I set him to work mapping out the size and shape of the room’s opening and all the objects within its walls. Holding tight to my line, I move around the room. My leg still throbs occasionally with the wound, though Theo’s quick administrations might have saved my life. Anyway, there’s no reason to mask my pain in front of him.
Plain tables are anchored into the metal hull that Madeline described. The ship’s wheel sits right in the center of the room, just as she detailed. The chairs she saw scattered around the room now sit in a heaping pile on the wall opposite the door, no doubt from the shifting of the ship. And the Tech is everywhere.
“You were right to focus on this task, Archon Eva. It’s critical that we memorialize this room in the exact state that we found it. This is the Genesis, after all.” His voice is steady now that he has Lex dictates to follow.
On the table farthest from the floor, wedged in a corner between the table and the wall, I spot some Tech and the early version of The Lex. Exactly as Madeline must have left them. Now it’s my turn to control my voice.
“Why don’t I focus on this area of the room? It might be a little—” I pause, as if trying to select the proper words. “—challenging for you to access.”
He looks across the room and down the steeply pitched floor and nods. No more convincing is necessary. “Yes, that’s a good idea.”
Clinging to my sealskin rope, I maneuver into a safe spot. I make a show of pulling out my gridding equipment and finding a steady spot to make my recordings. I start by plotting the table and jumble of chairs, and then move onto the Tech heaped against the wall. I am careful to grid everything except the portable Apple altar—laptop, I correct myself—and the book with the Lex emblem on the cover. These are the artifacts that had so troubled Madeline.
Finally I take out my own journal and make a careful sketch of the laptop with its defaced Apple symbol and copy the unfinished Lex pages as best I can. I want to assess for myself the suspicions they raised in Madeline’s mind.
Noises begin to echo in the room. A stomping of feet, followed by raised voices. I look up for the Boundary Climbers who are supposed to be at the doorframe, but they’ve disappeared. Theo and I glance at each other. I think we both know what’s happening. Archon Laurence has discovered our entry.
I will not rise to the Site surface empty-handed like Madeline. Her lack of evidence about her findings and suspicions led to her downfall. I won’t let that happen to me, even if it makes a thief out of me under The Lex. For the third time.
Anyway, what is The Lex? If it’s as flawed as I suspect, if it’s a man-made document created to manipulate the New North people, then I don’t care if its laws deem me a thief. If it’s not, if the Gods truly divined it and They are indeed real, then I think They will forgive me. They will understand that I seek truth above all else.
I only have a few ticks. While Theo’s eyes are fixed on the door, I reach for the laptop and The Lex. But the distinctive kamiks of Archon Laurence descend on his line lower into the room before I can slide them into my pack. I have no choice but to leave the laptop and The Lex.
“How dare you two enter this room without permission?” he yells, though he need not in this echo chamber.
“My apologies, Archon Laurence,” Theo rushes to say. “I understood your group assignments to mean that we had permission to cross the threshold.” I suppress a smile as he echoes my very excuse.
“Don’t cover for her Lex violations!” Laurence yells even louder. He glares over at me, then back at Theo.
The two men stare at each other. Theo speaks first. “Don’t you dare, Laurence.”
Laurence turns to face him directly. “What did you call me?”
“I called you Laurence. The name I called my brother for the first forty years of his life. Before he became the second-in-charge of the Archons, and too important to remember his family ties. And honor them as The Lex commands.”
My lips part, and for a moment my jaw hangs slack. Brothers? I glance at one, then the other. I guess I see the resemblance despite the years and stones between them. But why is Theo risking so much to help me? Even if Laurence is his brother? Especially if Laurence is his brother?
“Don’t think that wielding our family connection like a sword will make me back down from this Lex-break, Theo,” Laurence fumes. “This isn’t your battle.”
“Laurence, my battle is to serve the Gods against the darkness, and if that means bending The Lex to do Their will better, I will fight. Archon Eva has led us directly into the heart of the Genesis—a blessed Relic we’ve been seeking since we landed on this island. I will not let you impede her sacred work by some highly technical and overly sanctimonious reading of the protocols of entering Sites!”
