Nil on Fire by Lynne Matson

Paulo himself.
    And I had no idea what this Paulo was doing now.
    Choose me , the girl had said. It was Nil. The island had forced me to choose once; now it was asking. It was giving me the chance—and the choice —to do what was right. To correct my mistake, and finish what I started.
    Regardless of what Paulo was doing on the other side, I had to block that gate. I had to be on the Death Twin on the Summer Solstice. I had to stop Nil once and for all.
    And I wasn’t meant to go alone.
    That revelation rushed through me like light.
    â€œI want you to come with me, Rives.” I grabbed his arm, speaking fast. “To the Death Twin on the Summer Solstice. You convinced Maaka once, and you might have to do it again. Or convince someone else equally determined to keep this crazy tradition going.” I knew Rives would loathe the idea of getting anywhere near Nil. “I know it’s asking a lot, after all you’ve been through. But I really want you to come with me. I don’t want to do this alone.”
    He smiled slowly, that melty Rives smile that made the rest of the world fall away, lighting his gorgeous green eyes from within. Only this time, his eyes burned a little too bright, as if there were too much emotion threatening to spill out the edges.
    â€œSkye.” He shook his head slightly, his voice rough. “You didn’t even need to ask.”

 
    CHAPTER
    20
    RIVES
    JUNE 10, NIGHT
    Nil nightmare round two had begun.
    Or maybe the first one never ended.
    The sick thing was, the latest installment of the twisted Nil saga had caught me completely off guard. You’d think by now I’d be used to the unexpected, but where Nil was concerned, I was more than a slow learner. It was like I had a Nil blind spot. I tended not to see the twists coming.
    Not a happy thought. Or a safe one.
    Thad constantly cautioned, Eyes wide open .
    Always , I’d think.
    But now? Now I worried that even with my eyes wide open, the blind spot was still there, keeping me from seeing the truth. Keeping me from seeing the danger. Putting all of us at risk. Putting Skye at risk. And that was the worst part. Skye was in danger, and I finally saw it, thanks to the roaring blackness in her head so large that my blind spot didn’t matter. Her dad knew it too.
    It was written all over his face as she outlined her latest plan to revisit the Death Twin on the Summer Solstice.
    â€œLet me talk to your mother,” he said quietly. Then he looked at me. “Rives, a quick word?”
    Skye crossed her arms. “Anything you can say to Rives you can say to me.”
    â€œNot everything.” Her dad’s expression didn’t change. “We need a guys’ moment. Father to boyfriend. We won’t be long.”
    Skye rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.
    Pulling me into his office, the professor put his hand on my shoulder with a grip so firm that movement wasn’t an option. “Rives, I know Skye. And I know you do too. Which tells me that she’s going to that Death Twin, with or without us.” His jaw ticked. “Clearly you agree with me, because you’ve already agreed to go.”
    I nodded.
    â€œSo we’ll go with her. Hopefully she’s right, that blocking the gate—that changing an islander’s mind —will end the vicious Nil cycle once and for all. But something tells me there’s greater danger on that Death Twin than Skye appreciates, and you’re the only one who can keep her safe. Promise me that you’ll watch out for my daughter.”
    â€œI promise,” I said.
    Skye’s dad studied me. “I hope you can keep that promise.” He sighed. He dropped his hand, then ran it through his hair. “And Rives?”
    â€œYes, sir?”
    â€œWhatever you do”—his voice was dangerously quiet—“you keep her away from that gate. At all costs. You understand? Do not let her go back.”
    Ice shot down my