And Clementine …
Clementine looked like a woman now. When had that happened? She was as tall as Aster, and her round face had narrowed while her thin hips had filled out. The sophisticated sage green dress she wore stood out beautifully against her deep brown skin. But that look in her eyes was the same as it always been—one of unbroken hope. Her lips parted in surprise at the sight of Aster, then spread into the girlish grin Aster remembered so well. Aster’s chest swelled with emotion.
“What … what are you all doing here?” Aster finally stammered into the stunned silence.
“Lucker, what are you doing here?” Mallow shot back, looking as shocked as Aster felt. “Priscilla sent word you were missing and we came back to help find you.”
Aster tore her eyes away from them and looked at Priscilla.
“You were gone for so long, Aster—I really thought we’d lost you,” she said, her voice brittle with emotion. “I felt I had no choice but to let the others know.”
“And we felt we had no choice but to look for you ourselves, no matter what it took,” Clementine finished. She ran across the room to wrap Aster in a hug, and as her arms closed around her, something inside Aster broke. Tears sprang to her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.
“All of you?” she asked, her voice cracking.
“Of course all of us,” Zee answered, and the others joined the hug until Aster was cocooned in their love. It only made her cry that much harder. She had not been held in such a long time. When they let her go, she laughed self-consciously, wiping her eyes.
“Well, I’m sorry to have made you come all this way.”
“Don’t be a fool, we’re just glad you’re okay!” Tansy said.
“Yes, of course,” Priscilla said, forcing a smile through her confused expression. “But by the Veil, Aster, where have you been?”
Aster took a final breath to steady herself, looking at her friends for courage before she spoke.
“I was in Northrock. I got caught in the lockdown. I … I was the one who burned the welcome house down. I went there to find Violet and I couldn’t leave without making sure those doors never opened.”
It fell so silent in the room that all Aster could hear was the ticking of Zee’s pocket watch. Her friends’ faces were a mix of confusion and disbelief, while Priscilla’s had become utterly unreadable, her smile fading.
“But Aster…” Tansy said into the quiet, “the newspapers reported that some vagrant started that fire—a former Good Luck Girl who aged out and had become unstable.”
“Wait, what?”
“Yeah, they already arrested her and everything,” Zee went on. “That’s why the lockdown lifted.”
“… And that’s why none of you guessed it was me,” Aster said slowly, the realization settling in.
They nodded and murmured in agreement.
“Do you think the law really believes that woman did it?” Clementine asked.
“No,” Aster said, a pit forming in her stomach. “They’re probably lying to save face, like when we escaped McClennon’s manor. ‘That woman’ probably doesn’t even exist. They’ll still be looking for me.”
The room fell into silence again, until Priscilla stood up, the legs of her chair squealing against the stone floor as she pushed it back.
“Well,” she said briskly, bracing her palms against her desk. “That was hardly the answer I was expecting you to give, Aster. But I suppose the important thing is that you’re safe. You certainly had everyone here worried.”
Disappointment laced through her voice, and Aster felt even sicker as she swallowed the words.
“Ma’am, I promise, I never meant to worry any of you—”
“No doubt. But your friends risked a journey back to Arketta for your sake all the same. I’ll leave you now to catch up with them, dear, but you and I will talk more in the morning … and I expect we’ll have a good deal to discuss.”
Aster felt helpless as she watched Priscilla sweep out of the room. Her stomach sank heavily. This wasn’t how she’d imagined her triumphant return. She hadn’t even gotten a chance to explain herself.
“Well! She’s pissed,” Mallow said once the door swung shut. “But I need to hear more about how you pulled this whole thing off.”
“You’re not upset?” Aster asked desperately, turning back to face her friends. She could handle disappointment from Priscilla, just about, but if her friends couldn’t accept what she’d done …
“Upset?” Clementine repeated. “Aster, you’ve been in hiding, so maybe you wouldn’t know, but it’s only the fairbloods who are upset about that fire. Most of the rest of us haven’t been able to stop crowing about it.”
