Kingdom of Cages (28 page)

C
hena overslept the next morning. When she woke up, it was already full daylight and the sleeping room was empty. She tried
to jump to her feet, but the jolt of pain in her skull made her stagger, and all the events of last night rushed back into
focus.

Holding her breath, Chena tiptoed to the door and opened it a crack. She could just see Mom sitting alone at the table, her
head bowed so that her forehead rested against her hand.

She let the door swing open. “Mom…”

Mom’s head lifted, and she turned around. “How’s your head, Chena?”

“It’s okay.” Chena walked out into the room. Her stomach flip-flopped with each step.

“No dizziness? No blurry vision?”

“No.” Chena sank onto a pillow next to her, tucking her feet under her nightshirt. “It just hurts a little.”

“Good.” She sighed. “There’s something I need to tell you—”

Chena didn’t wait for her to finish. “You lost your job.”

Mom’s eyes narrowed. “Who told you that?”

“Teal,” answered Chena, twisting her hands. “She heard you talking to Madra.”

Mom just sighed. “Well. It seems we’re right back where we started.” She rubbed her forehead again. “And this time I don’t
know what to do.”

“You could run errands with me,” said Chena tentatively. “We could make all kinds of money if we could carry more stuff.”

Mom smiled, just a little. “Would you believe I thought about that? Last night, before… before you were attacked.” She turned
herself all the way around and faced Chena. “This is it, Supernova. I’m going to ask you one more time. Tell me the truth
and maybe we can work all this out. Hold anything back on me, and you will not leave this village again, under any circumstances.”

She meant it. There was more she was not saying, though. Chena could feel it singing in the air between them. She was not
saying,
I’ll never trust you again
. She was not saying,
I’ll leave you like Dad did
. But she meant it. This time she really did.

Mom waited, eyes fixed on Chena. Chena took a deep breath despite the fact that her chest was clamping down tight around her
lungs.

She told her. She told her about Farin and Nan Elle, about the letters, and the ants, and Sadia and the hacker-tailor, and
how it was Shond, who was already on the trouble list, who helped knock her down last night. Mom didn’t ask any questions.
She didn’t interrupt even once, until Chena twisted her hands in her lap.

“That’s it,” she said finally. It was. Now Mom knew everything. She might decide to leave anyway now that she knew it all.

But Mom just leaned forward and drew Chena into a tight embrace. Chena threw her arms around Mom’s neck and hugged her back
with all her strength.

“Oh, my dear,” whispered Mom. “Oh, my girl. Why didn’t you
tell
me?”

“I’m sorry,” murmured Chena, on the verge of tears again. “I was scared. I wanted to make things okay. I… I don’t know, Mom.
I just don’t know.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Mom stroked her hair for a moment, just like she had when Chena was a little girl. Then she released
her. “All right. You get dressed and you go down and tell Sadia that you won’t be running any errands today.”

“But—” began Chena, but Mom raised a hand to stop her.

“I’m going to talk to Madra. She said before, she can help us get out of here. We’re leaving, Chena. Now. Today. We’re not
staying here a minute longer.” All her determination sounded in that statement, but there was something else too, and it made
Chena’s heart beat hard as she got to her feet. Mom was afraid.

“Go on, Chena.” Mom pushed her toward the bedroom, and Chena went.

Dressed, and chewing on a piece of bread and butter for a quick breakfast, Chena hurried down to the railbike depot to meet
Sadia.

But Sadia wasn’t there. Chena walked all around the empty depot, finally coming back to the deck and waiting restlessly. After
fifteen minutes she gave up and ran down the path toward the dorms. Sadia had probably given up on her a long time ago. Chena
was over an hour late.

But the sleeping room was as empty of Sadia as the depot had been. She wasn’t in the dining hall either, or the library. Chena
checked the roster and saw that Sadia’s old shift was back on compost duty this week. But Sadia wasn’t in the composting shed,
and neither was Shond.

Where are you, Sadia?
Chena bit her lip. An ugly idea came to her.

She ran up the stairs, picking the catwalk to the constable’s house. Did he have Sadia in there? Had he heard about the hacker-tailor
yesterday from the cop in Stem? Had he worked out it was Shond who tried to rob her last night? He might be asking Sadia all
kinds of questions.

