Coldmaker(45)

I wanted to slam my fist down and argue that Paphos needed changing, that I didn’t want us to go back to how things were, but instead I took a big breath. Sending Moussa storming off wouldn’t help anything.

I picked up the die and tossed it into his lap. ‘Okay. I understand. No more Shilah. But for now, can we just remember our friend?’

Moussa’s chest heaved with a deep breath as he held up the dice. The smile took a long time to reach his eyes, but it came nonetheless. ‘Like the time he hopped on your back and called himself a Jadan shield?’

I licked my lips, and smiled too. ‘Or the time he found those eggs and smuggled them back so he—’

Moussa mimed a shake of his head, pretending to empty something from his ear into his palm. ‘Lizard brain! I gotsa a lizard brain, you guys!’

I grinned, happy to have at least one of my friends back. I felt ready to move on now, to be myself again. The urge to tinker had even returned, a new Idea forming in the back of my mind. It was an impossible feat, completely unattainable, but an interesting thought nonetheless. I knew it might be possible to hone the Idea into something achievable, but to do so I would need to spend time mentally working through things, before my fingers went plundering. Immediate death was the new punishment if Jadans were found outside after curfew, but for some reason I was no longer scared to step into the unknown. The Crier had left me alive, after all.

Moussa rolled the dice and looked over the board and all its pieces. ‘So how do you win?’

I picked up the makeshift metal feather, brushing it through a beam of starlight spilling through the roof. ‘I don’t know. But I’m going to figure it out.’





Chapter Fifteen


I found Cam beside my corner before the Sun was even fully ablaze. He was the only Noble around, and was once again taking little sips out of a steaming mug, absorbed in a thin book, and squinting against the glare from its white pages.

This was now my third day in a row of meeting with Cam, and I was starting to get worried. At this point, we’d gone on so many errands that I was running out of ways to avoid his scrutiny. I’d kept my answers clipped and vague, but Cam insisted on knowing everything about my past, apparently fascinated by the life of a Street Jadan. He showed no signs of stopping, either. I was wondering if his aspirations were to become a Jadanmaster, and I was his choicest method of study.

‘Morning, Spout,’ Cam said, perking up as I slipped out of the alleyway opposite. He pocketed the volume as I approached, so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to make out the design on the front. ‘How’s Abb?’

‘He’s usable,’ I said, hating the fact that I’d let slip any information about my father. Someone I cared for could always be used against me if Cam grew tired of being kind to me. ‘Thanks for asking.’

Cam gave me a mischievous grin, tapping the side of his head. ‘And Moussa?’

‘Usable,’ I said. ‘Thank you.’

Cam gave me a playful nudge as I hopped onto my corner, almost throwing me off balance. ‘Don’t be so glum. Are you ready for today? There’s plenty to be excited about.’

I nodded, falling into my slave stance. The na?ve side of me wondered if I might use my new obsessive High Noble to explore my Idea, subtly picking his brain about materials that were only available to the rich and powerful, but I knew I shouldn’t allow myself to trust his kind.

The other Jadans on Arch Road eyed me with less curiosity than on the last couple of days, but none of us understood why this Nobleboy kept singling me out. Cam had mentioned Mama Jana a few times on our errands, but he had yet to mention how they knew each other. The only thing that gave me any sort of comfort was the fact that she didn’t seem to have told Cam about my tinkering, as he’d yet to steer the topic anywhere in that direction.

Cam pulled out a Tavor token, gleaming silver, waving it about in his fingers. ‘Let’s go.’

‘I can’t,’ I said, eyeing the street from side to side, hoping Thoth was still far away. ‘I have to be checked in.’

‘That’s right.’ Cam sighed, downing the rest of his tea. Then he tipped the mug upside down, letting the honey drip down to the rim so he might lick it off. Looking around, he absently lapped up the dripping sweetness. ‘I’m hungry. I’m going to find us some breakfast somewhere. What do you like?’

Another question I’d never thought would have been asked. At this point, any food at all was what I liked. Thoth had continued to halve my rations of late.

‘Figs,’ I said quickly.

‘Figs?’ Cam echoed. ‘No, that’s boring,’ he smirked. ‘I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere without me.’

I watched him stride away, wondering what in the World Cried Mama Jana had got me involved in.

The first bell chimed, coaxing the ‘Khat’s Anthem’ out of our collective throats. Lately every Jadan on Arch Road seemed to be having trouble getting the melody out, as most of us had been starved or beaten to the point where even singing was a struggle.

Whispers of blame still fell on the ‘Boilweed Girl’, but I’d begun to wonder if the taskmasters caught Shilah they would even tell us. It looked as if they were having too much fun being this much crueller to us.

Metal footsteps thundered my way, and I was glad my forehead was dry.