I am amazed. Theo is more of an ally than I could’ve ever hoped for. And a fiercer opponent than I’d ever suspect. I watch as Laurence slinks away from his incensed brother, tugs on his line, and rises to the surface. He forfeits the battle before it even really begins. Or does he have something else—something worse—planned for me?
“How can I thank you for helping me, Archon Theo?” I ask once I’m certain Laurence is out of earshot.
“By continuing on with your discoveries, Archon Eva,” Theo says quietly. “By finishing the work that the Gods sent you here to do.” Even though he’s panting from the heated exchange, he turns his attention back to his gridding.
How could I steal the laptop and The Lex after Theo took such risks to protect me? No, if discovered, my thievery would only fuel Laurence’s anger against him. I can’t do that to Theo. Or to myself. I will have to find another way to get these Relics into Lukas’s hands.
XXI.
Julius 31
Year 242, A.H.
I throw open the door. Funny, I’ve lived in this house all my life, and I’ve never once opened the door for myself. Attendants have always been standing at the ready, eager to serve me, first as the helpless Maiden and then as the newest Archon and recently Betrothed. I never imagined it would be so heavy.
I don’t know why I’m surprised the door is unmanned. Why would an Attendant be waiting to assist visitors after the night’s final bell? No one knew I’d be returning from the excavation tonight. The only citizens of New North permitted outside of their homes at this time are Triad members. Even Attendants are permitted rest after the final bell, except for the one tending the hearth-fire inside.
After I bid my fellow Archons and Boundary workers farewell at the Hall, I walked the pitch-black Aerie streets completely alone, sifting through my own thoughts. Of the forty-two that set out on our expedition to the Genesis, twenty-four of us returned. Two Archons and fifteen Boundary remained to finish the Site excavations and close it for the season. One poor Boundary Climber won’t return at all; Archon Laurence underestimated the swift approach of spring. The melting ice took the Climber down along with it.
As I walked in solitude, I found myself wishing Laurence had fallen with the Climber. I disliked him when we set out, but now I loathe him. His avarice jeopardized us all, and his hatred of me became more apparent as the siniks of the dig dragged on. I’d never wished for the Chief title before, but I long for the role now, only to ensure that Laurence doesn’t get it. He would turn the sacred office of Chief Archon into a chamber of greed—never mind The Lex’s admonitions about the endless pit that can never be filled. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one who speared my tunic to the side of my iglu.
The longer I walked, the more I realized that the only thing I’d miss from the dig was spending my siniks with Theo. In spite of his ignorance of Tech’s true nature, I learned so much from him and his good-natured guidance about the mechanics of an excavation. That, and I’d miss my secret laughs over the sight of him squeezed into his harness. If only we could have been there by ourselves, with our Boundary helpers, then I could have dug deeper into Madeline’s hunches about the Tech and The Lex—and the truth lying in the heart of the Genesis. But Laurence was too per
vasive a presence for that. And I have to admit that he, more than anything, sealed my own reluctance to steal right under Theo’s nose.
By a specially prepared sled, Theo and I brought the Tech back to the Hall of Archons. How Theo’s hands quaked when we assisted the Boundary workers in loading the sled! I had to restrain from showing my feelings; after all, I’m supposed to believe in Tech’s evil power, too. During the siniks of our dig, Archon Theo had gotten accustomed to being in the same room as the Tech, but he never got used to touching it. Even through heavily gloved hands.
Such are the misperceptions I must change. I must find a way to examine that Tech.
I close the heavy front door behind me, basking for a moment in the warmth of my family home. It is dead quiet. So quiet that I can hear the rumbles of my father’s snoring.
I lower my bags as silently as I can. Instead of heading up to bed like I should, I wander into the dark solar. Even though it’s pitch-black, I run my fingers along the familiar surfaces. No torch is necessary for me to recognize the desk where Eamon and I did our Schoolwork every eve. No candlelight is needed to identify the bench where Eamon and I sat for many bells, in punishment meted by our Lady Mother for our wrongdoings. Every object, every corner, tells the history of Eamon and me. A story that’s now over, except for my Testing memorial to him.
