the cathedral in every direction, growing higher and higher, until it eclipsed even the great bell tower where they stood. Higher still, until it towered over the cathedral’s sharply pitched roof. Higher still, until the jumbled structure arced inward, knitting together overhead. It blocked out the city below. Blocked out the sky.
When Ace was finished, they were trapped beneath a dome of sharp edges and rust.
It felt like being in the tunnels again.
It felt like the opposite of freedom.
“There,” said Ace. “That will slow them down.”
Nova gulped, thinking of all the Renegades she’d come to know. Could Adrian get past this wall? Could the Sentinel?
What about Max, with his telekinesis and the ability to manipulate metals?
Or Captain Chromium, with his unbreakable weapons?
She gnawed at her lower lip, remembering how many of the Renegades were no longer prodigies. Their powers had been drained from them.
Like they would have done to you, she remembered.
It did not diminish the sour taste in her mouth.
“Still, it will not hold them forever.”
Ace peered around at their group, fierce and hungry. “You have fought valiantly tonight, but we must prepare for the next battle.” He focused on Leroy and Honey. “You were able to use the Agent N substance to great effect. Do we have any left?”
Leroy shook his head. “What we took from the Renegades’ storehouse is almost entirely used up. We have only a few of the gas-release devices Nova designed, and less than half a container of the liquid.”
“Good enough,” said Ace. “With any luck, we will finally be able to determine that age-old mystery … is Captain Chromium truly as invincible as he seems?” Grinning wickedly, he swept an arm around the room. “Fellow Anarchists, find accommodations and rest until further notice. I would like a moment alone with my niece.”
Nova tensed. A few of the villains cast her looks that were gloating and smug. Others seemed nervous on her behalf. Leroy smiled comfortingly and winked, the movement awkwardly drawing up the paralyzed left side of his face.
Nova smiled back.
It was only Ace.
Within a matter of minutes, the bell tower had emptied out, the drum of footsteps on the lower staircase growing more distant by the second.
Only one of the villains lingered behind. To Nova’s surprise, it was Narcissa, her expression full of concern. Though she had taken a leadership role among the Rejects before, she had been loitering at the back of the group since they’d arrived at the cathedral. Her fear in the face of Ace Anarchy was palpable, and the look she was giving Nova suggested a hesitation to leave her alone with him. There was something almost kind in her expression. Something almost protective.
Nova’s spirits lifted, just barely, to think that perhaps the mirror walker no longer hated her.
“Is there something you would like to say, Mirror Walker?” Ace asked.
Narcissa opened her mouth, but hesitated. Her voice trembled when she finally spoke. “I agree with Nightmare,” she said, barely above a whisper. “I think we should leave Gatlon.”
Ace studied her, and Narcissa slowly shrank under the look.
“There is a mirror in the chapter house,” Ace said. “I do not keep prisoners. You are free to go as you please.”
Narcissa gulped.
“But if you stay, I will expect your cooperation in our efforts to destroy our enemies. I will not tolerate betrayal.”
She paled. Her gaze clashed once more with Nova’s, briefly, before she, too, disappeared down the ladder.
The wooden door clapped shut behind her. The air inside the belfry became uncannily still, with no breeze from the outside world able to make it through Ace’s barrier. The tower smelled of old iron and the dirt that had been stirred up after so long.
Nova waited for Ace to speak. Already she missed being able to read his expressions. The wrinkles of his cheeks. The furrow of his brow. He felt more closed off from her now than he had the whole time he’d been hiding in the catacombs, and she was surprised to find that she already missed the man she had come to know—even if that man had been shattered and weak. At least she had never been afraid of him, but now, she couldn’t keep herself from feeling a jolt of apprehension as he fixed his attention on her.
“I cannot fault you for wanting more than the life I’ve been able to give you,” he said. “I cannot even fault you for being drawn to the lies that the Renegades have tried to sell to the world. It is