Star Gods, стр. 50
“You’re sure you’re okay?” Dad asks.
“Yes, I swear.”
“Yeah, you do. Don’t let your mom hear you.” He pats my knee as he stands and glances over to Maliki. “Does this mean what I think it means, Maliki?”
“I don’t think I like your question, Dad,” I object.
Maliki crosses his arms over his chest and grins from ear to ear. “If you’re thinking Levi doesn’t completely own his staff anymore, then, yeah, it is.”
Dad smiles.
“What the hell are you talking about?” My heart kicks in my chest.
“Remember me telling you that an Assassin staff is made from this special tree on planet and our blood is infused inside it?” Maliki asks.
“Yeah.”
“I also told you that the Assassin can find the staff wherever it is?”
Now I’m getting really nervous. “Yeah.”
“The blood that is infused inside the staff also runs through the blade, also found on planet.”
“You’re saying my blood is in that staff.”
He grins. “Yep.”
“Zeke can find it anywhere it is,” Sage interjects.
“Yep, or at least he should be able to.”
“Dammit.” I receive a warning grunt from Dad. “Sorry.” I rub my temple noticing everyone is silent and watching me. “I guess I have to ask—is that what the whispering is about?”
Dad’s smile falls. “What whispering?”
“You heard whispering?” Maliki questions, his expression looking more hopeful than it should.
“Don’t look at me like that.” I feel the blood draining from my face. “Knock it off, Maliki.”
He snorts. “I’m thinking I should probably bow.” He takes a step forward.
“No, no, no.” I wave a hand. “Don’t get any ideas.”
“It’s not an idea.” He places an arm tight against his stomach.
I lift my hand and use telekinesis to hold him upright. “Knock it off, Maliki—I’m not your leader.”
“Your head says otherwise.”
“What does the whispering mean?”
“Warnings, conversations between the leaders, and you…”
“Oh, come on!”
“Zeke, this could be a good thing,” Sage says way too excitedly. “We’ll know where they are, we’ll know how to keep others safe.”
“He’s saying I’m Head Assassin, Sage, or didn’t you get that?”
“I got it, and I’m a little jealous.”
“You want to be Head Assassin, have at it.”
“It’s just that we’re twins, and we’re supposed to share things.” She looks to me with disappointment. “You’re the one with the most power.”
“Dammit all to hell.” I release my hold on Maliki. “I’m sixteen. I’m too young to lead anyone.”
“You can be any age to lead,” Dad states.
“I live here, on Earth. I go to Prescott High, and I have a girl I really like named Adrianna. I don’t want to lead. I want to hang out with my friends and make stupid mistakes that I get grounded for.”
“Don’t look at it as leading right now,” Dad suggests. “Think of it as giving the responsibility to another who is worthy until you’re ready to lead.”
“I don’t want to lead.”
“I don’t think you have a choice.”
“Didn’t it say Sage and I will end the Assassin race? How does me being Head Assassin end them?”
“By taking over and making them who you want them to be.”
I snort. “You really think I’m going to be able to tell a bunch of Assassins that they are no longer Assassins, but something else? Why in the gods’ names would they listen to me?”
“Because,” Maliki interjects. “Assassins are forced to be so. I’m not the only one who wants to defect.”
“I can’t be both.”
“Can’t be both what?” Dad asks. “Star God and Assassin?”
I lick my very dry lips. “I can’t be both Head Assassin and the future Luminesce.”
Dad gets up and paces.
“You didn’t know?”
Dad turns to me and shakes his head. “No. I need to speak with Ashe, Abby, and Maliki in private. You and Sage should go downstairs and have her get comfortable with your combined abilities. I’ll call you up when we’re done. After lunch, we’ll take Cesar and Claire to a secure location, so be ready.”
“Dad.”
“Zeke, do what I said.”
I stand there like an idiot until Sage drags me to the basement stairs. Apparently, parents still rule even if you’re to lead the entire Star God race.
14
I remove the stopper from the kitchen sink and watch as the soapy water swirls down the drain. The solemnness in the room surrounds me as we near Dad taking Cesar and Claire to wherever safety is. I know it’s needed, and I also know it’s only for a short while, but I’m not liking the fact that Dad has to leave safety to take them; especially since he didn’t speak to me or Sage about the conversation he had with Ashe, Abby and Maliki.
“…Zeke can call me back with the protection in place,” Dad is saying as I tune back into the conversation. “He’s still considered my charge.”
“One hour.” I say, turning on the hot water and wiping the sink clean.
“Yes, one hour.”
I grab the towel to dry my hands and lean back against the sink. “And if you don’t come back?”
Dad crosses the kitchen and places his hands onto my shoulders. “Zeke, I’ll be returning in one hour unscathed.”
“But you can’t go as Neil. Levi, or someone else, is watching for you and they’re going to do anything they can to stop you.”
“Without the bracelet, no, I can’t be Neil. It’s a risk I’m going to have to take. Cesar and Claire’s safety comes first.”
I toss the towel onto the counter. “I know, but I don’t have to like it.”
He places a hand on the side of my face. “One hour, if I don’t show, you can call for me.”
“Forty-five minutes?”
He chuckles. “One hour, Zeke. No more, no less.”
“Okay. One hour, then we’ll discuss the private conversation?”
He squeezes my shoulder and brushes Sage’s cheek as she joins me. “Yes, when I get back we’ll have that discussion.” He then turns to his friend. “Cesar, we should go.”
Sage joins me, mimicking my pose. “They’ll be okay.”
“Remember,