Kael cocks his head to the side. “And yet, when you first mentioned going back to Lengard, you said nothing about stopping Vanik. Only that you want to save Ward.”

“And the other Speakers,” I grind out, fighting the urge to defend myself. I’m not sure why Kael is acting this way, when I assumed he was on our side. A sudden moment of clarity hits me and I wonder … could Kael be jealous?

Surely not. And even if he is, there’s no way he would let some petty feeling influence the decisions he makes, not when so much is at stake. Despite everything else, I know Kael enough to believe that much is true. He is a good leader— he just needs to be convinced that this is the right course of action.

Taking a breath, I try to keep my voice from revealing my frustration. “I was locked up there for over two and half years, so obviously I don’t want anyone else staying a moment longer than they have to—especially when they don’t even know they’re really prisoners.” I pause to let that sink in. “But more than that, you know how important it is that we stop Vanik. He’s a threat to the entire world. We need to go back and face him.”

Crossing his arms, Kael looks at me carefully. “And once you’re at Lengard facing Vanik, then what?”

Something inside me eases—slightly—at him being at least willing to hear me out. I don’t look at Cami, but I know she’s monitoring our conversation closely, waiting to see if I can work my magic on him.

I make sure my words sound more confident than I feel as I answer, “You said it yourself earlier—I’m in control now. I’m strong enough to win against Vanik. Manning, too.” I don’t let myself think of the mirror maze. Control, I might have, but there’s a long way to go before I master my ability.

“Then what?” Kael asks again.

My brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

“What do you plan on doing with Vanik and Manning? Will you kill them?”

I lurch backward fast enough to give myself whiplash. “What?”

“Because the way I see it, unless you have a way of nullifying Manning’s power forever, he’s too dangerous to be kept alive. He’d escape any prison cell with only a word. And Vanik might no longer have a Speaking ability, but he’s still a genius who would find a way to outsmart his guards, you can be sure of that. How would you contain them? Where would you contain them?”

“I—”

“And what about Falon? His family? Don’t forget he has a wife and three young kids—innocents, Lyss. What would you do with them?”

“They—”

“And let’s consider the rest of the Lengard Speakers you want to save. Many of the older-generation Genesis recruits know what’s going on already. Would you have them meet the same fate as Vanik and Manning? How would you know who is on which side? How would you punish them? Would you be judge, jury and executioner?”