Bluewing (12 page)

I moved farther down the path. Ahead, I glimpsed a tangle of pipes that sprouted from one glass wall and twisted across the underside of the roof. A fine mist cascaded down from them like rain. “There—the water comes in from there.”

Moss covered the path ahead like a vast green sponge, and mushrooms sprouted from it. I crouched down to examine them. They were edible.

“Gabe,” I said, my mind working at the implications of what we’d found. “There’s food here. Lots of it.”

He met my gaze, and his eyes were bright. He held up the piece of fruit. “Shall we go tell the others?”

I SAT ACROSS from my brother, my mouth watering as the scent of stewed winterberries filled the air. I described the places we’d found—the ruins of the house, the cellar filled with canned food, the structure of glass filled with growing things—and he listened to everything.

“Incredible,” he said when I’d finished. “And this ‘greenhouse’ is still intact after all those years?”

“I could hardly believe it. But it’s true.”

One of the fugitives approached us. I remembered her name was Dana.

“Most of the canned goods are no longer viable,” she said, disappointment staining her face. “The salt is still good, and the honey. The beans are, miraculously. The meat is not.”

The words sunk to my stomach like stones.

“We still have the berries,” Jonn pointed out. “And the fruit and other things you brought from the greenhouse.”

“It’s a long walk there and back,” I said. “We cannot make it every day, not carrying enough food to feed everyone.”

“What if we moved our camp there instead?”

I stared at him. “Move to that ruin?”

“And why not? We already live in a ruin. And there is an added bonus—if the snow blossoms are as abundant as you say, then we won’t have to worry about Watchers.”

“The house is not suitable for living,” I said. “It’s a crumbled wreck.” But even as I protested, I was mulling over what we’d seen earlier. We could live in that cellar, certainly. It would be shelter from the elements. There would be room to spread out, roam, and actually get a little sun. We would be far enough from the village to feel safe for once.

“Perhaps, brother, you’ve had a brilliant idea.”

~

I went with Gabe to examine the location again before we made a decision. We took paper and scribbled a rough map of the rooms, taking note of any areas that provided enough shelter to house people. The cellar where we’d found the canned goods was indeed our best option as a living space, I decided. It was large, secure, and the air was surprisingly warm. There was little ventilation, so fires were not much of an option, but the darkness could be abated with the glowing fungi that grew around the house in abundance.

“And we can cook meals in an actual kitchen,” I told Gabe as I surveyed the cavernous space that remained above, complete with ancient cooking devices and a rough stone-tiled floor. “We can build fires here on these stones.”

“If only the director’s wife could see what we’re contemplating doing in her house now,” he mused, smiling wryly. “She would have a fit to know someone was cooking food on her fine floors.”

“Did you know her?” I asked.

He laughed. “I did work at this house and I saw her around, yes. She was a cold one. Claire and I—” He broke off and frowned at the accidental mention of Claire.

I said nothing.

“Anyway,” he said, fumbling for a new topic. “Do we have everything we need?”

“I think so,” I said.

He didn’t mention Claire again.

~

We moved everyone during the twilight hours between night and dawn, when no soldiers or Hunters would be in the forest to see us. We traveled during a snowfall so our footprints would be covered. Jonn rode astride the gelding I called Officer Raine, and the children rode the mare. The fugitives stayed quiet, staring wide-eyed at the shadowy trees and dripping branches. I walked at the end of the line, scanning the forest for any sign of glowing red eyes, and Jonn rode at the front with Gabe. We were a silent bunch.

The mansion ruins came into view just as the snow stopped falling and the cloud cleared. The sun began to rise over the trees. Rays of golden-pink light touched the tops of the snow blossoms. Murmurs of awe rippled down the line of fugitives, and a few smiles spread across weary faces. Everyone moved a little faster.

Jonn pulled his horse up and let everyone pass him as they followed Gabe toward the house. He and I stayed together at the top of the hill, watching them go.

“It’s beautiful,” he observed, his tone quiet and thoughtful. “Look at all the snow blossoms. It’s like a sea of protection.”

