“You are bold,” Villiam says. “You’re a warrior.”
“But I’m not. Not really.”
“What you’re going through is a war in its own sort of way, and I hate to see how it has affected you. But I know you. You’re strong. And you will make it through.” He watches me fondly, and I don’t know how he can manage such an expression. Perhaps he thinks I’m still the same young girl who rode on Tree’s back to escape from slavers. But I’m merely a fragment of who I was then.
“I’ve barely been any help to you since Venera—”
“I hardly expected you to help me with such gruesome matters, considering what you’re going through,” he says. “Besides, the matter of the Saprish princess has been cleared.”
“I’m surprised Sapris didn’t storm the Festival like Frice did.”
“I was worried they would,” he says. He takes a sip of his wine. “But that’s why I needed to act quickly. I met with the right people. Sapris didn’t want it known that their new princess was in the Downhill, and we don’t want her death to have any association with us. I won’t let a war break out in the Up-Mountains with Gomorrah in its center. Not until we’re gone.”
“Would the Alliance allow a war to happen?” I ask.
“The Alliance, once we reach Leonita, will fall. Now that we know the Alliance’s leader is the crown prince—who, at any day, will inherit his father’s throne—it’s easy to strike.”
An assassination attempt. In revenge for killing my family. For allowing the Up-Mountains to spread their prejudices across the world. Still, murder is not an easy thing for me to swallow.
“We should turn around quickly,” I say. “If there’s going to be war, we need to get Gomorrah out of here.”
“I agree with you, but we cannot turn back. There’s already war breaking out behind us. My plan was to travel to Leonita and from here head east, far from these cities. We could follow the Great River south, where it will be safer for us.”
So this will be our final stop before we leave the Up-Mountains. “What is Leonita like?” I ask.
“Leonita is arguably the most powerful city in the Up-Mountains, or at least it was. Leonita’s lord has suffered from the snaking sickness for many years. His son—Exander—has been looking after the city, and he isn’t merciful or sympathetic to those unlike himself. From the rumors I’ve heard, he is intelligent but very cruel. He wants nothing to do with Gomorrah. We won’t be staying there for long.”
His eyes wander over me, and then he stares at the fur rug on his floor. “I can’t help but feel the weight of your family’s deaths on my shoulders. I was so certain capturing Dalimil would be the end—that is why I pushed you into going into Sapris as I did. I thought being Gomorrah’s proprietor in its time of need was the most important thing, but I neglected even more important duties—being your father during yours.”
“No one knew Dalimil wasn’t the leader,” I say. I can’t help but comfort him because, even if it’s true that he was distracted, the deaths weren’t his fault. I blame myself much more than I blame him. When no attack occurred in Gentoa and it proved the killer didn’t have a pattern, I relaxed my guard too much, and Venera paid the price for that.
“True, I’m no fortune-worker, but I wish I’d only realized... Dalimil’s kidnapping could have angered Exander into retribution. Venera didn’t deserve that.” He sighs. “Sometimes I forget how much you’ve grown. You’re hardly a child anymore.”
I don’t respond to this, though I definitely agree with him. I don’t feel like a child. I never did, really, but when I reflect over the past several weeks, I can’t help but remember my old self as childish.
How could I possibly lead Gomorrah when I can’t even protect my family? When my anxiety threatens to send me into a panic every night? When I hardly know anyone in this Festival?
Throughout our years of training, Villiam and I’ve never spoken about the obvious elephant in the room. I’m a freak. The proprietor has a responsibility to correspond with city leaders, to meet with them to organize Gomorrah’s travels, as well as to lead the city and the thousands of people in it. Who’s going to listen to me? The sight of me makes everyone uncomfortable. No matter how much I learn of Gomorrah, of history and of leadership, all that knowledge is lost if I’m unwanted.
“It’s growing late,” I say. “Don’t you need to open Skull Gate?”
“You’re right. It’s nearly sundown. I hadn’t even noticed that we’ve stopped moving.” He stands and approaches me. I think at first he’s going to kiss my forehead, as he often does, but instead he gets to his knees so that we are—theoretically—seeing eye to eye. “I don’t think I can in good conscience conceal this from you. Our informants returned this afternoon.”
My heart skips a beat. “What did they say?”
“I’m afraid Luca is the spy. He’s been corresponding with Exander through messengers. We believe he recognized your jynx-work for what it is, before even we did. Or, as you said, he hired a charm-worker to complete the links between your family and Up-Mountain politicians. We have evidence Exander selected all of the victims himself. He intends to break the Alliance and conquer the Up-Mountain cities.”
Despite everything else Villiam just said, I can only hear one piece echoing in my mind: Luca is the spy.
“I’m sorry,” he says, “I know you were hoping—”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does. It—”
“I’m going to see Kahina,” I say.
Villiam’s face falls. “If you want to talk to me—”
“It’s not you,” I say. I just don’t want to spend another second in this caravan. I don’t want to think about Luca and what he did to my family. I hate him like I’ve never hated anyone before.
I befriended him.
I kissed him.
I thought, for a few precious moments, that I could love him. More important, I thought he could love me. The only person in my life besides Villiam and Kahina whom I didn’t imagine into being.
Everything was a lie. One betrayal followed by another. My stomach knots.
“You haven’t eaten anything,” Villiam says.
“I’m not very hungry.” I gather my bag and head to the door. “What will happen to him?”
“He’s going to be executed. Once we’ve determined how to get around his jynx-work.”
I nod. Of course. But the thought of him dying, for good this time, pains my heart more than a little bit.
“Sorina,” he says. He kisses my forehead. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.”
“I love you.”
I smile weakly. “I love you, too.”
* * *
Kahina opens her door with a sorrowful expression on her face. “Oh, sweetbug. I haven’t seen you in days.”
“It was Luca,” I sob. “He murdered them.”
She opens her door wider for me to climb inside her caravan and then pulls me into a long embrace. The inside smells of freshly potted mulch and tea. After we split apart, she wraps a quilt around my shoulders, and I take off my mask and lie down on her bed.
“Do you want to talk, sweetbug?” she asks. “Or do you want to sleep?”
“Talk.” If I go to sleep, my family will reappear. I want to wait until we are inside our new tent, surrounded by Gomorrah’s guards. Even if the killer is locked away, I don’t feel safe. I might never feel safe. “You were right, you and Villiam. You told me not to trust Up-Mountainers.”
“I never thought it would come to that,” she says. “I’m hardly happy to have been right.” She runs her fingers through my hair. “Where’s your family?”
“Locked away.” I wrap the quilt tighter around myself. “Can you talk for a few minutes?” My voice sounds weak and broken through my sobs. “I just want to listen.”