understand. I will report this to General Austin. He can decide whether or not to allow you to keep custody of the rebel leaders after that.” The officer’s hand moves obviously to the starlight handcuffs clipped to her equipment belt. “If they were to suddenly disappear or otherwise cause trouble, you and the Order’s other officers will be taking their place.”
“My thanks,” Lai says, totally ignoring the last part of the officer’s conditional acceptance. She holds out her hand. “We don’t need your assistance, but we could use those starlight restraints if you’d be so kind.”
The officer’s nose wrinkles, but she tosses the handcuffs to Lai and waves for the others to do the same. I hate to do it, but I snap the cuffs around Cal’s wrists. I don’t think he or the others would try to run, but I get what Lai’s thinking. We have to make it look like the Order’s in total control. Otherwise that officer might just change her mind and bring Cal, Gabriel, and Joan in herself after all.
Other soldiers start running over and calling the officers for help. Soon, the group is gone, though with a lot of backward glances. I hope this works out.
I’m just about to ask Lai what’s next when one of the soldiers running over calls my name. I sort of recognize the guy as he gets closer. He’s the general’s secretary—what was it, Noah? He stops a few feet away, breathing heavily. His uniform is spattered with blood and dust, but it doesn’t look like he took any bad injuries. Even though he’s obviously exhausted, his eyes light up when he sees me. But why? Then I remember what Jay said about me and Noah apparently having been friends back before I lost my memories. And about him being pretty shady.
“Noah, right?” I ask.
He nods and straightens.
Weird silence stretches between us, and I don’t know what to say—especially not with everyone right here. I can feel all of them watching me.
“Can we talk?” Noah asks. He gestures vaguely behind him, not quite looking at me. “There are things I need to tell you.”
I glance to Lai and the others, who each nod. “All right.” As I reluctantly follow Noah away from my friends, I hear Lai giving out orders, getting everything moving again. It kind of sucks not to be there with them and be a part of it.
I do get the chance to see the battle’s damage, though. Lots of people are down, but not as many as I expected—on either side. With the military swarming everything now, though, it’s hard to really tell.
Noah doesn’t stop until we’re pretty far from anyone else. When he does, his fingers pull at one another. He doesn’t talk right away.
“I can guess what this is about,” I say. “We used to know each other, didn’t we?”
He nods and takes a deep breath before he starts talking so fast I can barely process the words. Like he’s trying to get it all out before he loses the guts to say any of it. “You—I really looked up to you. We met when you were on recon in the sector for the rebels. You didn’t say as much, but I could guess. I’d been a spy for the military and the Council for a long time by then, after all.” He smiles grimly to himself. “I didn’t tell you I was from the military, just that I was a Nyte. You tried to convince me to leave the sector a few times, but I turned you down every time. I’ve always just dutifully done whatever the Council ordered me to. If I don’t…” He trails off and I don’t ask. “We became close. Really close. You were the only friend I’d ever had. I respected you a lot. I wanted to be like you—independent and free. But at the same time, I felt bad for you.”
“Bad for me? Why?”
His hands twist together again. “You hated everything in the world. You just wanted to watch the sectors burn for what they did to your brother.”
“My brother?” The words rush out before I can stop them. Cal mentioned him before, but he didn’t know anything. If Noah could tell me what happened, if there’s a chance my brother’s still alive—
“He was killed by Etioles when you were both young. You told me you’d hated the ungifted ever since.”
I might be sick. In the same second hope flooded me, it was immediately replaced by grief