Aster grabbed hold of this like a lifeline. “Really?”
Zee nodded. “Even some of the dustblood men who’d usually support the welcome houses were happy to see McClennon get made a fool of by one of their own.”
“Yeah, and last week a group of tenant farmers burned down a Sweet Thistle plantation,” Tansy added excitedly.
“They did what?”
“Why the rip should they keep toiling over some Sweet Thistle for a welcome house that isn’t going to open? That’s what they figured,” Mallow explained with a grin. “If a Good Luck Girl could stand up to a landmaster, then so could they.”
“McClennon and them will keep trying to spin this in their favor, but it’s too late—people are on your side, even if they don’t know who ‘you’ really are,” Clementine said.
“Yeah, I reckon Ms. Priscilla’s just hurt that you went behind her back,” Tansy finished. “She’ll come around, Aster. This was a good thing you did.”
Aster found her smile again, letting out a loose breath. She turned and locked eyes with Raven, who had been hovering at the edge of the group, seeming like she wanted to disappear into the corner of the little room. Her arms were crossed guardedly.
“Well, I couldn’t have done any of it without Raven,” Aster admitted. “She’s one of my bunkmates, and she’s been a great friend to me. Come on, I want you all to meet each other.”
Aster waved Raven over, but Raven’s eyes went wide and she held her hands up.
“I’m just here to get the rest of the story,” Raven said. “I don’t need to—”
“Good to meet you!” Zee said brightly, stepping forward and shaking her hand with enthusiasm. The rest followed his lead, one after the other, wearing Raven down with their excitement until at last her expression softened a little. She tucked a stray loc behind her ear, a faint grin on her lips as she joined their circle.
“This all started when Raven and I went to Northrock together to hear McClennon speak,” Aster explained—and then she told them the whole story from the beginning. The undercover mission to McClennon’s rally, where she and Raven had learned about the new welcome house and its horrific Lucky Night policy; the plea to the Lady Ghosts to help Violet, who clearly wanted no part of the role she’d been forced into; the effort to rescue her against Priscilla’s wishes, which had also led Aster to Derrick McClennon; and the burning of the welcome house, which had left her trapped in Northrock for two weeks.
“I knew Violet wasn’t really working with McClennon!” Clementine exclaimed once Aster was finished. “Didn’t I tell you all when we saw the announcement in the papers? Just another one of that man’s lies.”
Mallow punched her fist into her hand excitedly. “We should’ve trusted you. We should’ve trusted her. No one else could take a situation like that and twist it to their advantage.”
“Yeah, I’m just glad she’s okay,” Zee murmured, looking away. Aster knew he blamed himself for not being able to save Violet, as Aster had so often blamed herself.
“I’m just glad you’re okay, Aster,” Tansy added, leaning back against Priscilla’s desk. “You’re lucky you’re even alive. The smoke inhalation alone—”
“It was reckless, I admit,” Aster agreed. “I should have thought it through more, all of it. But I didn’t have
time. There’s not enough time. The work the Ladies do here is lifesaving, and I’ve seen that firsthand. But borderjumping these girls one by one … we’re never going to save them all that way. I see that now. We have to think bigger, and we have to move faster.”
“So, what, you’re going to keep burning down welcome houses?” Raven asked skeptically.
Aster began to pace as she thought aloud. “I had a lot of time to ask myself that during the lockdown, and, as much as I’d love to burn down every welcome house in the Scab … I don’t think I can,” she admitted. “I was only able to burn down this welcome house because it hadn’t opened yet. There weren’t any girls there. But a welcome house that’s already operational … I can’t risk the girls’ lives with something like that. The whole point is to save them.”
