Crewel (9 page)

‘How are you feeling today?’ she asks as we enter. I smile. I suspect that my mentor may only be a few years older than myself, but she clucks over me like a mother hen.

‘Great,’ I respond simply, wondering if she sees the fat lip Pryana gave me.

‘Enora, can you take her back to her quarters when you’re finished? Or would you like me to return?’ Erik asks from the doorway.

‘I can manage it,’ Enora says graciously. ‘Thank you for your assistance.’

Despite how much I like her, I feel disappointed that I won’t be seeing him again today. ‘Yes, thank you, Erik.’

‘It was my distinct pleasure.’ He bows his head slightly and then he’s gone.

‘He’s a bit of a charmer,’ Enora warns.

I roll my eyes. ‘I couldn’t tell.’

‘It’s none of my business, but . . . Oh, never mind.’ She leans in and tugs at my fitted jacket. ‘We have more important things to worry about.’

‘Have we run out of mascara?’ I ask in mock horror.

‘As much as I love your particular brand of sarcasm, I’m going to need you to bite your tongue. You’ve been invited to a special council meeting.’

‘What council?’ I rack my brain trying to remember all the names and departments they’ve been throwing at us this week, but I can’t remember any councils.

‘It’s a meeting between the chair of the training panel and the Guild’s official Coventry Ambassador.’

‘Cormac?’ I ask apprehensively.

‘The one and only,’ she confirms, leading me back into the hallway.

‘So Cormac is the entire council?’

‘No, Maela sits on it, but she won’t be attending.’

‘Cormac and Maela comprise a council that oversees things here? That explains a lot,’ I mutter. I can’t help thinking of our last meeting, when he made me eat at Nilus Station. He must have known they were going to lock me up without food. I don’t know if this makes me like him or hate him.

‘Is this because of the thing with Maela?’ I ask, dropping my voice so the security monitors won’t hear me clearly.

‘Officially, no,’ she whispers. ‘But of course it is.’

‘Great,’ I mutter, wondering what my punishment will be this time, and then one thought stops me in my tracks.

Amie.

My last meeting with Cormac is a bit hazy from the Valpron injection, but if they still have her it might not be me that they punish.

‘Adelice.’ Enora tugs at my arm.

I don’t move.

‘You aren’t in trouble,’ she tells me quietly.

‘I’m not?’ Considering how much time I’ve spent in the cell, I find this hard to believe.

‘Come on.’ She pulls again and I allow her to drag me along.

‘If I’m not—’

‘Maela,’ she confirms under her breath.

‘For what she did to that academy?’

‘For a lot of things.’ She frowns at me. ‘Maela has been overstepping her bounds in the Western Coventry. She wouldn’t even let me down there to see you, and that’s not within her power.’

Then why didn’t you come?

‘I thought she was in charge,’ I point out.

‘You have a lot to learn,’ Enora says with an empty laugh. ‘Now that you are an invited Spinster, you’ll dine with the others and get to know the system here. Believe me, Maela is nowhere near the top of the Guild hierarchy.’

I raise my eyebrows. ‘Care to explain the Guild then? It seems like things run a bit differently from what they taught us in academy.’

‘That’s the truth,’ Enora says. ‘The Guild is comprised mainly of men, as you know, but they use women for a lot of tasks within the government. Spinsters, for instance. But there are other positions – secretaries, nurses, assistants—’

‘Like everywhere else in Arras?’ I clarify. This information isn’t all that surprising
or
interesting.

‘Yes, but they try to keep as much information about what each coventry does a secret. The Guild oversees our work here, places work orders, and steps in to discipline when necessary. Sometimes I think Maela hopes to advance into the Guild ranks, so she can travel around the four sectors, from coventry to coventry.’

‘Is that even possible?’ I ask.

‘I doubt it,’ Enora says. ‘I don’t think the Guild is going to allow a woman into a position of political power. That won’t stop her though, and if I had to lay money on a woman who could rise from under the Guild’s thumb and out of the Coventry, it would be her.’

‘Not that I’m a fan of Maela’s ego getting any bigger, but don’t we already have a pretty powerful position?’

‘That’s where someone like Cormac comes in,’ Enora explains, her soft voice rushing through the information as we walk. We must be getting close to our destination. ‘Officially, he’s a spokesman who keeps the public apprised of what goes on in the coventries and the work we are doing. People think he’s a friendly goodwill ambassador between the Spinsters and the people.’

