Cassius forced himself into the cockpit, breathing hard. Madame glanced briefly to acknowledge him.
“Have a seat.”
He strode to the co-pilot’s station and collapsed in the chair. He wanted to put up a fight, to curse her out or hijack the ship, but he didn’t have the energy. He was afraid that he’d never be able to get up from this position again.
“They grow up so fast, don’t they?”
He turned his body so that he could stare at her without moving his head back and forth.
“Theo.”
She turned the cruiser southward, which was fine because Cassius didn’t want to look at the smoldering blaze that used to be Skyship Altair. The farther they went, the more relaxed he’d be.
“I always knew he was dangerous,” she continued. “Rough and unbalanced, but I sensed something in him. Something similar to what I sensed in you at that age. And when I found him, I knew I needed to keep an eye on him. Anything that connects back to you, Cassius, is important to me.”
"I’m nothing like him,” he countered.
“Apparently not.”
He met her eyes, only for a moment. It was hard to summon up any fear-or even much loathing-for her after what just happened. Somehow Madame paled in comparison to the Authority.
She stared forward, focused on the skies. “You know what they say about keeping your enemies close. I track all of my children, but Theo was different. He needed constant monitoring. He didn’t arrive with a message like you had. I didn’t know where he was from, but I always knew where he was going.”
“You tracked him?”
“Of course.” She smiled. “You didn’t think I’d let him roam free, did you?”
“Then why didn’t you do something sooner?”
“That Fringe ambush in Syracuse stole the wind from my sails. I was without an army, but they could never take my wits. I escaped, at the expense of my battalion.”
She glanced sideways at him. “But as you know, there are always more soldiers. They’re expendable. You and Fisher? You’re keepers.”
“Stop gloating.” He felt his fist begin to burn, eager to release a torrent of flame. He could do it if he wanted. He could drag her to the floor, knock her unconscious, and be done with it.
She pursed her lips. “You know I don’t approve of such things. The fact is, we’ve entered a new stage now.”
He scoffed. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“I’m sure you’ll tell me in good time. You never were one to hide things.” She paused. “For now, what has come between us in the past must be regarded as history. I’m willing to-”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
Her brows raised. “Would you rather I’d left you there to die? Do you think this is easy for me, Cassius?”
“You always meddle. Some things are bigger than you.”
“You’ve been through quite an ordeal,” she said. “I understand.”
“Stop it. Stop talking like that.”
“Like what?”
He grit his teeth. “Like you’re being filmed or something. Like you’re playing a different person. I don’t want you here. I hate you.”
She remained silent for a moment, eyes on the sky.
“You have nowhere else to go. Word of this will spread, and spread quickly. The Tribunal will blame an event like this on the Unified Party-”
He grabbed his hair, face shielded from her. “I don’t care.”
“True or not,” she continued. “That’s what they’ll do. This may trigger the war we’ve always feared. It will be traced back to you and Fisher. Maybe not immediately, but it will happen. You are not safe anywhere.”
He looked up at her, eyes watering. “And I’m safe with you?”
She sighed. “You are familiar with me. That will have to do.”
“I could kill you right now.” He shook his head. “All it takes is a thought.”
“You could.” Madame smiled, then let out a soft chuckle. “But you won’t. We both know that.”
Cassius turned away. He couldn’t look at her anymore. He couldn’t watch her smile as everything sunk around them. He glanced out his windshield.
A flash of red.
“What was that?” He pivoted to get a better look. Madame’s face bristled. She moved her attention back to the skies in time to see a second orb of red energy shoot past them like a comet plunging to Earth.
She laid off the accelerator, visibly shaken. The red energy came and went in less than a second and the air was clear again. Her mouth opened.
“I’ve never seen-”
“A red Pearl.” Cassius leaned forward.
She turned to him. “What?”
He felt the emptiness on his wrist. Theo may have perished, but Matigo’s son had accomplished his goal. The bracelets were gone, and with them the scrambling power of the Ridium. “You don’t know as much as you think you do. You don’t know anything.”
She swallowed. “None of the scanners detected-” A second Pearl interrupted her, carving a turbulent path about a hundred yards to her left. She gawked out the window and watched it fall before turning back to the controls.
“History,” Cassius said. “You wanna forget the history between us? We’re gonna be lucky if we have any history left.”