Of Delicate Pieces (27 page)

Romey sat crisscross on the spout of the fountain, overlooking her children. Her hair stood on end as she searched the crowd for something or someone. When she spotted Alex, the creases in her forehead smoothed. She stretched an arm high above her head and used a finger to pull down a string of data. She typed into the air and then sent the message upward. Alex felt a tightening around her shoulders; she was swaddled in ribbons of warmth.

A group of girls positioned themselves next to Kaleb. Alex could smell their fumes of leather handbags and lust. Skye clucked her tongue as Little Gossamer leaned on her palm, glancing at Kaleb, even during such pandemonium. His attention wasn’t on her though.

“Come on, Pax,” said Kaleb. “You’re the
Interactions
girl. What’s going on with the gifted?”

Pax wiggled her bumpy nose. “You act like I’m employed by the government. I’m a newbury, like you.”

“No, you’re not.” Kaleb elbowed her in the side. “You’re special! You’re Pax Simone!”

Pax curled her lips under her teeth to try to hide how pleased she was.

“It’s only us.” Kaleb motioned at their small group.

“My family will have my neck if I talk.”

“You’re dead. You don’t have a neck.”

“They’ll disown me!”

Kaleb draped an arm over her. “They can’t do that. Your name is written in diamonds on your family tree, or so I hear.”

“You think they can’t saw off a limb? If a family wants to, they can chop, burn, or shred whatever family members they cast away.”

That answered Alex’s question about people seeing Raive’s name on the Havilah tree. If Astor was disowned, his son’s name wouldn’t be on the family tree.

Little caught Alex’s attention. “Is this about you?” she mouthed.

Alex shrugged. The invisible hug Romey was giving her hinted that yes, it was about her, but she mouthed back, “Or is this about you?”

Little winked.

Romey cupped her hand over her ear and faced the entryway, listening although no earpiece was visible. She flicked her chin and the doors responded, closing with a resonant bang, loud enough to frighten the life out of the dozens of excited conversations.

“I’m sure you have plenty of questions, and I will answer them to the best of my ability.”

“Is it true?” Madison asked. “We aren’t allowed to leave Brigitta?”

“For the night, yes, it’s true.”

“And the entire city is on curfew?”

“General Brozellos and the rest of the Patrol said it would be easier to do their jobs if the campus, the city, and all surrounding areas are vacant.”

“What about the witch?” Carr called out.

The reaction was mixed. The volume of voices swelled, spreading over the vestibule in shadows of panic and fear.

“Way to use an uncivilized term,” Linton scolded.

Alex felt the ribbons around her slacken, and she grew cold. Romey was losing focus.

“It was confirmed this afternoon that not only was a member of the gifted sighted, but there was also an unfortunate incident involving a newbury. I don’t have much information except that the victim was rushed to Dianab Medical Center.”

Kaleb scribbled something on a square of paper and handed it to Pax. “What kind of incident?”

Little’s brown eyes were wide. “A newbury was almost killed. Like afterlife killed. You didn’t hear?”

Kaleb shook his head and raised his hand. “Can you tell us who was hurt?”

Gray smoke hovered in the corner of the room where Carr sat with Jack and a few others. Still no Calla. “I’m surprised you don’t know,” said Jack. He shooed his hand at Little and Skye. “Was the witch one of your cousins or something?”

Skye leaped to her feet, and her red hair snapped like a whip. Her mouth moved rapidly, but her words were muted. Romey had her hand outstretched in Skye’s direction, her fingertips pressed against her thumb. Alex hadn’t known Romey could do this. Kaleb put an arm around Skye and when she looked at him, he shook his head to imply she should leave it alone.

Tess Darwin coughed loudly. “Who’s missing? If he wasn’t so large, no one would notice.”

A book took flight, arcing over the heads of the crowd, finding its target and slamming into Tess’s chest. Following the trajectory of the book was not difficult because there was a rainbow of gray leading to where it originated. Jack Bond didn’t seem to mind when everyone stared at him. This time it was Kaleb who jumped from his seat and began to shout a string of profanity so vicious, it slapped against the faces of those nearest to Jack.

Romey allowed this outburst.

