“Everything all right in here?” Garnet’s voice makes us all jump. He leans in the doorway, a crooked smile on his lips. I wonder how long he was watching the fight.
“Everything is fine,” Lucien says in a clipped tone. “Everyone needs to get some sleep. Especially you,” he says, turning to me. “You have a big day tomorrow.”
“I’m staying in Raven’s room,” I tell him. “Garnet can stay in here with Ash. But, Lucien . . .” I look up into his dark blue eyes. “I won’t have any more of this nonsense about what I do or don’t do with Ash. I didn’t escape one prison to be thrown into another. You need to trust that I can make the right decisions for myself. Because I can and I will.”
Lucien purses his lips and gives me a nod so brief it’s almost nothing, just the slightest jerk of his head. Then he sweeps out the door without even a glance in Ash’s direction.
“Well,” Garnet says, sauntering into the room and clapping Ash on the shoulder. “Exciting day, huh?” He leans in and mock whispers, “If you two want some privacy, I won’t tell.”
I roll my eyes.
“You do need to get some sleep,” Ash says to me. “I don’t know what she has in store for you, but that woman, Sil, is . . . intense.”
I nod, and a yawn escapes my lips. Ash smiles. He kisses me softly above each eye before pulling my lips to his.
“Go,” he murmurs. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
It aches to leave him but I’m so exhausted. Raven is still sleeping when I enter the room. I kick off my shoes, not even bothering to take off my clothes, and curl up in the empty bed. The blanket smells like heather—it reminds me of my bed at home, how on a particularly cold night or during thunderstorms, Hazel would crawl under the covers with me and we’d fall asleep curled up together.
“Good night, Hazel,” I say, like I did so many times at Southgate late at night. “Good night, Ochre. Good night . . .”
But before I even get to my mother, I drift off into a deep, blissful sleep.
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Sixteen
I AM WOKEN ABRUPTLY BY A LOUD POUNDING ON THE door.
“Up!” Sil barks. “Today we see what you’re made of.”
I feel like I could easily sleep for about twelve more hours. I rub my eyes and stretch, then move to wake up Raven. I’d like to let her sleep, but I don’t want her to wake up alone.
“Raven,” I say, giving her shoulder a shake. “Time to get up.”
She lurches upright. “All dark, too dark,” she gasps. Her gaze is unfocused as she looks at me. “They’ll take your eyes.”
“It’s okay.” I clutch her face in my hands, trying to get her to focus on me. “You are Raven Stirling. You are real. You are stronger than this.”
I can see the change, her cheeks flushing with color, her eyes going from glassy to bright. “Violet?” she says. She glances around the room. “Right. We’re safe now, aren’t we? No more running.”
“No more running,” I repeat.
Raven gets out of bed and walks over to the window. I follow and we look out on the vast clearing, surrounded by the thick forest. Frost twinkles on the grass in the morning light. A bird flits through the air.
“It’s quiet here,” Raven says.
“It is,” I agree.
“I like it.” She turns to me, a sad smile on her lips. “This is a nice place to die.”
I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach. “I won’t let that happen.”
Raven kisses my cheek. “I’m hungry,” she says.
I try to keep my composure as we walk downstairs. It won’t do anyone any good to collapse into a sobbing heap. Least of all Raven.
Everyone else is already awake. Lucien sits at the dining table, a mug of coffee in one hand, a newspaper spread out before him. It is strange to see him out of his lady-in-waiting garb—he wears a pair of simple brown pants and a gray sweater.
“Lucien,” I say raising an eyebrow. “You look . . .”
He smiles wryly. “Yes, it’s a change from the usual isn’t it? Shocking as it may sound, I don’t actually enjoying wearing a dress.”
I grin. I’m glad he’s in a better mood.
“Eat,” Sil says from the kitchen, where she is scooping oatmeal into a bowl for Ash. She shoves it into his hand and starts preparing another one for me, dousing it with a healthy serving of brown sugar.
