Chapter 18
Lila paced back and forth in the parlor, the oracle stone filling her peripheral vision with every pass across the rug. Dinner had been delayed, for Mòr and Kenna had only just returned from the temple and wished to change out of their robes. In the meantime, Connell had sent Dixon on an errand. Blair hadn’t just skipped evening training. She’d not yet come out of her room for anything, which usually meant she’d fallen into a mood. Connell believed she might be tempted out with the right sort of encouragement, and a crisis might be averted.
Dixon had happily gone to fetch her.
Connell had retreated into the house to find Mòr.
In their absence, Lila had run her snoop programs over the entire parlor. She’d found a bug behind the shelves, a bug just like the one in her cabin. Unsure how Connell and Mòr would want to handle it, she left it alone, then typed a message to the purplecoat.
One thought kept her from hitting send: the mole could have bugged Connell’s palm.
Lila slipped her palm into her pocket. She tugged a bookmark from one of Mòr’s travel books, then fished in a drawer for a pencil and scribbled a note.
After she’d finished and begun pacing anew, Nico poked his head through the doorway. He’d changed out of his uniform, dressing in navy wool trousers and a forest-green sweater. He held glasses of red wine in each hand. “You’re a pacer,” he said, the corner of his mouth lifting in amusement.
“What?”
“I can hear your boots every time they leave the rug and pivot.” He extended a glass toward her. “A toast?”
Lila took the glass, her mouth watering at the scent of blackberries. She wondered if he’d chosen her favorite wine by accident, or if he’d interrogated Dixon at some point, just as he’d interrogated Camille.
A mole could have figured out the information easily enough.
Nico clinked his glass against hers. “To new friends.”
Lila raised her glass but didn’t sip.
“This is La Sangre de Las Flores. It’s a very good wine.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“Just try it. You might like it.”
When Lila did not reply, he cleared his throat. “I have Gregorie in my cabin. I could fetch a bottle and—”
“Don’t bother, Nico. I just don’t drink.”
“Sangre is a good wine to begin with then. It puts all other wines to shame.”
Lila pressed the glass back into his hand, too tempted by the smell to hold it a moment longer. “Yes, Sangre is excellent, the very best, in fact. I just don’t drink wine anymore.”
“Oh.” His cheeks reddened slightly, and he turned awkwardly toward the kitchen.
This was not a man who had dug through records to find her favorite wine.
This was a man who had fumbled. This was a man who had no idea what he was doing.
It was endearing—or it should have been—but Lila had thought La Roux was innocent once.
“I’m sorry, Lila. I didn’t know. I’ll pour them down the drain.”
“Don’t. It would be a waste of a very good wine. You drink them.”
Nico settled the glasses on the oracle’s coffee table with a few little clinks and clatters. Then he sat on the couch, gesturing for her to sit beside him.
Lila curled one leg under her knee as she sat. “I thought you were cooking dinner.”
“The oracle is late. Dinner isn’t. I have everything under control.”
“Everything?”
He shifted a little closer. His gaze dropped to her lips. “Not everything.”
Lila tried not to laugh. She’d seen that trick many times.
Heck, she’d done that trick many times.
“What? Do I amuse you?” he asked.
“Do you want to amuse me?”
His mouth twitched. She could almost hear him think. “I’d rather you be amused than sad. Sometimes you look sad. Why?”
“Why is anyone sad?”
“Because something sad has happened? I don’t like to see you sad, but even if you are, sad people can have fun too. They don’t have to be sad all the time. I know a place where you could have a great deal of fun.”
“If you say cabin twenty-four, I’m going to shoot you with my tranq.”
“Harm falls backward.” He chuckled. “Do you know what that means?”
Lila shook her head.
“It means that if you harm someone, it falls upon you to make it right again. That’s the old ways. You’d have to nurse me back to health after I woke up.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is, and a tranq hangover might be worth it. Cabin twenty-four. Cabin twenty-four. Cabin twenty-four. Whip out your tranq and follow through. I dare you.”
Lila chuckled despite herself.
“You are such a tease, Lila.” He touched her cheek. His calluses brushed over her fading bruises. The sensation triggered a stirring she hadn’t wanted anyone to wake. “I’m glad that your cheek looks better today.”
“Time will do that.”
“I’m not glad to see you hurt again.”
“Then prepare for unhappiness.”
“Why? Because you get hurt often?”
“It happens in my line of work.”
“And what line of work is that?”
Lila did not answer.
“The mystery deepens. What is your name? At least tell me that?”
“Lila.”
“Lila what?”
“Just Lila,” she said, softening the jab with a smile.
His fingers traced her bruise. “That’s the best you can do? You can’t even give a full smile to a handsome man who’s cooking you dinner?”
“You’re cooking dinner for the oracle and her family.”
“Of course I am.” His gaze slipped to her lips once more.
Lila batted his hand away and stood up. “You needn’t bother cooking for them, you know. They’d rather have you well rested.”
“I get enough rest.”
“Not enough for the oracle. She worries. If you want to really help her, perhaps you should give her one less thing to stress about.”
“Connell will tell me when to back off.”
