confidently into the sea and dove, with a full breath and no fear.
The island did not need him, yet.
But there was one the island needed now , the one who had opened her mind at last. Beyond the seam, the one called Skye had finally braved the darkness for the truth, and with the help of her mate, sheâd seen.
The islandâs plea had been heard. A decision would follow. Until she chose, the island could do no more.
Withdrawing, it was the islandâs turn to listen, on both sides of the seam.
Â
CHAPTER
19
SKYE
JUNE 10, NIGHT
âI know what Nil wants.â Rivesâs tone was sharp. âIt wants you.â
âYouâre right and youâre wrong,â I said. âNil does want me, and it doesnât. I think that the island wants me to do something, and I think I just figured out what it is. You know how the gate on the Death Twin opens on schedule, right? Every June and December, on the solstice?â I spoke quickly; my latest epiphany was so clear . âWell, the Summer Solstice is a few weeks away. I think that Nil wants to make sure no one goes through from this end. Itâs the only thing that makes sense.â
âNothing about this makes sense,â Rives grumbled. He fell silent as he considered my idea.
I fought the urge to keep talking, giving Rives the minute he needed to catch up with me.
âYou may have a point.â He forced the words out, like the admission cost him. âBut, if Nil is so hell-bent on stopping the influx of kids, why keep Paulo? And what about the random gates? Who knows how many more kids are on Nil now. What does stopping one person do?â
One person.
One person can change a world , I thought, stifling the suffocating void bubbling up inside me. And not always for the better.
âWhat does stopping one person do?â I repeated softly, hearing the ache in my own voice. âItâs a start. And Iâm pretty sure itâs what Nil wants.â
Part of meâa huge partâstill believed Nil was tired. Tired of living, tired of existing, tired of taking lives. When Iâd been on Nil, Iâd felt the islandâs fatigue with a certainty that left no room for question. I couldnât imagine that level of exhaustion had faded.
Which meant that while Iâd helped save lots of people, I hadnât helped the islandânot the way it wanted.
Why did Paulo stay behind?
What did I miss?
Rives stared at me, a slight frown marring his beautiful features. Iâd drifted and heâd let me; it was his way of trying to see where I was going. Sitting up straight, I directed our conversation back on track.
âNil wants me to block that gate,â I said firmly. âI know it.â
âThen let Maaka do it,â Rives said flatly. âHe knows that the island has changed. He came around to our point of view, remember? So heâll be the one to keep anyone from going to Nil from this end. From the Death Twin. Itâs not your job.â
âMaybe it is.â My tone was gentle. âYou knew Maaka better than I did. He chose to leave with us, which counts for something. But he didnât seem overly helpful, Rives, or understanding. I donât know that heâd say anything.â
Rives looked away. His thoughts followed his gaze, and for a long moment, he was far, far away.
âI think Maaka would do the right thing to help his people,â he said finally. âHe was proud of his island heritage and traditions, but I think he finally understood that Nil had changed. And he strikes me as the sort of person that once his mind is made up, itâs tough to change. So if I had to guess, Iâd say Maaka would have told his elders about the way Nil had become twisted.â
âI donât want to guess,â I said. âAnd even if Maaka does tell the truth, what if the elders donât listen? What if the elders still support sending firstborns? Or even if they