“I need to know if I can trust him!” I tried to explain. “Riordan thinks he is an enemy—”
“He is an evil man,” Sofia growled, her eyes flashing with a viciousness that I had never seen in her before.
“You know something about him,” I said, recalling the way she had reacted to him when he came to warn me at Ergastiri before the battle. “You must tell me if there—”
“Do not trust him, Amira! What else must I tell you?” Sofia demanded of me in exasperation.
“Alright, fine, but there is still plenty of aid that I can provide to anyone living in the warehouses,” I insisted.
“He told you about this because he knew that it would make you want to go there!” Sofia berated as she lost all pretense of decorum and began to wring her hands.
I hesitated as the realization crashed over me that she was not just taking issue with Castor but the warehouses themselves as well.
“You know someone there,” I blurted thoughtlessly.
Sofia’s eyes flared, looking like an animal caught in a snare as her fists balled at her sides.
“Perhaps you should return to the Mountain City while we go to the—” Helena began, trying to pull Sofia back. But my handmaid shoved Helena’s arm away.
“No! I will go with you! Just know that he has done thisintentionally!” she hissed at me.
I hesitated in uncertainty of whether I wanted to risk upsetting her so badly. But if she really did have family down there, then I did want to help! If her reaction was merely due to the taboo that surrounded mental health, then I wanted my friend to know I would not judge her.
“I can help,” I insisted, but her glare did not soften.
“Your curiosity will never be sated until you have gone now so let us get this over with!” she growled. Then she jumped into the air to fly toward the docks before I could decide whether it was best to back off.
“Perhaps we should leave the others behind and just go ourselves to spare her any embarrassment,” I suggested.
Helena sighed. “I trust you can defend yourself should the need arise,” she muttered.
I left it to Helena to deal with Ares whose objections could be heard from where I finished up with my part of the cleanup. Once it was finished, Helena scooped me up as usual, but we flew to the north of the city instead of east toward Ergastiri across the lake. We landed on the cobblestones next to Sofia who stood waiting with arms crossed and her brow furrowed.
“I apologize,” she gritted out reluctantly once I was on my own feet in front of her again.
“Do not apologize! I am the one who is sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, and if this really is too much for you, then just tell me right now and we will go.”
She heaved a sigh and turned her face toward the dark buildings behind us that overlooked the filthy docks.
“I hope you have a strong stomach,” she muttered and then looped her arm through mine to lead us to the door.
The smell hit me first, the overwhelming but terribly familiar scent of unwashed bodies and waste, but it did not rattle my resolve. Even when Helena coughed from behind us and tugged her tunic out of her armour to pull it over her lower face. Sofia merely grimaced and continued moving deeper into the dilapidatedbuilding. After a few moments of wandering through the dusty rooms that were filled with shattered furniture, we came upon people.
I’d had my fair share of experiences in Scarborough with the mentally ill and homeless. While some of them could actually be dangerous, the vast majority were just deeply misunderstood. And many people feared what they did not understand, which was why Helena now walked with her hand on the hilt of her sword.
“What is the plan here, Amira?” she hissed at me.
I had been considering the same thing as I eyed each of the dirty people curled up on ratty blankets. Some of them swatted at flies, aware enough of their surroundings, while others were carrying on whole conversations with only themselves.
“They need food, clothing, blankets, and medical care just like everyone in the Rookery. Only it will have to be brought to them. And it will have to be a small and quiet operation so as not to overwhelm them,” I added.
“Meaning you intend to come back here with just the three of us,” Helena sighed knowingly.
“Look at these people,” I insisted over my shoulder. “Are you saying you do not wish to help them?”
She did not reply, and I had no idea how she felt.
“Girl,” someone wheezed, and my heart gave a painful jolt at the sound of someone shifting on the dirty ground. Sofia went ramrod stiff at my side. “Child!” they hissed.
