The Continent (The Continent #1)(44)

“Keiji is a very special boy, I will agree with you. But I thought you and I were…were friends, of a sort.”

He shakes his head, his face in profile. “You cling to our acquaintance because I freed you from the Topi. It’s not good for you.”

“I value our acquaintance, Noro. I do not cling to it. You were with me quite nearly from the beginning of all this, and despite everything—despite the Topi, the cold, the terrible fear and grief, the fever—you somehow made me feel safe. Don’t you realize what that means to me?”

The kettle whistles and he turns to add the tea. “I am not your protector, girl.”

I flinch, stung by his words. “That isn’t what I meant at all.”

He strides across the kitchen and sets the kettle and the two cups on the table, his lips pressed tightly together. Then he drops into the chair opposite, pours tea for each of us, and takes up his drink without a word.

I want to explain myself, to clarify what he has misunderstood. But I do not wish to argue, or to press his mood. He has made himself clear enough, in any case. I murmur my thanks and lift the cup to my lips; the tea is bitter, tasting of mint and broadleaf, very different from the sweet brew he made on the last morning of our journey. We drink in silence, neither of us looking at the other, and after a minute or two, I consider a change of subject.

“Keiji has told me a bit of the itzatsune,” I say. He looks up in surprise, the hard edges of his expression dissolving at once. The corner of his mouth twitches ever so slightly. “What?” I say. “Did I pronounce it correctly?”

“Close enough. What did he tell you?”

I set down my teacup, relieved that the tension between us seems to have lifted. “Well, he told me there are very few who hold the title. He said the itzatsune rarely marry, which is fine with him, because girls are—I quote him here—‘always trying to kiss him,’ and he doesn’t have time for that sort of thing. And he insists that he shall be far more skilled than even you when he finally achieves the rank.”

Noro leans back, smirking. “Did he now?”

“Yes, he did. He’s quite sure of himself.”

Noro smiles, and the effect is like a light upon his face. “Keiji. I wish he had another ambition. He burns far too brightly to spend his life in the shadows.”

“He wants to be like you, Noro.”

He nods. “I know.”

I tap my fingers on the table, then rise. “Well…thank you for the tea. For everything, really. I’m very grateful.”

“It’s nothing.”

He follows me through the kitchen and opens the door, and I step out onto the stone path.

“I hope to see you again soon,” I say.

“Wait.” I look around to see him in the doorway, one hand on the top of the frame like before, his head tilted toward the ground. “I’m sorry that I did not call on you at Eno’s. I thought I was doing what was best.” He looks up at me. “It seems I was mistaken.”

His expression is so earnest, his humble admission so plain, I am taken aback for a moment. “It’s all right, truly,” I say. “I know you meant well.”

He nods. “I’m leaving in two days’ time. Shall I stop in before I go?”

“I’d like that,” I say. “And as it happens, my social calendar is quite clear just now.”

He laughs. “Don’t tell Keiji as much, or he will pester you to no end.”

“He is welcome, as are you,” I say, smiling and giving the little bow that seems to be customary amongst the Aven’ei. “It also happens that I am new here, and can use all the friends I can muster.”

“Mmm,” he says. “Tomorrow then—I will accompany you into town. The council wants to meet with you, now that you’ve left Eno’s.”

Could Teku Ana have changed his mind? Might they be willing now to send me home? It’s almost too much to hope for. “Do you know…do you know why they want to see me?”

Noro shrugs. “Likely they want you to choose a field.”

I smile and shake my head, confused. “A field?”

“We all must work, girl, and earn our keep.”

“Of course,” I say, disappointment welling up inside me. Of course they don’t mean to send me back to the Spire. A job, though—this makes me nervous. “It’s just, I wonder how I can contribute? I did once spend half a summer giving swim lessons to elementary students…although I suppose that’s not very useful around here. No…swimming pools. Or lakes, really.” My face grows hot.

“You said you were a mapmaker,” Noro says.

“Oh—well, yes. I had earned an apprenticeship, you see, and was to begin working with a Master cartographer shortly after my return from the Continent.”

He leans against the doorjamb and crosses his arms. “Do all citizens of the Spire undergo an apprenticeship of some sort?”

“No, no. Only those with particular scientific, mechanical, or academic inclinations—abilities as well as interest—are offered such positions. It is a great honor.”

“And what of all the rest—those without extraordinary skills? What do they do?”

“Every citizen is offered work according to his or her abilities,” I say. “Some lay the roads, some repair the tracks for the trains, some manufacture the goods used throughout the Spire. Others go into politics, or academia. There is a place, and there is pay, for everyone. All classes work hard, and the lowest amongst them enjoy a fair wage and education, and fine things, and all the security the nation can provide.”