The Silver Ship and the Sea (10 page)

“Your anger is scary.” Tom’s brows furrowed. “You just used your strength, your extra strength, and broke the lock off the door?”

Bryan nodded. “What else were we supposed to do?”

“Well, for one, you could have come and gotten me or Nava. It doesn’t seem right that Alicia was locked up, but you should have gotten help. It would have looked better for us to go inquire.”

Bryan and Liam didn’t respond. They didn’t know Tom. Even Joseph and I only knew him a little, and I didn’t know how much to trust him. Just that he had been all right so far. On the plus side, there was a glint of approval in his eyes despite his scolding.

Alicia broke in. “Can I stay here tonight?”

Tom chewed on his bottom lip. “They say you killed someone? Tonight? Who?”

“No. Before the earthquake. Varay. Ruth’s telling the whole band I killed him, although she’s never accused me directly.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “I’m afraid.”

The door opened and I heard Nava’s swift footsteps coming down the hall. “Hello?” She poked her head in the door and her eyes widened at the sight of six of us crowded into the tiny room. Then she noticed Alicia. “What are you doing here?” She stepped
closer to Alicia, bending over the girl. Her voice softened. “How did you get hurt?”

Tom took her elbow. “Let’s go to the kitchen. I’ll fill you in.” He glanced at Bryan and Liam. “And I think you two should go home. Quietly. Let us figure out what to do.”

Bryan looked at him evenly. “I’d much rather stay. Someone needs to watch over Alicia.”

“Go home.” Tom’s tone suggested he wanted no argument. “I don’t know what we’re going to do, but having all of you here won’t make us look impartial.”

Liam tugged gently on Bryan’s arm. Bryan stood unyielding, and I held my breath, willing him to obey Tom. Liam glanced at me, and said, “Akashi will be looking for me. He’ll want to know.”

Bryan didn’t move.

Liam tugged again. “Come with me. Akashi can use your insights as well as mine.”

Bryan shook Liam’s hand from his arm and knelt briefly by my bed, next to Alicia, and whispered something to her. Then he stood and nodded at Liam, and Nava and Tom stepped back from the doorway, letting them out. Bryan’s shoulders and neck muscles stood out, tight with anger. Liam’s steps were confident and sure, his head up.

Joseph looked at the empty place in the doorway. He’d been quiet, but his eyes held some of the same anger Bryan could barely hide anymore. Anger filled my body, too, but none of us could afford to act on it. Not now.

Nava paced, her mouth a tight line. “Would someone please tell me what’s going on here?”

Alicia sat up straighter and pushed the hair from her face again. It was like a live thing, accustomed to hiding her, and she had to work to keep her face free. Red and black rimmed her eyes. “Let
me
tell you. Don’t leave and talk about me.”

Nava sat down on the end of the bed, not touching Alicia, watching her closely. Tom and Joseph and I all stood in a little half circle behind Nava. I wondered if Alicia knew that Nava didn’t like us, and didn’t trust us, but I saw no way to warn her.

Alicia began again at the beginning, telling her story much like she had told us earlier, down at the river, adding only that she had been locked in the wagon as soon as she returned and not allowed to go to the feast. She didn’t cry this time, and anger laced her face and even her words from time to time.

Both Nava and Alicia needed to hear about our earlier meeting. I broke in as soon as Alicia’s story was complete. “We talked to Paloma and Akashi about the rumors. They thought Alicia should take the initiative, and accuse Ruth of telling people a lie. Get it talked about here, where the Town Council can deal with it instead of Ruth, who can’t judge the situation since she started it.” I glanced at Alicia, making sure I had her attention. I did. “They suggested Alicia bring a formal complaint against Ruth for the rumors. But the problem is, there’s no proof one way or the other, so Alicia could be judged guilty either way.”

Nava chewed her lip. “If it’s going to come to the Town Council, I’ll have to judge it, and I’ll have to be impartial. That means you can’t stay here.” She glanced at me. “Chelo, can you see if she can go to Paloma’s?”

Joseph surprised me by speaking up. “I’ll go.”

Nava nodded. “Thank you.”

