Page 56 of The Verdant Cage
My pulse rockets. He’s accidentally confirmed that not onlyhadJonas seen something, but that it’d been something of value—something Marina knows about. “Why would Marina care?”
Simon shakes his head. “The contents of the vault are something only the Record Keepers should know. We swear it in our oath. I never should’ve let Jonas down there. I just wanted to show off.”
“What oath? To whom?” We might work alongside our Houses growing up, but none of us are officially sworn into our professions until after marriage. Obviously, he and Salvatora remain unattached.
Simon twists his hands nervously. “I can’t tell you.” He shudders, dropping his voice. “It’d harm the villagers to learn it.”
This is news to me. “If Jonas saw it, I need to know,” I say firmly. “You don’t have to be the one who shows me. Just point me in the right direction.”
Simon shakes his head. “The cellar is locked.”
I already know this. “Where’s the key?”
He shakes his head again, more vehemently this time.
“Simon,” I speak slowly, “I’m not going to let this go. I’d rather hear it from you, but if you don’t want to talk, I’ll find another way.”
“Fine,” he says, miserably. “I’ll tell you, but only so you don’t put yourself at risk, Rose. It’s the least I can do for him.” His voice cracks on the last word, and I know he’s talking about my brother. The boy’s grief is so palpable, so akin to my own, that I can’t help but reach out and take his hand. “We’ve got the entire history of the Valley down there,” he begins.
“Of course.” I nod.
He glances around nervously and then lowers his voice. “What you don’t know is that there’s another room behind the standard scrolls. My dad discovered it about nine months ago, says the door just slid open one day. It’s fulla stuff I’ve never seen before! Sweets like you wouldn’t believe, food in metal jars, tools, weapons. The Founders must’ve stashed it, though I couldn’t say for what.”
His face is flushed with excitement, but I’m horrified. I think I tasted that sweet, the green rancher zoo zoo Jarek gave me. Was that also where he’d gotten the weapon charging on his roof? Sounds like it. But while what Simon has told me is shocking, I can’t see how it would be enough to get Jonas Harvested. Some unexpected supplies from before the Wall? No, Jonas must have stumbled on something else—we’re not what we seem—and I aim to see it for myself. I’m about to probe further when Marina appears.
“You’re late.” Her platinum hair is confined to four elegant braids twisted into a thick rope down her back. “You were supposed to be here before sunrise.”
I don’t think that’s true. “I had to make breakfast for my family,” I say, gagging internally at the word. But I must rebuild her faith in my obedience after my slip of the tongue on our walk back from chapel.
“How lovely.” She stares down her nose at me, seeming unusually out of sorts. “Here’s your census list. You should be able to reach fifteen houses by the end of the day.”
“What?” I feel my chin draw in. “Impossible. I was told it would be eleven. I’m only one person, and I’m supposed to observe Guardian training later.”
Plus, I need to break into your vault and sneak out to the caves.
She sneers. “But you’re so good at everything you put your mind to, aren’t you, Rose?”
That’s so ridiculous, it doesn’t deserve a response. I reach for the census materials, but she holds tight to them.
“I’d love to have you and Gryphon over for dinner this week,” she says. “Maybe after the wedding.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” I mutter.
Her face contorts like she tastes something sour. This time, I pull hard, yanking the papers out of her hand.
Then I step back into the sunshine.
34
“Hello?” I greet the child standing in front of the Plumber cottage, her back to me. “Are your parents home?”
When she turns, I see it’s Wendy, the girl whose finger Jarek amputated.
“Oh,” I say, eyes travelling to the site of her injury.
She blinks, and a shy smile spreads across her freckled face. She’s got brown eyes, like most villagers, but hers are slightly tipped upward at the edges, giving her an impish appearance. She holds up the heavily bandaged hand. “Your aunt thinks it’ll work fine again. She says it’s thanks to your quick response.”
A weight lifts off my chest. “I’m so happy to hear that.” Without touching her, I examine her face for signs of fever, her exposed wrist for the telltale red streaks of infection. She appears to be in perfect health. “Does it hurt very badly?”
