With a sigh and wistful smile, Meg continued. “It was a clever ploy. In the Catacombs, I was surrounded by children my own age. Like me, they felt displaced, but they had a purpose: to resist the will of the Empire and, most of all, to survive. I made friends so quickly, felt a camaraderie I’d never experienced. One week became two, and soon I didn’t want to leave at all.”
“Did your mother find out where you were?” Charlotte asked, thinking of how worried Jedda must have been when her daughter never arrived at the freetowns.
“At Jonathan’s urging, I sent her a letter,” Meg answered. “I told my mother that I was honoring my father by joining the Resistance.”
Having loosened Charlotte’s gown, Meg went to the wardrobe to retrieve a sleeping chemise. “When my mother wrote back, she praised my bravery and my choice. I doubt she truly felt such things, but worried that any further attempts to send me to the West would only incite another rebellion from me and lead me to a much more dangerous end than a life with other exile children in the Catacombs.”
Charlotte slipped out of her gown and day underclothes and pulled on the chemise Meg offered. “Did you ever see your mother when you were young? Did she visit the Catacombs?”
Though she could remember no such visits from Jedda, Charlotte didn’t think that meant they hadn’t taken place. But Meg shook her head.
“My mother stayed in the city,” Meg said. “I stayed in hiding. This trip is the first time I’ve returned to New York since my mother sent me off with that caravan. I see now that I waited too long, though. Neglected too many things.”
“How can you say that?” Charlotte picked up a shawl she’d draped over a chair, wrapping it around her bare shoulders to ward off the creeping chill in the room. “You do more than anyone in the Catacombs. Even more than Ash. He gives orders and makes decisions, but you take care of us.”
Meg smiled gently. “I don’t mean to deride the role I’ve played in the Catacombs. But what I learned in the temple and in the Hive made me aware that I’ve been hiding from truths about who I am. Truths I have to face now.”
“Are you talking about magic?” Charlotte didn’t intend to snort derisively, but she did. “Do you really believe any of that could be real?”
Despite Meg’s strange behavior since she’d visited her mother at the Tinkers’ Faire, and her even more unexpected reaction to Bromley’s assertions about Grave’s identity, Charlotte still had a hard time acknowledging that someone as grounded as Meg could take such wild ideas seriously. Meg obviously did, but Charlotte couldn’t bring herself to accept that.
“There have been many moments in the past when you would have believed too, Lottie. No culture is without access to divine mysteries,” Meg told Charlotte. “But whether the people in any civilization choose to embrace the arcane is a matter that ebbs and flows with the passing of time. Your Empire chose machines over magic; only the cult of Athene continues to keep the old ways alive.”
“It’s not my Empire,” Charlotte shot back. “I despise everything that the Empire is.” Charlotte had always resented the Empire for taking her parents away, for forcing her into a life underground, but the Floating City had inflamed her hatred.
“You may object to the Empire,” Meg replied. “But your life is shaped by its power, and its actions dictate your reactions. Thus, it is yours, in a manner of speaking.”
When Charlotte fell into a sulky silence, Meg went on. “My anger at my mother made me ignore the fact that I have the same inherent connection to the spirit world that she has. What’s happening now has made it clear that I’ve been selfish and foolish to ignore such a gift when it could aid our cause.”
“What are you saying?” The regret Charlotte could hear in Meg’s voice made her nervous.
Meg took Charlotte’s hands in hers. “I need you to promise me something.”
Charlotte waited, her anxiety building with each passing breath.
“Be strong for your brother,” Meg said, clasping Charlotte’s fingers in a grip so tight it verged on painful. “He’ll need you.”
“What does Ashley have to do with this?” Charlotte asked. Ashley had been more than reluctant to accept any magical explanations for Grave’s strange origins. She hardly thought he’d be eager to learn of Meg’s new interest in exploring her inclinations toward the occult.
“Just promise, Lottie, please,” Meg urged. “And remember that you and Ash and everyone in the Catacombs are my family. You always will be.”
Charlotte frowned. “Why are you talking like this?”
