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Back The Art of Exile Save as PDF
Chapters (51)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Map
  4. Dedication
  5. GENESIS INSTITUTE GUILDS
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  50. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  51. IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS

“I wish I did, but the Oculus gave Kor free rein to act without the Inner Chamber’s approval, and he hasn’t shared his plans with any of us. And the Inner Chamber members are annoyed with me because I accidentally”—she puts the word in air quotes—“deleted footage of you from North Brother Island, so they’re stonewalling me on everything.”

Wow, she really has been working for me behind the scenes, and I had no idea.

“I don’t know how to make Kor listen to me, if I can even get to him in time.”

She strokes my hair. “Ada, I have no doubt that you can do this.” There’s a pride in her voice that seeps through me and fills in the cracks of so many old wounds. “You are so brave and so resourceful, and if that boy listens to anyone besides the Grand Master, it’s you.”

She pulls me into a last hug and kisses the top of my head.

It’s time to do this.

And I can. Because I’m a Sire and a Maker, and I’m gravdamn fast on a hoverboard.

And I will do what has to be done.

39

I don’t have the codes for the City Hall station, so I have to take the “fun route.” Unfortunately, it’s a lot harder without an escort. I get particularly stalled trying to open the subway car doors at the abandoned station. After two failures and a momentary fear that I’ll be taking this subway line back and forth all night, I instead open the door connecting the train cars—the door that is covered in signs warning not to do just that—and I ride between cars. It’s terrifying, very loud, and definitely involves rats. Do not recommend. As the train shrieks through the City Hall station, I hold my breath and somehow manage not to die or piss my pants while making the jump.

When I arrive at the Atlas platform, it’s abandoned, and the air locks are indeed open.

I sit on the edge of the track, my legs dangling. Then I scootch down till my toes touch the metal below. It’s a tube, no flat surface to stand on.

I unzip my snowboard bag, plop down my hoverboard—which engages with the magnetic levitation of the track—and I hop on and glide toward the air lock.

An endless tunnel of shining metal stretches ahead of me. There are low-lit lamps set into the ceiling, and the light reflects off the polished surface, giving the whole space an eerie glow.

Let’s do this.