Joseph left quickly, the door opening and closing noisily behind him.

Nava asked Alicia, “What do you want?”

Alicia leaned forward, squared her shoulders, and took a long, trembling breath. She spoke clearly and firmly. “I don’t want to go back to the band, or to Bella and Michael. I want to go with Akashi’s band. I want to clear my name. I want to be treated like normal. I didn’t ask to be different, or to be here. I can’t help being myself.”

Nava shook her head slightly, frowning. “I can’t promise you anything at this point, except to find you shelter for the evening in town. Does anyone know you’re here?”

“Probably. People were watching.”

Nava glanced over at Tom.

He seemed to understand her wordless look, because he immediately said, “I’ll go tell the East Band that Alicia’s here.”

Nava stood. “Chelo, come with me to the kitchen. I need a cup of tea.” It was a command. She left, heading for the kitchen.

“I’ll be right there,” I called after her. I glanced at Alicia, and she gave a little nod, telling me she would be all right. I went to my clothes drawer and pulled out a clean pair of pants and a clean off-white shirt that would look nice against the long dark fall of her hair. “Here—maybe cleaning up will help you feel better.” I pointed toward the bathroom. “Take a shower.”

She smiled for the first time that evening. “Thank you.” I watched her stand and walk unsteadily toward the bathroom, then I headed for the kitchen, which already smelled like mint and redberry tea.

Nava sat at the table, one cup of hot tea in front of her, one in front of an empty seat across the table. She gestured to the empty chair. “Your friends should not have brought Alicia here.”

I took my time, sipping tea slowly, thinking before answering. “They brought Alicia to me.”

“I will have to judge this problem.”

“Alicia didn’t murder Varay; she loved him. I’m sure Ruth hated that. She hates Alicia.” And then I ventured into unsafe territory. “Look, Ruth’s family died in the war. She lost her husband, and her father.” I let that lie for a second, let Nava draw her own conclusions, perhaps remember her own father who died in the same war. “And now, Ruth’s nephew died. She can’t accept that it’s an accident. It’s easier to blame the same enemy who killed the rest of her family.”

Nava laughed, and wry amusement danced in her eyes. “Chelo, I spent two summers with the East Band. Ruth is not that simple.”

“Sorry.” Ruth had led the band as long as I remembered. I twirled my cup in my hand, searching for the right thing to say next. “Please, Nava. If there is an inquiry tomorrow, please be open. Our parents were at war with you, but not us. We understand that we all have to work together.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Do you?”

I knew she was talking about Joseph, and how he wouldn’t do what she wanted. “Nava, I know we need you.”

Nava frowned.

“And, Nava, you need us.”

“Not to repair sewers.”

I laughed, and it seemed to break her mood some.

One side of her mouth curled up briefly into a smile and she sighed exaggeratedly. “No one has lodged a formal complaint yet. I half expect the first complaint to be against Bryan and Liam for breaking down a wagon door. If anyone lodges any complaints at all, against anyone, I will do what seems right when I’ve heard both sides, and when the Council has deliberated.” She stood and set her cup in the sink. “And now, I’m going to bed.

“Good night.”

Joseph came in with Kayleen and Paloma, who took Alicia with them. We all scattered to our own rooms, as if there were nothing to talk about. I sat on my bed, picking at a drop of Alicia’s blood on the coverlet. I pulled the flute down, and practiced, playing as softly as I could, calming myself with the low sweet notes.

Sunshine and birdsong streamed in my window. I lay in bed, stretching stiff muscles and trying to clear my muzzy sleep-ridden head of images of Jinks and the paw-cat and Ruth and Alicia that had filled my dreams.

Poor Alicia, living with so much hostility every day. Nava’s businesslike coldness paled in comparison. Alicia’s predicament endangered us, too. Therese and Steven would have blocked questions about our rights. Now that they were gone, I could see the shelter they gave us clearly.

I rolled out of bed, dressed, and went to the small bathroom, splashing cold water on my face from the sink and running a brush through my tangled hair.

