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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

Of course, technically Simon could have flown back up, but he’s scared of flying and not very good at it.

A loud grinding sound shakes the station. Simon scrambles up from the track to the platform and runs over to the emergency door, which leads to the cove outside. I stumble after him on shaky legs.

“Hide,” he says to me. “I’ll guard the door.”

“No. I need to go out there. Once I do, you secure the exit behind me and stay out of sight.”

“I am a soldier of the Avant Guard,” Simon says with shaky resolve. “And if there is danger outside that door, I will protect you, Journey Castle!”

“Listen to me, Simon. I’m going out there, and you’re staying in here. No matter what happens, you stay hidden. Do you understand?” My urgency must convince him because he doesn’t prevent me from unlocking the door and pushing it open.

The sea wind slaps my face, salt and sand and hair blowing into my eyes. But nothing can stop me from seeing the sleek black submarine rising from the cove, Kor emerging from a hatch on top as it docks among the rocks.

40

“I wish you hadn’t come,” Kor calls as he finds his footing on the slick rocks, approaching the shore.

“And I wish you had consulted me so I could have prevented this mistake!” I raise my voice to be heard over the wind and waves. There’s only a few feet of sand and water between us, but it feels like an impossible distance.

“Yes, I guess convincing the whole order you were trustworthy was a mistake,” he replies.

His words hurt my heart.

“You can trust me. And you should trust me about the fact that if you use the gas, the results will be devastating. Our goals are the same, but you can’t use that gas, or people will die. They’ll be murdered. By you.” With the elevators disabled, there’s no way for Kor to get up to the island. But there’s also no way for any help to get to me. I need to convince him to abandon his plan, and I’ll have to do it alone.

He looks sad but not swayed. “We truly came hoping not to hurt anyone, but now that we’re here, we’ll make the necessary sacrifices.”

“You can’t mean that.”