“How did you sleep?” Ash asks.
“Like the dead,” I say. His hair is wet and tangled. I want to run my fingers through it. “Did you bathe?”
He smiles. “It had been a while. I think I needed it.”
“Eat,” Sil says again, setting a bowl down in front of me. “Then you can take a bath.” She sniffs. “You both need it,” she says with a glance at Raven.
“Where’s Garnet?” I ask, taking a bite of oatmeal. The brown sugar melts on my tongue.
“Outside sulking,” Lucien replies. He flips to the front page of the paper and flops it down in front of me. The headline of the Lone City Herald reads, ROYAL WEDDING. And under that in smaller print: THE JEWEL’S MOST-ELIGIBLE BACHELOR TO WED.
In everything that had happened, I completely forgot that Garnet was getting married. I even played cello at his engagement party. I shudder, remembering the pain that night, how I nearly died from a miscarriage. I didn’t realize a date had already been set for the wedding.
“Oh,” I say. “Right.”
I’ve become so used to Garnet’s presence. He’s like a friend now. It’s strange to think that he’ll go back to living in the Jewel.
“Will he no longer be part of your Society?” I say. “But he got that tattoo . . .”
Lucien smiles. “I’m flattered you think of it as my Society.”
“Oh, come on,” I say. “You’re the Black Key.”
“It might surprise you to know,” Lucien says, “that I am not the first person in the Lone City to think the royalty needs to be held accountable for their actions. It was about two centuries ago—no one remembers it now, and the royalty certainly don’t wish to even admit that it happened, but there was a man in the Farm. Bulgur Key. He attempted a revolt on the royalty, formed a secret society, caused a lot of trouble in the Farm. But his reach was not wide enough—he couldn’t affect anything beyond his own circle. In the end, he and every member of the Society of the Black Key were executed. And the whole thing was quietly swept under the rug.” Lucien taps his chin with a finger. “I felt his Society deserved to live on.”
“How did you find out about it?” I ask. “If the royalty tried to hide it.”
“The Duchess of the Lake has the most extensive library in the entire city. As you well remember, she allows me to peruse it from time to time.” Lucien winks at me and I smile. So the Duchess unwillingly aided the revolution.
“Aren’t you at all worried that this time will end like last time?” I ask. Ash gives me a look that makes me wonder whether he was thinking the same thing.
Lucien puts a hand on mine. “No,” he says. “Because this time, it won’t be one circle fighting within itself. We have something Bulgur Key did not have. We have you.”
The oatmeal turns to cement in my mouth. I swallow it down and push my bowl away.
“So what are you going to do about Garnet?” Ash asks quickly. I am grateful for the subject change.
“He wants me to get him out of the marriage,” Lucien says with a shake of his head. “As if I were a magician.”
“You’re pretty close,” I say.
Lucien smiles. “Thank you.”
“He doesn’t want to leave,” Raven says, staring at the headline. “He likes it here, with us.”
At that moment, Garnet bursts in the door. “Oh, you’re up,” he says, noticing the newspaper. “Can you convince him to get me out of this stupid wedding arrangement? I can’t spend the rest of my
life with Coral. She’s got a collection of miniature tea sets. What kind of person collects something like that?”
“I imagine she’s very lonely,” Raven says.
Garnet frowns. “Sure, but do I have to be the one to keep her company? I want to stay. I want to help.”
“This is helping,” Lucien says. “Think about it. This way we can keep someone in the Duchess’s palace, someone who will know what’s going on there and can report back. Do you know how hard it is to find allies in the Jewel? This is a gift to us, Garnet.” He sits back in his chair. “You know, I never foresaw how useful you would be. I only ever meant for you to keep an eye on Violet.”
“Thanks,” Garnet says dryly.
“I did not mean it as an insult,” Lucien says. “You have surprised me, and that is a rather hard thing to do—as you yourself well know.”