When Meg just squeezed her fingers again, Charlotte sighed. “I promise.”
“Thank you.” Meg gave Charlotte a brief hug. When she pulled back, Meg’s lips were quirked thoughtfully. “There’s one more thing.”
“You’ve already made me promise something I don’t understand,” Charlotte objected.
“It’s about Jack,” Meg said, and Charlotte went stiff.
“Things are about to become very difficult for all of us, Lottie,” Meg pressed. “Storm clouds build on the horizon. Before long, they’ll be upon us. It’s not a time to let anger toward those we love fester.”
“You know what Jack did.” Charlotte flinched at Meg’s use of the word love. “Why should I be anything other than angry?” And heartsick.
“We are all prisoners of circumstance at one point or another,” Meg answered sadly. “Consider that when you measure Jack’s recent behavior against the weight of his past.”
Half of Charlotte wanted to shout at Meg for taking Jack’s side; the other half wanted to confess how much she missed him. How much she wished he were here. Holding her. Kissing her again. But then she thought of Coe. How strong and assured he was. How he’d risked Jack’s fury to expose her to the truth. Maybe she’d fallen for the wrong brother. What if Coe was like Jack, only better? Guilt and heartache piled up on Charlotte’s heart, making her wearier still, as bone-tired as she already was.
“I’ll leave you to rest now.” Meg went to the door. “Sleep well, Lottie.”
Charlotte crawled into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. Her limbs ached from exhaustion, but she was afraid to fall asleep. This day still weighed heavily on her mind and heart, but somehow she knew the morning would bring worse.
26.
AFTER A FEW HOURS of restless sleep, Charlotte entered the dining room to break her fast and found Ashley seated with a cup of tea. Grave sat across from her brother in his usual quiet repose, but Meg was standing nearby, already dressed for travel.
“Oh, good.” Meg’s hands fluttered at her sides. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Charlotte suddenly wondered if she should have brought her jacket downstairs. “Are we expected somewhere?”
“No.”
At her reply, Ash set down his teacup and looked at Meg in surprise. Obviously he’d assumed that Meg and Charlotte had some morning errand to run.
“Then where are you going?” Ash frowned at Meg. “To see your mother and bid her farewell?”
“No.” Meg gripped the back of one of the empty dining chairs. “To the temple.”
Ashley’s frown deepened. “Why are you going back there? It’s too risky to reveal more about Grave to Rosemary. She’s unpredictable and could give us away.”
“I’m not going to see Rosemary,” Meg told him softly. “I’m going to join the Sisters of the Temple.”
Ash jumped up, knocking over his chair. “You’re what?!”
Charlotte’s insides twisted into knots. Be strong for your brother. He’ll need you. This was why Meg had made Charlotte promise. She was leaving them.
“I can’t hide from my past, from who I am, any more than Grave can.” Meg’s chin was lifted, her words confident, though her voice carried a touch of sorrow. “The temple is where I’ll have access to books and scrolls that reveal mysteries. It’s the only way I can under
stand the gift I inherited from my mother.”
“Bollocks!” Ash slammed his fist down on the table. “It would be a waste for you to stay here, Meg. We need you. The Resistance needs you.”
“The Resistance needs me to seek the truth,” Meg replied calmly, despite the wildness in Ash’s eyes. “There is more danger lurking here than any airship or military commander could ever represent. The Resistance needs someone in the temple to uncover what has been long hidden. Passages of the Book of the Dead have made their way into the world, and a dead boy lives because of it. The implications of this impossibility make me more frightened than anything I’ve seen in the war, Ashley. Arcane knowledge possessed by the Sisters might prove as powerful a weapon as any machine the Empire could devise. You ignore that truth at your own peril and the peril of our cause.”
Ashley’s anger gave way to panic. “It doesn’t have to be you, Meg.”
“It does,” Meg said, backing away when Ash reached for her. “I know what I must do.”
“Please, Meg.” This time Meg didn’t move when Ashley grasped her hand. “There are things I would say to you. But not here. Let’s withdraw somewhere and speak privately.”
