New World

Chapter Thirty

"Cerulean, please," Savi said.

Cerulean scowled. "Sav, she can't just call you a bad influence and get away with it."

"I am a bad influence," Savi retorted, and before Cerulean could interrupt, she turned back to Theodora. "So you'd leave me alone, true?"

"Ye-es," Theodora said carefully, although she looked uncomfortable.

"So if Cerulean and I decided to camp out here, you wouldn't say anything?"

"Wouldn't say anything!" Theodora spluttered. "You're both fugitives of the law!"

"Do you want your last family member in Exile, Theodora?" Savi asked.

Theodora sighed. "You're putting me in a difficult situation, Savannah, but you are wrong about one thing. He is not my last living relative."

Savi raised a hand dismissively. "Other than those pointy-eared Ancients?"

That shut her up, and Theodora glanced at Cerulean as if expecting him to speak up. He glanced at Savi and she shrugged, indicating that he could say whatever he wanted. He wouldn't back out of the agreement, and there wasn't much Theodora could do to him anyway.

"Gran... Please help us. Until this smooths over," he begged.

Theodora snorted. "You bet it won't smooth over!"

"The Council pardoned Rayni," Savi pointed out.

"Well," Theodora snapped, "Rayni had a legitimate reason for joining. The Council Exiled her parents and Gisela took her under her wing. Naturally, she was fooled. But you, Cerulean? After I spent my life fighting for the Tsynis's innocence? And what about yourself, Savannah? Daughter of Sophie and Keefe, the two people who fought hardest for everyone's freedom?"

"Except their own daughter's," Savi muttered darkly, her gaze burning into the floor.

"You may think yourself mistreated, but think about the others. Rayni. Keefe. Did you lose a parent?"

"Keefe's parents are both alive," Savi snapped.

Theodora shrugged. "He thought she died. He walked into that battle, helped set off that bomb, thinking he had killed his own mother. If that isn't bravery,I don't know what is."

"Well, that might have seemed like bravery, but it was also stupidity," Savi argued. "If he wasn't so blinded by grief, they might've checked the bodies more thoroughly and realized half the people they set out to kill hadn't died!"

"Would you have done it, Savannah Calla?" Theodora whispered. "Could you have killed Keefe or Sophie and felt nothing at all?"

"Yes," Savi said, her voice unwavering.

"Then you are farther gone than I thought," Theodora said simply.

What that was supposed to mean, Cerulean had no idea, but Savi knew. The fact that she thought she could stomach killing her own parents without remorse was a clear indicator for Theodora that Savi was so far gone on the dark side that she could never come back.

"And you, Cerulean?" Theodora asked eventually. "Could you kill me without remorse? Or Marcus? Or your parents?"

"Of course not," Cerulean stated simply.

Savi was starting to wonder if she should have given the same answer as him, faked Theodora into thinking she was still a child with innocence.

But Theodora was nodding. She believed Cerulean, and she almost agreed.

"Then stay away from her, Cerulean," Theodora said heavily. "She is a bad influence."

"Gran-"

"Cerulean. It's fine." Savi smiled emotionlessly at Theodora. "You may think I am a bad influence. You may think I'm turning him to the wrong side. But where the devil were you when he needed you?"

"And you were there?" Theodora overcame her initial shock with a sneering reply.

Savi shrugged. "I didn't say I was. But what about you? His closest relative? His grandmother? Missing from all the action, I hear?"

Theodora fumed. "I was not missing! I-"

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯, Savi transmitted, then waited for his reply while Theodora raged.

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚒𝚝? 𝚆𝚎'𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛? he said nothing and his face gave nothing away, but his transmitting voice was filled with desperation.

𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘯, 𝘉𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴. She was getting tired of Cerulean's sentimental mindset. Everyone came and went. This was no different.

𝙸'𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝙱𝚎𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚢 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯!

He winced as her mental voice, louder than she'd intended, thundered through his head. And at that moment it seemed that Theodora realized what was going on.

"What are you saying to him? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING TO HIM?!" Cerulean's deranged grandmother screamed, lashing out, attacking Savi with anything within her reach. The house was filled with sounds of breaking glass and ceramics as Theodora hurled teacup after teacup, growing more furious as each attempt left Savi unscathed.

"I'm saying," Savi whispered, "all that needs to be said."

𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘯𝘰𝘸.

He came back at the last moment and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the Leapmaster with him and light leaping away.

But she hadn't been ready.

𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

"We did it," Cerulean said glumly. "That's all according to your plan, then? It's always going to be you and me, all alone?"

No reply.

"Sav?" he turned, squeezing her hand, but her hand seemed to shrink.

And his brain finally registered what he was seeing.

Savi was pale, faded, her cells breaking down at that very moment.

"No! Stop! What... What did I do?" he whispered.

Her mental voice slithered through his head. 

𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯... 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺.

Not ready for what?

To light leap? To be alone?

It had to be to light leap.

"We'll get you to Elwin," Cerulean said, but he knew his concentration had never been strong enough for two.

She smiled her last smile as her translucent hand found his and she laid her palm on his hand, the feeling nothing more than a soft contact, like hair brushing his hand.

"I love you, Cerulean," she whispered, her eyes closing as she faded away. "I always have."

And before he could tell her he loved her back, she was gone.