Gates of Thread and Stone(36)

That this week should happen now, without Reev to share in it, didn’t seem right.

“We’ll meet with Irra again in the morning,” Avan said. “Figure out what to do next. Then we’ll find a place to watch the Sun.”

The courtyard. I wanted to go there.

“Kai?”

I whispered, “Okay.”





CHAPTER 17




A RED BIRD landed on a limb too high for me to reach. I didn’t even know birds came in red. I watched it hop along the branch, a clear tune warbling from its beak.

Beside me, Avan tilted his head to get a better view and said, “I didn’t know they came in red.”

I smothered a laugh. We stood beneath the tree in the courtyard, waiting for the clouds to clear. Nearby, Irra flitted from flower to flower like a frantic bee, watering can in hand, talking to the plants too quietly for me to hear. I wouldn’t be shocked if the plants could hear him. In his other hand, he held clippers. He had yet to use them.

The sound of wheels rumbling over stone stole my attention from the red bird. A hollow wheeled a silver trolley up the path. The trolley looked ancient, all the corners rusted. The decay had eaten through the metal in some spots, leaving holes in the mottled silver bars. The trolley held a steaming kettle and three dainty cups.

Avan helped the hollow, a woman with gray-streaked hair, place the tray with kettle and cups on the table. She thanked him and then left with a fond glance at Irra.

“The hollows are servants, too?” I watched the woman as her trolley rattled away. Despite her apparent age, she walked with a straight spine and smooth steps. I’d noticed that about all the hollows—whether barely Academy age or silver haired with weathered skin, they looked to be in great physical shape.

“They do only what they wish,” Irra said as he put the tin watering can beside the path. “I make no demands of them.”

“We’re supposed to believe you’re a philanthropist?” I didn’t mean for it to be an accusation. “That is, I mean—”

“You have a right to your questions. I give my hollows a choice. Sanctuary and, to be frank, a chance at revenge—or return to Ninu and his sentinels.”

“The choice is obvious,” I said.

“Is it?” Irra asked. “Not everyone has accepted my offer to switch allegiances.”

Irra pulled out the wrought-iron chairs for us. As Avan’s hand touched the back of his seat, Irra’s clippers swiped at his forearm.

My gut lurched. Avan jerked away, shielding his arm with his body.

“What the drek are you doing?” I shouted at Irra before turning to Avan. “Let me see.”

He moved out of reach. “I’m fine.” He extended his arm to show me. His skin was perfectly unharmed. “See?”

I whirled on Irra. “What is wrong with you?” I snatched the clippers from him and tossed them into the grass.

Irra looked down at his empty hand, as if surprised. “My hand slipped. Forgive me.”

“Like hell.”

Avan sat, his fingers around my wrist tugging me down into my seat also. “It was an accident.”

With an apologetic smile, Irra poured the drinks. I glanced between the two of them, but they both seemed to have put the incident aside. Something was going on here.

Irra placed a cup in front of each of us. “Tea,” he said, and then began heaping piles of sugar into his own.

The tea smelled sweet and inviting, and although I had never had tea before, right now I didn’t want it.

“Your citizen IDs,” Irra said. “We’re going to replace them.”

“What?” I blurted. All Ninurtans were required to carry an ID—a metal card issued by the registry. Mine was at the bottom of my bag in the room Irra had given me. “Why?”

“You’re the first civilians to leave Ninurta in a century. They’ll do everything they can to identify you. The safest way to get into Ninurta is with a new identity.”

“You can get us back in?”

Irra blithely dumped more sugar into his cup. His demeanor had changed from when we’d first met. He still seemed a bit frayed, but the silent threat hidden beneath his peculiarities felt dampened. If I hadn’t known who he was, hadn’t seen and felt his power compressing around me and into me, I might have believed he was as unremarkable as any human.

“Well, of course,” he said. “Unless you’d prefer to stay here?”

“No! I— If you can get us in, that would . . . that would be great.” I wasn’t trapped here. I could still find Reev. Hope swelled inside me, but I had to be sure of what he was offering.

“What do you want in return?” Avan asked. His question cut short my inner celebration.

“Not much,” Irra said. “Just information.”

I tapped my fingernail against the side of my cup. “What kind of information?”

“G-10 has filled me in on the details of your brother’s situation. Whatever knowledge Reev might have from his time with Ninu would be adequate. And since I imagine Ninu will rebrand him, I should like to study his new collar. If you return successfully, of course.”

He meant to treat Reev no differently than he treated the other sentinels who’d joined him. I couldn’t see any reason not to take the deal. Besides, what else could I do? I wasn’t exactly swimming in options.