Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,89
be slaves, especially for the likes of you.”
He backhands her on the face so hard it sends the woman to the ground.
“Boy, if Grandpa could see this. He’d love it,” Eris pipes up. When I don’t comment, she asks, “You’re not having second thoughts, are you? I mean, some of those miners are innocent.”
I glance at her. “There are no innocents here. They would have killed us all if we hadn’t escaped.”
“Okay then. So, what’s your plan?”
“Can you tell me how many workers are in the mines?”
“Yes, but so should you. Come on, Morpheus. It’s time to stretch your demigod powers.”
I close my eyes, blocking out all the noise from the people in front of us. I let my awareness expand, searching for the low humming essence of those Norms. To Idols, they feel like empty shells. But that’s not true. They just don’t shine as bright as the others. I count at least fifteen people in there, which should be easy enough to manipulate. Fear can motivate people into doing the craziest shit.
I form the thought in my mind, and then I send it to theirs. In an instant, panic takes hold of them. They drop their tools and go in search of something to deter the monster they’ve awakened from the bowels of the cave. They don’t flee, simply because doing so would be worse. Their only hope for survival is blowing up the cave, sealing the monster inside.
Quickly, they place every single unit of explosives they can find against the walls of raw lightning-glass. The location is perfect, since it’s deep enough in the cave. Once the explosives go off, the entire ceiling will collapse on top of them. I just need to give them a final nudge, but I hesitate.
“What’s the matter, little brother? Can’t pull the trigger?” Eris asks maliciously.
I’m a demigod; I shouldn’t be plagued by human morals, but I am. The biggest sin those people have committed was being weak sheep who blindly followed two fanatics. Do they deserve to die for it? And could Daisy forgive me for killing them so cold-bloodedly?
I ignore Eris and change tactics. I allow those miners to flee the scene. They’re out in less than a minute, and immediately the hired guns begin to bark at them. Those are the ones who don’t have one ounce of innocence in them. I can see their rotten hearts; I can read their amoral thoughts. I capture their conscience in my powers, twisting their reality, giving them no option but to go into the mine and carry out the mission.
Released from the compulsion that kept them inside the cave, the miners run away as fast as they can.
“Oh, Morpheus. You took pity on them.” Eris laughs.
The explosion keeps me from replying. It shakes the ground violently. The blast would have sent us both flying back and debris would have torn us apart if we were mortals. A cloud of dust takes over the clearing, quickly covering us both.
“Do you know where the other lightning-glass reserves are?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Let’s go, then. I want them all gone by the end of the day.”
“Are we really doing this?” Eris asks.
“Yes. At least I am.”
35
Daisy
There’s no hiding what Bryce and I were up to from Xavier considering I’m wearing Bryce’s shirt, and most likely my face is red and my lips are swollen. I find my uncle pacing at the edge of the hospital, alone. I’m relieved that I won’t have to listen to his sermon in front of the others.
He stops moving and drops his eyes to my feet; then his gaze slowly travels up the length of my body. His shrewd eyes narrow to slits, and his jaw is clenched tight. When he switches his attention to Bryce, his expression doesn’t improve. At least it doesn’t get worse.
“You were looking for me?” I ask.
“Yes. I should chastise you for not resting, but I’ll save that for later. I have news about Delta.”
My heart skips a beat, and then it becomes tight as hell. “Were the Knights able to crack him?”
“No. And that’s why I came looking for you. We’re running out of time. We have to find the location of their headquarters, and the only person who was able to remove the blockage from Bryce’s mind was you.”
“I’ll do it. Are we leaving now?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to make a big deal out of it.”
“I’ll come with,” Bryce pipes up.
Xavier shakes his head. “I’m sorry, son. You can’t come.”