it was Clara,” Balthazar reminded him. “And it wasn’t her.”
The two Elders shared a long look, the tension between them palpable.
Issac cleared his throat. “Right. We made a mistake. Let’s fix it by finding the culprit.”
“One hell of a mistake,” Balthazar muttered.
“And we’ll spend the next several decades or centuries making it up to her,” Issac vowed. “But first, we need to find the real guilty party so we can move forward. Until that point, we’re stuck in this perpetual cycle of blame, and it’s not healthy for anyone.”
“He’s right.” Aya’s green eyes blazed with power. “What we need right now is to be able to trust each other, not point fingers unnecessarily. So tell us who you suspect, and we’ll go from there.”
“That’s the problem—only those in the inner circle knew about our test,” Lucian said, his expression turning pained. “Someone would have had to orchestrate Osiris compelling Clara to paint her as the villain.”
Issac considered that before saying, “Unless she was always the scapegoat.” It would make sense to have that playing card lying in wait to be used at precisely the right moment. “Osiris’s compulsion isn’t always immediate. And now that we know he’s the creator of all Hydraians and Ichorians, it’s possible he’s left persuasive strands in all of us, for him to tug on as he needs to.”
“Which means he could have compelled her months or years ago, and only recently called in that strand, as you call it.” Lucian lifted his hand to his square jaw to scratch the light dusting of blond hairs growing along his chin. “Do you think our real mole is also being compelled?”
“It’s possible,” Issac said. “But whoever it is must have called him to let him know that he needed to activate his tie to Clara.”
“What I’m trying to understand is the link between Osiris and John,” Aya said. “If Osiris compelled Clara to act as a scapegoat, then he’s actually the one in charge of the mole, not John. And if we’re right about that person being in the inner circle of knowledge, then Osiris let John die.”
Lucian’s eyes took on that faraway gleam they always did when his omniscience kicked in, his mind working through the various puzzle pieces to arrange them into a neat answer for them all to hear.
That look reminded Issac of Aidan, how he used to lose himself to the millennia of knowledge he kept stored in his head, never forgetting a single detail. It was why everyone considered the duo omniscient. They had lived through so much that they literally knew everything.
“Osiris sees us all as pawns in a war he intends to wage with the Seraphim,” the Elder said slowly. “I can’t imagine he was thrilled by Jonathan taking down some of his most valuable assets.”
“Osiris and Aidan were rather close,” Issac replied, recalling all the moments he’d witnessed between the two men over the last few centuries. “And he was fond of Anya as well.”
“Jonathan also destroyed the CRF,” Balthazar added. “He blew it up. I can’t imagine Osiris appreciated having all his experiments taken down in the process.”
“So John was no longer useful to him.” Aya leaned into Issac’s side, her voice soft. “Rather than try to save him, he allowed us to remove the problem from the chessboard and also triggered Clara to take the fall for the leak of information.”
“He would see her as an ideal pawn—she can only sense emotion, not control it.” Lucian’s pragmatic nature had taken over, his tone no longer irritated, just flat and to the point. “She’s expendable to him. Which means his real mole is far more valuable.”
“Jacque is valuable,” Balthazar said. “As are Ash, Tristan, and even Nadia.”
“It’s not Tristan,” Issac replied, confident. “He’s my best friend.”
“He also didn’t know about your test.” Aya radiated certainty through their bond, confirming she agreed with Issac’s assurance of Tristan’s innocence. He wrapped his arm around her, giving her a subtle squeeze to show his gratitude. She and his progeny weren’t friends. But her loyalty to Tristan meant a great deal to him.
“So we agree it’s someone who knew about the test,” Balthazar said.
Lucian nodded. “Yes. Unless Osiris has a spy in our midst who isn’t visible to our senses.”
“Technology?” Aya suggested. “Or do you mean a Seraphim?”
Issac frowned, her questions igniting a flurry of potentials in his mind. “Hold on. I think you might be onto something there.” He started to run through all the facts, piecing together everything they knew.