“I trust your judgment in this.”
“I’ll take it.” He cast a smirk at Death.
Aric drew on his helmet. “I can’t believe I’m going along with this folly.”
“You wanted a hostage. I’m taking you to get one.” To me, Jack said, “You ready?”
I nodded, crowning myself with my body vine. Blood-red petals and pointed leaves. I let the circlet move and writhe so no one would think it was fake. Plus, it tended to do that anyway whenever I was nervous.
If there were ever a time to be nervous . . .
Aric caught my gaze as we neared the corner. Another gust blew, sending those conveyor belts flapping, ratcheting up my apprehension.
We passed the point of no return, the camp in sight. People were lined up.
Not with guns?
They cheered in welcome! Soldiers—and freed women—waved as if we were an oncoming Mardi Gras float.
I exhaled, hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath. “Holy shit, Jack.”
He just slid me a sexy grin.
“A bloodless rebellion.” Death lifted his visor. “I’ll bite. How did you effect this, mortal?”
“Maybe the answer to a problem ain’t always more Death.” When I looked expectantly at Jack, he explained, “Last night, I gave the soldiers canisters of nerve gas to toss into the Milovnícis’ tents.”
“Nerve gas,” I repeated. “Taken from their own army across the river? That’s what was in the duffel bag!”
“Ouais. After Rodrigo’s men secured the Milovnícis, they told as many people as possible that I was coming, with some of my Arcana allies,” he said with a wink at me, a black look at Death. “When everyone found out that we’d liberated the other camp and were gunning for this one, I knew the chain of command would be undermined.”
“This is amazing.”
As we rode into the crowd, people gawked at Death and me, while they clamored to shake Jack’s hand.
All his life, he’d thought he had no reason to be proud. Now he was different. Jaw set. Shoulders squared. Eyes flinty with determination.
He had no otherworldly abilities, but look how powerful he was becoming. Look at all the people who admired him.
I turned toward Aric, glancing at him from under my lashes. My dream of him haunted me, a graphic reminder that he had no one. No hope of a partner.
Did I pity him? Yes. But last night had reminded me that there was far more to my attraction than pity.
He met my gaze, and I quickly looked away. Among the crowd, I spied a grinning black-haired boy of about twelve. With his wide-set eyes and the gap in his front teeth, he looked like a miniature Franklin. Had to be his brother. Soon they’d be reunited.
That boy put a face on all that Jack had accomplished here.
Realization sank in: we’d helped thousands.
Rodrigo rode to meet us, a huge smile on his face. “The three Milovnícis are this way.”
“And the jammers?” Jack said.
“We’ve had them going nonstop, General. No transmissions could’ve gone out.” He led us deeper into the camp.
Under my breath, I said, “He called you ‘General’?”
“I tried to get them to stop,” Jack said with a hint of a grin. “Then I realized how intimidating it sounds. Let it stand, me.”
“You used jammers to block radio calls.” Aric cast him a look— was that the same grudging respect Jack had shown Death last night? “That’s why you wouldn’t radio ahead.”
“I wanted to control any communications from this camp. But now that we’ve got a hostage and a full army, we doan have to hide your involvement anymore. And we’re about to inform the twins of our upcoming trade. Their father for Selena.”
Excitement filled me. A hostage exchange sounded workable!
Aric removed his helmet, stowing it on his saddle. “If we allow the carnates to live, they’ll transfer all they experience to the source.”
“Too risky,” Jack said. “We end them.”
“Agreed, mortal. Are you going to tell your people the twins are fake?” Jack seemed to consider it. “Non. It’d just be noise, clouding the victory.”
Aric nodded. “While you’ve got Milovníci, we might as well interrogate him for information about the twins, uncover their defenses and carnate numbers.”
Now Jack said, “Agreed.”
When we stopped and dismounted, Jack and I handed our reins over to a couple of soldiers, but Death just shook his head, leading Thanatos on.
The crowd parted ahead of us, revealing three unconscious forms, bound and gagged on the ground. The infamous Milovníci and his spawn. Or rather, his spawn’s spawn.
Finally, I was going to see the man who’d brought so much misery to a world already drowning in it.
The former general’s features were sharp, his nose beaklike. Though wiry and thin, he had a florid complexion. I could imagine his face growing even redder whenever he was angry.
His tan jacket read: MILOVNÍCI ELITE SECURITY. His face and clothes had copious amounts of spit on them—and boot prints.
This was the great General Milovníci? He looked harmless. And the twins? They were identical to the ones we’d encountered in the other camp, with the same distorted tableau.
“You should do the honors on the carnates, Reaper,” Jack said. “Folks need to see what the two of you are packing.”
Low-voiced, Aric said, “We’re not circus acts.” To me, he added,
—All my life I’ve cloaked these gifts.—
“I’m just a figurehead, me. This army can create order, or just the opposite. The more order there is in the world, the safer Evie is. You either want that or you doan.”
More people closed in.
Exhaling with irritation, Aric removed his gauntlet. He crouched to place his bared icon hand over each clone’s face. Black lines forked out.
Did Aric remember his parents every time his touch killed? I’d heard that he preferred to take out opponents like this. Maybe his Touch of Death served the same purpose as his tattoos: reminders never to forget tragedies of the past.
Spectators gasped when the carnates’ bodies seized.
Jack might be accustomed to attention, but Aric was uncomfortable with the stares. Had the coolly collected knight once been shy around others? The idea made me smile with affection—even as the replicants stopped breathing.