Inwardly, Charlotte cringed. She glanced at Grave, half hoping he’d get up and they could leave the room together and avoid witnessing this now intimate exchange between Meg and her brother. But Grave was watching them calmly, a slightly puzzled expression on his face.
With her free hand, Meg reached up and touched Ash’s cheek. “I know what you would say, for the words are in my heart as well. But it cannot be.”
“Don’t say that,” Ash barely whispered. “At least hear me out. There’s so much I haven’t . . . you don’t know—”
“If I let you take me into another room; if I sit with you and listen to your pleas, then I may not have the will to leave you.” Meg’s eyes were glistening. “And I must.”
“If you won’t listen to me, then listen to Charlotte.” Ash threw a desperate look at his sister. “Tell her how wrong this is!”
Though her heart screamed against it, Charlotte met Meg’s steady gaze as she said, “You have to trust Meg, Ashley.”
When that earned Charlotte a glare, Meg said to Ashley, “Don’t foist your anger upon Lottie when I’m the one who has earned it.”
Meg pulled her hand from Ash’s grasp. The color drained from his face. “You’re leaving right now?”
“I am.” Leaning in, Meg planted a gentle kiss on Ashley’s cheek before she turned away.
Charlotte saw the first tears escape from beneath Meg’s downcast eyes before she left the dining room.
Ash moved to follow, and Charlotte startled herself by stepping forward to block his path.
“I have to go after her,” Ash said through gritted teeth.
“That would be cruel, and you know it,” Charlotte told him. “You know it just as you know why she’s made up her mind to do this. Her heart is broken too, Ashley. You have to remember that and hope.”
Ash deflated. “Hope for what?”
“That a time will come when she won’t be compelled to live apart from us,” Charlotte said. “She needs answers. We might have learned a little about how Grave came to be, but you know as well as I do that we don’t understand what it really means. Meg is the one who can find out. She’s making a sacrifice for all of our sakes. For the sake of the Resistance.”
Just like her father did.
Ashley held her unwavering gaze for a few moments, then turned around. Righting his chair, he sat heavily and stared into his cup of tea.
“I’m think I’m sad she’s gone too.” Grave’s brow furrowed as he spoke to Ashley. “I like Meg.”
Ash’s fists clenched and unclenched, but he answered quietly, “Thank you, Grave.”
The rest of the morning passed in an uncomfortable silence. Ash suggested that Grave assist Charlotte with packing up her things. Convinced that her brother wouldn’t run off to find Meg, Charlotte assented, and they left Ashley to make his own preparations.
It was nigh midday when Charlotte descended the staircase, dressed for travel. Grave followed, bearing her luggage with ease, as if she’d packed trunks full of feathers.
Ashley awaited them in the foyer. Beside him was a young lady whose silk gown and fine hat marked her as a member of the colonial elite. Charlotte bristled, fearing it was Eleanor come to call on Jack or Lady Winter. But when the woman turned and lifted her face, Charlotte blurted out in surprise, “Linnet!”
“Why, hello, Charlotte.” Linnet came to meet her at the base of the stairs, kissing Charlotte on both cheeks. “Today I play the part of your dearest friend, a kindred spirit and sole confidante. Feel free to whisper your darkest secrets to me—it’s all part of the guise, of course. You can trust me not to share.”
Linnet winked at her, and Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh.
“Lord Ott has arranged transport up the East River,” Ash told her. “Linnet is taking you and Grave to the Great Wheel now. Ott will meet you when you reach the Commons.”
“You mean he’ll meet us,” Charlotte said.
“I won’t be coming with you, Lottie,” Ash said quietly.
For a moment, Charlotte simply stared at her brother. Then she said, “You have to let Meg do this. It’s not about you.”
Ash shook his head. “This has nothing to do with Meg. I didn’t know she would ever consider staying in the city, much less joining the Cult of Athene.”
“Then what are you talking about?” Charlotte asked, anxious stones piling up in her stomach.
