Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 121389 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121389 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
“It’s the truth. Even I can’t bridge a psychic cavity that large.” No annoyance or frustration or anger in his tone, nothing at all to give away his emotions.
“The anchors, too, have been thwarted,” Krychek continued. “Though the island remains linked to the main anchor network, it’s precarious. They tell me the connection through which anchor energy should flow—the veins and arteries of the system—are viscous and close to impenetrable.”
Most people didn’t know much about anchors or how they worked. But Ivan had grown up with Canto in his life, and Canto was a cardinal anchor. “That’s a bad move on the part of those behind the island,” he said. “Even multiple anchors can’t maintain the island without the shared energy of the others.”
“They don’t seem to be worried about that for the present.” Krychek shifted those pitiless cardinal eyes to Soleil. “You’re not Psy. How can you impact the situation?”
It was a perfectly rational question, but the spider stirred; it wanted Krychek’s attention off Soleil, the protective urge as deadly as the weapon in his boot. “She can pull me off the island. All other connections are severed or blocked the instant I set foot on it.”
Krychek didn’t ask him to explain the nature of his bond with Soleil, just gave a short nod. Soleil, meanwhile, was staring at Krychek out of the corner of her eye—and he might’ve thought it the stare of prey waiting for a predator to strike, except that her claws were out, and very visible against the wood of the table.
A silent warning that she had teeth.
And she would use those teeth to protect Ivan.
He still hadn’t worked out how to process her protectiveness. But it would have to wait, because he couldn’t afford to be distracted with Krychek only inches from him. “I’m happy to feed you information from the island,” he said. “The people on it will all die if we don’t get them out.”
“Four already have,” Krychek said, his tone unchanging. “All four were elderly. They succumbed in the hour directly after the separation. Scarabs also took an anchor who falls into that demographic: Ager Lii is currently in a coma, their vital signs weakening and their anchor region being stabilized by others around them.”
Ivan didn’t need the cardinal to spell it out. He’d heard Canto say more than once that there weren’t enough anchors to go around. They couldn’t afford to lose any of them. “Any chance Ager Lii went with the Scarabs by choice?”
Kaleb shook his head. “According to Payal, Ager was too content with their life to risk it. The anchors don’t have enough data on the other four As on the island to make a call about whether any of them did it by choice.”
Ivan didn’t like to think of the elder A locked inside their mind and body when Ager had only just found freedom. Ivan didn’t understand all of what had occurred with the anchors recently, but he’d picked up enough from Canto to know that Ager, in the twilight of their life, deserved a chance to enjoy those years after a lifetime of selfless service.
A tap on his foot, a whisper of fur against his skin.
Flicking up his gaze, he met Soleil’s … but she was still watching Krychek, her eyes slightly narrowed. Yet the glide of fur against his skin, it continued on, a phantom caress. Because his Lei was always with him and he was becoming possessive of that gift. Possessive enough to make a very bad decision if he wasn’t careful.
“How can I assist you?” Ivan did well with defined goals, because a goal allowed him to create a plan of attack. “What do you need to know?”
“The only way to get those people out is to collapse the island,” Krychek said. “All our models state that their minds will immediately reconnect to the largest available psychic network.”
Ivan could see the logic in that—Psy minds needed biofeedback to survive; their brains would begin the search for a new network the instant their current one shut down. “So you want me to either find a way to collapse it myself—or get you data that allows you to collapse it.”
“Concisely put.” Krychek rose, buttoning up his suit jacket as he did so. “When can you next enter the island?”
“Not today, that’s for sure.” Soleil’s voice was harder than he’d ever heard it—and she didn’t lower her gaze even when Krychek pinned her with his. “He almost fried himself the first time around. He goes in now and he’ll be dead.”
Krychek stared at Soleil for a long moment, then said, “Healer.”
Soleil smiled—and it was full of teeth, her eyes no longer human.
“I’ll leave you two to work out the logistics,” Krychek said, “but there is a time limit on this. Ager Lii is apt to last two days at most, the others in comas an additional forty-eight hours beyond that if we’re lucky.”