The Poison Season(40)

“Perhaps not,” Leelo said. “But you won’t know unless you try.”

They sat in silence for a long while, until finally Leelo couldn’t bear it anymore. She’d come here today for a reason, and though she knew Isola wasn’t going to be spreading gossip anytime soon, she needed to approach this delicately. “Isola, I need to ask you something.”

“If it’s about why I helped Pieter, don’t bother. I know no one understands, and I’m tired of trying to explain.”

Leelo wanted to tell Isola that she did understand, better than her friend could imagine, but she knew Isola wouldn’t believe her. “It isn’t that.”

Isola waved her hand absently. “Go on.”

“I found the little cottage. The one you kept Pieter in.”

Isola stiffened beside her. “What are you talking about?”

“You don’t need to worry,” Leelo said quickly. “I won’t tell anyone. But I was wondering how you kept him safe all winter.”

“Leelo, if you think Tate can come back here—”

“I don’t, I swear. This isn’t about Tate.”

“Then what is it about? If you hadn’t noticed, I didn’t keep Pieter safe. It got too cold in the cottage. Eventually I had to sneak him into the house. That’s when my mother found him.”

Of course. That explained why Isola had taken such a big risk by bringing him inside. Fortunately for Jaren, freezing temperatures wouldn’t be an issue. “Did you build it?” Leelo asked.

“Pieter and I found it, when we were children. We were best friends, you see. Before he left, we made a pact that he would return to Endla someday, and we would live in the cottage together. Back then, it seemed possible. We were children. We didn’t know.”

Leelo placed a hand over Isola’s. “Of course not.”

She looked up, eyes brimming with tears. “I didn’t think he’d actually go through with it, Leelo.” Her voice cracked as she began to cry. “I felt so awful, making him stay in there all alone. It was so cold. If we’d been able to build a fire, maybe he would have been all right. But we couldn’t risk the smoke.”

“I’m so sorry, Isola.”

She nodded, wiping her eyes with her thumbs.

“Does anyone else know about the cottage?”

She shook her head. “No. Like I said, we were careful not to even light a small fire.”

Leelo hated to make Isola relive her pain, but she had to understand. “I don’t mean this as an accusation. I’m genuinely curious. Why didn’t you send him back before the ice melted?”

“I tried. He didn’t want to go. He said he had nothing to go back to.”

Leelo had assumed it was his love for Isola that had made him reckless. “But the villagers across the water knew his name. He must have had a life there.”

Isola scoffed. “What do you think it’s like out there for incantu, Leelo? Do you think they all lead merry little lives like we have here on Endla? They’re children when we send them away. If they don’t find someone to take them in, they’re forced to live as thieves. Or worse. Pieter may have known some of those villagers, but he didn’t have a family. He didn’t have anyone who loved him like I did.”

Leelo shuddered at the phrase “or worse.” What could possibly be worse than being entirely alone in the world? Her heart ached at the thought of Tate having to steal food or sleep in the cold, but he had said he would be all right. Whatever her mother had told him, Leelo had to believe it would keep him safe.

“But the other incantu don’t return,” Leelo said feebly. “So some of them must make it.” Unless they all died. She shoved the thought away. It was too horrible to consider.

Isola softened, just a little. “I’m sorry. I know you’re scared for Tate. And I’m sure some of them do find nice families or learn a trade and live an honest life. But Pieter was not the same when he came back. He was so broken, Leelo. Like a bird kicked from its nest too soon who never learned to fly. I couldn’t help but love him. I couldn’t help but promise he could stay with me. Even if I knew it wouldn’t last forever, that eventually I’d have to say goodbye.”

Leelo held Isola while she sobbed against her, still so brittle and raw after all these weeks.

Leelo didn’t love Jaren. She didn’t even know him. Whether he lived or died should mean nothing to her.

But deep down she knew that his being here was her fault. She had sung the prayer for Tate when she shouldn’t have, and Jaren had heard her, as improbable as it seemed. If he was discovered, it would all lead back to her. For the sake of her mother, she needed to get him safely off the island before anyone knew what she’d done.

When Isola’s tears had subsided, Leelo asked gently, “Do you know where they keep the boat? The one the incantu children use?”

Isola’s reddened eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said? You can’t bring Tate back here. Did you know that half the council voted to exile me for helping Pieter?”

Leelo felt as though her entire body had been doused in ice water. “What?”

Isola’s mouth twisted in a bitter smile. “That’s right. They thought I should be thrown out like an incantu. Only worse, because if outsiders discovered what I was, they’d kill me.”