Chapter 18 #2
Inside my brown, Providence-issued jacket is a tiny package. One I hope that, once I show Sibs, I can leave behind and no longer worry about getting caught with.
I hear a couple of thumps and then the door whips open to reveal a very chipper old woman grinning at me. Her beige box dress falls to the floor around her feet, with a robe that looks like it might have been green once spilling over her stooped shoulders.
"Why, hello, doll. I thought maybe I'd be seeing you," she says, grabbing hold of my arm and ushering me inside.
"I hope I'm not interrupting you," I respond politely.
"Oh, of course not. I meant what I said –– come by anytime. I don't have a lot going on these days," she says with a little wink.
I chuckle.
"Tea?" she asks, although she doesn't wait for an answer as she hobbles to the kitchen.
I sit awkwardly, wondering when I should bring out the plant.
I take a minute to look around the room, noticing it seems like Sibs has moved things around.
It feels the same as last time; dust-covered trinkets lining the walls, and a warm, earthy scent filling the air.
All familiar, but oddly dissimilar to last time.
"No friends today?" she asks.
"No, Farra and Leo do say hi, though, but they had some errands to run. Maybe next time?" I add, not wanting to disappoint her.
"Of course, sometimes it's nice to chat alone, anyway. Easier to hear each other." She brings the tea over and I pop up to take it so her hobbling doesn't spill the hot liquid.
She sits down with a huff, dusting off her worn dress, and gives me a curious smile.
"How have you been?" I ask.
Sibs quirks her head, hand resting on the cane she never seems to actually use, and says, "Come now, we're beyond small talk. What brings you here?"
I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
I reach into my pocket and pull out the little package I'd wrapped in cloth. I unfold the bundle, carefully placing it on the dining room table for Sibs to inspect, and hold my breath. Sibs looks at it, blinks several times and then looks up at me, unimpressed.
"You have brought me a weed," she states matter-of-factly.
"I have. You don't seem...?" The question falls off my lips, unsure how to start this conversation.
"I'm not overly surprised, no. That which is truly resilient always finds a way." She taps her cane thoughtfully, unbothered.
"Have you seen these around elsewhere? Are plants growing in places and we just don't know about it? If so, why are they keeping that a secret?" I stop myself, even though I have plenty more questions.
The old woman just eyes me thoughtfully, still tapping. She stands and makes her way to the door. I worry for a moment that maybe I've overstepped, and I'm about to be shown out, but Sibs just stops and beckons me over to the tapestry.
"I caught you staring at it the first time you were here. Why?" Sibs asks, with no gentleness in her tone. I appreciate the fact that this woman doesn't feel the need to coddle.
"I... I'm not sure. I recognize it, but my memories are... odd." I answer as honestly as I can.
"Odd, how?" she asks again in the same tone.
"I don't know. They blend or mesh, I guess. I remember bits, but I'm never too sure what's a memory or a dream. And I'm the oldest surviving member in my family, so there's no one to fill in the gaps." I shrug like it's not a big deal, but it feels heavy to admit.
The old woman's face softens slightly, seeing me falter.
"I suspect we've all lost a great deal. And in my experience, everyone's brain is unique. It's nothing to be embarrassed about." She points back to the tapestry, "What made you stop at this, then?" she asks again.
"I recognize it somehow. My father was obsessed with history.
After my mom died, he became obsessed with figuring out what was happening to our people, our country.
He had drawings, scrolls –– all sorts of stuff he had dug up.
I don't remember details. I remember the compasses, sort of.
They're all foggy too, but I remember it looking more like this?
Maybe. Sorry, I don't actually know." I fidget with my hands uncomfortably, feeling embarrassed. I'm usually better at this.
Again, Sibs just watches without judgement, nodding. Her lack of response has frustration bubbling inside of me.
"Ok, can you please tell me what you know?" I say, letting out an exhausted breath. I don't really have time for her to muddle through my memories with me.
To my surprise, the old woman bends forward in laughter.
"I do like you, Ms. Treow. What is it you want to know?" Her eyes glint with mischief, her long grey curls falling out of her disorderly bun to frame her face.
"Everything," I respond.
