Infinity Reaper by Adam Silvera (best new books to read txt) 📗

not fair that he’s hitting me with this right now, not when I’m a river away from Ness, but I can’t act like I’m not moved by it. He’s beautiful, confident about himself though bordering on conceited, devoted to phoenixkind, and keeps dreaming up a better world for me as a Halo Knight. I’m really into everything he’s talking about too—my arms wrapped around him as we fly around on Nox, how we don’t have to talk over the winds to feel connected, and how much easier it’s been to sleep because I’m with him.

I just can’t give him anything in return until I figure myself out.

“Hey!” Brighton calls, sitting inside a four-seater jet boat with Prudencia. “We’re ready!”

We all gather around and review our plan once we get inside the Bounds. Split up into pairs of two—Brighton and Prudencia, Maribelle and Tala, me and Wyatt—to cover more ground. There’s one phoenix specter on each team, and hopefully our fire will be enough to melt whatever cell Ness is in. We’re not expecting our phones to work underground, so if we hear chaos, we’re supposed to blow on whistles the Halo Knights have used when training phoenixes and run toward the danger to make sure none of us get captured during this mission.

“Special request to alert me if you see Stanton,” Tala says. “I’m going to cut that snake’s head off for killing my mother.”

“Very dark,” Wyatt says.

“And duly noted,” Brighton says.

“How much time are we giving ourselves in there?” Prudencia asks.

“Until we find Ness,” I say.

“That’s not going to fly,” Maribelle says. “One hour.”

“There’s four towers to search.”

“Bro, I’m going to dash around, but we’ll have to call it quits at some point,” Brighton says.

“Then I’ll stay.”

“Then you’re forcing everyone else to stay too because I’m the door getting us in and out and you know I’m not leaving you behind.”

Brighton is staring at me, and I know he’s one hundred percent serious.

I can sacrifice myself all I want, but I can’t force everyone to do the same.

I agree to the terms, not knowing how I’ll be able to live with myself if I can’t save the person who keeps risking death for me.

Sixty-FiveStrike

MARIBELLE

Lightning flashes and rain pounds the river as Roxana flies Tala and me toward the Bounds. Prudencia is telekinetically piloting the speedboat away from the phoenix’s storm as Emil and Wyatt blend into the night on Nox. Everything is smooth sailing, as Papa used to say, until a phoenix pops out from the river’s surface and shoots into the sky with water spraying from its large wings.

“Please don’t attack us,” Tala says, hoping this won’t have to get violent between the phoenixes.

The sky swimmer flies toward us at furious speed. Its wings begin burning in cerulean flames and the phoenix flaps the fire toward us with the force of a gale. Tala sharply steers us away from the attack, and I hold on to Roxana’s strong yellow feathers for balance. The sky swimmer dives toward the speedboat, about to collide until Nox swoops up out of nowhere with a breath of bronze flames that scares the sky swimmer back underwater.

I try searching for shadows in the river, but it’s too dark out. The sky swimmer emerges behind us and speeds toward us. “Tala, attack it now or—”

The collision of phoenixes is so powerful we’re both thrown off Roxana’s back. My dark yellow flames carry me back up, but Tala smacks straight into the river. Wyatt dives off Nox to search for her. The sky swimmer is scratching away at Roxana with its talons, and the light howler is screaming like never before.

I hurl fire-arrows up at the sky swimmer, striking it in the back. The phoenix spins and pursues me. I fly away in terror, looking over my shoulder to see the sky swimmer catching up. My power isn’t strong enough to take the phoenix down, so I brake in the air just long enough for the sky swimmer to fly over me, and I make my way back to Roxana as quickly as possible.

I drop onto Roxana’s back as she wails, not knowing how to soothe her, but knowing I need her.

Halo Knights have vowed not to harm other phoenixes, even if it means putting their own lives at risk.

I’m not a Halo Knight.

I scream the command that Tala used when we first met: “STRIKE!”

Roxana opens her mouth and massive bolts of lightning strike the sky swimmer out of the air, again and again, and before it crashes into the river, it explodes in a massive blue fireball. Ashes cloud the air and feathers float on the water.

My muscles are throbbing from Roxana’s lightning as I steer her toward the island, landing moments before everyone else. Tala jumps off Nox, her teeth chattering, as she observes the slashes across Roxana’s belly.

“I had to kill that phoenix,” I say.

“Thank you for saving mine,” Tala says as she guides Roxana toward the shore, getting her to lie down so the gentle waves can cool her wound.

“How long until that phoenix resurrects?” Brighton asks.

“Sky swimmers need an hour, maybe two,” Wyatt says.

“Depends on how old it is,” Emil adds.

“Then we better keep it moving,” Brighton says, moving across the beach.

Tala kisses Roxana between the eyes. “I’m coming back for you.”

I admire her strength as she runs toward the Bounds, her crossbow at the ready.

Maybe we’ll both fire arrows into Luna at the same time.

Sixty-SixThe Bounds

BRIGHTON

Showtime.

We make our way up to the Bounds, sticking to the shadows the entire time. Maribelle is able to sense danger beyond a tree, grabbing Emil’s arm before he can fall down a trap where a blood orange basilisk is curled around a spike, its tail rattling. Prudencia telekinetically covers the hole with a nearby boulder, leaving enough space for air and moonlight but not enough to burst up and kill us.

There are four towers, and we stand outside the closest.

I prepare them for phasing, assuring them they won’t feel