"We know about the Heart and the Lifeblood," Grant says. "But this is the first we've heard of a brain."
"I only know what Aldith told me. She said the Echo has been without a brain ever since Sefton and his doppelgänger died." I stare at the dirt floor to avoid Sarah's gaze, because her undivided attention still makes me uneasy. "The Echo is a living thing composed of magics, that's what Aldith told me. It's not sentient, and without its master, it needs another being to keep the Brain working."
"Interesting," Grant says. "Aldith never mentioned that to us. But I guess she's been waiting for whoever will become the Brain."
Sarah's eyes go wide. I try not to see that, but my eyes insist on looking at her. She opens her mouth but seems unable to speak for a moment. Then she points a finger at me. "It's you, Gabriel. You are the Brain."
"What? Come on, that's crazy. I got good grades in school, but I'm no brainiac."
"I doubt a high IQ is required," Grant says. "The Heart and the Lifeblood were chosen based on their strength anddedication to protecting others. The Brain was probably selected for similar reasons."
Though I intend to refute his claim, something he just said stops me. I study Grant for a moment, while I decide whether I should alert them to the fact I've figured out one of their secrets. Maybe I'm wrong, anyway. But I have a gut feeling that I'm right.
I nail my gaze to Grant's. "Two of you guys are the Heart and the Lifeblood, aren't you? I'd bet it's you and Erin. Just a hunch, but I think I'm right."
Grant stares at me.
I take that as confirmation I was right. "You don't need to confirm it for me. And I won't spill the beans to anybody else. Who would want to talk to me, anyway? I'm the jerk who scared everyone when I stormed into your little camp."
Dax and Grant exchange a look that I think means they're deciding how much they should tell me. Then Grant looks at Erin, and she nods.
"We should ask Allison first," Dax tells his friends. "She should be involved in the decision of whether to bring someone new into the inner circle."
This is starting to sound like a cult. But I don't think they meant it that way.
Dax strides out of the tent. Minutes tick by while the rest of us wait in silence. Sarah keeps glancing at me, smiling. Every time she does that, I avert my gaze.
The British Hulk returns—with a pregnant woman. He holds her hand, guiding her toward the cot. Erin takes a seat on the floor to let the woman, who I assume is Allison, settle onto the cot. Her husband squats on the floor beside her.
"We should tell Gabriel everything," Allison says. "The Echo needs him."
"But it tried to kill me," I say. "Even if it meant to hit Sarah, it still fried me. I just happened to jump in front of the bolt that was meant for her."
"Exactly. You instinctively protected Sarah, even though you just met her and know nothing about her. She doesn't know herself either."
"Yeah, I know that."
Allison glances at her husband, who nods. "What we're about to tell you is top secret. We've kept most of this from the rest of our community because it's explosive. People might panic."
"Do I seem like the panicking type? I can handle whatever it is. Didn't Dax tell you about me?"
"Yes, he did. That's why we agreed you should know the truth." Allison nods to her husband. "You should go first, honey."
The British Hulk faces me. "Sefton Stainthorpe was my twin brother. He used me and Allison as tools in his mad scheme to create the Echo and start an apocalypse. He transformed my body into what you see now and threw me into the Echo."
"He used me too," Allison says. "But not as violently as he used Dax. Sefton made me the Catalyst for his plans. Dax was the Anchor."
"Allison tapped into magics she hadn't known she possessed to stop the alchemy of worlds. As revenge, Sefton murdered Allison." Dax glances at each of his friends in turn, as if seeking their approval. When they nod, he continues. "What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this tent. We want to trust the members of our community completely, but this revelation might hurt a child if everyone knew. You've met Willow, the youngest member of Sanctuary. She's fifteen years old."
"How we met her is a long story we'll tell you later," Allison says. "But it turned out that Willow has the Echo power inside her, just like I do, and so does Dax. Grant and Erin also holdthat power inside them. We believe you have it too. But I'm getting away from the main point. Willow used her Echo power to resurrect me from death."
"I've never heard of Echo power," I say. "And I traveled through the entire world that is the Echo."
"Apparently, not many people in either world know about that power. We've found a few people in Sanctuary who have a watered-down version of it that gives them limited teleportation skills."
"This is all fascinating. But I don't see how it relates to me."
"You gathered a small army of Echo creatures who shared your desire to protect the innocents trapped in that world," Allison says. "Then, after you found Sanctuary, you shielded Sarah from the Echo lightning. You are a protector, Gabriel. Dax and I believe you might be the Brain, the key component of the Echo that has been missing ever since Sefton and Will, his doppelgänger, died."