Tess gasped and gazed at Kaleb in awe. Little patted his hand. But their knight in shining armor wasn’t concerned with chivalry at that moment. Skye yanked at his wrist to remind him that he’d just encouraged her to leave them alone.

Alex was close enough to the fountain to hear Romey murmur under her breath that Jack deserved those words. “Mr. Bond, please see me after our gathering.”

Kaleb straightened up and tilted his chin to get a better look at Jack, who was flanked by Carr and a few others, but not Reuben. “I guess we know who the victim was.”

“Not a great day in Eidolon to be a hunter,” Chase remarked.

Alex grimaced.

“What’s wrong?” Chase asked.

“I have a headache.”

Romey stood up on the spout of the fountain. “As of now, you are not to leave the building. You are welcome to stay here in the vestibule, and if you feel more comfortable sleeping down here, that is fine. The news tickers will be updated with reports.”

“Can you tell us where the attack took place?” Sigorny’s nasally voice came from the middle of the crowd. One second she wore a blouse and jeans, but the next moment, her mind projected her into pink, plaid pajamas. She tapped a slippered foot, looking like she had no intention of leaving such a smorgasbord of gossip for the night.

“I am not privy to that information.”

“Yeah, right … ” Linton muttered.

“Was it an isolated attack?”

“This is not a press conference, Sigorny.”

“Of course not, but I’m asking questions everyone else is thinking.”

“It was isolated, but there were witnesses. Perhaps you might get some information from them.”

Witnesses. There were only two people who paid attention to Reuben.

Sigorny tugged at the collar of her pajama top. “Yeah right. They’ll never give me an exclusive.”

Jack’s head of messy, muddy hair lifted above the crowd. He opened his arms wide, like a scarecrow in a field of contempt.

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. I’ll tell you how Reuben’s treatment around here is misplaced. If you’ve been following the media regarding our very own newbury class, you’ll know that there is a member of a much more prominent witch-hating family among us. It’s no secret Alex Ash has drawn in quite an eclectic group of tourists, and no doubt the gifted are curious, as well. The irony of your favoritism will condemn you—” His mouth kept moving without sound.

Romey had silenced him, too, but not before Chase snatched the book from Tess’s lap and hurled it across the room. The velocity was enough to knock Jack off his feet. Several newburies cheered, but others reached out to help Jack. Alex couldn’t believe it.

Romey answered a few more questions before directing them to either behave in the vestibule or retire to their rooms.

Alex wasn’t going to stay in the vestibule with the likes of the Bonds and Sigorny. She wasn’t in the mood for an interrogation or an exclusive about her defensiveness if she refused to comment. She did, however, have an entire load of books with her, as well as the brilliant mind of Gabe Lasalle sitting across from her. She figured she might as well take advantage of the confinement.

Paleo’s latest history assignment was about the early technology leading to afterworld exposure, and there were centuries to cover. It took Alex an hour to finish reading several hundred pages, but by then, the Lasalles needed entertainment, so they helped her construct a miniature replica of Pumapunku, one of the first documented spirited cities. After helping Chase with his debate notes for Law class, which had been taken over by Westfall, Alex attempted to practice her meditating techniques but it was too chaotic in the vestibule.

“We don’t have to stay down here,” Chase said.

“Are you in my mind or reading my face?”

“A little of both,” he said, standing and extending a hand.

“I thought you couldn’t let me out of your sight.”

“I don’t plan to.”

Her reaction was a pleasant dread, like holding a promising hand of cards and waiting for her turn, knowing she’d win but unable to control the building anticipation. Chase was a frequent visitor in her room, but if he followed orders, he would be there
all
night. She could only imagine the embarrassing colors exposing her girlish anxieties.

Kaleb said goodnight with a Cheshire Cat grin on his face. Chase smacked the back of his head.

Skye marked her spot in a book about South American plant life. “Is Rae with you?”

“She’s probably upstairs. No way would she be down here in this crowd.”

Skye twisted her lips. “Be careful, okay.”

“There’s no danger in my room.”

“I didn’t see Rae go upstairs.”

Gabe poked his head around his book. “The curfew doesn’t apply to her. I guess you guys skipped that section of our Brigitta manual.”