The scent of warm tea wafted down the hallway and low voices sounded in the kitchen. When I pushed open the kitchen door, I stopped short. Ruth and Nava sat together at the kitchen table, laughing. Nava’s red hair and Ruth’s black-streaked-with-gray hair almost mingled, their heads were so close together. Nava looked—brighter—than I had seen her for weeks; comfortable.

They looked up and saw me. Their laughter stilled.

Nava pushed back from the table and began to clear the dishes. “Ruth?” she said over her shoulder, her tone cautious. “You’ve met Chelo?”

We had met, briefly, more than once. She had never been polite.
I waited for her response, keeping my face neutral, being careful not to show my rising anger.

Ruth’s cold look belied the laughter I’d just heard, and the wrinkles around her eyes were slashed dark shadows. Her gaze slid across me and past, almost as if I weren’t there, landing again on Nava. “Yes, I’ve met Chelo. Look, I’m going back now. Thanks for breakfast.” She rose, carefully pushing the chair back against the table, and turned and left, without a single direct look at me. As she passed it felt like a cold wind brushed my skin.

A small red bird hopped on the sill outside the kitchen window, then noticed Nava in the window, and flew away. Nava started washing dishes. She spoke to me, her back still turned. “Chelo? There’s some tea left in the pot.”

What had she and Ruth been laughing about? I poured myself a cup of tea, took a bracing sniff of the minty steam, and forced my voice to stay light. “I didn’t mean to sleep so late. When did Ruth get here?”

“Ruth stayed on the couch last night. She came home with Tom, late, demanding to know what authority we have to hold Alicia.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That Alicia came here of her own free will and it didn’t have anything to do with my wishes at all.” Nava turned toward me, her brows drawn together. She didn’t like me questioning her; it showed in the sharp set of her jaw and a red tinge on her neck and cheeks.

But she didn’t look angry, just frustrated. And I had to know what was happening. “Did Ruth know Alicia was locked up? That she escaped?”

Nava finished rinsing dishes and picked up the drying towel. I sipped my tea, waiting. After a long silence, she said, “I don’t know. She didn’t say.”

I went to stand by her at the sink, looking out the window at the brightening morning. “Is that all Ruth wanted?” I reached a hand for a dry plate, and put it away. “Did she bring up Varay’s death? Did Alicia decide to bring a complaint to the Council?”

“I don’t know what Alicia decided. No one has come to tell
me.” Nava handed me the last clean dry cup and set her damp towel down. “I’m going to see the Council. It’s a work day for you, today.”

So much for finding out what else Ruth wanted. I watched Nava’s back as she strode from the room.

Joseph trailed in, rubbing at his eyes. “Where’s Tom?”

“He was gone when I woke up. He left a note on the counter—he’s gone to see Paloma and Alicia.”

We ate quickly. I told him about seeing Ruth, and he grimaced, but didn’t comment. Silence had become easier for him than speech lately. As if everything we said was something he didn’t want to hear. “Nava told me we have to work today.”

“Figures.” He glanced at the kitchen clock.

“We have a half an hour.” I grinned, glanced at the dishes we’d just dirtied, and laughed. They could wait. “That’s enough time to go to Paloma’s.”

He grinned at me, the clouds momentarily lifting from his expression. “You’re on.”

We jogged down the path to town and up the street to Paloma’s. Joseph reached the doorway at least ten steps ahead of me.

Kayleen and Paloma lived in a four-house; four families each had a single wall of private rooms, and shared a central garden and common space. Joseph reached around the dried herb wreath that nearly covered the wooden door and knocked.

Kayleen opened the door. The rich scents of mint and wild mountain-fern and redberry and basil spilled out the open door from Paloma’s spare room, where she dried herbs and leaves for tea and salves, like the one Joseph had brought me for my leg.

“Oh, I’m glad you’re here.” The circles under Kayleen’s eyes were nearly as deep as Alicia’s had been the night before, and her voice was scratchy. But she smiled at us. “Come on in. Alicia dragged Paloma to lodge a complaint with Town Council. Alicia was really shaky, but she meant it. You should’ve seen the look in her eyes. Paloma made me stay here, just go to work. Have you seen Bryan this morning?”