“Perhaps he already has. Did you listen?”
Nico shifted in his seat. “It’s only a few meals here and there. What’s the harm? It’s not affecting my duties.”
“No, it’s not. You seem to be everywhere.”
“I’m glad you noticed. I’m Connell’s second. I’m supposed to be everywhere. I’m supposed to set an example, a standard. Otherwise, people might slack. You might not understand this, Lila, but the oracle children have enemies. We must always be diligent.”
She said nothing in response.
Nico leaned back into the couch and crossed his ankle across his knee. His eyes followed her as she paced. “Where are you from?”
“Why?”
“You sound like you’re from New Bristol, but I keep asking myself why you’d sleep in our compound instead of going home.”
“You ask an awful lot of questions.”
“Are you always this evasive? It’s frustrating.”
“Are you always this curious? It’s tiresome.”
Nico studied her face. “No smile that time. You meant that one.”
Lila recalled the last time she’d flirted with a man for information. She shivered at her memories of La Roux, ignoring Nico’s hurt expression. “Pick another woman to lure to your cabin. I haven’t the interest or the time for silly games.”
Connell appeared at the door. His gaze shuttled back and forth between the pair. “Mòr and Kenna are ready for dinner. I’d like to eat before another seizure strikes. She hasn’t had one since yesterday morning.”
“Do you think it’s likely she’ll have another so soon?” Lila asked.
“I don’t presume to know. I just plan for the worst. The gods have been insistent little shits lately.”
Lila’s mouth hung open.
“I fell in love with Mòr, not the oracle.”
“She’s both,” Nico said. “She can’t help it.”
“I know, but I can hate the gods for doing it to her. If it was happening to your lover, you wouldn’t be so devout. One of these days, you’ll understand.”
Lila followed Connell into the dining room, slipping her note deftly into his coat pocket while Nico collected the wine glasses. The chief followed the movement but said nothing about it.
Luckily, Nico didn’t seem to notice. He was too busy staring, if the burning hole on her backside was any indication. He even sat beside her at the table, acting as if the last part of their conversation had never happened.
Dixon appeared after they had settled onto the bench, tugging a very sleepy Blair by the hand. She wore a pastel-blue sweater and neon-orange leggings. She rubbed at her eyes as she walked, her hair slightly tangled and unbrushed, like a child’s on a solstice morning.
“You’re up at last,” Connell said.
“I worked late last night trying to catch up,” she yawned, smiling softly as Dixon sat beside her.
He gave Lila a raised brow when he spotted Nico.
Lila shrugged and grabbed a platter as it was passed to her, shoveling an enchilada onto her plate. She did the same with the next platters, spooning out portions of rice and beans.
When she tried each, she couldn’t quite withhold the little moans that escaped from her throat.
“How long do you plan to remain with us?” Nico asked, and sipped his wine.
Before she could respond, Mòr raised her glass. “She stays as long as she wants.”
“But surely she’ll be missed at home?”
Lila poked at her plate. Despite all the friends and family she had on the Randolph compound, no one had tried to contact her, not even after the senate had cleared her of all charges. Even her brothers had remained quiet. Either they both hated her, or their matron had given them orders against them contacting her.
Beatrice Randolph had obviously made Lila’s exile clear to the family.
“My little sister doesn’t miss me,” Nico said. “She misses my migas. That’s what she told me in her last message.”
“You’ve been away for a few years, haven’t you?”
Nico turned a mocking grin to Connell. “Did you hear that, chief? The lady has asked about me.”
“And?” Lila prompted.
“I’ve been on the sojourn for eight years. I have another year before I return home to La Verde.”
“The sojourn?”
Nico stiffened. His grin and his interest faded, like a warm breath on a cold day. “The rumors are true, then. She really is an outsider, one who knows nothing about us?”
The oracle shook her head. “She’s an outsider, but one who is highly regarded. I’m hoping to convince her to remain with us in the coming weeks. The gods would approve of that immensely, as would I.”
“She is god-chosen?”
“Yes.”
Nico peered at Lila’s face as if seeing it anew. All mirth had faded. The oracle’s words hung upon her like a chastity belt.
“What did he mean by the sojourn?” Lila asked.
The oracle chewed her enchilada. “Squab’s Sojourn. Our young spend six years traveling among the oracle children within the Commonwealth. Think of it as an internship and study abroad program all rolled into one. They sign up for a year or two at a time at any compound of their choosing.”
“There is a bidding system, too,” Connell added. “After all, the most popular compounds can’t accept everyone.”
“I didn’t get placed here until my third rotation, and only because I volunteered for a third,” Nico said.
“Connell also took a sojourn?”
“I spent some time in the old country,” Connell said, “then spent five years as the chief of a smaller compound nearby. I apprenticed under Chief Edana after I returned. She retired last year.”
“What about Cecily? Will she go on a sojourn?”
Kenna nodded. “As soon as she finishes college, though only two years will remain on her sojourn. We give our young credit for attending university. My oldest are already on their sojourns. Duncan is in Andalusia, training as a purplecoat. My oldest daughter resides in a little town in north Westminster.”