‘Unofficially?’

‘He keeps us in our place. He may not be head minister, but he’s just as powerful. Don’t let him fool you. That’s why he’s here.’

‘As thrilling as that information is, why am I being dragged into this?’ I ask.

‘Good question.’ Enora sighs, and I’d bet she’s wondering how she got stuck mentoring the new troublemaker.

‘Don’t they tell you anything?’ I didn’t mean for this to be an insult, but Enora bites her lip as if it were.

‘No, they don’t, Adelice.’

‘They don’t tell any of us anything,’ I note. ‘So it’s probably stupid to ask, but did you find out about my sister Amie or my mother?’ Asking sends a thrill of dread through my stomach.

‘I’m sorry,’ Enora says, shaking her head. ‘The one person who might have information has been travelling.’

‘Travelling?’ I ask in surprise. ‘Is it a politician?’

‘No, she’s one of us,’ she says quietly, but I can tell she can’t say any more.

I stop asking questions even though my mind is heavy with them, and she leads me to a large red-lacquered door and knocks timidly. The door flies open.

‘Yes?’ an officer dressed in the jet-black uniform of the Guild Special Service asks without meeting our eyes.

‘It’s fine,’ a familiar voice calls from inside the room. ‘They’re my guests.’

The officer moves to the side, and we step into the lounge. It’s more dimly lit than most of the rooms in the compound. Probably due to the heavy velvet curtains that drape the oversized windows. Enough light streams in that I can make out the plush sofas and slick leather chairs strategically placed around the room, but the lack of natural light leaches the colour from the furniture. Cormac sits by a marble hearth, cigar in one hand and cocktail in the
other
. He’s clad as always in his double-breasted tux, although his bow tie hangs loosely around his unbuttoned collar.

‘Miss me?’ he asks.

‘It hasn’t been that long,’ I remind him.

‘I’m sure it’s felt like a lifetime,’ he says, running his eyes down me. ‘Adelice, you are looking . . . malnourished.’

‘Cormac, you’re looking overdressed.’

‘Good,’ he sneers. ‘Now the hair matches the attitude.’

Beside me Enora fidgets.

‘And who are you?’ he asks, turning to her and squinting in the dark.

‘Enora,’ she says quietly. ‘I’m Adelice’s mentor.’

To her credit she sounds calm.

‘Nice to meet you, Enora,’ he says, taking a swig from his glass. ‘I’ll have Adelice escorted back to her quarters when we’re through.’

‘I’m happy to stay,’ she tells him.

Cormac chuckles like this is a bold suggestion and shakes his head. ‘That won’t be necessary.’

With one worried look, Enora steps back through the door, and I’m left alone in the room with the Guild’s official Coventry Ambassador.

‘Sit,’ he commands. ‘Cocktail?’

I shake my head.

‘Whatever.’ He sets down his glass and moments later, someone steps from the shadows to refill it.

I feel my breath catch and turn away, hoping Cormac didn’t notice my reaction.

‘Will you be requiring anything else?’ Jost asks him, and I feel heat creeping into my cheeks. I’m suddenly thankful for the heavy curtains.

‘Not at the moment, but stay close just in case,’ Cormac says in a dismissive tone.

‘Happily,’ Jost murmurs, but our eyes meet as he turns and I can see he’s anything but happy. A moment later he’s faded back out of sight.

‘So you’ve been causing trouble,’ Cormac informs me as he swirls his whisky.

I focus on the soft clink of ice against the glass, and say nothing.

‘Maela has overstepped her bounds as usual,’ he continues. ‘Technically, she’s your superior, you know.’

‘Technically?’ I ask in surprise.

‘Do you think we usually let girls who try to tunnel out of their houses live?’

‘So why me?’

‘Your skills assessment at your testing was off the charts,’ he admits, setting his glass down and leaning forward.

‘Why are you the only person who tells me anything?’ I ask, shifting back in my chair.

‘Well, I know more than anyone else.’

‘But they know more than they let on,’ I press. His cologne’s heavy musk is making my head swim, and I can’t hold back the thoughts I’ve locked in since my arrival.

‘They do,’ he admits, ‘but I have so much more power. It’s easier to share little secrets when you’re in charge.’

‘And you are?’ I ask him pointedly. ‘Then why tell me? You have no more reason to trust me than they do.’