“Manual?” Chase mouthed with his back to Gabe.

Alex grinned.

“The wording is specific, and technically, as the laws apply to citizens only, she is supposed to vacate the city in the instance of an emergency.”

The word “vacate” echoed in Alex’s head. “They’d kick her out?”

“Not likely. They have bigger fish to fry right now, but she shouldn’t get in their way.”

Chase raised a brow. “I doubt she’s going for a stroll in the middle of a manhunt. Or womanhunt.”

Alex nodded, hoping he was right.

The seventh-floor corridor was quiet, and the door to her room burst open as though it was in desperate need of company. Alex searched the room for Rae and noticed calm waves of energy rising from her desk chair. They extended like ocean waves might reach for the shore before retracting and returning to their source. Rae was asleep in the chair. Her feet curled underneath her while her head lobbed backward, her mouth ajar.

Alex placed her books on the desk and noticed the box of Syrus Raive’s letters had scuttled further back into the corner under the shadow on the desk. Still resentful. She’d flung it to the ground after it crept into her lap during the meditation. And sometimes now when she dreamed of Sephi, the box would emerge from its cave, wanting to listen.

Chase caught her sizing up the box. “Now we know why you were able to read the letters.”

“Why?”

“Duvall said that she thought you were connected to Sephi because they were hers. Only someone connected to her should be able to see them. Wouldn’t the same be true of Syrus Raive? He wrote them.”

Alex cursed her own stupidity. “I can’t believe we told Duvall about the Havilahs. We should have known better.”

“You aren’t responsible for your family and you didn’t know what the Havilahs did in the past.”

“I’m not sure how a civilization like this one could have so many technological advances, inventions, and ideas, but they never researched Raive’s background. Wouldn’t they want to know where he came from?”

“I’m sure certain people do know,” said Chase. “You forget that spirits see what they want to see. No one expected him to be a Havilah because he was born in a gifted territory. And on that note, I wonder how my darling brother knew where to go. Who do you think gave him the information?”

“That’s the million dollar question.” Alex sighed.

“Why do I have the feeling he’s doing something he shouldn’t be?”

“Because you’re worried about him.”

Chase’s forehead crinkled. “I wish I wasn’t. Why can’t I hate him?”

“Because you’re you.”

And that’s why she loved him.

Across town, Lucia Duvall crouched down on the endless knot outside the Dual Tower building. She heard movement in the woods beside her and the tree leaves rustled, creating a voice to warn her of the Patrol’s presence. She wondered how many officers were stalking her. Most of them were searching the city like she was, but unless the Patrol was losing its touch some of them were assigned to her surveillance. As if she’d been in cahoots with the gifted after so many years.

She folded her legs under her and sat on the knot. She felt the power of three gifted souls, but one was more powerful than the others. She couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl, but it had left its fingerprints all over the place, which could be due to inexperience or defiance. Duvall would have done the same thing to give the proverbial finger to Eidolon’s lawmakers. The gifted were more trapped than spirits. It was a shame that extraordinary lives could not belong to the soul. A few bruised apples could taint the reputation of the entire orchard.

Judging by the traces, the gifted child was looking for something but didn’t know where to look. It had plenty of time. No spirits expected to see it, and therefore, they didn’t. That was the tricky thing about a world operated by the mind; the more complicated the ideas, the more nooks in which to hide. Duvall was certain the child had arrived because of Alex Ash. The last Havilah was dead; the gifted were celebrating. At the same time, they wanted a peek at the new Sephi.

“But you needn’t fear them,” Duvall whispered to the shadows in case the Patrol—or even the gifted—could hear. “Their intention was not to harm. They must have been taken by surprise.”

She dug into her pocket and felt the tickle of lycopodium. She curled her hand into a fist and grinded the small plants against her palm. She extracted her hand and opened it at her mouth like blowing a kiss into the wind. The particles escaped and stuck to the air like static, revealing what she already knew. They uncovered the fingerprints stuck like graffiti.

Handprints appeared one at a time, pressed against the bricks of the buildings and glowing like fire. They blended together to form letters, and those letters formed words. Finally, when the prints ceased, Duvall took several steps back to look at the message that spanned three buildings.