She shakes her head. "It doesn't work like that. Ask me specific questions."
I tilt my head at her. Because that's an odd thing to say, isn't it? But I decide to play her game.
"Which compass is the real one?" I hammer out.
"Try again," she snaps.
I huff out my frustration. This old woman is wasting my time. I turn to grab my stuff, but her wrinkled fingers wrap around my wrist.
"I can only answer specific questions. Maple, you're a smart girl, so ask smart questions. Both compasses are obviously real because you've seen them." She nods at me again, encouraging.
My eyes narrow on her. If she wants to be difficult, fine. I dealt with Willow as a toddler. This is nothing.
"Fine, is this rendition of the compass the original?"
"Yes," she says firmly.
What did Farra say? The excerpt about the time before, and a well of power that was underneath... I glance at the compass, at the spot in the middle, and although I came here for several things, this one question bubbles up next.
"Is Aethur, a place or a god?"
"Yes, and yes." She rolls her eyes at me.
I pace back to the couch and sit down with a groan.
"Aethur's a god...?"
"Yes."
I run my hands through my hair. A thought strikes me.
"Are there more Gods than the ones worshipped in our churches?"
She nods her head slowly.
"Why did the government change the compass?"
"To make sure we forgot. To cover up the mistakes made. Aether is both a god and a place. He is night, and the death beyond. Where the dark dust settles."
My eyes widen at her words. That saying echoes around in my head, familiar, but I’m unable to remember why.
I try to unravel my racing thoughts, and something strikes me.
"Is magic really gone?"
She smirks proudly at me now. "No."
"How?" I spit.
The pride on her face is quickly wiped away. "How does anything happen?"
"What's happening to all the missing people across Providence?" My heart hammers in my chest as I hold my breath waiting for her answer.
"They are not all... lost," She says in a melodic, taunting voice.
"Where are they then?" I press, losing patience.
"They are beyond our reach, in more ways than one," she mutters sadly.
I take a sip of my tea, noticing she hasn't touched hers still.
"Do you not like tea?"
"I try to consume as little of what the council tries to pass as consumable as possible. Dulls the senses," she says to me, tapping her temple and winks. My eyes go wide.
Something clicks in my brain.
"What exactly do you mean?"
"I mean, those scientists are always messing with things they shouldn't." She throws her hands in the air, waving them around, annoyed. "It's how we got into this mess to begin with. Things are not as they seem."
I squint my eyes at her, begging for clarification, but get nothing.
"Where can I get more answers?" Or better answers, I think, exhausted from this conversation and needing to go find Leo and Farra –– and possibly go directly to bed.
She nods at the map of our current continent spread out above one shelf. "Pick a border, any border," she says in that irritating sing-song voice.
I stare at her. She gets up, taking the plant with her and plops it into one of the tiny glass jars. She takes out another jar and grabs a handful of dusty roots and leaves from one, a few spindly looking things from another. She hobbles over, plopping them into my lap. I raise a brow at her.
"For clarity of mind. Crush it up and sprinkle a little in your food or water every once in a while, should help with the memory for you... and your friends," she says, lifting her eyebrows. She hands me the cloth I wrapped the plant in, and I take the roots and wrap them up firmly.
She escorts me to the door. I'm just about to open it when I decide to try out one last question.
"The barrier. Does it really kill anyone who tries to touch it or pass through it?" I whisper. This question seems heavier than the others, but I had to ask for Farra.
She looks at me, wrinkling her nose like I've asked a silly question.
"Of course not, child. Magic in its purest form, does not pick sides. It protects," she says it with that same cheeky tone, and I swear for a second I see a white light pulse in her icy blue eyes. Her grin only widens as she catches my recognition, showing off her missing teeth.
In a daze, I open the door, and thank her before scooting outside.
"Say hi to your friends for me, and come back and visit soon! Especially if you bring more gifts!" she chirps, and doesn't wait for a response before closing the door.
I hurry down the street, wanting to distance myself from her house, just in case. I realize the probability of someone following me––a no-name, low-level training cadet––is almost zero. But almost zero isn't zero so I'm still anxious.
