it wielded a burden, and yet there was a weighted dread that settled in her stomach as she started to reach for it. She took hold of the helmet and slid it off the blade. The metal was warm to the touch, still casting off that familiar glow as she cradled it in her hands.
“Ace would fight for any of us,” she said. “He did fight for us. Everything he’s ever done has been to make life better for prodigies. We can’t leave him in that place. We can’t let them execute him.”
“It’s impossible,” someone muttered, though Nova couldn’t tell who. It didn’t matter. She could see the thought mirrored on every face surrounding her.
“It’s not impossible,” she insisted. “This morning, I was a prisoner in Cragmoor Penitentiary and had only three allies in the outside world.” She gestured at Honey, Leroy, and Phobia. “And now here I am. Here we all are. If you’re serious about wanting to change things, then this isn’t up for debate. Ace has done more to further the cause of prodigies in this world than any human alive, and we’re not going to abandon him. Besides, he’s my uncle. He rescued me when I needed him. I’m going to rescue him now, or I’m going to die trying.”
“Well, at least one of those scenarios seems likely,” muttered Narcissa. “You’ll definitely die trying to break into Cragmoor.”
Nova glared, even as anticipation began to pulse through her veins. That familiar hum of adrenaline when she was making a plan, working through the logistics, figuring out what she was truly capable of. “We’re not going to attack the prison. We’re going to stop the execution.”
A stout man who was old enough to be Nova’s grandfather barked a laugh. “Well, jolly good, then! Tha’ll be easier. No worries that the entire Renegade crew’ll be about.”
“You’re right; there will be a lot of Renegades there,” said Nova. “But the Renegades tend to get cocky when they’re in big groups. They let their guard down. And while they might be expecting Nightmare to make an attempt to save Ace”—she glanced at Narcissa—“they won’t be expecting all of us. But I need some time to think. And I’ll need to go back to headquarters. There are a few things—”
“That’s it?” said Narcissa. “We risk everything to get you out of prison and you’re just going to rattle off some vague hopes about rescuing Ace Anarchy and risking our lives to do it? This is about more than Ace Anarchy, more than the Anarchists.”
“I know it is,” said Nova. “But I need time to figure this out. You’ll have to trust me.”
“We trust you,” said Leroy. “You are the one who stole back Ace’s helmet, from the Renegades’ own vault, no less.”
“Oh!” said Honey. “Speaking of things stolen from the Renegades, do you think you’ll be needing this back?” She reached for her collar and pulled a black medallion from the bust of her dress. The Vitality Charm.
Nova felt a surge of apprehension as she scrutinized the design impressed into the black iron. Though it had protected her from Agent N, a part of her had hoped she would never have need of it again.
She said nothing, though, as she slipped the chain over her neck and tucked the charm beneath her shirt.
“Let’s reconvene in a few hours,” she said. “I’ll need to know what each of you can do, to see if your abilities might be useful as I develop a plan.”
“Your old fears have returned, little Nightmare,” Phobia added, his voice low, but not low enough. “They are stronger now than ever before. A nearly petrifying fear of failing … again.”
Nova peered into the bottomless pool of shadows beneath Phobia’s hood. His attempts to psychoanalyze her usually filled her with irritation. It felt like a violation of her privacy, for him to be poking around in her head that way, searching for her deepest fears, uncovering her best-kept secrets.
But it didn’t seem to matter so much this time. She was afraid to fail again. She was afraid to let everyone down—not just Ace and the Anarchists and this unexpected new group of allies, but also Adrian and the friends she’d made at the Renegades.
Yes, friends. The word was foreign and almost unbelievable, but she had faced the truth in that prison cell. The realization was too stark and painful to ignore. She had fallen in love with these people, who had taken her in and trusted her. And yet she