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Her face changed a little, beca "Of course," she said "Wait here It won’t takethe shelves
That was our first trade Later, I discovered the woman’s identity and learned that she was the head Archivist in Central City, the person who oversees and directs the trades but doesn’t often execute the, she’s taken a special interest in the pages Ky sent me I’ve worked with her ever since
When I cli the box full of papers in e of the field It was silver grass and gray and black rubble I could make out the shape of the white plastic that covered the other excavations, protecting them from a Restoration interrupted and not yet resumed I wondered what that place used to be and why the Society decided to abandon any atte it back
And then what happened next? I ask es after I took the place?
For a moment, the memory tries to slip away like a silvered fish in a stream, but I catch hold of it
I hid the papers in the lake
Even though they told us the lake was dead, I dared to go into it because I saw signs of life The bank looked like the healthy strea, not the one where Vick was poisoned I could see where grass had been; in a place where a spring ca slowly, spending the winter deep below
I crept out through the brush that went up to the edge of the lake, and then I buried the box under the middle pier, under the water and stones that pattern in the shallow part where the lake touches shore
And then a newer memory comes back
The lake That’s where Ky said he’d meet me
Once I reach the lake, I switch on the flashlight I keep hidden in the brush at the edge of the City, where the streets run out and the marsh takes over
I don’t think he’s here yet
There are always one? But then I take a deep breath and put my hands into the water,box filled with poetry
When I trade the pages, it’s usually to pay for the exchange of es between Ky and me
I don’t kno et to Ky So I sent e in a code I created, one that I invented during the long hours of sorts that didn’t require htly when he wrote inal code a little, changing and evolving it to make it harder to read It’s not a perfect system--I’m sure the code can be broken--but it’s the best we can do
The closer I get to the water, the
A thick cluster of black birds has gathered out near the edge of the first dock, and another group of theated farther down the shore They cry and call to each other, picking at soht on them
The black birds scatter and screech atthe bank, catch in the reeds Belly- up, glazed-eyed And I remember what Ky said about Vick and the way he died; I remember that dark poisoned stream back out in the Outer Provinces and other rivers that the Society poisoned as the water ran down to the Ene the Society’s water?
I shiver a little and wrap htly around myself The papers inside my clothes whisper Underneath all this death, somewhere in the water, other papers lie buried It’s early spring, but the water is still frigid If I go in to get the pages noon’t be able to wait as long for Ky
What if he coone home cold?
CHAPTER 6
KY
We’re getting closer and closer to Grandia It’s time to tell Indie what I want to do
There are speakers in the cockpit and down in the hold The co I say, and so can Caleb So I’ to have to write this out for Indie I reach into my pocket and pull out a stick of charcoal and a napkin fros with e to Cassia lances over at me and raises her eyebrows Silently, sheto?"
I point at her and her face lights up
I’, I said we should try to run away from all of this Rerees to coet Cassia and escape with the ship I only get one ritten down--In--before a voice fills the cockpit
"This is your Chief Pilot speaking"
I feel a little jolt of recognition, even though I’ve never heard him speak before Indie draws in her breath, and I shove the charcoal and paper back into my pocket as if the Chief Pilot can see us His voice sounds rich andfrom the control panel, but the quality of the transmission is much better than usual It sounds like he’s actually on the ship
"I a"
Indie and I turn to look at each other She was right, but there’s no triumph in her expression Only conviction