This revelation makes it difficult for me to breathe, and I can’t hold myself together anymore. I break. I sob.
Villiam reaches into his pocket and takes out a sapphire ring. “Do you recognize this?”
It’s the ring Jiafu stole from Count Pomp-di-pomp on the night of Gill’s murder. “How do you have that?”
“As you know, the thieves of Gomorrah work for me. I’ve known you’ve been working with Jiafu for quite a while. I assigned him his projects, though, admittedly, a few you likely don’t remember.” He points to Blister’s top on the table. “Charm-dolls need something to connect them to the original person. An item close to them. You don’t remember, but you helped steal Nicoleta’s hairpin. Venera’s lipstick. Luca’s pocket watch. Then Jiafu gave them to me, and I gave them to you. Your illusions wouldn’t even exist without my help.”
That’s why Luca’s pocket watch was engraved with Exander’s name. It did belong to him, once.
A new determination takes hold of me. “I won’t let you hurt Luca,” I say.
“If you’re going to become Gomorrah’s proprietor one day, you need to make the tough decisions.” He reaches forward to touch me, but I back away again. His face falls. “If we finish what we started, we can free the Down-Mountains from the greed of this region.”
“There are other ways,” I say. “I’m not letting you touch him. I won’t let you touch any of them.” I wish my voice sounded firmer, more confident, but it quivers instead.
“Ways the Up-Mountains could see coming. We don’t have the money or the organization to fight a proper war. But because of you, we might not need to.”
He’s trying to guilt me into this. As if I would ever agree to let him hurt any more of my family. To let him hurtanyone, period.
“I’m leaving Gomorrah,” I say, sniffling. “You can’t hurt us. And you can’t hurt him. Only a fire-worker can kill Luca, and Agni is dead.”
“There are plenty of fire-workers in Gomorrah. And there is more than one way to destroy Leonita’s lord through Luca tonight.”
“How?”
He shakes his head. “Let me take care of it, Sorina. You’ve barely known him a month. Look the other way, and let me save Gomorrah. Let me do my job. We can work this out together—”
“No!”
I lunge for the exit, already planning my escape from Gomorrah in my mind. Hawk can fly me for a while, and my illusion-work can keep us from the notice of Up-Mountainers. But, on foot, how long will it take us to reach the Down-Mountains? Probably months.
Villiam grabs my arm but, in doing so, nearly falls over. “I have to do this, Sorina.”
“Let go of me.” I try to wrench my arm away, but his grip is too strong. Even wounded, he is hardly weak. I’m crying so hard that my chest aches.
“I don’t want to hurt you. I love you, Sorina.” He shakes his head. “I wish I’d known how close you were to learning the truth. I could’ve spared you from this pain. I should’ve kept Luca close to me instead of where you might find him on your own. He’s too clever. Without him, you would’ve never figured this out.”
“Iwas the one who realized I have two kinds of jynx-work,” I say indignantly. “Iwas the one who thought of Agni. Who realized the illusions were linked to the politicians. I’m cleverer than you think I am. Just not enough to realize that you’re a monster. Itrusted—”
His face twists into a scowl. “I’m hardly a monster.”
“You’ve been manipulating me. Killing people.”
“You know of the evils of the Up-Mountains as I do. You know what happened to my uncle. To Agni’s son. About your own past. I amnota monster.”
What happened to Agni’s son and Villiam’s uncle were tragedies, and I know the evil that lurks in the Up-Mountains. I want to help the Down-Mountains and the people of Gomorrah—but not like this. Maybe that means I won’t make a good proprietor. I don’t care anymore. Not about pleasing my father, whom I’ve tried to please my entire life. Not about a legacy built on lies and murder.
“Sorina, you never would’ve been able to create your illusions without me. Look at Tree. He’s barely sentient. He’s dangerous and violent. That was the extent of your powers before. I was the one who helped your powers grow. Without me, you wouldn’t have had any of them. I’ve been training you forthissince I found you.”
“How can I believe anything you say?” I ask. “You could’ve altered all of my memories. Did you actually save me from slavers,
or is that just a story you made up to guilt me into working with you?”
He ignores the question and gestures behind him, to the commotion happening outside the tent. “After the Up-Mountains fall and the Down-Mountains are free, you can always recreate your friends. They’re only imaginary, after all. They’re not real.”
I squeeze my hands into fists. How can he say that? He attended both Blister’s and Venera’s funerals. He sent them presents on their birthdays. Asked me how they were doing with school. Watched their performances.
But it was all for show. All so that he could kill them in the end.
