Relic

XXXXV: Maius 20 Year 242, A.H.

I allow myself a single, final indulgence. As Lukas and I hurry back through the Boundary lands and into the centuries-old tunnel through the Ring, I hold his hand. And I permit myself to fantasize about a life I will never have. An honest life with Lukas.

Before I squeeze through the narrow part of the passage, Lukas and I pause for an awkward moment to say our farewells. Will I ever see him again? He will be re-assigned to the Aerie, and there our paths might cross as Maiden and Attendant or Archon and Attendant, depending on when and where we meet. But it will never be the same as this moment. We will never have this freedom again, alone with our truths.

Lukas answers my unspoken question. “I’ll never really leave you, Eva. Even when you don’t see me, I’ll be watching over you.”

“Just like you did during the Testing?”

He smiles. “Much the same way. I’ll find a way to keep tabs on what you’re doing. My people are everywhere and nowhere. You know that now. And I’ll find a way to protect you—even get you out of the Aerie if need be—if you really insist on moving forward with Eamon’s mission.”

“I’d like that, Lukas. It would make me feel less alone.”

“You’ll never be alone, Eva. I promise you.”

I don’t want this moment to end, but I’m starting to get scared. Daylight is coming soon, and with it, the distinct possibility of discovery. I must make my way back to the Aerie and into my warm, downy bed before I’m found out. Or I’ll never get to start my work as the Angakkuq, as Archon, as Eamon’s successor. I release his hand. “Take good care of Elizabet’s Relic, Lukas.”

“I will, Eva. Remember what I told you about where to look for information. Look for Tech and the old stories; the truth will lie there. Remember what I taught you about not getting caught. And … believe.”

“I will. Goodbye, Lukas.”

He grabs my hand one last time. “What was it Robert said to Elizabet? ‘I shall say good night till it be morrow.’ Good night, Eva.”

I break away from him before I start crying.

WHEN THE ICE WALLS narrow and squeeze down tightly on my chest, I welcome the sensation. It forces me to think about something other than the revelations of this night. I finally push through the gap and out into the crisp night air, gasping for breath. And happy about the distraction. When I look up—and around—I freeze. I’m not alone.

Jasper is waiting for me on the other side of the Ring.

“What in the Gods are you doing out here?” I nearly shout, then bite my lip.

“I could ask you the very same question. It’s not safe for you to be out here,” he says. His voice is oddly toneless.

“Nor for you. Did you follow me?”

“Yes.”

My eyes narrow. “How far?”

“Only to this spot.”

“Why would you take such a risk?”

“I’ve been concerned about you.”

“So you thought you’d hide outside my family’s home and follow me in the dead of the night?” I figure that, if I act offended, he might not pry so hard into my whereabouts. “What have I ever done to make you trust me so little?”

He bows his head. “You’ve been so cold, so removed, ever since we got back from the Testing. You only talk to me—or smile at me—when we’re in some public place. Anyone would think I’d won the Archon Laurels and you were mad at me.”

“You know better than that, Jasper. Why didn’t you visit me at home? Instead of stalking me?”

He lifts his head, his eyes flashing in the light of Her Moon. “Do you think I haven’t tried to see you at home? You’re always at the Basilika, or off in your room praying to the Gods at the diptych.”

I offer him up the only plausible excuse and silently beg my poor brother for forgiveness for invoking his name this way. I fight to keep the desperation out of my voice. “Jasper, since I’ve gotten back from the Testing, I’ve been struggling with my grief over Eamon. Before we left, I had the Testing to focus on. But now, I feel the loss of Eamon everywhere.”

His eyes are glistening now. “Eva, I’m sorry. And here I’ve been selfishly thinking it had something to do with me. How stupid of me.”

It’s his Gallant voice, yet I know it’s sincere. And I actually feel terrible that he believes my fiction so readily. But since it’s working, I take it one step further. “That’s why I’m out here tonight.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is the spot where my brother died. I woke up in the middle of the night, and I felt compelled to come out here and say goodbye to him. I thought it would help me put him to rest.”

Jasper reaches out for my hand. I take it. “I understand, Eva.”

A bright blueish light flashes down on from above. It’s a Ring-Guard on his rounds. How could I have been so stupid as to stand here and chat with Jasper? Not for a tick should I have forgotten that the real threat comes from above.

Instinctively, we duck down, as if that would hide us at all. Hands linked, we start to run toward the town. Even though we’re horribly exposed.

“Halt!”

We keep running. I hear the Warning Bell sound in the distance—jarring and dissonant—unlike the daily bells that govern the Aerie life. Two Ring-Guards run toward us, brandishing lamps that produce the same unholy Tech glow. It occurs to me that I’ve never witnessed what happens during an actual Warning Bell. And I recognize the black tubular devices. They look just like the one I found in Elizabet’s pink pack. My jaw tightens. The Aerie leaders use Tech for their own purposes. My father among them. He will answer me soon enough. This is what Lukas meant by needing someone on the inside to discern the truth.

I have only one chance to rescue myself—and Jasper—from this mess. I slow my pace. I square my shoulders. And I stare at the Ring-Guards. Both are thick and strong; they could crack me in half like a fire log. The heavier one scurries forward.

“What in the Gods do you think you are doing?” I ask, imperiously.

“How dare you speak to us that way!” he barks.

I do not flinch. Instead, I answer, “How dare you? Don’t you recognize your new Archon?”

The Ring-Guard lowers his arm, slowly. He’s still suspicious, but I watch as they take in my Testor uniform. And my face.

The smaller Ring-Guard cries, “By the Gods, you’re Eva!”

“Yes. If either one of you stood in the town square twenty-one days ago when the Testing ended, you would have seen me wearing the Archon Laurels.”

The first Ring-Guard looks me up and down. Frost coats his beard. His eyes flash to Jasper. “That doesn’t give you the right to be out at the Ring in the dead of night.”

My heart is pounding, but I pray to the Gods that he can’t hear my voice quiver. Attitude is everything right now. That, and my knowledge of The Lex.

“In truth it does. The Lex explicitly states that Archons—along with Lexors and Basilkons—have the right to travel at will, regardless of the hour.”

The Ring-Guards are silent. I know that this is beyond their limited knowledge of right and wrong. The smaller says, “She’s right. Let’s just walk away. Imagine the squawking if we tried to arrest New North’s Archon heroine.”

The first Ring-Guard backs away, then stops. “I’m willing to let her go. But what about him?” He points to Jasper. “He’s no Archon. I saw him stand on the stage next to her. He lost the Testing.”

I will myself to stand taller. “Do not insult this Gallant.”

“That’s no insult, just simple truth. He’s got to obey The Lex like the rest of us.”

I smile at him. “Really? He has the right to be out here, same as me.”

“Oh yeah? Why is that, Maiden Archon?”

There’s only one thing I can say that will save Jasper right now. Words that The Lex tells us cannot be unsaid once said. Can I really seal my fate to rescue Jasper from the gallows? Will I be able to fulfill my destiny if I do? I have no other choice. I swallow hard.

“Because he is my Betrothed.”