Your One & Only(52)

A Viktor rushed past the Altheas’ table, and then another, their faces severe. Althea-312 tugged the sleeve of an Inga at the table behind.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“It’s Copan,” she said. “Something’s wrong in Copan.”

Kate-280 entered the hall and waited coolly for the crowd to fall silent.

“The Council has received word from Copan,” she said with a voice loud enough to carry across the huge dining hall. “It is with great sadness that I bring you terrible news.” She paused a moment for that to sink in. “The community in Copan is in ruins.”

The crowd in the hall erupted with cries and shouts. Kate-280 raised her hand, calling for silence.

“As far as we can tell, Copan’s water supply became contaminated with large amounts of Somnium, and the resulting hallucinations led to panic, violence, and widespread destruction. Their grain mills are destroyed, their food stores burned, and the town itself is rubble. The Council will organize the generations of Vispera to help in the wake of this calamity. We’ll load boats with supplies of food and medicine and deliver it to Copan.” Kate looked around the Hall. “Some of you will be sent to assist in restoring order. If reconstruction is possible, we will devote our resources to it. If it’s not . . . well, I must be honest with you. I don’t know if our brothers and sisters in Copan can survive.”

With that, Kate-280 left. For several moments, the hall maintained a stunned hush before erupting in exclamations and fear-ridden chatter.

Like all the Gens, the Altheas had linked fingers under the table while Kate-280 spoke, and Althea felt their anxiety alongside her own. She allowed her hand to intertwine with those of the others.

“How could this happen?” Althea-317 asked. “How did Somnium get in their water supply?”

“We have to help,” Althea-312 said, and the sisters nodded agreement. No further discussion was needed.

Althea felt herself nod along with them, and the fingers of her sisters tightened around her own. At least for now, they’d forgotten the ruined Pairing and she was back in the fold as the communal rush of distress and excitement overpowered the disconnection they’d been experiencing. Their eyes softened with relief when she murmured, “Yes.” She would help in the campaign for Copan.

Someone touched Althea’s back, and she turned from her sisters to see Nyla-313 kneeling beside her chair.

“Althea, I’ve been looking for you. Something’s wrong.”

“I know. Copan. Kate-280 just said.”

“No, not that.” Nyla glanced at the other Altheas and lowered her voice. “The Carsons told us they were going to the fields to deal with Jack. Those are the words they used—deal with.”

Althea’s hand dropped out of the linked chain of her sisters’ fingers. She clenched Nyla’s arm. “When did they leave?”

“Just a few minutes ago. Carson-312 told us because he thought we’d be glad to see Jack punished, because of the fire and everything, but that’s not what we want at all, Althea. I’m worried. I think Carson-312 might be fracturing. His brothers can’t hold him together anymore. Carson-315 mentioned a Binding Ceremony, but they’re scared of what that means.”

“I don’t care about Carson-312,” Althea said. She stood, ready to race out of the dining hall, but Althea-318 grabbed her wrist.

“You can’t go. We need each other right now.”

“I have to,” Althea said.

Now all her sisters stood and gathered, unsure how to deal with their particular crisis being swept up in the general one.

Althea-316 pushed forward. “You can’t come back from this.”

The nine of them huddled closer. Their nervous fingers slipped through one another’s hair, touched the sleeves of dresses. Their fingers twined. Tears filled all their eyes except those of Althea-316, who glared. They already knew she was going to leave them.

“What is wrong with you?” Althea-316 said.

Althea backed away, grateful for Nyla’s hand in hers as she left behind the sensation of her sisters’ roiling emotions.



Althea and Nyla ran up the hill toward the fields. They’d just come over a steep ridge when Althea saw the Carsons heading toward them. Far beyond them, at the edge of the trees, lay Jack, still as death on the ground.

“Get Samuel,” she said to Nyla. “Samuel-299.”

“He won’t come,” Nyla gasped, her hands on her knees. “His brothers won’t let him.”

“Tell him Jack needs him. He’ll come.”

Nyla nodded and turned back to town. Althea ran. She pushed through the Carsons, but Carson-312 grabbed her arm.

“This has nothing to do with you, Althea,” Carson-312 said. “Leave it alone. Go back to town.” He looked terrible, bloody and bruised.

“What have you done?” she said angrily. Her accusing gaze cut from one Carson to the other until it stopped at Carson-312. “What have you done?” she said again, this time truly mystified.

“You were there. He tried to kill me!” Carson-312 held her stare. When she didn’t back down, he cast his eyes away.

“Let go of me. He needs help, he’s . . .” Althea stopped, her eyes landing on Jack and then farther up on the threshing machine lumbering through the field, its blades whirling, cutting deep into the ground. It was headed straight for him.