The Fire and the Sky (Book 3 of the... - Chapter 45: Chapter 45

May and Em stayed cloistered away in bed until late in the day. After everything that had happened, they figured they deserved a bit of alone time, especially considering there was no telling how long it would be before they had another chance. If any of the others disagreed, they kept it to themselves. No one disturbed them.
When at last their hunger got the better of them, the couple showered and crept downstairs with their fingers interlaced. They followed the sound of conversation into a cramped dining room where they found the others clustered around the table, bent over several large maps and blueprints spread across its scuffed oak surface.
"What's going on?" Em asked. Everyone looked up, but May was grateful to see there were no sideways glances or teasing glints in their eyes.
"We're getting everyone up to speed on what we've learned," Jeremy answered. He nodded at May but kept his eyes locked with Em. "Have you filled her in yet?"
Em shook her head. "Not yet."
Together, she and May drew up to the side of the table. With a quick scan of the documents, May could see some of Priva's hand-drawn maps littered among detailed blueprints of what appeared to be a rather large building.
"What is all this?" May pulled the schematic at the top of the pile closer to get a better look. "A Loyal base or something?"
With a tired sigh, Connor rubbed the back of his neck. He was dressed now, long sleeves covering his toned, scarred arms. "Technically no, but it might as well be."
"It's Sovereign University," Priva said, reaching across the table and turning the paper so May could read the details right-side-up. "About a day's drive from here. Have you heard of it?"
May shook her head.
"Fanciest school on the western coast," Lety said. She was standing close at Priva's side and gave her a playful nudge with her elbow. "Any of you cool kids smart enough to get in there?"
Priva snorted. "Well, one of us probably could have gone but I doubt it would have had anything to do with brains."
Jeremy, who had taken a seat and was scouring the blueprint with his face propped up in his hand, didn't bother to look up. "Shut up."
"Okay." May looked questioningly from Jeremy, who was still studying the schematic, to Em, who grimaced. "What's this school got to do with anything?"
"We've spent weeks tracking the Loyals' movements, trying to figure out where they might be keeping Gaten," Connor said. "Unfortunately, it looks like Sovereign is it."
As soon as he said this, May felt the air in the room change. It was as if a chill had settled over the table. With a shudder, May looked around and saw the faces of WIND drawn and tense. Dom and Lety seemed to notice the change as well, and the three of them exchanged puzzled looks.
"I'm getting a feeling that's a bad thing," Dom said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"Very," Connor confirmed. His voice was heavy with despair he failed to conceal. "You see, the University is heavily funded by Loyal donations. They have, um, a lot of sway in how things are run, and—"
"Oh, stop dancing around and just say it," Jeremy snapped, slamming his open palm on the table. "My father's the president of the school."
May drew in a sharp breath. "Oh."
"Yeah, and it gets worse. Sovereign is home to some of the most advanced research laboratories in the world," Jeremy dug through the papers until he found a different blueprint and tugged it from the pile. He smoothed it out on top of the others and stabbed a finger into it. "Health and biological sciences, robotics, aeronautical engineering — you name it, they've got the facilities for it. They really believe in hands-on, cutting-edge education."
"It's where Marina studied," Connor chimed in, sullen.
Of course it is, May thought. Considering how incredibly brilliant Connor's older sister was as a programmer and engineer, it made sense she would have studied at one of the best schools out there.
Jeremy nodded, his expression dark. "Right. And, unfortunately, not all the studying that happens in those labs is what a normal person would call ethical."
May tensed involuntarily. She didn't like where this was going. "What are you saying? Do you think they're... experimenting on Gaten?"
There was a chilling moment of silence. Beside her, Em wrapped her arms around herself and looked down at the floor.
"It wouldn't be the first time," she murmured.
"What do you mean?" May's heart was racing. Em spoke like she knew firsthand, and the thought made May feel ill. She looked around the table, searching the downcast faces of WIND, looking for answers. No one seemed willing to speak, but when she caught Priva absentmindedly rubbing her chest, the terrible truth came to her all at once.
She gasped.
"That's where it happened, isn't it? That's where they implanted the devices on your hearts."
Rue let out a quiet sob. With a shaking hand, she reached up and wrapped her fingers around the locket she wore — the one that contained her son's photo. "Among other, terrible things. And now they have my baby boy, and—"
No one could fault her for crying. Wordlessly, Connor reached for his wife, but Rue pulled away.
"I don't want to do this, not now," she said, wiping away her tears. "We're getting him back. That's all there is to it. Now, clean this mess up. I'm going to make something for dinner and we need the table."