Regan’s door was closed when she got there. She backed away, trying to keep out of sight of the windows and yet trying to
see inside. The long strips of glass only allowed her glimpses into the interior. But she saw Regan’s shoulder and the back
of his head. He moved, and then Chena saw Sadia’s profile. She sat by the desk, her hands waving to add emphasis to her explanation.
Then Mom stepped into view.

Chena’s heart thudded once. Mom’s profile was eclipsed by the stranger—a small man in black and white clothes.

Blasted and screwed, is that Teal’s spy? What’s he doing here?

What was going on? What was Mom doing in there? She was supposed to be talking to Madra.

Shond might know. Shond was a tinky and a mouth-off and she owed him big for the bump on her head, but he would know what
was happening with his sister. Thing was, she didn’t know where he was either.

But one of the other kids on his shift might. Hyder. He’d know.

Chena turned and walked quickly but calmly down the catwalk. She didn’t want to draw any more attention to herself. She certainly
didn’t want anyone to think she was running away from the constable or something.

She was just about to start down the stairs to the compost shed when she saw Shond. He was walking, head down, between a woman
and a man who both wore black slacks and white tunics. Chena bit down hard on her lip. Only the hothousers wore black and
white. They herded him toward the boat docks.

Why there? It’s not a boat day,
was her first, ridiculous thought. After that came,
Does Sadia know?

Chena ran down the stairs. What was going on? Had they caught him on the robbery try? Maybe the two people with Shond would
let him talk to her. Maybe she could get a message from him to Sadia. Maybe…

Chena looped wide around Shond and his hothouser escort so she could come into his field of view without getting too close,
in case she needed to get away. Shond looked up and spotted her, and his face twisted into a mask of rage.

“This is your fault!” he shouted, lunging forward. But the man beside him grabbed him by the shoulders and held him, pulling
him past Chena. “You put her up to this!” Shond twisted in the man’s hands. “She put Sadia up to this! Sadia would never have
done this!”

Chena stood rooted to the ground. “No!” she shouted. “This is your fault! It was you last night!”

“That will be sorted out later,” said the black and white woman. “Right now the judgment is that you are coming with us.”
The man propelled Shond forward.

“No!” Shond threw his weight backward, trying to slow them down. “Sadia was put up. She didn’t do anything! It was you!” he
cried over his shoulder at Chena.

“What do they say she did, Shond?” yelled Chena desperately. “I swear, I didn’t ask her to do anything! I don’t know what’s
going on!”

“I’ll blast you to bits when I get hold of you!” he yelled back, twisting around in his captors’ arms. “She never did nothing
before!”

But the woman had hold of him on one side now, and the man on the other. They walked him forward quickly and soon he couldn’t
twist around far enough to yell at her anymore. Chena watched them until they disappeared down the bank, her heart hammering.

What did you do, Sadia?

Her legs felt like they were going to give way under her. She was afraid, but she didn’t know why. She hadn’t done anything
wrong. Okay, she’d taken messages for Nan Elle, but that was it. They couldn’t arrest anybody for that, could they? There
was the thing with the people who’d parachuted down, but Sadia hadn’t seen that. Sadia hadn’t even taken a single package
for Nan Elle.

Why do they have her and Mom in there?
Chena bit her lip and glanced up toward the cop’s house.
Why not me?

It might be something that had nothing to do with her at all. No, that wasn’t right either, because Mom was in there, and
Teal’s spy.

Suddenly Chena couldn’t stand it anymore. She had to know what had happened. There was one person who knew what really went
on in Stem, and if Nan Elle knew about this, Nan Elle would have to tell her.

Chena ran all the way up the stairs, pounding on the boards until her chest hurt and the pain in her head throbbed all the
way down her spine. People waited out in front of the little cluster of houses, as always. Chena ignored them all and threw
the door open.

This time there was an old man with a baby in his arms. Chena stood in the threshold, her chest heaving and her head splitting
open.

