Orion stepped to the foot of his father’s bed. The necessity for their meetings was becoming more and more frequent.
“It’s imperative that we keep the girl’s true identity a secret,” Cypress rasped. “We can’t take any chances. The Believers can’t find out that she’s here.”
“I agree,” Orion said. “Interest in Sadie’s background has spread among the media. For now I’ve successfully intervened, but if things get further out of hand, we won’t be able to keep it contained.”
Cypress coughed and reached for a glass of water. “I still can’t convince the CAED that the girl is the Aurora, but they agree that if the Believers were to learn of her they could create much bigger problems for us. As a precaution, the CAED is talking about taking the girl into their custody.”
Orion laughed without humor. “That’s a nice way of putting it.”
“This isn’t a laughing matter,” Cypress urged. “You need to look past your loyalties to Hamlin and focus on the bigger picture. It’s bad enough the Believers now know he has a daughter. Our inside sources tell us they’ve doubled their efforts in looking for Jane Fairbank’s female heir.”
Cypress coughed again, but he continued to persist. “If they find out she’s living right here in Banya, their efforts to glorify her existence could triple overnight. With living proof of the Aurora right in front of their eyes, their influence on the people could grow astronomically. After years of treating the Believers as crazed fanatics, the people could start taking their claims seriously. Everything we’ve been working for could be destroyed. At this point, I don’t see what choice we have.”
“I understand that,” Orion replied. “But, I believe I have a possible solution. One that doesn’t require kidnapping.”
Cypress rolled his eyes. “Fine. Let’s hear it then...”
“Well,” Orion began, “I’ve already promised Sadie a visit to Hamlin and her mother out at project Winnie. I believe I can convince the Council that she’s in need of a longer break. We could send her to stay with them, out there in the middle of nowhere, for an extended period of time. She wouldn’t be anywhere near any reporters.”
“That will only be a temporary fix,” Cypress argued. “We should take care of the threat once and for all.”
Orion exhaled with exasperation. “Well, pardon me for having a little humanity. This will at least buy us some time. When Sadie returns to the Academy she’ll be too busy to get into any trouble. And I’ll make sure the media understands that campus is off limits. By then we’ll know if I’ve won the election, and we can move forward from there.”
“The CAED won’t be happy about this,” Cypress grumbled. “Despite their lack of belief, they recognize the possible threat the Believers pose.”
“The CAED agreed to wait to take extreme action until after I win the election.”
“Yes, but—” Cypress choked. The breath caught in his throat, causing him to cough. His words were labored. “That was before... the Aurora appeared.”
Orion gritted his teeth as he thought back to his unsuccessful attempt to cross the Threshold border with the Aurora’s blood injected in his veins.
“I have things under control,” Orion finally said. “If the CAED has a problem with that, they can take it up with me. Besides, sending Sadie off to her parents would create the perfect opportunity to put an end to her healing sessions across the border, halting her opportunity to develop her powers. Isn’t that what you’ve been pushing me to do all along?”
Cypress sighed in frustration. “Fine. But once you convince the Council to send the girl away, we’re assigning at least one of our CAED members to go with her.”
“Agreed,” Orion said.
Cypress lifted a shaky hand. “Now, on to our second matter of business... Voss.”
“It’s taken care of,” Orion explained. “Just this morning the Council agreed to let me head up Ash Hasting’s mission.”
“You must do whatever you can to keep Voss quiet,” Cypress urged. “Finish him off if you have to. He could ruin you if he let the truth get out about your past work together.”
“I’m well aware of the gravity of the situation, father. I’m bringing six CAED members with me to support the operation. We shouldn’t have any problem getting to Voss first.”
“Good,” Cypress replied. “Do whatever it takes. If you don’t keep Voss under control you will be failing your mother and her entire life’s work.”