“No, Cobane—immeasurable because it’s limitless, infinite. It’s everything unseen in the world and beyond. In the stars and beyond that. Like a breath, we can hold it only a few minutes. But, if you’re very quiet, you can meditate on the power and learn to move with it.”

“In and out, in and out,” I said.

He nodded. “The more you meditate, the more you will learn.” He tapped his temple with a finger.

“Learn what?” I asked.

He lifted one shoulder. “Everything. How to move. When to move and where. You’ll learn to read others and predict their movements.”

I remembered noting Voltaire’s anger—not by his voice, which had remained calm, but by his breath.

“The goal,” he went on, “is to move in perfect alignment with your breath. To meditate in motion.”

“I think I understand,” I said. “I need to align with this power, so I can master the Helix.”

Hosea shook his head. “It’s not about swords, Cobane. It never is. When you achieve perfect alignment, you will have long since stopped relying on swords.”

“Because, when I get there…” I stopped. The end of the sentence escaped me.

“When you get there,” Hosea said. He touched my cheek, tucked a braid behind my ear. “When you get there, Arika, you’ll be invincible.”

Our eyes locked and I inhaled, suddenly understanding everything.

His mouth hovered over mine. He breathed out and I breathed in.

When he dropped his hand, I jerked. “Hosea?” I whispered.

“No,” he said, but his voice cracked.

“No, what?”

He shook his head, resisting me—or himself. I couldn’t tell. A second later, he slipped into his bedroll.

The Double Helix

THE DOUBLE HELIX

The next morning, I arrived late to breakfast. Pidge and Booster were arguing with Voltaire over Joust strategies. I hurried by them, skipping the seat I usually shared with Hosea, which was empty. I settled next to Walker and William, who generally kept out of the others’ discussions.

Walker tilted his hat back. “See, William, she has arisen.”

William glanced up from his whittling and nodded. He resumed his soft hum.

“William demanded I make a take-away breakfast for you,” Walker continued. “He had no faith you would wake in time.”

“Arika no sleep,” William explained.

Walker flashed his big smile. “So you said, old man.” He reached down to pick up my water bottle and a pouch of food.

I took it and tucked in. William was right. I had not slept well. I’d lain awake, struggling with discontent as well as my growing affection for the Vine Keeper.