loved.
“Our situation is very tenuous. As you’ve now heard.” He removed his glasses. “We need to try to fit back into society. We have the right to exist, to carry on with our lives, but we are also blessed with the wisdom to know when to lay low. That doesn’t mean I don’t trust you. That doesn’t mean I don’t respect your need to fight. I just want you to think more than I do.” Hepointed at the sagging skin of his face, and then knocked his metal leg. “Look at what my mistakes have cost me.”
Instead of saying anything, I nodded. I could see the truth behind half his arguments, and with the other half I wasn’t getting anywhere.
“Now, I’m going to take your advice and get some rest. Then I’ll head back to the lab and get to work.”
“Without Dr. Elpinoy?”
“Oh …” Dad let off an annoyed tongue-pop, and rose to see me to the door. “By the way,” he said as I entered the hall, “you’re grounded for a week.”
I spun around and glared at him. “What?”
He lifted his cane, touching the end of it to my chin. I batted it away. “You won’t move elsewhere, so you’re grounded. I don’t even want you out in the EF. I want you to remain here in the house where you’re safe, until some sort of order is restored in the streets. Then we’ll talk about how you can help.”
“But we don’t have that long. What about those masked freaks? We should go after them!”
“You’re a smart and independent young lady, Nora, and I would have it no other way. But it is not your duty to save the world. And if you won’t opt to remain safe, I’m not above forcing you to remain safe.”
That did it. “I think you lost your right to ground me when you faked your own death. Just saying.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Do you want to make it two weeks?”
I could have broken him down. I could have reminded him how his secrecy about the undead had taken my mother from me and almost gotten me killed. I could have reminded him how he’d abandoned me instead of telling me the truth, and how this translated into his having—in theory—about zero authority over me.
But I also knew he already blamed himself for all of thosethings. I couldn’t be that cruel. I’d already taken him to task; I didn’t need to do it again.
“Besides, I have a project you can work on.” He stepped back, so I could better see into his room. Rows of brown cardboard boxes were arranged along the far wall. “Do you know what’s contained in those boxes?”
“Information about Aunt Gene.” He’d been making various inquiries for months. As a show of goodwill I added, “Sir.”
“Exactly. Go through them again and see if I’ve missed something. That top one contains information for my lawyer. If we ever find out what happened to her, and it turns out the Allisters lied … I want to string them high.” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t trust Lord Allister.”
I didn’t understand this, but I knew I didn’t trust his son. According to him, my aunt had been with his parents when the Siege struck. “That makes two of us.”
“Good. You can start in the morning. You can actually do some homework, too. You will complete your education. Now, go get someone to stitch up your cheek. Good night, NoNo.”
Instead of doing so, I curtsied and marched to my bedroom. Once there I proceeded to terrify a few cats by digging out my collapsible scythe, the morbid entrenchment tool Samedi had built, from under the bed to practice with. I meant to tire myself out so I could sleep. I wasn’t worried about the cut on my cheek; it wasn’t that bad. I had bigger things to worry about. The city, my father, Bram …
A second later the tingle of apprehension these ideas caused blew up, fanning out into an anger so profound it was almost comforting. It wasn’t the last straw—it was the last gallon of kerosene. I started swinging the double-ended scythe at nothing in particular, in time with my furious thoughts. Then,
“Our situation is very tenuous. As you’ve now heard.” He removed his glasses. “We need to try to fit back into society. We have the right to exist, to carry on with our lives, but we are also blessed with the wisdom to know when to lay low. That doesn’t mean I don’t trust you. That doesn’t mean I don’t respect your need to fight. I just want you to think more than I do.” Hepointed at the sagging skin of his face, and then knocked his metal leg. “Look at what my mistakes have cost me.”
Instead of saying anything, I nodded. I could see the truth behind half his arguments, and with the other half I wasn’t getting anywhere.
“Now, I’m going to take your advice and get some rest. Then I’ll head back to the lab and get to work.”
“Without Dr. Elpinoy?”
“Oh …” Dad let off an annoyed tongue-pop, and rose to see me to the door. “By the way,” he said as I entered the hall, “you’re grounded for a week.”
I spun around and glared at him. “What?”
He lifted his cane, touching the end of it to my chin. I batted it away. “You won’t move elsewhere, so you’re grounded. I don’t even want you out in the EF. I want you to remain here in the house where you’re safe, until some sort of order is restored in the streets. Then we’ll talk about how you can help.”
“But we don’t have that long. What about those masked freaks? We should go after them!”
“You’re a smart and independent young lady, Nora, and I would have it no other way. But it is not your duty to save the world. And if you won’t opt to remain safe, I’m not above forcing you to remain safe.”
That did it. “I think you lost your right to ground me when you faked your own death. Just saying.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Do you want to make it two weeks?”
I could have broken him down. I could have reminded him how his secrecy about the undead had taken my mother from me and almost gotten me killed. I could have reminded him how he’d abandoned me instead of telling me the truth, and how this translated into his having—in theory—about zero authority over me.
But I also knew he already blamed himself for all of thosethings. I couldn’t be that cruel. I’d already taken him to task; I didn’t need to do it again.
“Besides, I have a project you can work on.” He stepped back, so I could better see into his room. Rows of brown cardboard boxes were arranged along the far wall. “Do you know what’s contained in those boxes?”
“Information about Aunt Gene.” He’d been making various inquiries for months. As a show of goodwill I added, “Sir.”
“Exactly. Go through them again and see if I’ve missed something. That top one contains information for my lawyer. If we ever find out what happened to her, and it turns out the Allisters lied … I want to string them high.” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t trust Lord Allister.”
I didn’t understand this, but I knew I didn’t trust his son. According to him, my aunt had been with his parents when the Siege struck. “That makes two of us.”
“Good. You can start in the morning. You can actually do some homework, too. You will complete your education. Now, go get someone to stitch up your cheek. Good night, NoNo.”
Instead of doing so, I curtsied and marched to my bedroom. Once there I proceeded to terrify a few cats by digging out my collapsible scythe, the morbid entrenchment tool Samedi had built, from under the bed to practice with. I meant to tire myself out so I could sleep. I wasn’t worried about the cut on my cheek; it wasn’t that bad. I had bigger things to worry about. The city, my father, Bram …
A second later the tingle of apprehension these ideas caused blew up, fanning out into an anger so profound it was almost comforting. It wasn’t the last straw—it was the last gallon of kerosene. I started swinging the double-ended scythe at nothing in particular, in time with my furious thoughts. Then,
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