And besides, Aster had begun to realize, for every welcome house she tore down, the landmasters would use their endless shine to build two more. Seeing the dustbloods’ suffering in Northrock had been a sobering reminder of how far the landmasters’ reach extended, how endless their resources were. She had to go to the source of the problem. These men could, with a stroke of a pen, close every welcome house their families owned and free hundreds of girls overnight. She just had to convince them … force them … to do it.
Aster stopped her pacing. She had no idea what it would take to make men like Jerrod McClennon give in to such a demand.
But Derrick McClennon just might.
This is bold as hell, Lucker, a low voice in the back of her head warned. Bad enough you robbed a bunch of brags. Now you want to go and blackmail the richest families alive?
Her mouth went dry.
If she was going to do this, she couldn’t do it alone.
Aster looked around the circle. Her Green Creek sisters had finally found a taste of freedom in Ferron. Raven had carved out a real home for herself here with the Ladies. And Zee had already risked so much for her and her friends. It didn’t feel fair to ask any of them to leave their hard-earned happiness behind to join her in a fight that would likely get them all killed.
“It’s okay, Dawn. You can tell us what you’re thinking,” Clem said quietly.
Aster felt a hitch in her chest. Clementine had always known her better than she knew herself.
“I’m thinking…” Aster began slowly, “I’m thinking I need to hit the landmasters directly. Hit them hard, starting with McClennon. And I’m thinking I can’t do it without you all.”
“Hit them hard how?” Mallow asked, her eyes lighting up with interest.
“That,” Aster went on, “is going to be a question for Derrick. We bring him into this—him and Violet both. They tell us where his family’s most vulnerable, and those are the targets we go after. You say there are folks burning down the fields? There’s no reason we can’t do the same. I figure if we raise enough hell, McClennon just might be desperate enough to do whatever we ask of him to get us to stop.” She met each of their gazes in turn. “And we’re going to ask him to shut down his family’s welcome houses for good.”
The room fell so silent Aster could hear her own heart beating.
“Aster … he would never,” Zee said softly.
Aster warmed with a rush of anger. “Never isn’t worth two coppers to me. We were never supposed to escape Green Creek. We were never supposed to survive the Scab. We were never supposed to find Lady Ghost or run away to Ferron. So don’t stand there and tell me I’m being unrealistic. It’s worse than ever out there. Someone has to try.” Her voice was climbing in her throat, and she paused and took a breath to calm herself before she continued. “Listen … you all have every right to walk away. I would never hold it against any of you. Everybody in this room has already been through more than any one person ought to have to bear.” She swallowed. “But I’m doing this, and I’m not too proud to admit I’m going to need help.”
“And you’ll have it,” Clementine said without hesitation, stepping forward to clasp Aster’s shoulder.
“Always, Aster,” Mallow promised.
“It would be an honor,” Tansy said.
Zee nodded. “Just tell me where to be.”
They all looked at Raven, who blushed faintly underneath their gaze.
“I wouldn’t expect you to come with us,” Aster reassured her quickly. “You hardly know these four—”
Raven’s response was soft but sure, a smile lifting the corners of her lips. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
* * *
That night, for the first time in a year, they all sat down to share a meal together.
The Lady Ghosts had prepared pot roast for supper, celebrating Aster’s safe return. Priscilla didn’t mention the burning of the welcome house in her brief speech, saying only that Aster had been caught in the Northrock lockdown while on a mission. Still, Aster could see from Marjorie’s and Agatha’s distraught expressions that Priscilla must have told her second- and third-in-command about Aster’s insubordination.
“I don’t reckon there’s any point in asking them for help with our next move against McClennon,” Clementine said, following Aster’s gaze to the front of the room.
Aster sighed. “No, I reckon not.” If Priscilla hadn’t been willing to risk a trip to Northrock to save Violet, she certainly wasn’t going to want to risk a trip to the Scab to burn down more of McClennon’s property. But maybe, Aster realized, it was all for the best—as she looked around the dining hall, its tables filled with women talking and laughing freely, she understood why the Lady Ghost leadership would be so protective of what they’d built. This place had been home to her for the past year, the only home where she had always felt safe and never wanted for anything. It wasn’t that she wanted to leave—it was only that she wanted to give every Good Luck Girl the chance to feel this way.
