Rubidum comes closer and caresses me. “It’s terrible to lose a brother. I know.”
Hysan pulls me into his chest, and I hide my face in his coveralls, inhaling his cedary scent, wishing the agony would end. Every day, another knife wound.
I could survive any loss . . . but not Stanton. I fought and survived for nothing.
“Your family’s in the Cancer Sea,” Deke says after eight minutes. “They would’ve wanted that.”
I can’t speak.
Hysan tells Agatha when to expect our arrival, and she gives him the landing coordinates. Nishiko and Deke promise a big homecoming celebration, complete with fungus sushi, and we end the call.
When it’s over, we all stand around in silence. They’re waiting for me to react, but I can barely take another breath, much less speak.
My Wave starts humming again. Maybe they mixed up the coordinates and are calling with a correction. I don’t move to get it, so Hysan opens the clamshell.
A voice shoots out, but no image. “Rho, can . . . hear me?”
The voice is so familiar it pierces through my numbness.
“Stanton?” I look around desperately, wondering if the others can hear it, or if I’ve lost my mind.
“That’s an optic signal,” says Hysan, handing me the Wave. “Speak as close to the device as you can.”
I hold it up to my mouth. “Stanton, this is Rho. Where are you?”
When he doesn’t answer, I turn to Hysan. “Are you sure this thing’s working?”
“The signals travel by optic beam. Give it time.”
We wait four electrifying minutes before the next signal arrives. We hear a burst of static, then a voice. “. . . is Stanton Gr . . . calling Mother Rho. We’re in . . . observatory on Mount Pellanesus . . . see a ship. Is it you?”
“Yes, it’s me! Stanton, you’re alive. We’re coming!”
Again, we wait, only this time my heart is racing with hope, not dread. Hysan links my Wave to Equinox’s screen and hits some keys. When the next signal arrives, we can see Stanton’s face.
“. . . about four weeks. The Belger family’s with me . . . two hundred others. We’ve taken over the observa . . . rigged up a link . . . fishnets . . . they’ve been . . . and Dad . . . with his nar-clams. He died in the . . . creatures he loved . . . are you coming?”
Stanton appears to be standing on a mountainside, buffeted by gale-force winds. Leaves and bits of scrap fly past, and behind him, a dish-shaped optical link sways back and forth, pixilating his image in and out of view.
I turn to Hysan. “Can we land there?”
He confers with Equinox, then nods. “Heavy storm activity, but we’ll get through. If the terrain’s too rough, we’ll hover.”
The first good feeling I’ve felt in a long time washes over me, and it’s so new it hurts. If this is selfish, I don’t care. I’m not Guardian anymore—I can think about myself and my family again.
Ochus has taken my dad, my home, and Mathias from me. As Guardian, I needed people’s support to fight back. As a person, I can do what I want.
After I’ve reunited with my brother, I’m going after the Thirteenth Guardian.
Ochus is going to pay.
I swear it on my Mother’s life.
? ? ?
THE END OF BOOK ONE
? ? ?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Like the Zodiac Universe, my life is populated with diversely talented people who often—sometimes unknowingly—donate a piece of their power to me when I most need it. I am so, so lucky to have these Lodestars watching over me.
Thank You:
To Liz Tingue—for this chance, and for being equally fabulous as an editor and a friend
To Ben Schrank, Casey McIntyre, Laura Arnold, Marissa Grossman, and the rest of the Razorbill team—for the most amazing publishing experience I could have ever dreamt up . . . and I’ve been dreaming about this since I was nine To Vanessa Han and Kristin Smith—for the coolest cover ever
To Jay Asher—for your out-of-this-world friendship and generosity, and for introducing me to Laura
To Laura Rennert—for believing in me, for your brilliant guidance, and for all our adventures to come To Will Frank—for always, always being there and never, ever letting me
give up To Nicole Maggi, Lizzie Andrews, Anne Van, and Scribblers—for your friendship, for all you’ve taught me, and for taking the journey together . . . Nicole, our twin brains giving birth to twin books must’ve been written in the stars To my friends and family, across this Blue Planet—for helping me up again every time I’ve fallen, and for filling my world with wonder and love To the readers—for giving Rho a chance and blasting into Space with her
A los Bebos—por ser los mejores abuelos y seres humanos del mundo, los extra?o con locura