Book 3 - Page 56 (1/2)

That boy put a face on all that Jack had accomplished here.

Realization sank in: we’d helped thousands.

Rodrigo rode to meet us, a huge smile on his face. “The three Milovnícis are this way.”

“And the jammers?” Jack said.

“We’ve had them going nonstop, General. No transmissions could’ve gone out.” He led us deeper into the camp.

Under my breath, I said, “He called you ‘General’?”

“I tried to get them to stop,” Jack said with a hint of a grin. “Then I realized how intimidating it sounds. Let it stand, me.”

“You used jammers to block radio calls.” Aric cast him a look— was that the same grudging respect Jack had shown Death last night? “That’s why you wouldn’t radio ahead.”

“I wanted to control any communications from this camp. But now that we’ve got a hostage and a full army, we doan have to hide your involvement anymore. And we’re about to inform the twins of our upcoming trade. Their father for Selena.”

Excitement filled me. A hostage exchange sounded workable!

Aric removed his helmet, stowing it on his saddle. “If we allow the carnates to live, they’ll transfer all they experience to the source.”

“Too risky,” Jack said. “We end them.”

“Agreed, mortal. Are you going to tell your people the twins are fake?” Jack seemed to consider it. “Non. It’d just be noise, clouding the victory.”

Aric nodded. “While you’ve got Milovníci, we might as well interrogate him for information about the twins, uncover their defenses and carnate numbers.”

Now Jack said, “Agreed.”

When we stopped and dismounted, Jack and I handed our reins over to a couple of soldiers, but Death just shook his head, leading Thanatos on.

The crowd parted ahead of us, revealing three unconscious forms, bound and gagged on the ground. The infamous Milovníci and his sp.a.w.n. Or rather, his sp.a.w.n’s sp.a.w.n.

Finally, I was going to see the man who’d brought so much misery to a world already drowning in it.

The former general’s features were sharp, his nose beaklike. Though wiry and thin, he had a florid complexion. I could imagine his face growing even redder whenever he was angry.

His tan jacket read: MILOVNÍCI ELITE SECURITY. His face and clothes had copious amounts of spit on them—and boot prints.

This was the great General Milovníci? He looked harmless. And the twins? They were identical to the ones we’d encountered in the other camp, with the same distorted tableau.

“You should do the honors on the carnates, Reaper,” Jack said. “Folks need to see what the two of you are packing.”

Low-voiced, Aric said, “We’re not circus acts.” To me, he added,

—All my life I’ve cloaked these gifts.—

“I’m just a figurehead, me. This army can create order, or just the opposite. The more order there is in the world, the safer Evie is. You either want that or you doan.”

More people closed in.

Exhaling with irritation, Aric removed his gauntlet. He crouched to place his bared icon hand over each clone’s face. Black lines forked out.