I laughed. “Poetic, brother. And Everiss isn’t even here to hear it.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

Jonn frowned at me. “We need to talk about Everiss.”

“I don’t...”

“Lia,” he said. “I love her.”

“I know.”

He turned his head to look at the rising sun. The light caught the edges of his eyelashes and colored them golden. His throat twitched as he swallowed. “I mean, I want to marry her.”

My breath left my lungs. “Oh.”

“But I wouldn’t ask her to marry a cripple.”

Anger flared in my chest. “Is that what she said you are? A cripple?”

“No,” he said. “That’s what
I
say I am.”

“Jonn...”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. We have too much else to worry about.” With that, my brother slapped the reins across the gelding’s neck and rode on, leaving me standing alone on the hill.

~

I made the trek alone through the forest a day later to leave a note in our old living space in case Jullia or Ivy managed to get away from the village to visit us. In it, I told them to leave any food they might be able to bring there, along with notes about how they were doing and any Blackcoat messages they might have to pass along, and I’d be back to check for these things regularly. I left the note secured where they would be sure to see it, then I slipped back toward our new home.

The Frost blanketed me in a sugary dusting of snow. The wind swirled the flakes and made them dance. My mind wandered in circles. We had found a new place to live, and the food there would sustain us for a short while. But I was no closer to discovering where Ann was or figuring out how to rescue Adam than before, and with this new problem of obtaining passes, our plan to infiltrate the village as a caravan had become infinitely more complicated. Furthermore, I didn’t know why Korr was here again or what he wanted.

There was much to do, and my looming responsibilities seemed as daunting as walking a tightrope strung across a deep chasm.

~

The wet, warm air of the greenhouse kissed my skin as I stepped down the path, my cloak brushing against waving stalks of fruits and vegetables that grew all around me. Ahead, Gabe carried Jonn to a piece of flat ground, and then Jonn hobbled forward on his own with the aid of his crutches.

I listened to my brother’s murmured comments with half an ear as I did my own exploring. The scent of honeysuckle wafted through the air, and fruit dangled above my head like jewels hanging from a necklace. I craned my neck to look at the sun through the ceiling of ribbed glass.

“Do you have any idea what this vegetable is?” I heard Jonn ask as he stopped to examine something.

Gabe had a reply, but I couldn’t make it out.

I followed the path farther, through a grove of small trees laden with slender yellow fruit. Something caught my eye. I crouched down and looked closely. The grass beneath the trees was packed down as if a large animal had made its bed there. Had a deer gotten into the greenhouse somehow?

I parted the grass and took a closer look. Shock sizzled down my spine.

A footprint.

Someone had been here, and it wasn’t Gabe or me. We hadn’t come this far into the greenhouse before.

I fought back the instant panic. Perhaps it was only one of the fugitives. Perhaps they’d wandered inside and decided to luxuriate in the softness of the grass. Except we’d only just arrived, and we’d told them not to go anywhere outside the mansion, not yet.

“Gabe,” I said, my voice a shiver in the air.

He rounded the trees. “Are you all right?”

I pointed at the flattened grass.

“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to see,” he said.

“Something was sleeping there. Look closer—you can see the shape where it lay. The grass is matted.”

He squatted down to examine it. “An animal?”

“There are footprints.”

We regarded each other. My heart beat fast against my ribs.

“We aren’t alone here,” I said.

“Well,” he said after a moment. “This complicates things.”

~

We met in the cellar with all the fugitives to explain the situation.

“What does it mean for us?” Dana asked, after I’d told them about what I’d seen.

“I don’t know,” I said. “It’s too late for us to go anywhere right now. We’ll have to stay here tonight, certainly. I don’t know who this interloper is, but they have made themselves scarce for the time being. They appeared to be alone, whoever they are. That’s all we know.”

“Do they know about us?” Juniper asked from his place at the back.

“I don’t know.”

Everyone muttered and shuffled their feet. I understood their frustration. We were supposed to be safe here—sheltered from Watchers by the snow blossoms, isolated from any chances of discovery by villagers, rescued from starvation by the canned goods and greenhouse harvest. Now, that promise had been pierced by this new and unexpected threat.

