Covington sighed. “Fine. I’ll talk to East Keep and we’ll meet back here in an hour.”

No one moved.

“What are you waiting for? Go!”

The secondary students scurried away. Hannibal and the West Keep twins followed close behind. I stayed in my seat, flanked on either side by Jetson and Hosea. At the far end of the table, Covington sank dramatically into her chair.

“Are you going to tell us what that was about?” Jetson asked.

She looked up, her chin in her hands. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

He turned on me. “You and I both know you were not with Covington last night. You were in the village—with him.” He jabbed a finger at Hosea.

“You can’t prove that, Jetson,” I said. “And if you consider me a friend, you won’t try to prove it.”

“I can’t ignore the fact that you’re working with a Rebel enemy of Hasting. Don’t you know they hate our kind?”

“No!” I pleaded. “I’m not working with anyone! I swear it. All I want is a fair shot at the Senate seat.”

“Then why were you in the village last night?”

I glanced at Hosea, feeling torn. “I can’t tell you.”

Jetson jumped to his feet, grabbing Hosea by the shirtfront. “What have you done to her?”

“Jetson, no!” I jumped up.

“Relax, Cobane,” Hosea said. “Jetson isn’t going to hurt anyone, least of all me.”

Jetson bared his teeth.

Hosea went on, calmly. “You were right. He can’t prove anything. All he has are allegations.”

I looked between the two as they towered over me, evenly matched. What Jetson lacked in size he made up in zeal. He looked ready to murder Hosea who, for all his height and bulk, hadn’t lifted a finger to defend himself.

They stood there, breathing heavily, their eyes locked. Remembering Hosea’s mysterious weapon, my gaze dropped to his waist. Close up, I saw it was etched with what looked to be ladders. Two pairs of vertical lines, each pair intercrossed with shorter horizontal lines. The ladders wove back and forth together, forming an intricate braid.

The sight of the metal tube sent a chill down my spine. “Jetson,” I tried again. “For your sake, just let this go.”

Jetson focused so intently on Hosea, I wondered if he’d heard me. After several long moments, he shoved his captive away. “You’re not worth it,” he said. He stomped from the room.

Hosea straightened his clothes, glanced at me, and followed after Jetson.

The Ultimatum

THE ULTIMATUM

As the door closed after them, I sighed. I had managed yet another narrow escape. After one more assignment life would return to normal. It was time to fill out the black book. I pushed back from the table and stood.

Covington stopped me. “Sit down, Arika.”