Garnet sighs and plops down in an armchair. “I thought you were all about freedom and choice,” he grumbles.
“I am,” Lucien says. “But sometimes sacrifices must be made.”
“What did you do anyway, Garnet?” I ask. “You must have owed Lucien a pretty big favor.”
“Yes, I’d be curious to know this myself,” Ash says. Even Raven has a hint of her old curiosity in her eyes.
Garnet’s cheeks turn pink. “Nothing,” he grumbles.
“He said some extremely compromising things and got himself into an even more compromising position with a young lady from the Bank,” Lucien says with a smirk. “The young lady’s father happens to run this very paper.” He holds up the Lone City Herald. “It would have been a scandal the likes of which even his mother could not have gotten him out of. I saved him from losing his title.”
“I don’t even want the stupid title anymore, anyway,” Garnet protests.
“Well, now we need it,” Lucien says.
“You two can discuss this all you want,” Sil says. “But she needs to come with me.”
She points a finger in my direction.
“I’ll do whatever you want,” I say. “But please let me take a bath first.”
THE BATHROOM IS ON THE SECOND FLOOR.
There is an enormous claw-footed tub, and I fill it with steaming water until the air is sticky and the mirror over the sink fogs up. Then I soak until my fingers turn into prunes. I wash the remnants of soot and dirt and sweat off my body and by the time I’m done, I feel like a new person. I wrap myself in a thick white towel, wipe the steam from the mirror, and stare at my face. I almost don’t recognize myself.
The trip through the Bank and the Smoke has left marks—circles under my eyes, a hollowness in my cheeks. Annabelle and Cora would have covered up these imperfections expertly, with creams and makeup. My collarbones stick out more than they used to. But there is a new strength in my eyes, in the way I hold my shoulders and the tilt of my chin. I look at my reflection and can almost believe I’m capable of something incredible.
The closet in my and Raven’s room is full of all sorts of clothes, but most of them look like they’re for men. I pull on a pair of brown pants that are too big, securing them with a thick leather belt, and slip an oversize woolen sweater over my head. I grab a pair of socks and head downstairs.
Garnet and Ash are sitting at the dining table playing Halma. Lucien is in conversation with Sil in the kitchen, and Raven is rocking herself quietly in the rocking chair.
“You’re good for a royal,” Ash says as Garnet takes three of his marbles.
Garnet shrugs. “Annabelle taught me,” he says. We exchange a glance, and I nod. Annabelle was the best Halma player I’ve ever met.
“All right, time to get going,” Sil says, handing me a pair of worn leather boots. “These should fit you. Let’s go.”
I lace my feet into the boots.
“Good luck,” Lucien says as I walk past him and follow Sil out the back door.
There is a smaller porch attached to the back of the house. The sky is covered with heavy gray clouds. A light mist clings to the tops of the trees that surround the enormous field. The barn looms off in the distance, its gray wood weathered and cracked. There is a small pond to my right. In between the pond and the barn is a vast garden, row upon row of withered stalks and dried leaves.
Sil marches down the steps of the porch and strides across the field. I have to hurry to keep up.
Dew dampens my hair, making the strands stick to my face and neck. The air is chilly, but by the time we finally reach the tree line, I am flushed and out of breath. Sil stops and stares up at the branches above our heads, a small smile on her face. Then she pats one of the trunks, the way you’d pat a horse or a dog. She wanders through the trees, patting each one. I trail behind her. Sometimes, she stops and runs her hand over a particular branch, or crouches down and picks up a handful of earth, rubbing it between her palms. I wonder whether she’s forgotten me completely, when she finally speaks.
“Nature is unselfish,” she says. “It only wishes to survive. Humanity inflicts harm on it, digs up the earth, poisons the waters, harnesses rock and metal and stone for its own purposes. We are the protectors. We are the connection between humanity and nature. Nature is always searching for balance.” She gazes up at the branches crisscrossing over our heads. “This island has been out of balance for a very long time.”