I joined Jonn and Gabe by the steps. “We should probably keep an eye on the greenhouse, see if we can catch them sneaking in or out.”

“Tonight?” Gabe asked.

“Good idea. We can hide inside. You and I can take the first watch. Jonn, you stay here with the rest. Juniper can help you if you need anything.”

A muscle twitched in my brother’s jaw. I knew he wanted to stay in the greenhouse with us, but he didn’t argue.

~

Gabe and I took up our places behind a row of fruit trees inside the greenhouse that night. Leaves rustled as Gabe settled down beside me and drew his cloak across his body for warmth. I was crouched on my hands and knees, peering at the place where I’d seen the impression of a body earlier.

“Whoever it is, do you think they’ll be back tonight?” he asked.

I shifted onto my side and lay down, reluctant to take my eyes off the spot. Grass prickled my wrists, and the smell of dirt filled my nostrils. “It’s possible,” I said.

Beside me, Gabe’s breathing deepened as he began to drift off.

“Gabe?” I asked. He needed to stay awake.

“Hmm?” His eyelids fluttered as he stirred.

“I want you to be in charge of the food supplies. You know where the berries grow, and you’re good at giving orders.”

“It comes from being a prince,” he said, and his lips jerked in a half-hearted smile.

“Well?”

“All right,” he said. “I’ll do it.”

“Thank you.” I chewed my lip, pondering all the other things I still had pressing on my mind. Ivy’s safety. The Blackcoats’ plan to overthrow the village. Jonn and Everiss. And Adam and Ann were still out there, experiencing who knows what. I had to find them. An ache so fierce it took my breath away swept through me, and I exhaled. Gabe’s fingers found mine, but I flinched away before I realized what he was doing.

He didn’t reach for my hand again.

I let my head fall back, and I stared at the ceiling of glass above me. We were silent.

“Lia?”

“Yes?”

“Never mind.” Gabe rolled over onto his back again and folded his arms across his stomach. He shut his eyes.

I kept mine open. I couldn’t see the stars through the fogged glass, but I stared up at where I knew they were.

The hours trickled past with the same incessant consistency of the water droplets that fell from the ceiling to water the vegetation. My limbs grew heavy. My eyes turned gritty as sleep began to seduce me. Beside me, Gabe snored softly.

The greenhouse was too dark to see much of anything, but all was silent. Nothing stirred in the blackness. Apparently, our interloper would not be back. I wrapped my cloak tighter around my shoulders and nestled down to get a little sleep.

That was when hands grabbed me.

I struggled, fought. Voices shouted in my ear. Gabe yelled, but I couldn’t see him—everything was darkness and confusion. I swung blindly, and my hand connected with flesh. Someone howled in pain. I jerked away, stumbling, and then I ran.

“Stop! We have your companion!”

I’d reached the door, my fingers grasping for the indention that would open it, but I froze at the command. I turned as a light flared, piecing the darkness, and I staggered back at what I saw.

THREE FIGURES ADVANCED toward me, lights in hand. White cloth covered their bodies and faces. I stumbled back, fumbling for something—anything—to use to defend myself. Where was my knife? Had I dropped it in the confusion?

“Wait,” one of the figures growled. “Hold up.”

The others stopped. I saw Gabe in the background, in the grip of another figure. How had they gotten inside without us seeing?

My fingers finally found the knife tucked in my belt, and I brandished it at them.

“Who are you?” I demanded.

The figure who’d spoken stepped forward and stripped away cloth to reveal a human face. He was a man around my father’s age, with bushy eyebrows, chapped red lips, and a coarse black beard.

“I might ask you the same question,” he said. “Why are you in our greenhouse?”

Our greenhouse.

My stomach dropped.

“Tell me who you are,” I said.

“I’m called Stone. My people maintain this place and eat the food. We have a right to defend it against intruders like you. And defend it we will.” His eyes dropped to the knife in my hand. “Are you going to try to fight me with that? Who are you?”