I laughed. “Good morning. And no, I haven’t seen Bryan. But Ruth was at the house when I woke up, talking to Nava. She spent the night at our house. They seem like old friends.”

Kayleen’s eyes rounded. She leaned in, as if there was someone to overhear us. “Did you hear them? Do you know what they talked about?”

“No, I was asleep. But they were laughing this morning.”

Kayleen frowned. “I don’t trust them. Do you want some juice?”

“Can’t. I have to get to the mill, so I better start now. Will you come tell me if anything happens?”

Kayleen nodded. “Sure. I’ll just wander over—no one will care.” Her smile took the sarcastic sting out of her words. “Seriously, I will if I can. I’m with Gianna today, so maybe I can get away.”

We waved good-bye, and Joseph and I headed off to our respective duties. As I crossed the bridge, I glanced at the roamers’ wagons. They seemed darker and less cheerful than just two days before.

At the mill, I sealed bags of flour and marked them with the date, then stacked them to distribute before the roamers left. I watched out the window every time I passed it, imagining that every person crossing the bridge was coming to tell me the Town Council wanted me.

There seemed to be an infinite number of bags of flour.

The shift ended with no word. I scrubbed the flour from my hands and face and bolted back across the bridge, running almost as fast as I could, displaying my speed to anyone who cared to watch, reminding them I was
altered
. I didn’t care.

Liam sat on the grass just past the end of the bridge. Maybe he knew what was going on. He stood as he heard my pelting footsteps; surely he was waiting just for me. As I neared him, I slowed to a fast walk and he fell in step beside me, talking quickly. “They’ve been arguing all day. I wasn’t there, but Akashi told me what happened. Ruth tried to keep the Town Council out of it. She started saying it was nothing, not important, and when that didn’t
work, she claimed it was her business and not Artistos’s.” He grimaced. “I guess Nava wanted to agree, had two Councilors on her side, and all she needed was one more for a majority.” He glanced sideways at me and grinned, his eyes flashing excitement. A little storyteller’s flourish. His voice rose. “Then Akashi stepped in and said ‘roamer business and town business are the same.’ He said the only reason we have separate justice systems is because we’re physically separate and right now we aren’t, and becoming two completely separate cultures would undo us. The vote switched back and Nava only had Ruth on her side.”

I laughed, picturing Nava’s face. She could almost always keep her voice controlled, but her skin betrayed her emotions like a spoiled child, flashing the reds of her anger and stress. She’d done it just this morning in the kitchen. “What happens next?”

“They’re going to have the whole investigation out in the open, in the amphitheater. Tonight. Ruth’s fit to be tied, but she said that way we’d all know how dangerous Alicia is.”

I clenched my fists. “Alicia’s not dangerous.”

Liam shrugged, as if the notion weren’t even worth considering. “Everyone who wants to can come. Since I wasn’t working today, I got there as soon as I knew and saved us seats near the front. I left to find you as soon as the others came. Paloma will join us. Akashi is on the Council, since it affects the roamer bands as well.”

“Is Ruth?”

Liam sounded disgusted. “Yes.”

We jogged along the edge of the park. I spotted Gianna and Sophia walking together, talking, and farther away, two couples with kids in tow heading for the amphitheater. The sun’s rays slanted through the park, elongating the twintree shadows. Even though it was still early, it would be dark within the hour.

I sat between Paloma and Liam. Past Paloma, Kayleen and then Bryan and Joseph sat in a row. Alicia sat on the far end, a little apart from Joseph. She glanced over as we came in, looking like a caged bird. But her eyes glowed with intent, as if perhaps she were a thin and hungry bird of prey. Gianna slid onto the bench next to Alicia,
acknowledging us with a slight smile before turning to watch the dais.

Meetings were rare, and usually only the affected people went, and maybe their families.

People streamed into the amphitheater, grouping and knotting into bands and family groups. More than half the adults in Artistos were here, and a few of the children. May and Klia and other teenagers sat together in small crowds, none close to us. I spotted Sky four rows above us, sitting with two of her band mates. She smiled briefly, and gave me a little nod, then turned back to her friends.

