Free Nil on Fire by Lynne Matson

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, she’d seen.
    The island’s plea had been heard. A decision would follow. Until she chose, the island could do no more.
    Withdrawing, it was the island’s turn to listen, on both sides of the seam.

 
    CHAPTER
    19
    SKYE
    JUNE 10, NIGHT
    â€œI know what Nil wants.” Rives’s tone was sharp. “It wants you.”
    â€œYou’re right and you’re wrong,” I said. “Nil does want me, and it doesn’t. 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?” I spoke quickly; my latest epiphany was so clear . “Well, the Summer Solstice is a few weeks away. I think that Nil wants to make sure no one goes through from this end. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
    â€œNothing about this makes sense,” 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.
    â€œYou may have a point.” He forced the words out, like the admission cost him. “But, 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?”
    One person.
    One person can change a world , I thought, stifling the suffocating void bubbling up inside me. And not always for the better.
    â€œWhat does stopping one person do?” I repeated softly, hearing the ache in my own voice. “It’s a start. And I’m pretty sure it’s what Nil wants.”
    Part of me—a huge part—still believed Nil was tired. Tired of living, tired of existing, tired of taking lives. When I’d been on Nil, I’d felt the island’s fatigue with a certainty that left no room for question. I couldn’t imagine that level of exhaustion had faded.
    Which meant that while I’d helped save lots of people, I hadn’t helped the island—not the way it wanted.
    Why did Paulo stay behind?
    What did I miss?
    Rives stared at me, a slight frown marring his beautiful features. I’d drifted and he’d let me; it was his way of trying to see where I was going. Sitting up straight, I directed our conversation back on track.
    â€œNil wants me to block that gate,” I said firmly. “I know it.”
    â€œThen let Maaka do it,” Rives said flatly. “He knows that the island has changed. He came around to our point of view, remember? So he’ll be the one to keep anyone from going to Nil from this end. From the Death Twin. It’s not your job.”
    â€œMaybe it is.” My tone was gentle. “You knew Maaka better than I did. He chose to leave with us, which counts for something. But he didn’t seem overly helpful, Rives, or understanding. I don’t know that he’d say anything.”
    Rives looked away. His thoughts followed his gaze, and for a long moment, he was far, far away.
    â€œI think Maaka would do the right thing to help his people,” he said finally. “He 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, it’s tough to change. So if I had to guess, I’d say Maaka would have told his elders about the way Nil had become twisted.”
    â€œI don’t want to guess,” I said. “And even if Maaka does tell the truth, what if the elders don’t listen? What if the elders still support sending firstborns? Or even if they