Nan Elle blinked mildly at her. “Again? You are turning out to be an extraordinarily rude one, aren’t you, station girl?”
she remarked before turning back to the old man. “It’s colic, nothing worse. A little warm water before bed will—”

“What have we been running for you?” gasped Chena. “What did you give Sadia to do?”

Nan Elle’s spine straightened minutely. “I’ll send your instructions down. Take your grandson back to bed. This may take a
moment.”

“Thank you,” lisped the old man. He probably had even fewer teeth than Nan Elle.

Nan Elle didn’t move again until he had left. Neither did Chena. She stayed where she was, trying to get her breath and trying
to imagine what the old woman might say to her, or try not to say.

The door shut. The lamps weren’t on, and the room plunged into a murky twilight.

“What has brought on this fit?” inquired Nan Elle as she moved to sit in her high-backed chair.

“Oh, no.” Chena turned to keep her eyes focused on the old woman. “Not this time. This time, you tell me.”

“I’ll tell you anything you ask, Chena.” She spread her hands. “But I ask you to do the same. What brought this on?”

“What did you give us to carry?” Chena shot back.

“Letters,” answered Nan Elle promptly. “To friends and colleagues, about growing seasons and proper doses of properly registered
and approved plants. Nothing incriminating, nothing even very interesting. Every leaf and stem I sent you to buy was so thoroughly
licensed I was spending as much time filling out the forms as I was administering to my patients.”

“Then why’s Constable Regan got Sadia and my mom in there with him?” She stabbed her finger down vaguely toward the constable’s
house. “If it’s not you, who is it?”

“Sadia and your mother are in with the constable?” Nan Elle frowned. “Is there someone from the hothouse in there with them?”

Chena nodded miserably. “It had to be something you sent with us. There isn’t anybody else who could have got us in trouble.”
Except almost with the hacker-tailor, but I turned him down and Sadia wouldn’t…

Every part of Chena froze solid for a moment.
No. He disappeared her father. Sadia wouldn’t…

Unless she thought it would keep her close to him. Unless she thought she could get something out of him.

Unless he offered to tell her what happened to her father.

“Mmm…” Nan Elle nodded. “You seem to have hit on some reason yourself.”

“I…” Chena swallowed and stumbled backward. “I have to go.…”

“Chena Trust.” Nan Elle stood. Chena stared. The old woman seemed to have shriveled, as if something had been taken out of
her. “If you’re in trouble, Chena…” She walked slowly forward and laid her wrinkled palm onto Chena’s hand. “If you ever
need help getting… away, you use my name—Elle Stepka. You say I am your grandmother. I will help you, and your sister, if
you ever need it.”

Chena pulled away, rubbing her hand, as if she thought Nan Elle had left something behind.

“Thanks,” she muttered, retreating toward the door.

“I’m sorry, Chena Trust.” Nan Elle hunched even further in on herself. “This was not my doing. This is the way things sometimes
are on this world.”

“Yeah.” Chena’s fumbling hand found the doorknob and she escaped into the daylight. She bit her lip hard and started running
again, back to the cop’s house. She had to tell him what happened wasn’t Sadia’s fault. She would tell him about the hacker-tailor.
It was his fault, whatever had happened. Sadia had been bullied or bribed. It wasn’t her fault.

But when she got there, the cop’s house was dark and no one answered when she pounded on the door.

Chena stared at the blank wooden door and felt her mind go numb. Where had they gone? Where was Mom? Where was Sadia? What
should she do?

What do I do?

But her mind was so full, so frightened, there was no room in it for new ideas or plans. All on its own, her body turned around
and trudged her back home. Chena walked into the empty house and sat down on one of the pillows. She stared at the table waiting,
but for what, she wasn’t really sure.

Eventually, though, her knees got stiff and her mind got bored. She stood up, drank some water she poured from the pitcher
by the stove, sliced up some bread for lunch, and poked at the beans soaking in the bowl of water by the stove to see if they
were soft enough to start cooking yet.

She had the beans gently boiling and had just tossed in a handful of salt when Mom came in, with Teal in tow.

Mom took in the situation at a glance.

“Thank you, Chena, for starting lunch. We’re going to need it.” She closed the door behind them. “We’re moving again.”

Chena couldn’t say anything. She just bowed her head.