‘No, I don’t,’ he says, ‘but unlike them, I can have you killed.’

‘And I thought we were finally becoming friends.’

Cormac laughs a deep, barking cackle. ‘You are delightful. I do hope I don’t have to kill you.’

‘Finally, something we can agree on.’

He reaches out and places his warm hand on my knee. ‘You could be the most powerful girl here if you start playing your cards right.’

I shift my leg away and cross it over the other.

‘I’m here to make sure Maela doesn’t kill you,’ he says, straightening back up in his chair, ‘and you aren’t making that job easy.’

‘And if she kills me?’

‘We’ll rip her.’ There’s not a hint of sadness in his voice.

‘Does she know that?’

‘I’ve spoken with her,’ he assures me. ‘Of course, it makes her hate you more.’

‘Fabulous.’

‘You’d be wise to stop trying to piss everyone off and start worrying about yourself.’ The amusement is gone from his voice. ‘I can keep her from killing you, but until you move out of her control, you’re still at her mercy.’

‘And how do I do that?’

‘First, you start doing your job. Then you start making allies.’

‘Enora already told me to make friends.’

‘You’re going to need more than friends,’ he says. ‘Your only chance is to move past Maela’s grasp, and to do that you’ll need someone with real power here.’

‘Any suggestions?’

‘I have someone in mind.’

I feel his eyes travel back to my legs, and I straighten in my chair. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jost stiffen in the shadows.

‘Adelice, you’ll be accompanying me on a public-
relations
tour of Arras this weekend. Your aesthetician and stylist are fully prepped on expectations, and I assume your mentor—’

‘Enora,’ I remind him.

‘Yes, her,’ he says. ‘She’ll inform you of protocol measures.’

I swallow hard and nod.

‘See? It’s easy.’

‘May I ask you something?’

‘More polite every day.’ He raises one eyebrow, which I assume is a yes.

‘Did you find my mother?’ With the death threat hanging fresh in the air, now seems like a good time to ask.

‘Hold on.’ Cocking his head to the side to use his complant, he voice-dials a woman named Penny.

‘Can you pull the binaries on Lewys Subject Two?’

My eyes drift to Jost again, who’s stepped forward into a slant of light. He gives me a tight-lipped smile. I think he’s trying to be supportive.

‘No, I don’t have the personal identifying sequence. It was the mother.’

Subject. It.
It pains me to hear my mother described this way.

‘Thanks, doll.’ Cormac turns his gaze back to me. ‘She was found during the cleaning of Romen and removed.’

‘You ripped her?’ The words are thick on my tongue, and I barely push them out.

‘Standard procedure and much more humane than how I usually deal with traitors.’

I can still feel the sticky warm blood on my dining-room floor. I know exactly how he – and the Guild – usually deals with them.

‘You,’ he calls to Jost. ‘Have Maela’s assistant pick her up.’

Jost grunts from the corner and taps the order into the small companel.

‘Adelice, one more thing.’

I stare at him, blinking hard against the tears burning up my throat.

‘These are Stream events, which I’m sure you know.’

I nod once. Guild events are required viewing in every home. They usually consist of a lot of back-patting and flashes to the beautiful, important visiting politicians. Since the Streams come in automatically, my parents usually let them play while we continued our nightly chores and activities. When we were very young, Amie and I would squeal over the lush satin dresses and sparkling jewels worn by the visiting Spinsters. Now that would be me.

‘Remember the deal we made when we first met?’

I tilt my head at Cormac curiously and sift through my recollection of that night. I hate the fuzzy final memories I have of my retrieval and the last time I saw my parents, and if I could remember more from that night, I wouldn’t want it to be memories of Cormac.

‘Stupid Valpron.’ He tilts his head again and barks: ‘Penny, the head medic for the Lewys retrieval. Put in a removal request.’

I gasp, and in the corner Jost whips toward us but doesn’t come forward.

‘So incompetent,’ Cormac tells me, but there’s no anger in his voice. He’s already moved on. His poor secretary probably hates her job.

‘I told you I had someone you loved very much and you put on a dazzling show,’ he continues.

‘Too bad you ripped her,’ I say with only the slightest break in my voice.

‘No, not your mother,’ he says. ‘Your sister, what was her name?’

‘Amie,’ I tell him in a small voice.

‘She’s been rewoven, and I’m told she is safe and happy.’