Page 23 of Storm Caller

“Yes. And you’re right, it was always my intention to return to him,” he says. “But then Cal found us, and Fisher thought he’d try to make me sweat a little by holding us hostage. The area around New Manhattan is divided into numerous stations managed by the Veil, each with a base commander responsible for anyone passing through their land. Particularly, anyone leaving the city.”

“Such as?”

“Scavengers,” Rook says. “The rare citizen who decides to leave. As you’ve gathered, there is little trust between us. Any departures from New Manhattan are monitored. In the case of Scavengers, they’re encouraged to make for one of the numerous abandoned cities nearby, where they can search for goods to bring back. And though we do our best to ensure they know as little about us as possible, it’s our understanding that they are forbidden by The Shield from sharing anything they might see out here. For everyone else, they’re directed out of the Veil and into other areas of the continent, where they can try to build a new life.”

“People do that? Just leave?” I ask, my brow creasing.

“On occasion. And this is Fisher’s camp, and I was using his tunnels, so he was within his rights to detain me for a little while, though the accords of the Tiera Frais demand he treat us somewhat humanely. But then I killed a Whisper under his watch, so he has no choice but to turn me over.”

“How did he find out?” I ask, wondering if someone saw us.

“I told him while you were sleeping.”

Of course he did. I’m not surprised. Rook might have lied to me again and again, but he’s always held to his own code. He’s a man of secrets and integrity in equal measure.

Neither of us speaks for several minutes, chewing in silence.

“What do you use the tunnels for?” I eventually ask.

“Generally, they’re used to acquire food and supplies for the station camps.”

“You mean they’re used to steal from the city?”

He offers me a grim smile. “Yes.”

“Why don’t you want us to know you exist?” I ask.

“If The Shield wants to keep it from you, we see no reason to enlighten you. Besides, it’s safer for us if you don’t know we’re out here.”

My stomach twists abruptly at those words, and I set my food aside, deciding to change the subject.

“What’s with you and Fisher?” I ask. “Why do you dislike each other so much?”

Rook falls silent, staring at his feet. “My mom was really young when she had him. His dad left when Fisher was a baby, abandoning them both to the harshness of our world. A couple of years later, she met my dad, and he fell in love with her instantly. He’s always claimed it was love at first sight.” Rook smiles, eyes growing distant.

“But my dad spent a lot of time working, helping to establish the Veil, and it kept him away a lot. So let’s just say, Fisher and I spent a lot of time competing for my father’s attention and approval, and it drove a wedge between us. Maybe I was also a little shit sometimes.”

“You were a kid,” I say. “It’s natural to want your dad’s love.”

“Yeah, maybe,” he says. “I do love my dad a lot. He’s everything to me, but he has his flaws.”

“And what’s Cal’s problem with you?”

He shrugs. “She’s mostly just being loyal to Fisher.”

“Hmm. That’s almost . . . sweet?”

He cracks a grin and rolls his eyes. “Almost.”

“What about your mom?”

His face softens, a genuine smile curving on his mouth. I recall the story he told me when I was stitching him up. About the flashlight she gave him so he wouldn’t be afraid of the dark. “She’s fierce and protective. She’d die for any of us. We’re all really lucky to have her.”

A pang of sharpness pulses in my chest. Not jealousy, because I’m glad he has this. Everyone deserves to love their family so much. But I can’t help wondering what it might have been like to grow up in a home like that.

“Sounds like it,” I say.

He looks up to meet my gaze. “I’ve missed them while I was away. It was hard.”