Read Online Divided: The Alliance Series Book Four by Emma L. Adams - Free Book Online
Authors: Emma L. Adams
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Alliance, and they took Ada.”
“Yes, I’ve had to relate the same story to Ada’s guardian.”
The floor gave way under my feet. Ada’s guardian. Her brothers. Thanks to me, they’d lost her.
“You should have let me tell them.”
Ms Weston gave me her iciest look. “Kay Walker, I’ve had quite enough of you telling me how to do my job. You’re on probation, as of today, and it’ll be up to me to judge when you’re fit to go on missions as an Ambassador again.”
Missions? I couldn’t even conceive of getting on with the job without—
Stop. Thinking. Dwelling on Ada wouldn’t help me think clearly. I needed someone high up in the Alliance on my side now more than ever.
“Are you not going to send anyone to the hidden Passage, at least?” I asked. “Someone has been using it. The evidence is all there. You can’t deny Cethrax has taken advantage. It explains the anomalies, the unexpected attacks. That Passage goes on for miles, even I didn’t see how far.”
“We have enough on our hands keeping up with regular patrols,” said Ms Weston. “Especially losing so many members. I’m in charge of the investigation, and I’ve put out a message to Valeria and Alvienne. The other Allied worlds are considerably displeased with the chaos they experienced while you were on Vey-Xanetha. Your profile’s plastered all over it, unfortunately, and considering the stories of you raving in the Passages have spread already, they’re demanding more evidence. The hidden Passage will be under guard until further notice, but nobody has found so much as a trace of these Stoneskins you speak of.”
Oh, crap. Our battle with the mad god was bound to have caused a major disturbance, but I hadn’t expected half the Multiverse to back out of searching for Ada.
“And the Stoneskins?” I asked.
“As I said, with no evidence—”
“I can find evidence,” I said. “If you’d let me.”
“You, Kay Walker, are going to stay here, on Earth. Your past behaviour does you no credit.”
“I acted in the way I saw fit to protect the Alliance and my fellow Ambassadors. To save human lives,” I said. “I’ve never violated our mandate. Every time, I put the Alliance above everything else. If you think I’d ever do anything like that on purpose, you promoted the wrong person to Ambassador.”
I braced myself for her to hit me with everything. She couldn’t punish me any more than I could myself.
“So that’s where you stand, Kay? You’d defend your own actions to the last, even though you’ve put one of our members in enemy hands?”
“Enough,” I said quietly. “Don’t think for a minute I don’t regret what happened. And don’t think for a minute I won’t try to save her.”
Silence. Ms Weston looked at me with… I couldn’t tell what emotion she was trying to keep out of her eyes.
“You’re in shock,” she said, quietly. “I can’t control your choices, Kay, but I have a responsibility towards all my employees. I thought you of all people would understand the futility of throwing your life towards a lost cause.”
A thousand knives stabbed me at once.
She knows. In the forefront of my mind, Ada’s face was replaced by another, one I’d tried to forget.
Elizabeth Walker. Alliance Ambassador, who’d given her life for what Ms Weston called a lost cause.
Goddammit, I didn’t come here to talk about that. Like it would help save Ada to know I was doing the same as my mother had done, thirteen years ago, when she’d tried to rescue a world the Alliance had labelled as beyond help. An idiotic suicide mission, as my father put it. It made no difference—suicide mission or not, she was dead.
And Ms Weston thought I’d do the same, given the chance.
“I’m glad you think so highly of me,” I said, icy-cold. “I have no intention of involving anyone else in this. And I have absolutely no intention of throwing away my life in the name of a hopeless cause. Ada is alive. Those
“Yes, I’ve had to relate the same story to Ada’s guardian.”
The floor gave way under my feet. Ada’s guardian. Her brothers. Thanks to me, they’d lost her.
“You should have let me tell them.”
Ms Weston gave me her iciest look. “Kay Walker, I’ve had quite enough of you telling me how to do my job. You’re on probation, as of today, and it’ll be up to me to judge when you’re fit to go on missions as an Ambassador again.”
Missions? I couldn’t even conceive of getting on with the job without—
Stop. Thinking. Dwelling on Ada wouldn’t help me think clearly. I needed someone high up in the Alliance on my side now more than ever.
“Are you not going to send anyone to the hidden Passage, at least?” I asked. “Someone has been using it. The evidence is all there. You can’t deny Cethrax has taken advantage. It explains the anomalies, the unexpected attacks. That Passage goes on for miles, even I didn’t see how far.”
“We have enough on our hands keeping up with regular patrols,” said Ms Weston. “Especially losing so many members. I’m in charge of the investigation, and I’ve put out a message to Valeria and Alvienne. The other Allied worlds are considerably displeased with the chaos they experienced while you were on Vey-Xanetha. Your profile’s plastered all over it, unfortunately, and considering the stories of you raving in the Passages have spread already, they’re demanding more evidence. The hidden Passage will be under guard until further notice, but nobody has found so much as a trace of these Stoneskins you speak of.”
Oh, crap. Our battle with the mad god was bound to have caused a major disturbance, but I hadn’t expected half the Multiverse to back out of searching for Ada.
“And the Stoneskins?” I asked.
“As I said, with no evidence—”
“I can find evidence,” I said. “If you’d let me.”
“You, Kay Walker, are going to stay here, on Earth. Your past behaviour does you no credit.”
“I acted in the way I saw fit to protect the Alliance and my fellow Ambassadors. To save human lives,” I said. “I’ve never violated our mandate. Every time, I put the Alliance above everything else. If you think I’d ever do anything like that on purpose, you promoted the wrong person to Ambassador.”
I braced myself for her to hit me with everything. She couldn’t punish me any more than I could myself.
“So that’s where you stand, Kay? You’d defend your own actions to the last, even though you’ve put one of our members in enemy hands?”
“Enough,” I said quietly. “Don’t think for a minute I don’t regret what happened. And don’t think for a minute I won’t try to save her.”
Silence. Ms Weston looked at me with… I couldn’t tell what emotion she was trying to keep out of her eyes.
“You’re in shock,” she said, quietly. “I can’t control your choices, Kay, but I have a responsibility towards all my employees. I thought you of all people would understand the futility of throwing your life towards a lost cause.”
A thousand knives stabbed me at once.
She knows. In the forefront of my mind, Ada’s face was replaced by another, one I’d tried to forget.
Elizabeth Walker. Alliance Ambassador, who’d given her life for what Ms Weston called a lost cause.
Goddammit, I didn’t come here to talk about that. Like it would help save Ada to know I was doing the same as my mother had done, thirteen years ago, when she’d tried to rescue a world the Alliance had labelled as beyond help. An idiotic suicide mission, as my father put it. It made no difference—suicide mission or not, she was dead.
And Ms Weston thought I’d do the same, given the chance.
“I’m glad you think so highly of me,” I said, icy-cold. “I have no intention of involving anyone else in this. And I have absolutely no intention of throwing away my life in the name of a hopeless cause. Ada is alive. Those
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