“The meeting Jack and I had with Lord Ott and the other Resistance leaders in the city,” Ash answered. “Lazarus wants us to relay information to the front lines in Louisiana.”
“You and Jack,” Charlotte said, hardly believing what Ashley had just told her.
“Yes.” Ash shoved his hands in his pockets. “We’re taking the Dragonfly to New Orleans.”
Charlotte spluttered, flailing her hands in frustration as she spoke. “How can you be such a hypocrite? You were upset with Meg for leaving, when all along you knew you’d be leaving too!”
“This is different,” Ash told her, but managed to look somewhat abashed.
“Of course it is,” Charlotte huffed. “Because it’s you.”
“Having Meg in the Catacombs while I was on a mission isn’t the same as her staying in the city and joining the Cult of Athene. And I wasn’t upset with Meg because of her intentions,” Ash said apologetically. “It was . . . you know why—”
“I know, I know,” Charlotte said, tamping down her anger. “Just tell me when you’re coming back.”
He didn’t answer.
The implications of his silence frightened Charlotte more than his words. “Ash, you have to come back.”
“It’s a war, Charlotte,” Ashley said. “I don’t want to make you promises I can’t keep.”
“But who will lead us?” Charlotte protested. “What will happen to the Catacombs?”
“There will always be a leader in the Catacombs,” Ash replied softly. “When one of us goes to the front, someone else steps into the role.”
“Who is there?” Charlotte wanted to stomp her feet and scream, but she wasn’t a child anymore. She had to show Ashley she was strong, no matter how scared she felt. Meg had left. Now Ashley and Jack were leaving too.
“There’s you.”
Charlotte was so startled she gave her head a shake to clear it. “What?”
“You, Lottie.” Ash offered her a little smile. “Of course it’s you. You’re the only one with enough courage and bullheadedness to do it.”
If it hadn’t meant she was losing her brother to a war, Charlotte might have been thrilled by his praise. Instead she felt a hollow grief followed by a crushing sense of responsibility.
Seeing the bleak
expression on her face, Ash put his hands on Charlotte’s shoulders. “You were made for this, Lottie, trust me. If I weren’t putting you in charge of the Catacombs, I don’t think I’d be able to leave in good conscience.”
“Can you stay anyway?” Charlotte asked weakly.
Ash pulled her into a hug. “You already know the answer.”
When he released Charlotte, Ashley reached into his pocket and withdrew an envelope.
“Jack asked me to give this to you.”
“What is it?” Charlotte looked at the envelope, her blood swimming with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation.
“I wouldn’t know, Charlotte.” Ash offered her a sly smile. “Should I take that question to mean you’d like me to begin reading your private letters?”
That startled Charlotte out of her hesitation. She snatched the envelope from Ashley’s fingers and stuffed it into her own pocket.
“Don’t get too excited,” Linnet huffed. “I don’t think my brother has a flair for poetry. Hopefully he spelled all his words correctly.”
Charlotte shot Linnet a critical look, but met the other girl’s teasing eyes, and her objection vanished before she could speak.
Looping her arm through Charlotte’s, Linnet started toward the door. “Come, then. My de facto father doesn’t like to be kept waiting. And if we’re late, he’ll blame me, not you.”
“Just a moment.” Charlotte pulled free of Linnet and rushed to throw her arms around Ashley. “Be safe.”
“You too.” Ash held her tight. “And I know you’re still too cross with him to ask, but don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on Jack.”
Charlotte squeezed Ash a little tighter and then returned to Linnet, taking the girl’s hand. “I’m ready.”
As they rode the trolley to the Great Wheel, Charlotte tried to calm her turbulent spirit. Her hand was in her pocket, clutching Jack’s letter. She was afraid of what it would say, or what it wouldn’t say. And she didn’t know when she’d have the privacy to even look at it.
Grave stayed quiet, and Linnet seemed happy enough to leave Charlotte to her own thoughts. But when they boarded the wheel’s carriage and found they had it to themselves, Linnet said to Charlotte, “You can read my brother’s letter now.”