Chapter 41
“Reatha, could I have a word?” I’m astonished at the steadiness in my voice.
“Of course,” she says brightly, finishing up with Marie. She watches until the others have disappeared into the woods, our training done for the day. I expect her to invite me into the cave, but she stays outside, sending Marie in to get started on their dinner.
I rub my arms against the late afternoon briskness, not sure what to ask.
Are you poisoning the people of Noah’s Valley?
Oh, and by the way, did you also happen to murder my mother and Peter, because only a fool would think the deaths aren’t connected?
Finally, are you using your fourteen-year-old son to do your dirty work?
I doubt the last one because she’s always seemed like a doting parent, but I won’t discount my conviction that it was his shadow I saw that day, either.
She catches me off guard. “Is this about the water?”
“Albert told you,” I all but confirm.
She nods so sharply, her braids jump. “He wasn’t your best bet. My boy’s a brilliant tinkerer, but he’s never been much for chemistry.” Before I can gather my thoughts to respond, she purses her lips. “You remember the meetings I mentioned the first time you visited here?”
I nod, unsure where she’s going with this. “Yes. You used to hold them here, but you wouldn’t say who with. Only that they’re gone now.”
“That was partially true. Two of them are.” She inhales loudly through her nose. “Marc, Salvatora’s dad. And Henrietta.”
I stand up straighter. Mom? “What were the meetings about?”
“I’m forbidden to tell you.”
I can’t hide my annoyance. “Then why say anything at all?”
To my surprise, she doesn’t appear upset that I’ve raised my voice. If anything, she looks proud. “Claim that spirit, Rose,” she says. “You’re going to need it.”
“All right,” I say, a fire sparking my gut. “I’ll claim it right now. I know you’ve created a poison to use against the villagers.” Her composure slips for a fraction of a second, and I’m imbued with fresh confidence.
“I suspect you may have killed to cover up your crimes,” I continue, the pieces coming together as I speak.
“My mother, Peter, and those Guardians eight months ago. All of them must’ve caught you in the act.
” I’m guessing with that last part. By the Wall, I’m guessing with all of it.
But if Mom suspected her, then I do, too.
Reatha jerks back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!
” Her cheeks are blazing. “I had nothing to do with those deaths, Rose Allgood.” She takes a calming breath, which my body involuntarily mirrors.
“I didn’t create the poison, either, but I did recreate it…
at Jarek Tzu’s command. At the time, I had no idea what he intended to use it for. ”
I inhale sharply. “Recreated it?” My hand finds Lucky Bunny in my pocket at the same time Reatha’s eyes seek the Heavens.
She whispers her next words. “Forgive me, Hen. She needs to know.” Reatha holds herself. “Jarek discovered a cache of Before Times items somewhere inside the Wall.”
The secret room in the Record Keeper vault, the horror that keeps on giving.
“It included a bottle marked ‘herbicide,’” Reatha continues.
“Jarek brought it to me to replicate, said he needed more to protect the Valley. He gathered it was something the Founders considered crucial to our continued survival. I followed his orders at first, fearing what he’d do to my children if I didn’t. But then, a month ago, I stopped.”
My blood feels thick. “Why?”
Her eyes slide away. “Your mother figured out what the herbicide was causing.”
“The Vex,” I say.
Reatha’s eyes widen, and she nods. “The Vex.”
“Why would Jarek poison his own people?” I ask.
Reatha shakes her head. “I don’t know, and neither did your mother. Possibly to weaken us, or to stir up panic and give himself an excuse to consolidate power.”
“But why?” I repeat. “We have all the tools for paradise inside the Wall. Why would someone use them to destroy rather than build?”
She holds her hands out, palms up. “Only Jarek knows. He’s the source of our evil.”
Frustration crashes over me. “Why didn’t you stand up to him, then?”
Her grimace deepens. “We tried, those of us who met here. But by the time we realized Jarek and Misia were no longer following the rules of the Valley, it was too late. They took away our freedom so slowly at first that it hadn’t occurred to us to fight back; now they wield too much power, coming after our families if they see us as a threat. ”
“So you fled to the caves,” I say softly. “You hide out here.”
“We hide and we hope.”
“For what?”
“Rebellion. Led by your generation.” Her mouth ribbons to a thin line. “There was a time when we believed our community was only as strong as its weakest member. When we took care of each other. We can find our way back to that, with the help of those of you who train.”
“You drop your problems on our shoulders without even telling us what we’re up against!
” I can’t contain my reaction, my voice rising at the unfairness of it.
“Meanwhile, you’re hiding out in a cave.
Your family is safe.” It’s an unkind thing to say, but I can’t help myself.
She’s feeding my anger without providing an outlet.
She reels back as if I’ve struck her. “Something big is coming. You have no idea.”
I throw up my hands. “So tell me!”
“Mom?” Marie peeks out from the cave, her brown eyes wide with fear.
I’ve upset her. “I’m sorry,” I say, before returning my focus to Reatha, preparing to convince her of something—anything—and, if that doesn’t work, to make her feel ashamed for what she’s allowed to happen.
A warmth inside my hand startles me back to myself.
It’s Marie, lacing her fingers through mine.
Her buck-toothed smile is tentative. “I saw you fight today. You’re so quick and strong.”
I try to return her smile. “Thank you. I like it.” I inhale a trembling breath. “The combat, that is.”
“Gryphon said he’d teach me. When I’m older. Do you think he will?”
She looks so hopeful. “If he said he would, he’d be a terrible person not to.”
Marie wrinkles her nose. “That’s not an answer.”
My laugh surprises me, releasing some of my steam. “You’re right.” I crouch down so she can look me in the eye. “Here’s what I think. If Gryphon promised he’d teach you, then he will. It’s important to him that we all know how to defend ourselves.”
She nods happily. “That’s what he said, too. Rose?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think you could bring me a potato roll from the Bakers next time you come? I’m mostly okay living out here. I hardly even miss my friends.” She squirms in a way that makes me instantly not believe her. “But I dream about those rolls sometimes.”
My eyes flick to Reatha, already knowing what I’ll find there. Her face shines with a mother’s regret. I turn back to Marie. “You bet. Next time the Baker makes potato rolls, I’ll bring one for you.”