you make the serum, too?”
“No,” he said. “Gerik and Uncle make it. Or else they know someone who makes it—I’m not actually sure. It just appears, as far as I’m concerned. I give it to my cat.”
“Your cat?”
“Yes. He died some years ago, so now he gets the serum.”
“Your cat is dea d ?”
“Not anymore.”
“And what happens if your cat doesn’t take the serum?”
“I’ve never actually bothered to find out.”
“So…the people you’ve brought back need Gerik and his brother, or whoever makes the serum, or the magic might fail and they’d die again.”
“I think that’s true.”
This was a sinister new development.
“And you never thought to ask about these things?”
“I was a child when all of this started, and it’s been going on for so long. Why would I have thought anything was wrong?” His expression turned stern. “Don’t get angry at me. I was taken from my family when I was three years old because of this. My parents are alive, but I see them only once a year, with Gerik accompanying me. And I’m hardly permitted to leave the house, because they’re so afraid the wrong person is going to find out what I can do. But it’s a sacrifice I make to keep this city going.”
“Why did Gerik take you to the Telephone Club, then, if you have to stay so secret?”
His expression twisted, and she had a sinking feeling he was going to drop a new surprise in her lap.
“They want me to father a child,” he said, avoiding her eyes.
“A chil d ? And is that what he thinks you’re up to with me tonight?”
Freddy nodded. He looked a little flushed. “I’m afraid they won’t let me see you much more if…Well, Gerik took me to the Telephone Club to find a girl. Just any girl, he said, somebody pretty I could pay off. But I didn’t want it to be like that.”
She sucked in her breath. “Why? Why a chil d ?”
“To duplicate my magic. It’s hereditary.” She had put the bread in front of him, but he didn’t touch it.
“You aren’t good enough for them?”
“That’s what I said. But they figure two revivers are better than one. Not that there’s any guarantee the magic would pass on. I believe they intend to keep trying if it doesn’t work the first time.”
“This is ridiculous.” She pressed her hands against her head, crumpling her waves. “Gerik thinks I’m the kind of girl who would have a baby with someone I didn’t even know? For mone y ?”
“He actually warned me that you seemed like the kind of girl who might not be amenable to this plan.”
“But he still thinks—he let you go tonight because he thinks that’s what we’re doing?”
“Look, none of this was even remotely my idea.”
It made her sick to remember the way she had flirted with Freddy in front of Gerik, knowing now that all the while he was considering whether she would be “amenable” to this despicable task. She wanted to smack Freddy. Maybe he hadn’t meant to dupe her, but she felt duped all the same. Hot tears flooded her eyes.
“Thea! I’ve just told you all the things I’m never supposed to tell anyone!”
“I believe you, but you don’t seem to understand how all this sounds to me. You let Gerik think awful things about me, you asked me about Nan without telling me you’d actually seen her, and worst of all, you—my father—”
“What do you want me to do?” he said, his voice flatter now.
“You have to stop reviving people. You have to tell Gerik you refuse. It’s your magic. What can they do without you?”
“They could threaten my family.”
“But have they? Have you tried to think of a way to stop this, or are you just going to give up?” she said. “I don’t think you truly realize how much your magic has hurt me. I thought my father was dead. This is much worse.”
“Thea…” He seemed at a loss for words.
She shook her head. “Why don’t you just go?”
“Go? But we should—”
“I want to be alone right now. I need to
“No,” he said. “Gerik and Uncle make it. Or else they know someone who makes it—I’m not actually sure. It just appears, as far as I’m concerned. I give it to my cat.”
“Your cat?”
“Yes. He died some years ago, so now he gets the serum.”
“Your cat is dea d ?”
“Not anymore.”
“And what happens if your cat doesn’t take the serum?”
“I’ve never actually bothered to find out.”
“So…the people you’ve brought back need Gerik and his brother, or whoever makes the serum, or the magic might fail and they’d die again.”
“I think that’s true.”
This was a sinister new development.
“And you never thought to ask about these things?”
“I was a child when all of this started, and it’s been going on for so long. Why would I have thought anything was wrong?” His expression turned stern. “Don’t get angry at me. I was taken from my family when I was three years old because of this. My parents are alive, but I see them only once a year, with Gerik accompanying me. And I’m hardly permitted to leave the house, because they’re so afraid the wrong person is going to find out what I can do. But it’s a sacrifice I make to keep this city going.”
“Why did Gerik take you to the Telephone Club, then, if you have to stay so secret?”
His expression twisted, and she had a sinking feeling he was going to drop a new surprise in her lap.
“They want me to father a child,” he said, avoiding her eyes.
“A chil d ? And is that what he thinks you’re up to with me tonight?”
Freddy nodded. He looked a little flushed. “I’m afraid they won’t let me see you much more if…Well, Gerik took me to the Telephone Club to find a girl. Just any girl, he said, somebody pretty I could pay off. But I didn’t want it to be like that.”
She sucked in her breath. “Why? Why a chil d ?”
“To duplicate my magic. It’s hereditary.” She had put the bread in front of him, but he didn’t touch it.
“You aren’t good enough for them?”
“That’s what I said. But they figure two revivers are better than one. Not that there’s any guarantee the magic would pass on. I believe they intend to keep trying if it doesn’t work the first time.”
“This is ridiculous.” She pressed her hands against her head, crumpling her waves. “Gerik thinks I’m the kind of girl who would have a baby with someone I didn’t even know? For mone y ?”
“He actually warned me that you seemed like the kind of girl who might not be amenable to this plan.”
“But he still thinks—he let you go tonight because he thinks that’s what we’re doing?”
“Look, none of this was even remotely my idea.”
It made her sick to remember the way she had flirted with Freddy in front of Gerik, knowing now that all the while he was considering whether she would be “amenable” to this despicable task. She wanted to smack Freddy. Maybe he hadn’t meant to dupe her, but she felt duped all the same. Hot tears flooded her eyes.
“Thea! I’ve just told you all the things I’m never supposed to tell anyone!”
“I believe you, but you don’t seem to understand how all this sounds to me. You let Gerik think awful things about me, you asked me about Nan without telling me you’d actually seen her, and worst of all, you—my father—”
“What do you want me to do?” he said, his voice flatter now.
“You have to stop reviving people. You have to tell Gerik you refuse. It’s your magic. What can they do without you?”
“They could threaten my family.”
“But have they? Have you tried to think of a way to stop this, or are you just going to give up?” she said. “I don’t think you truly realize how much your magic has hurt me. I thought my father was dead. This is much worse.”
“Thea…” He seemed at a loss for words.
She shook her head. “Why don’t you just go?”
“Go? But we should—”
“I want to be alone right now. I need to
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