This was how Artistos resolved community issues; witnessed consent among the Town Council. Anyone who demanded a voice could speak.

I never had.

Nava would lead. Councilors would ask questions, then they’d talk among themselves before deciding. It could take hours.

Noise of many conversations swirled about. Above us, the damaged or old men and women of the culture guild bustled about, setting cold water and leftovers from yesterday’s feast on tables near the top.

On the stage, Town Council sat at two long banquet tables. Nava and Tom were in the middle, Akashi and Ruth on the two ends. In between Nava and Akashi, Lyssa and Wei-Wei sat together. I focused on the two of them. Lyssa was tall and blond, with light blue eyes and small hands that fluttered around her face. Therese had complained repeatedly that Lyssa always chose for the accused, no matter what the proof. Lyssa saw herself as the savior of the downtrodden. She would see Alicia that way, especially once she noticed the bruises.

Wei-Wei, however, would almost certainly vote against Alicia. A short dark-haired and brown-skinned woman with almond eyes, Wei-Wei tended to be quiet and thoughtful, but strict. I knew of at least two incidences where she’d recommended weeks of hard work for teenagers caught bending the rules, even mildly. She was notoriously hard on the few adults who tended to drunkenness.
And worse, distrust flecked Wei-Wei’s dark eyes every time she passed us in town.

I was pretty sure Tom was for Alicia, and Nava against, but remembered Paloma’s suggestion that I was selling Nava short.

That left Hunter, who sat between Tom and Ruth. Hunter’s gray hair hung wispy and thin along the sides of his wrinkled face. Age and injury had twisted his fingers into claws, but he sat tall. He had led Artistos’s defense in the war, becoming the town hero. I had no idea how he would approach this problem, and had to content myself with his reputation for fairness.

Next to Akashi, one empty chair sat to the side of the table.

Nava cleared her throat into the microphone. “Please quiet down. We will begin in one minute.”

I looked behind me once again. Jenna sat in the top row, above the crowd. Shadow already filled most of the amphitheater, but Jenna sat high, in a beam of sunshine. She wore a cloak of paw-cat fur edged with yellow-snake skin around her shoulders, even though it was not cold. She gazed placidly down at the Council. Ever since the earthquake, she seemed to be watching town business more closely. I shook Liam’s shoulder, pointing. “That’s Jenna.”

“I know.” He turned, his eyes following my finger, and smiled. “She’s amazing.”

He sounded confident rather than curious. He was a roamer, only in town ten days or so a year. Jenna never attended Story Night or Trading Day. “Have you heard stories about her?”

“She comes and talks to me and Akashi a few times every year.”

Jenna visited the roamers? Talked to Akashi and Liam? When and why? What did she say? I wanted to ask, but Nava cleared her throat into the microphone again, and I bit back my questions and turned toward the dais. The lights came on, illuminating the Town Council’s features, shining on us.

“Good evening.” Nava smiled softly. “I presume the turnout means that news has flown through our community along all of the usual informal channels.” She left a beat of silence before continuing. “Still, I’m glad to see everyone. It will help dispel any incorrect rumors.” The crowd laughed softly, a bit nervously.

“We are meeting to address a formal complaint, and a request, both filed by Alicia Gupta of the East Band.” She looked directly at me, then scanned the rest of the crowd, her gaze quieting any lingering conversations. She frowned as she spotted Jenna, but said nothing. She gestured to Gianna, who stood and took Alicia’s hand, pulling her up onto the dais. Alicia glanced over her shoulder at us, fear and resolve burning in her violet eyes, then turned and walked up the steps.

Nava said, “Alicia has lodged a complaint against Ruth. Ruth sits here as a valued member of our Council and a leader in her own right, and she will have her say, but will not vote.”

At least that was something. I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable.

Alicia reached the top of the steps and turned, the purple and black bruises on her face sharp against her white skin. The crowd murmured. Alicia sat in the extra chair, on the end near Akashi, watching them, her face impassive. I could hardly imagine what it must be like to sit there with everyone watching her. She was still and calm and moved only to breathe and turn her face toward Nava.