Deep Roots by Beth Cato

didn’t cause it, then. You hadn’t done a thing!”
    â€œI know that. Most of the time,” she said, purposefully echoing his words. “Pigeon Man never acted sorry for what had happened. More . . . inconvenienced. Out of nowhere, he offered me a bakery to manage. He’d just won it by betting on a game of Warriors. I said yes, because it had always been Mama’s dream to have a shop of her own and not work out of the flat. Besides, where else could I go?”
    She couldn’t say more, and not simply because of the tightness in her throat, or that the cold had shifted from being brisk to being painful. She couldn’t describe the months after, her numbness, his sneers, the beatings, the horror at finding out Pigeon Man—­Devin Stout—­was actually her blood father.
    Rivka and Broderick stared out on Tamarania City. The roundabout below was packed with steam cars and automated cycles, and few horses and wagons. Mr. Cody had said something about Rivka sounding like ­people who had worked to save horses. She wondered what he meant.
    Miss Leander had saved Rivka from Mr. Stout. Now Rivka needed to save Lump and the other gremlins in turn. It was only right.
    She looked at Broderick. “What Tatiana was saying yesterday, about Miss Leander helping with your training. I know Miss Leander, too. I think she would help you, if possible, but Tatiana can’t make any guarantee. She uses ­people. She used me, us, from the very start so she could find some way to become a jockey.” The words tasted foul in her mouth.
    â€œI understand.” Broderick slowly nodded. “I appreciate your honesty. I envy you, your strength. The way you stood up to Mr. Cody.”
    She said nothing. “ You’re not strong, rabbit. Just a weakling, ugly girl. Leave such work for men. ”
    â€œNo one stands up to Miss Arfetta or Mr. Cody,” continued Broderick. “You did.”
    â€œThere you two are!” Tatiana’s high voice rang out. Rivka spun around. Tatiana stalked toward them. “Rivka, you need to come back downstairs. That chimera—­Lump—­is awake and he’s growling if I step near the circle—­”
    â€œGood. You shouldn’t be near him, and you certainly shouldn’t ride him,” snapped Rivka. “That was your plan from the start, wasn’t it? You never cared about saving the gremlins. It was all about your being a gallant mecha jockey like your brother.”
    Tatiana recoiled as if struck. “I wanted to be a jockey, yes, but I care about the gremlins. Riding on Lump is part of the grand plan to save them!”
    â€œThen please, share this grand plan,” said Rivka.
    Â­â€œPeople need to see chimeras in a different way, as something more than monsters. They only know gremlins for stealing silver and food. They can cheer for Lump!”
    Broderick shook his head. ­“People may cheer, but they cheer for the all-­metal mechanical beasts out there, too. If Lump is injured, they’ll cheer even louder. It’s all entertainment.”
    Public opinion mattered. Rivka might not be able to convince Mr. Cody and Miss Arfetta of their wrongness, but what if her voice was one of a multitude?
    â€œHow can we get ­people to understand that chimeras aren’t really monsters?” she slowly asked.
    â€œBut they are monsters. Don’t look at me like that.” Broderick held up his hands. “I’m not saying they deserve this treatment. You know I don’t believe that. But behemoth chimeras are made to be both vicious and intelligent. The first big chimera killed and injured scads of men. Every time I go inside that circle these days, I wonder if I’m next.”
    â€œSee, Rivka? That’s why I need your help!” said Tatiana.
    â€œWhy do you say that?” Broderick asked, looking between them.
    Rivka shrugged, a bit embarrassed by her own initial