I blink, taken aback. Do I think my powers are worth the cost? The wound of grief from losing my mother sits open in my chest. It feels like it will never truly heal, no matter how much I acknowledge its presence. Then there are wounds my ancestors carried from one generation to the next. All the loss, multiplied and compounded and cumulative. All that running.

Don’t be scared. Fight.

“I’m not scared of the risks, or of hard work. I’ll fight what my ancestors wanted to fight but couldn’t. I will make the power worth the cost by how I use it.”

Her brows raise. “Bold claims. Tall order.”

I glance at Sel, borrowing his economy of language. “I’m aware.”

“Lu,” Valec begins slowly. “If you can train Bree here to call up that root on command, she might be able to take the Hunter down herself. Hers is the only power I’ve seen that rivals his from all that he’s consumed over the years.” He shrugs. “Could be an advantage all around here.”

Sel stands. “No, we’re not asking for help just so you can use Bree for your own ends.”

“It’s not a bad idea,” I interject. I hold a hand to stop him from going any further. “I can’t just keep drawing attention to my community and leaving them helpless. If the Hunter is afoot again, I need to learn how to stop him. Not just for the Rootcrafters but for myself too. It’s only a matter of time before he finds me,” I say quietly, “just like he found my ancestors who had this same power.”

“If your people had this root-generating ability, then I’m certain the Hunter was after them every chance he could get.” Lu looks at me appraisingly. “I admire your ambition. And Valechaz has lived long enough to know when something or someone might be useful to the community. If we help you gain control over your powers, you will help us all in turn by facing the Hunter one day, when you’re ready. Call it a bargain. An exchange.”

I nod. “Agreed.”

She smirks. “Excellent. You’ll need to be at the station within the hour.”

Mariah leads us out to a staff parking lot behind the Lounge, informing us that the next station is a house up the road. She asks me to ride with her to catch up, and I agree. Alice climbs into the back seat without asking, leaving William and Sel to ride together in Jonas’s car.

Right now, I’m still not feeling great about sitting near Sel. Or at least, when we talk, I’m not ready to do it in front of other people.

But I don’t expect Valec to hop in the back seat of Mariah’s Jeep as well.