“You think you’ll come back here when it’s all over?” Tansy asked.
“Maybe … although I wouldn’t blame them if they decide I’ve lost their trust. I only hope they’ll help me borderjump to Ferron so I can come live with you all.” Aster just didn’t want to be alone.
“Yes, by the dead, please come to Ferron,” Mallow begged. “We need one more to round out our batball team.”
Aster blinked. “Your what now?”
“Mal, no one’s joining your batball team,” Tansy said patiently, placing a hand over hers.
“Hah! That’s what you think. I already got a few friends from work to come in on this with me. Then we’ll have Clem at first, me at shortstop, and Zee out in right field where he can’t cock it up too much.”
“Hey—” Zee interjected.
Mallow was waving her forkful of roasted potatoes around excitedly now. “We just need a pitcher—”
“Oh? And where do I fit into all this?” Tansy demanded.
“Well, you’ll be the ump, of course,” Mallow said, grinning. She leaned over and kissed Tansy’s temple. “We need someone levelheaded for that.”
Aster laughed through her nose. These two were like the tide, pushing and pulling with tireless delight, and she’d forgotten how easy it was to get swept up in it. “Back up a minute, Mal,” she said. “‘Friends from work’? Who was fool enough to hire you?”
Mallow beamed. “The loading docks. It’s hard work, and the pay’s shit, but my arms are more fit than ever. And Aster, you’ll never believe this, but one of the guys I work with is actually a son of the Nine, and from the southern tribe—the same as my dad’s side of the family. There’s a whole network of Nations hotfoots up in Ferron, apparently. They’ve been teaching me so many of the traditions my family couldn’t. This headband, I made it myself.”
“Really?” Aster asked, eyebrows raised. Mallow’s headband, intricately patterned with red, yellow, and black chevrons, hardly looked like it had been stitched by a beginner.
“Well,” Mallow amended, “one of the aunties helped.”
Tansy laughed. “Still counts, Mal. And Aster, I actually have some genuinely exciting news of my own. I’m at t
he hospital now, working as a nurse, and I’ve been developing a cream that can numb favors for several hours, so we’ll be able to keep them covered for much longer.”
“What?” Raven said. She’d been keeping to herself, as was her way with new folks, but even she hadn’t been able to bite her tongue at this news. “Hold up, what? How the hell did you manage that?”
“There’s this experimental, ghostweed-based drug for pain relief that’s being developed right now—Ferron’s on the cutting edge of this kind of thing. It’s not meant for favors, but I’ve been toying with the recipe, and, well … I finally got a batch that works.” She blushed, shrugging.
Excitement stirred in Aster’s belly. This was the kind of advantage they would need to survive what was to come.
“Tansy, that’s amazing,” Aster said. “I can’t even begin to imagine how much this is going to help people.”
“Well, I still have to perfect it. But it’s on the right track for sure. I only have one batch with me right now, but it should be enough for the few of us, so long as we’re careful with it.”
“And what do you have to say for yourself, Clem?” Aster asked her sister, raising a brow. “Are you out there saving lives, too?”
Clementine snorted. “Hardly! I play the piano at the dancing hall down the street. There’s so much culture in the city, though, Aster. People from all over the world come through our bar. They tell the most interesting stories. I only wish I could share my own,” she added with a laugh.
Aster smiled, warm with pride. It wasn’t all good in Ferron, Aster knew—Good Luck Girls would face hatefulness no matter where the wind took them. But to see her sister thriving, in a way neither of them could have imagined a year ago, still felt as unreal as a dream from beyond the Veil.
“Zee’s got the most exciting job, though,” Clem continued. “He works at a weapons factory, assembling all these high-end voltric firearms.”
The Sisters of Reckoning Page 8