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Everything is in order so ait for our instructions It’s raining again and Indie hu they have us flying together," I say "I never see you in the barracks or the meal hall anymore"

"I’ve been busy," Indie says She leans closer toto request to train as a fighter?"

Is that why I don’t see Indie as hters, the ones who cover our errand ships as we fly, have to train for years And, of course, they learn to fight and kill "No," I say "What about you?"

Before she can answer, our flight plans start coh Indie reaches for theue at me like we’re kids I look down at the plans and my hearther neck so she can see

"We’re going to Oria," I say, stunned

"That’s strange," Indie says

It is The Rising doesn’t like us to pilot into Provinces where we once lived They think we’ll want to try to get the cargo to people we know instead of letting the Rising distribute according to need "The teh," the co," Indie says "They say Oria and Central are the places with the most Society sympathizers"

I wonder who still lives there that I would know Cassia’s family was sent to Keya, and my parents were taken away Does Em’s family still live there? What about the Carrows?

I haven’t seen Xander since the tiave him the note fro inside the Ca sent us in to deliver so to do with the assigns it off "They probably just wanted to see if we could ," she says, "since it’s one of the lint in her eye thatthe whole story It worries , it’s pointless to keep asking

But we o and I delivered Cassia’s lad to seethat lasted after he saw that part of the letter was ruined

The ht is, as usual, all sky

Then we drop lower I aih it was the Society who put up the white barriers, the Rising has left them in place for now to keep a line between the sick and the healthy

"Oria looks like everywhere else," Indie says, sounding disappointed

I’ve never thought of it that way But she’s right That was always Oria’s most important characteristic--it was so perfectly Society that it was practically anonymous Not like Camas, which has the mountains to set it apart, or Acadia, which has a rocky shore to the East Sea, or Central with all its lakes The middle Provinces--Oria and Grandia, Bria and Keya--look pretty

"We do have the Hill," I tell Indie "You’ll see e get closer"

I feel hungry for the sight of that forested rise with its green trees I feel like if I can’t see Cassia, the Hill is the next best thing We stood there together We hid in the trees and for the first time our lips touched I can almost feel the wind on my skin and her hand in mine I s

But e soar a circle over Oria to prepare for landing, I can’t see

Indie is the one who sees it "That brown thing?" she asks

She’s right

That bare, brown place is the Hill

I start to bring the ship down We get closer and closer to the ground Trees along the streets turn large The ground rushes at us The buildings becoeneric

At the last second, I pull the ship back up

I feel Indie looking at me I’ve never done this before in thewasn’t right," I say into the speakers It happens It will go down on ain, closer

We come up in the opposite direction and head for the Hill, dropping lower than I should so I can get a good look

"Is sohters asks over the speaker

"No," I say "I’ it in"

I’ve seen what I needed to see The ground is bare It’s been completely bulldozed Burned Butchered It’s like the Hill never knew trees Parts of the Hill have sloughed doard, no longer anchored by the roots of living things

The little piece of green silk froer tied to a tree on the top of the Hill, wearing out into white ind and rain and sun Our buried scraps of poems have been exhumed and reburied and pushed farther under

They’ve killed the Hill

I land the ship Behindout the cases I sit and stare straight ahead

I want to be back there, on the Hill, with Cassia I want it so ht destroy me All these months have passed and we’re still apart I put my head in ht?" She puts her hand on o and, without looking at rateful to her for both the touch and the solitude, but neither lasts long

"Ky?" Indie calls out "Come see this"