There is a slender birch tree between us. Sil probes its bark with her fingers.
“What are the four elements?” she asks.
For a second, I think she might be talking to the tree.
“Earth?” I reply hesitantly. “Air, Water. And . . .”
“Fire,” Sil snaps. “Don’t they teach you anything at those holding facilities anymore?”
I choose not to answer that. In the few hours I’ve known her, I have come to realize that arguing with Sil gets you absolutely nowhere.
“We cannot create anything,” Sil continues. “We can only call on an element. The island gave us this power. It chose us to be its guardians. You must learn to listen to it. The Auguries are a perversion of nature. When you become one with an element, there is no pain, no blood. Only a deep understanding. You must give yourself up to it.” As soon as she finishes speaking, a brilliant green leaf blossoms from the branch of the birch tree that Sil is touching. It flutters in the air for a second. Then its edges turn brown, and the leaf withers and falls to the ground.
“Now,” she says. “You try.”
I barely hide my smile. Of course I can do this. I’ve been making leaves grow since I was twelve. Sil picks up a slender twig from the ground and twirls it in her hand.
“Go on,” she says. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
I place my hand on a nearby branch.
Once to see it as it is. Twice to see it in your mind. Thrice—
“Ow!” I cry, as Sil hits my wrist with the twig.
“Did I say to use the Auguries, girl?”
“You told me to make it grow,” I say, rubbing the spot where it stings.
“Did I? Is that what I said?”
I think back and realize she never actually told me anything. She just made a leaf grow herself.
“You have to ask it,” she says.
“How?” I ask.
“Who taught you how to breathe?” Sil says. “It’s instinctive.”
I put my hand back on the tree.
Once to—
“Ow!” I cry again, as the twig snaps against my fingers.
“Stop using that damned mantra,” Sil says.
“How do you even know I’m doing it?” I ask.
“You think I don’t know that look?” she says. “You think I can’t feel it coming off you, stinking waves of dominance and manipulation? You reek of it. Of them.”
“Well, you’re not giving me very good instructions,” I grumble.
“You’re not listening to me,” Sil says.
“I am,” I protest.
“Prove it.”
I grit my teeth and place my hand hesitantly on the tree once
more.
Um . . . grow, please, I think.
The twig snaps down on my hand again.
“Stop it!” I say. “I’m trying.”
“No, you’re not,” Sil says. “You think I’m a crazy old woman.” She cocks her head. “And that’s fine. You didn’t do anything I didn’t already expect you’d do. Azalea didn’t understand at first either.” She sighs. “But you need to learn. Now comes the hard part.”
“What do you mean—”
Suddenly, thick brown ropes shoot up out of the ground, twining themselves around my feet and ankles and up my calves.
“Stop!” I cry. But Sil has turned and is already walking back to the house.
“Sil!” I shout as I desperately try to free myself. “What are you doing?”
I bend down and see that the ropes are actually roots. She must have done this, called on the tree or whatever it is that she was trying to get me to do. The birch is holding me hostage.
“Sil, you can’t leave me here. Lucien!”
There’s no answer from the big farmhouse.
“Ash!” I shout again, louder this time. “Garnet! Raven!”
I think I hear a noise from the inside of the house but it’s so far away and honestly it’s probably wishful thinking on my part. I yank on the roots, clawing at them with my fingernails and pulling as hard as I can, trying to break them. If anything, I think it only makes the tree hold me tighter.
I finally give up, flop back against the birch, exhausted, tears of frustration pricking the corners of my eyes.
If this was meant to be my first lesson, I’ve most certainly failed.
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Seventeen
THE DAY SHIFTS SLOWLY INTO EVENING.
My stomach cramps from lack of food, the oatmeal this morning a distant memory. My mouth is painfully dry and when I touch my tongue it feels like sandpaper. I stuff my hands inside the sleeves of my sweater to keep them warm, but still, my fingers and toes are numb with cold.