumed it was talking about the conception of a child.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and count to ten in my head.
“Let me get this straight,” Phoenix butts in. “You want Bryce to knock Daisy up and then wait for their child to grow up to then fight the Neo Gods. Is that your master plan?”
“Uh, we’ve always assumed that was the purpose of their child. To free us all from the oppressing hands of the Neo Gods and the evil deities they answer to,” Ophelia replies.
“But by then it will be too late. The Neo Gods will have decimated the entire Norm and Fringe population,” Daisy argues. “We can’t wait!”
Xavier hugs her sideways, taking a protective stance. His expression leaves no room for doubt. Anyone who tries to harm or force Daisy into anything will feel his wrath. And not the wrath of a level six Fringe. Xavier is now an Idol, probably level twelve. Things have moved so fast that it didn’t even occur to me to scan his powers, plus the guy masks them on a daily basis. But not now. He’s broadcasting his abilities to everyone.
“You healed him, didn’t you?” Mom whispers to me.
“Yes,” I hiss.
“Perhaps we should rethink our plan,” Ophelia muses. “Maybe Daisy ought to fight the Neo Gods before she can fulfill the prophecy.”
Her suggestion meets with approval from half the people in the audience. Even Artex seems unsure how to proceed now. Not his brother Harry. There’s a crazy glint in his eyes that doesn’t give me comfort. Well, dealing with one fanatic Norm won’t be a problem. The issue is the rest of the assembly that’s on his side.
“When you said the deity the Neo Gods answer to, who were you referring to?” Morpheus asks.
“A name was never mentioned, but we suspect it’s a primordial god,” Ophelia answers.
I lock gazes with Morpheus, and I can almost read his mind. The prophecy must be speaking about Chaos. It has to be.
“We should wait until the leaders of the other chapters arrive and put it to a vote,” Harry declares.
I’m about to blow the guy to smithereens, but Phoenix steps in front of him, invading his personal space. “There’s no vote. You have no say over our lives. I don’t fucking care how long you’ve been worshipping Daisy’s ancestor. We’re leaving now, and that’s final.”
Toby slinks closer to me and pulls on my sleeve to get my attention. “We shouldn’t be going head-to-head with Harry. I’m picking up a lot of bad intentions from the crowd. They’re armed to the teeth with lightning-glass weapons, including throwing stars.”
“Fuck.” I search the crowd, noticing immediately the change in their demeanor. If they’re all armed, they can overpower us easily. There are too many of them.
In the distance, I see Rufio running toward us, followed by Rosie and Felicity. He looks agitated, and he’s also missing half of his shirt. Either he knows we’re in trouble or he’s running away from some. Hell and damn. How the fuck did we go from the frying pan into the fire?
“Phoenix, calm down.” Morpheus pulls him back.
“Yes, you’d better cool your jets, boy,” Harry replies in a cold voice.
Rufio has finally reached us. He’s out of breath and sweating like a pig. “What’s going on? What is she doing here?” He glares at Mom.
“I came because the Neo Gods attacked, and we need every Idol on the streets fighting them off, not holed up in some camp in the middle of nowhere.”
“They won’t let us go because they want Bryce and Daisy to make a baby first,” Renata adds.
How can anyone hear that and not think the idea is ludicrous?
“What?” Rufio, Felicity, and Rosie say together in high-pitched tones.
“This has to happen,” Morpheus declares, and at first, I think I heard him wrong, but when I catch his gaze, there’s a plea there for me to follow along. But unfortunately, I’m the only one who caught Morpheus’s silent message. Phoenix’s feathers are ruffled, and he’s ready to blow.
“Let Morpheus speak, bro,” I tell him.
“Yes, of course it must happen. I’m glad at least someone in Daisy’s party can see the light,” Harry pipes up.
“It will happen, but there’s something you’re missing. A very important detail,” Morpheus continues.
Harry sharpens his gaze, rubbing his long beard. “What detail?”
“In order for conception to occur, Daisy and Bryce must be united by the infinity band first.”