Lana sidled up next to me. “Everything all right?”
“Yeah,” I told her, jumping off the seat. “So, did you guys talk to your dad? Is that why Jace is in such a foul mood?”
We ambled up to the doors, and Nick held one open for us. “Yup,” he said. “And he and Jace got into it big time.”
I bit down on my lip and walked inside, scanning the small restaurant. It was old-fashioned, with antique clocks hanging from the ceiling. Lace tableclothes were scattered across the mahogany tables, and copper wire art dangled against the floor-to-ceiling windows. Jace had taken a seat at the farthest table in the back, his head buried in a menu.
I didn’t want to upset him further, but I needed to know what was going on. I’d spent my whole life hiding—my mother scared that one day someone would figure out that I was the missing child from the botched experiment. If I was ever going to convince her to allow me to go to the Academy, I had to get answers.
But that was seventeen years ago. I had to be long forgotten by now. There were so many other, bigger problems the Councils had to worry about rather than one lost child. Besides, all the other children had experienced serious problems. The Council had probably assumed my mother died during birth, or that I couldn’t have survived this long. Regardless, I had to know for sure what was going on.
I slowly made my way toward the table where Jace was thoroughly examining his choices. “Hey,” I said, pulling out the chair beside him. “I know you’re pissed, but I want to know what’s up.” I sat facing him.
Nick took a seat, and Lana plunked down across from me. She scooped up her menu and bopped Jace over the head with it. “Hey, talk to the woman.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Jace attempted to hold his scowl, but a smile broke onto his face.
Nick sighed. “Man, way to be a drama queen, Jace.”
“So, what did your dad say?” I asked, hoping I’d finally get something out of one of them.
Lana parted her menu. “They’re not just here to sign additions to the Treaty Act.” I widened my eyes at her, urging her to keep going. “The Narcos that arrived here yesterday are setting up shop.”
“What?” I shook my head. “Like…moving here? For how long?”
Nick bowed his head and picked at a loose string on the tablecloth. “For as long as this little experiment works, or—”
“Or it ends in a bloody war that wipes us out,” Jace cut in. “Which is exactly what the Narcos are really here for.”
“This can’t be real,” I said, glancing around the table, wanting someone to admit this was a joke.
“It’s real, and it’s really happening,” Jace continued. “The Council has taken down all the protection spells guarding Haven. They even signed a new treaty, stating that for the better of all Kythan, we must learn to live in peace.” He raised his chin, his head cocked back. “It’s called the Peace Act. My dad says that in order to keep the war from starting up again, living in separate havens isn’t good enough. We have to learn to live among each other.”
“Oh, and it gets even better,” Lana piped in. “Guess who’ll be starting the Academy with us this year?”
I blanched. “What?”
Nick nodded. “Yup, Narcos were admitted into the Academy at the meeting last night. Dad came home and told us all about it.”
A whole new fear gripped me. If my power wasn’t Charge after the change, would the Narcos be able to sense it? It was difficult enough just going to school with other Shythe. But now I’d be in more danger if one of them were to discover something was different about me.
“Hey.” Jace nudged my shoulder, interrupting my thoughts. “Are you okay?”
I lowered my gaze to the table. “Yeah. This just can’t be happening.” I looked up into his fierce blue eyes, wishing more than ever mine were the same. “What do they hope to accomplish?”
Nick tossed his menu down. “Nothing. It’s all bull, and they know it.”
“The Narcos know they have us,” Jace said. “We were forced into hiding after we signed that damn Treaty Act. Now, they want to finish us off. Or worse.”
Lana shuddered. “What could be worse than that?”
Jace took in a sharp breath. “Part of the Treaty Act banned us from using our power in the human world, remember?” He glanced around the table, as if he was a teacher frustrated with his lazy class. “The Narcolym used their power to usher the world into a new era, one run by their Flame—steam. It powers everything in the human world. But our power…it’s much more efficient.”
Lana’s eyes brightened. “Like what Devon does at Cogs.” She beamed, and I smiled at her. She could always find a way to bring up her crush.
Jace nodded. “Exactly. I think if they had no use for us, like the Leymak race, they’d have already killed us off. But they haven’t. Not yet. Not until they know for sure they can’t harness our power for themselves.” He looked at the table. “Finding a purpose in the world is the only way Kythan can survive.”
Jace was right. We’d been created to serve—to protect. We were a species designed by the magics of Egyptian sorcerers—guardian shape-shifters that had once watched over pharaohs. But that era was over. Those magics nearly forgotten, buried deep within the earth, just like the mummies of that time. It was getting harder for the Shythe to find ways to serve humans. I squirmed in my seat.