She hurried away before anyone could reply. Without speaking, everyone pitched in, carefully rolling and folding the papers and storing them away. May and Em exchanged a somber look, both of them knowing they may have been back together, but they weren't out of the woods yet.
When dinner was finished and the dishes cleaned-up, May and Em excused themselves. Only when it was dark out was Em permitted to leave the house—what with it being less likely she could be seen by someone—and the pair desperately wanted to get out of the house.
"Just going for a walk in the back fields," Em explained as she pulled on her shoes. "We won't be gone long."
May could tell the idea didn't sit well with Connor, who kept his lips pressed into a thin line as he watched them go. But whatever his misgivings, he clearly wasn't up to arguing with either of them.
Neither of them spoke until they were well out of earshot of the farmhouse. May gripped Em's hand and let out a long, slow exhale.
"What a mess. Do you really think they'd hurt Gaten? He's just a little kid."
"I wouldn't put anything past them." Em kicked at a field stone and watched it skitter into the long grass swaying on either side of the tire-worn path that led to the farm's back acres. "And if he's at Sovereign like all our surveillance suggests, I can't see the Loyals wasting the opportunity to study the first child to be born to a Wish."
May scowled. "Those assholes. They really seem to have their hands in everything, don't they?"
"They're pretty pervasive, unfortunately," Em agreed. "In fact, I'll bet that's why those guards came and got you while you were talking to your birth mother."
"You think that was the Loyals?"
"Think about it — if the Loyals are the ones who took your birth parents into custody because they stole the wishing star, they're probably still keeping a close eye on them. Does anyone else know where they are? I'll bet the prison has instructions to let the Loyals know if anyone comes sniffing around."
"Ugh!" May slapped the palm of her free hand to her forehead. "Of course! How could I be so stupid?"
"You're not stupid, it was a brilliant idea." Em gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm just glad you got out of there safely."
They paused to unlatch a tractor gate and squeezed through the opening one at a time to avoid the noise of swinging it open. Even so, the metal hinges let out a sharp squeak and May cringed.
"I honestly would have been screwed if Jeremy hadn't been there," she said after they'd refastened the latch. They pressed further into the fields and away from the farmhouse's light.
Em reached back out for May's hand, a small smile on her face. "I'm glad to see the two of you aren't at each other's throats anymore."
"I think we came to a truce over some cheeseburgers last night." May shrugged. "He's actually not so bad when he's not trying to sabotage our relationship."
At this, Em laughed. It was a bright and genuine sound that sent May's heart fluttering.
"Yeah. He's always been a shit head but he's a good person when you get past that edgy exterior of his."
"What happened with him and Priva?" May asked, lowering her voice to a volume better suited for gossiping. "Did they actually break up?"
"Oh yeah. When she found out what he'd done, she lost it on him. Things have been pretty frosty between them ever since."
"Yikes. I guess it was only a matter of time be—ah!"
Em had stopped mid-stride. Her grip tightened and May was yanked back like a puppy who ran out of leash.
"Why'd you stop?" May asked.
"Shhh."
"Don't you shush me!"
Giving May's hand a proper tug, Em pulled her close and leaned in. "There's someone out here."
May's heart plummeted to the depths of her stomach. She could feel a crackle of electricity in Em's hand; a dim blue light manifested in Em's opposite palm as she conjured energy for an attack. Following her lead, May dropped Em's hand and gripped the charging piston of her star cannon. Whoever was out there wasn't going to get the better of them.
For a few breathless heartbeats, the pair raked the shadowy landscape with unblinking eyes. May wondered what Em, with her supernaturally keen hearing, had heard out there in the tall grasses. The idea that they were being watched sent a shiver racing through them both.
Something May couldn't hear piqued Em's attention. Her head snapped to face the darkness off to their right, and she lifted her hand so the energy in it could cast some much-needed light.
"Who's out there?" she barked without a hint of fear. "Get out of the shadows, coward."
May stared hard into the darkness, searching for movement. What she found instead was a subtle flash of gold — something reflecting in Em's orb of light.
She gasped.
"Em, get rid of that."
"What? No!"
"Yes, you don't need it," May said, reaching around to pull Em's arm back down to her side.
"How can you be sure? There's someone out there, I can hear it."
"You're right, there is." May turned to look back into the darkness. A lonely wind chased its way across the field, lifting her hair and dancing it across her vision. Between the rosy strands, she could just make out a silhouette—tall, lean, and draped in a billowing cloak—stepping ever closer. "But it's okay, Em.
It's Welkin."