Pernicious | Kai Parker

Chapter 56

Two Heretics and two siphoners did, in fact, make a nice power group.

Kai and Amelia led their nieces back in the direction of Fort Parker, purposely passing through the field where the Mora Miserium had been dropped. Of course, they knew it was now in the possession of the twins.

"So," said Kai, taking the lead and counting off his fingers. "We need three things to get out of here— the apex of the celestial event that trapped Meli and I here, some Bennett blood, and the duplicate ascendant, which is the first thing we went looking for when those burnouts woke me up."

"Did you find it?" asked Josie hopefully.

"No answers for free," said Kai in a sing-song voice. "I'm assuming you two come carrying the Bennett blood?"

The twins stopped in their tracks, and Amelia groaned, putting her hands on her hips. "Seriously?" she asked. "You came here without the key ingredient you required to escape?"

Lizzie held up her hands in surrender. "Well, it's not exactly like this trip was planned. No one told us we needed to keep the Bennett blood on us after we sent the Sandclock here."

Amelia and Kai both heard her heart skip a beat, and they knew she was lying. They did have the Bennett blood on them.

"Okay, so then, what exactly are you two bringing to this partnership?" inquired Kai. "Because from where I stand, Meli and I are the only ones who aren't useless."

"We have knowledge of the future," said Lizzie. "That's not something either of you have access to."

Amelia snorted. "That's it? Nothing else? Come on, there has to be something else you can offer. If we all want to get out, we all need to pitch in."

Josie's grip on her backpack straps tightened ever so slightly. "No answers for free. What's the celestial event?"

Kai shrugged, and started to walk away from them. "That, we actually don't know. We're constantly being killed, so we haven't gotten to know much about what happens here other than the full moon, which can't function as the celestial event— it happens too often to grant the Ascendant the power it needs to create a portal for us to exit. But then again, there's only so many minutes in a day, so we'll figure it out, right?"

"That's your plan?" scoffed Josie.

Kai nodded. "Mhm."

"Process of elimination?"

"Uh, yeah, he implied that the first time around," said Amelia.

"I like a challenge," said Kai, spreading his arms and looking at the sky as he kept walking. "And to be honest, I've got nothing but time."

Amelia started to follow after him, though she closed her eyes, able to sense that the twins had linked hands, as if they were planning something.

"Question," said Lizzie. "Say we were to find the Sandclock. That's full of really, really dark, and really, really strong magic. Would that be enough power to substitute a celestial event?"

Kai and Amelia stopped, both turning around slowly. "Maybe," said Kai suspiciously. "Why, where is it?"

Josie shrugged. "Somewhere in this clearing."

Amelia giggled. "Oh, that's funny. Somewhere in this clearing?" She looked around. "Where is it, then? Because I don't see any Sandclocks anywhere."

"I cloaked it," said Josie. "You wouldn't even know that you were looking at it."

"That's cute and all, but we kinda need it, so can you uncloak it?"

Josie and Lizzie both crossed their arms, glaring at them, and Kai sighed. "Hmm, you uh, you really don't trust us, do you?" He reached into his jacket pocket, extracting the Ascendant, and put it on the ground. "Consider it a show of good faith."