I take a roundabout way to the city square where Leo and Farra said they'd meet me. Idly, I wander around looking at booths for some time, but I don't see either of them.
As more time passes and I realize I probably look suspicious walking in circles, looking at the same stuff over and over again, so I start my way back. Maybe they forgot? But that thought doesn't hold much weight. They had drilled our meeting spot into me before I left, to make sure I met them.
Dread starts to curdle in my gut. What could've happened that would make them take off? Did someone find out where I was? Why would that even matter? There aren't rules about fraternizing with old ladies, right?
I hustle back to base, and head straight to the dorms. Convincing myself nothing bad has happened. Maybe I just missed something? Maybe officers came through town, and they needed to get back to base?
Taking the stairs two at a time, I make it to our floor as fast as possible.
The door to our room is wide open, and immediately I know something is wrong.
I walk inside, and all the breath is stolen from my lungs. Our room has been ransacked. My mattress is up against the wall, bedding stripped. Farra's is in a similar state. Everything we own is in a heap in the middle of our tiny room, some of it torn or broken.
My organs feel like they're twisting around themselves. I stand suspended in the chaos for a moment.
What the hell happened?
Where are my friends?
I start picking random things up in the room, like they will clue me into what's going on.
I bounce back and forth between waiting here, or going on a rampage through the compound to figure out where they are.
Neither is a great plan, I realize. What if something's happening? I can't just stay here and do nothing.
But then, what if me running around everywhere only makes us look that much more suspicious?
Minutes pass before I make the decision to hunt them down. I run down the stairs, almost falling in my rush. I open the entrance door and run smack into Leo.
"Leo! Where have you guys been? What happened!?" I say, relief filling my body.
But the look on Leo's face makes that relief vanish all at once. He's pale, his usual golden skin completely lacking any colour. His eyes are bloodshot, and his nose is crusted up with blood.
"Leo, what happened? Where's Farra?" I ask, putting my hands on his shoulders to try and steady him. At the mention of her name, anguish takes over his face, and a strangled sob creeps out.
Shit, we're right out at the entrance of the building. I fumble for my keys again, and pull him inside, not being overly gentle as I begin to haul him up the steps. I need him to get it together, but I also need us to be away from prying eyes.
We get up to my room; I flip my mattress over on my bed and command him to sit.
I walk over to the door, shutting and locking it.
I sit on my knees between Leo’s legs and look up at him, trying to meet his eyes. He looks like a ghost of himself.
"Leo. Leo. Please, what happened? Where's Farra?" I try to keep my voice level, with enough gentle command that he knows he has to respond. He wipes some of the blood and snot off his upper lip.
"They took her. I tried to stop them, but they took her."
I shake my head, eyes bouncing between his haggard face and his shaking hands.
"Ok, start from the beginning. Who took her? Why weren't you guys at the square?"
This seems to snap him out of it a bit.
"As soon as we got to the square, two commanders came over and asked us to come back with them to base.
We didn't know what to do, but obviously we couldn't say no.
They brought us here and when we came up, Captain Kethler and a couple of his guys were ripping apart the room, completely destroying it.
Said they got a tip you guys were keeping illegal contraband in your room. "
He struggles through the last bit. I shake my head, trying to figure out how this could've happened.
Berkley and Tarius didn't even know anything.
We had kept everyone in the dark. There's no way they knew about the plant.
The books maybe? We didn't have any currently, thank the merciful Gods. But that had to be it.
"If they didn't find anything, then why did they take her?" I ask, trying to piece together the puzzle.
"Because she submitted to questioning. They knew, Maple.
I think they knew about the plant they –– knew we had something.
I tried... I was going to admit to finding it, but she beat me to it.
Said she would go with them. I followed them down, arguing, until the one officer got sick of me and knocked me around in the hallway.
I got myself together and went down to try and find her, but no one would tell me anything. Then I came here and found you."
I sit up on the bed, pulling Leo into a desperate hug. He's vibrating. I pull back and look him over.
"Do you know where they took her?" I ask, not sure I want to know the answer. He just shakes his head.
"Ok. Ok, you stay here. I'm going to go see what I can find out." I squeeze his arm, but he just stares off into the distance.