“They’re for my brothers, actually. That’s very kind of you.”
Nicoleta fishes in her pocket for some extra coins, but when she hands them to the man, he shakes his head. “They are a gift.” He smiles a second time, and Nicoleta does her best to appear gracious. He must not know that she has never been inclined toward men.
She takes them, looking more than a little uncomfortable. I wonder if she still misses Adenneya. Their relationship ended nearly a year ago, and, unlike Venera, Nicoleta avoids all discussion of her private life. I should ask Luca how well he knows Adenneya. And if she misses Nicoleta, as well.
As we leave, I realize with mild annoyance that the man never paid me a moment of attention, not even to inquire who I am. I suddenly feel very much like the ugly sister.
“He always gives me gifts,” she says. “He won’t let me refuse. I’d go elsewhere, but he’s the closest vendor in the neighborhood...” She shakes her head. “Petty problems. We need to figure out what to tell Villiam. I don’t want Hawk learning of this. She would jump at the opportunity for a little thrill.”
“We could find someone else.” I think of Narayan, the so-called ghost-worker. But even if his abilities would be extremely valuable to Chimal, he’s a drunk. We couldn’t possibly trust him with the importance of this mission. Luca wouldn’t be much use, either. Faking his death won’t help us sneak in and out of the event.
“What about me?” Nicoleta asks.
I pause. Is she serious? “Chimal might be interested. But your abilities aren’t that reliable.”
“It’s worth a shot,” she says strongly.
“It’s going to be dangerous. That’s an awful lot to gamble on.”
“I don’t know whether the Alliance is responsible for what happened to Gill and Blister—I don’t have any idea what happened. But I want to help you. We’ll tell Chimal that this is your best offer.” She holds her head higher, as if readying herself for a battle, even if she has never been in one. I don’t know what Chimal will think of commanding our show manager, but I, like Nicoleta, figure it is worth a shot.
“We’ll talk to them tonight.”
* * *
“The medicine is working, sweetbug,” Kahina says, resting her purple-veined hand against mine.
“You don’t seem better,” I say, swatting one of her plants out of my face.
“I’m not worse.”
I avoid looking at the sickness crawling across her skin. Not worsening isn’t progress. I try not to think about how we might be only stalling the inevitable, but the thought remains, whispering at the edges of my mind.
“Nicoleta tells me that you’ve been going out at night, that you sometimes return later than Venera,” Kahina says. “Now, I love Venera dearly, but I don’t like the idea—”
“I’m not partying,” I say, though I don’t tell her the truth, that I’ve been sneaking out to question suspects with Luca.
My memories of last night send flutters through my stomach. I have the urge to squeal like a child, and an equal urge to bury myself in a mountain of blankets and hide from the world.Andto smack Hawk and Unu and Du silly. I humiliated myself. How am I going to face Luca in a few hours?
“Is the investigation with Villiam too pressing for you? I didn’t want you involving yourself with his work until you were eighteen.”
“Villiamand youdecided that?” I say.
“When you were young. Villiam wanted to start you earlier, but I didn’t think it was the best idea. He eventually relented.”
When I was younger, I remember Kahina and Villiam consulting each other, but now they speak so rarely. It isn’t so much that they had a falling out, but they no longer need to discuss me like they did when I was a child. I’m really the only thing they have in common, after all.
“If you’re not partying, may I ask what youaredoing?” Kahina says.
“I’ve made a friend.”
“A nice friend?”
“Yes. A nice friend,” I say, smirking. I begin the story with the truth, that I met Luca in Villiam’s tent that night in Frice. The story quickly transforms into a jumble of lies about how I sought out Luca’s show, how we spend our time learning the secrets people tell him. The words taste oddly sweet on my tongue. It’s a pleasant story. Much more pleasant than the truth, that we spend our time searching for a murderer within Gomorrah. That I spend all my time finding justice for my family.
“You say Luca is an Up-Mountainer?” Kahina asks, a bit warily. “Sorina, you cannot trust new Up-Mountainers in Gomorrah. They come to take advantage of people here and then they leave.”
“I don’t think he has any intentions of returning home.”
