his strength, Captain Chromium was red-faced, his brow glistening with sweat. Even he was becoming exhausted against Ace’s relentless attacks.
Nova scanned the stairs’ landing. A stone niche held a statue of a praying woman. She tore it from its base and hurled it at the window. The statue burst through the stained glass, littering the rooftop below in colorful shards. She kicked out the remaining edges and climbed through, dropping onto the rooftop.
The Captain had pulled himself up onto one of the buttresses, trying to find a way to get to the villain.
“Ace!” Nova screamed.
It was a sign of his exhaustion that Captain Chromium startled and nearly fell from his perch. He grabbed a gargoyle’s head for purchase.
Nova ignored him. Her attention was on her uncle. She still didn’t know what she could say or do, but if she was going to neutralize him, she would have to get closer.
Maybe she could get close enough to put him to sleep, even, which would make everything a lot easier.
But first, she needed him to come back down to the roof.
Ace peered at her, his eyes thinly veiled with suspicion. “Why, if it isn’t my dear little Nightmare. How thoughtful of you to join us.” He scanned the tower behind her. “The Everhart boy isn’t tagging along?”
Nova lifted her chin, drawing on all she’d learned these past months about lying and betrayal. “He’s dead,” she said, her voice rigid and calm. “I killed him, just like you asked. I’m sorry I hesitated before. It won’t happen again.”
She could see Ace considering her words. Perhaps wondering if he could trust her.
“You’re lying!” Captain Chromium screamed.
Nova looked at him, and though she wished she could convey that yes, she was lying, she couldn’t risk it in front of Ace.
Instead, she raised her voice. Made it colder. Harsher. “When he died, all the things he’d sketched before died with him.” Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her bracelet, its clasp broken but the star glowing bright as ever. “He fixed the clasp on my bracelet once.” She shrugged. “I guess this time I’ll have to take it to a jeweler.”
The Captain dropped to the rooftop, raging, and grabbed the chromium chain. Nova barely had time to blink before the end was flying toward her with enough force that it probably could have taken off her head.
A stone spire snapped off from the tower behind Nova and intercepted the chain, shattering into a thousand bits.
Nova stumbled back into the wall, feeling the crunch of glass under her boots.
“You dare attack my own flesh and blood?” Ace roared, dropping between Nova and the Captain. Her pulse skipped at the opportunity—but he was still at least ten steps in front of her, not close enough to touch.
The pouch with the last Agent N dart felt heavy on her hip. She checked that the zipper was open and started to creep forward while Ace’s back was turned.
“No more games, Captain,” said Ace. He glanced back at Nova. She froze, feeling caught, but Ace was smiling. “Do you know how my brilliant niece was able to retrieve my helmet? She told me about your little box. I suspect you thought it was as invincible as you are … but it wasn’t, was it? You see, we have a new weapon, the last that my brother ever made, and the most powerful.”
Nova cringed, wishing she’d never told Ace about the star and what it could do … what she thought it could do.
“Perhaps,” Ace said, enunciating carefully, “it is even powerful enough to destroy you.” Ace extended an open palm. “Give me the star, Nova.”
She instinctively clamped her fist around the bracelet.
Ace frowned. “Nova. Give me the star.”
The star pulsed against her skin, almost like a heartbeat. Or perhaps it was her own heartbeat thundering through her limbs.
“Let me do it,” she blurted. “My dad left the star for me. And … and Captain Chromium needs to be punished for what happened to my family.”
Ace still appeared doubtful, bordering on angry.
“Niece?” said Captain Chromium, his tone full of disbelief. Only a few moments before he had looked ready to tear Nova in half, but now his head was cocked to one side, a wrinkle stitched between his brows. Staring intently at Nova, as if seeing her for the first time.
Ace tensed, as if he realized he’d said something he shouldn’t.
“But that means … you’re David Artino’s daughter.”
The name coming from him was a shock, this man who was supposed to