Page 15 of The Black Key

“Yes, but not Olive.”

“No,” Ash says with a laugh. “Not Olive.”

I sigh and lean back against the heavy blanket we sleep on. “I want that life, Ash. I want it so badly I can taste it.”

“So do I,” he murmurs.

I allow my mind to spin out, to imagine a world where my sister doesn’t have to live in fear of her own body and the power it holds, where my brother isn’t forced to work in an assigned profession. I try to imagine the walls falling down, the city integrated, its people no longer divided but unified.

I fall asleep with the taste of Ash’s lips on mine, and fantasies of a better future dancing in my dreams.

The next morning, however, Ash’s good mood has vanished, all the tenderness of last night gone, replaced with tension and anger at my leaving.

I can tell he’s trying to hide it, but there’s a tightness around his eyes and mouth, a sharpness in his tone.

Ash isn’t the only one who is tense. Even Indi is on edge. Once Garnet contacts me about the train I need to take, there are no smiles to see me off except for a forced one from Raven.

I stand by Sil’s cart and give each girl a hug, promising to see them soon, reminding them to keep studying the blueprints. Ash crushes me against him and whispers fiercely in my ear.

“Please be careful. Promise me.”

“I promise,” I whisper.

“I wish there were some way I could tell Rye to keep an eye on you,” he says.

“Do you think he’ll recognize me?” I ask.

Ash tucks a lock of my newly blond hair behind my ear. “No,” he murmurs. “Plus he’ll be too busy with Carnelian to pay much attention to a new servant.”

“Should I tell him who I am?”

“I don’t know. It could be dangerous.” Ash’s jaw hardens. “And watch out for Carnelian.”

“Right.” I’m not looking forward to living under the same roof as her again.

“I’m serious, Violet. She’s sharper, more intelligent, than you give her credit for.”

“Well, I’m happy to avoid her completely,” I say. I don’t want to talk about Carnelian anymore.

We kiss one last time before Sil gets in the cart and I climb up beside her.

Raven raises one hand in farewell. Ash stays on the porch, watching the cart until we pass under the trees and the White Rose is swallowed up behind us.

“You certainly know how to wreak havoc,” Sil says.

“I don’t want to fight with you, Sil,” I say wearily.

She nods and gives the reins another flick. We ride the rest of the way in silence. I can’t help wondering—what if I’m too late? What if Hazel dies today? What if something is happening to her right now? Turnip’s pace is infuriatingly slow. The fields stretch out in rolling waves of yellowish brown, never changing.

When we finally reach Bartlett Station, my back is aching from the tension. Sil waits with me until the train pulls up.

“You’ve got your papers?” she says, and I hold up the forged documents that will allow me to get as far as the Bank. I have to take three different trains today to get to the Jewel. I’m wearing the brown dress, the one that looks like a servant’s garb.

“And here are some extra diamantes, just in case,” Sil says, pressing the coins into my hands. My throat has swelled up so I nod in thanks.

“Well,” she says as the train screeches to a halt and the doors are thrown open. Then she engulfs me in a short but emphatic hug.

“Thanks, Sil,” I whisper. “For everything.”