I could cry, but I’m too tired.
With a sigh, I pass into the kitchen. The hearth-fire glows still; as a symbol of our new life in New North, The Lex commands us to never let its embers die. I walk over to the fire and warm my hands over its low flames. I haven’t spent much time in the kitchen since I reached the age of ten and my Nurse Aga left. Where is the larder? I’m starving for real food, not the dried foodstuffs and fire-roasted salmon of the excavation.
Lifting the lid, I find fresh breadrolls and butter. Perfect. I’m just about to bite into a breadroll spread thick with butter when a door slams behind me. I jump, and the bread tumbles out of my hand and onto the floor.
“My apologies, Maiden Eva,” an Attendant says. She bends to the floor and retrieves the breadroll. When she looks up at me with tired eyes, I realize that it’s Ana. As the youngest Attendant, she’s charged with keeping the hearth-fire alive all night. It’s a tough task after a full day’s service, I’m sure.
“Please don’t worry, Ana,” I say, and take the breadroll from her hands. Brushing the residue from the well-used kitchen floor off it, I take a big bite.
Ana looks horrified. “Please, let me get you another roll, Maiden Eva. And perhaps some dinner? There’re roast fowl and root vegetables left from the dinner your parents had with your Betrothed and his family. I can warm them and serve you in the dining room.”
Jasper was here tonight? I feel myself blush a little, thinking of what passed between us the last time he and I were together in this house.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “I just got back from the dig, and after eating on top of a glacier for every meal, this is luxurious.”
“At least let me warm the roast fowl for you?”
I’m happy with the breadroll and butter, but Ana is persistent. “All right.”
I sit down at the kitchen table and watch as she scampers around, readying the remains of the evening meal. I feel strange being served after serving myself for the siniks of my excavation. I also feel safe—truly at ease—for the first time since my iglu was ransacked. My thoughts turn from the warning to Eamon to Lukas and once again to the task I promised myself I’d fulfill. But how will I make sense of the Tech hauled back to the Aerie without Lukas?
I steel myself to ask a question. “Do you remember Lukas?” Just saying his name aloud instead of keeping it locked inside my heart and head feels as if I’m violating a rule. People of the Aerie do not often think of those from the Boundary unless necessary, let alone mention them.
Ana looks up from the hearth-fire. Hesitating, she says “Yes.”
“I wonder where he is.” I purposely don’t ask if she knows of Lukas’s location—Boundary or Aerie, and if Aerie, where. The Lex discourages talk among the Boundary outside their Aerie home, and I don’t want Ana to feel pressured to reveal something she learned in a way forbidden by The Lex. But I do want to communicate that I am desperate to know.
Ana returns to the hearth-fire and pretends to busy herself with preparing the meal. I can see that’s she’s buying time. Seeing if I’ll ask again. I stay quiet, praying to whatever Gods actually exist that she’ll tell me what she knows.
Keeping her back to me, she fetches a plate from the shelves lining the kitchen. As she scoops the food from the pan onto the plate, she finally says, “I heard he’s back in the Aerie.”
Staring down at the meal in front of me, I lift my fork and casually say, “Hmm. I wonder where he was placed. I hope it’s a nice home or a well-kept Keep.”
Our eyes lock for a tick. She searches mine, undoubtedly wondering whether this is some Archon trick. I am wondering, too, whether I can trust her. Who will she tell that I asked after Lukas? What are my choices? I leap into the silent breach between us. “I miss him.”
Ana exhales in visible relief. We both know that it’s a far more serious violation of The Lex for a Maiden to express feelings for a Boundary than it is for a Boundary Attendant to share gossip. I’ve earned her trust. “Me, too,” she says. “I’ve heard he is serving at the Clothing Keep.”
The Clothing Keep. It seems an odd choice for a Boundary as well trained as Lukas. Only manual labor takes place there, not the skilled climbing and hunting and dog-sledding for which he is known. Still, I’ve found him, and now I must manufacture a way to see him even though he explicitly forbade it. He is my only hope in unlocking the secrets I unearthed in the Genesis.
XXII.
Augustus 1
Year 242, A.H.
“What a surprise, darling!” my mother exclaims when I enter the dining room. “Why didn’t you let us know you were coming home?”
My parents rise to embrace me, and my father says, “My most recent reports from Archon Laurence were that the excavation was still underway.”
Pulling back a little, I explain, “Archon Laurence is still at the Site, finishing up the dig.”
“Good. I’m looking forward to getting the full report.” Father glances over at Mother and says circumspectly, “It’s such an important dig.”
“Yes, it is,” I say. I am just as cautious. “I’m certain they’ll close the Site within the week. They must. Archon Theo says it’s very close to the full summer thaw.”
“Archon Theo?”
Surely Father knows that Archon Theo accompanied us on the excavation. The Chief oversees all. “Yes, Father. I thought you held him in esteem.”
“I do. I’m just astonished that a man of his years and stature would be so close to the Site as to report on its stability. I assumed he would serve in an advisory capacity.”
“Well, he was. He was in the dig Site alongside me.”
My father gives me his intense Chief Archon look. “Was that Archon Laurence’s direction?”
“I don’t know, Father. It’s not for me to challenge the decisions of Archon Laurence. I took a vow of pareo, remember?”
He raises his voice. “Don’t lecture me on pareo, Eva. Is there something more that you should tell me?” My father rarely shows any sign of temper; the news of Theo’s role at the dig must disturb him. “There is a tremendous amount at stake on this dig. Surely you understand that.”
There is indeed, but I’ve said enough. Enough to make my father ask questions, but hopefully not enough to embroil me in a full confession. I want my father to learn the details of Laurence’s overreaching and dangerous risks from someone other than me. The Boundary Climber’s death must be reported, and Laurence must be held accountable, but making that happen is not my duty. Too much is at stake, as my father said himself.
Glancing over at my mother, I play the Archon, bristling at the talk of work in the presence of Ladies. I say, �
��Perhaps we should speak of something more appropriate over breakfast.”
My mother’s face lights up. She loves it when I act the Maiden—or Maidenly Archon, anyway. “Excellent suggestion, Eva. No more Archon talk, Jon. Perhaps some talk of the Union?”
My father doesn’t look as pleased; I can see questions and anger simmering beneath his controlled surface. But he acquiesces and gestures for us to sit. “As you wish.”
We take our usual seats, and for a tick it seems as though no time has passed at all. We talk of Union plans, Aerie gossip, and the warming weather. We are simply a Maiden and her parents, and we act as if we have never suffered strife or heartache. But then Eamon’s empty chair stares back at me, and I realize that we are all just playing roles.
My parents deserve some happiness, however fleeting, so I paint on a Maidenly smile and ask for the herbal tisane. As my mother passes it to me across the elegantly set breakfast table, she smiles. Just as I’m about to congratulate myself for giving her some momentary pleasure, she says, “Have you forgotten something, Eva?”
I look at my plate to see if I’ve used the wrong utensil or forgotten to lay my napkin in my lap. Too many siniks beyond the Ring will make one forget the niceties of Aerie life. Everything looks in order. “I don’t think so, Mother.”
“It is Basilika Day, Eva. We will leave shortly.”
I glance down at my clothes. I’m wearing my Archon black. I’ve completely lost track of the days of the week. No surprise. On the dig, we only observed Basilika Day—the Lex-ordered day of worship, reflection, and rest—by way of an extra prayer. Otherwise, it was Archon business as usual.
I jump up. “I will change into one of my gowns.”
As I bound up the stairs, my mother calls, “Don’t forget your hair, Eva.”
My hair. I slept in my Boundary-style fishtail plaits, an updo unbefitting a Maiden on her way to the Basilika. How the Maidens and Ladies of the Aerie would whisper. I can’t afford any more attention than I’ve already garnered. I’ll have to bathe and restyle.
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