“I’m going to sojourn abroad,” Cecily said. “Perhaps some place near London, like Connell.”
Camille frowned at her plate.
Kenna did the same.
“Sojourns are good for the oracle children,” Mòr explained. “They make our young well rounded. They also ensure that our compounds don’t become echo chambers. It also gives the kids a chance to meet people, if you catch my drift.”
Blair put down her wine. “She’s talking about sex.”
Dixon coughed on his drink.
“No, she’s talking about a fresh crop of strangers every year, all with new lovers and new friends visiting the compound.” Lila sighed heavily, finally understanding why so many names had appeared on the guest lists. “It’s a security nightmare.”
“What security nightmare?” Nico asked. “We’re all oracle children.”
After everyone finished their enchiladas, Lila picked up her plate and Dixon’s. “Are you visiting the tower tonight?”
Dixon nodded as Blair tugged him from the room.
Everyone else scattered as well, including Nico.
Lila carried her dishes into the kitchen. “You don’t need to help,” Kenna said, taking the plate. The dishes clattered as she placed them near the sink. “Your work is more important.”
“Than the dishes?”
Kenna nodded.
“Work can wait. I could use the break.” Lila took several trips back into the dining room, fetching the leftovers for Kenna to pack into glass dishes. On her first pass, she checked the room with her snoop programs.
She found another bug.
She also found one in the kitchen, scanning across each wall on each return trip while Mòr and Kenna scrubbed dishes at the sink. Lila yanked the bug off the windowsill and quickly dropped it into a glass of wine.
Kenna snatched the glass off the counter and poured it down the drain, oblivious to what lurked beneath the auburn liquid.
Mòr picked up a towel and dried the plates and glasses in the drying rack near the sink. “You’re troubled. You believe the sojourn complicates things.”
“Forty people have joined the compound within the last three years, either living or visiting on a regular basis. Not to mention those who lived here before these messages began. Someone on the compound could have been bought.”
“That’s highly unlikely. Oracle children do not turn on oracle children.”
Lila opened a few cabinets until she found where the plates and glasses belonged. Dishes clinked against dishes as she put them away. “How do you screen those who wish to sojourn here from undesirables?”
“There are no undesirables, Lila. There are only good and bad situations. The same compound that I would flourish in, Kenna might flounder. We don’t label people. We label the environment.”
Kenna dropped a dirty pan into the sink with a splash. “Everyone on their first sojourn sees Dr. Patterson. They have appointments every week for the first three months while they adjust to being away from home. They continue on an as-needed basis thereafter.”
“What happens when as-needed translates to a lot?”
Mòr took the scrubbed pan from Kenna and rinsed it under clean water. “If the compound doesn’t suit them, we send them to another they’d enjoy more. Forcing a person to fit a place, to fit a job, it’s cruel. It courts trouble.” She handed the pan to Lila to dry. “Maybe you should find a new place too, Lila, and have a sojourn of your own. You could begin here.”
Lila’s rag squeaked against the damp glass pan as she dried it. “That’s the third time you’ve said as much this evening.”
“Perhaps I like having you here. Besides, it would be a relief to have someone with your experience on the compound, especially with what is coming.”
“What is that?”
Mòr turned away and took another dish from her sister.
“I can’t help hearing my name as you thrash. You’re having visions of me. You called me god-chosen at dinner. Are you having them because I’m here?”
“I would have them whether you were here or not.”
“But you have more because I’m here?”
“No, but even if I did, I’d still want you here. Your father agreed to our surveillance proposal, a proposal we made before the session closed. Every oracle in the nation has the funds to upgrade their equipment now. Connell and I could use your assistance. My sisters throughout Saxony could use your help, too.”
“I’ll speak with Connell tonight. I already know of one hole.”
Kenna let out the water in the sink. The water made a sucking noise as it drained. After drying her hands on a towel, she took the dried pan from Lila’s grasp. “You’re not doing it while you’re looking for the damn mole. You’re far too tired. Did you even sleep last night?”
“I’ll rest when I’ve caught the mole. Your list is interesting, by the way, now that I’ve met some of the people on it.”
“Some of them were a surprise to Mòr too.”
“I bet they’d be a surprise to your daughter as well.”
“I suppose so.”
“Why Camille?”
Kenna put the pan away and leaned upon the counter. “I’ve known a lot of teenagers in my time, Lila, but I’ve never met one as perfect as Camille. Everyone’s crabby sometimes. Every teen rolls her eyes or forgets her manners, even at twenty. Every friend swipes at another in a moment of annoyance. Camille doesn’t. She’s never been cross with my daughter, not even when Cecily deserved it. And as much as I love my daughter, Cecily deserves it quite often.”
“That’s your reason?”
“It rubs at me. I love that girl for how well she treats my daughter, especially given everything going on lately, but something is not right.”
Lila nodded. Camille had a good reason for acting perfectly all the time.
The young woman had fallen in love. Kenna just hadn’t figured it out yet.
That wasn’t the only reason, either. Unless Lila was mistaken, Camille desperately wished to live on the compound. The orphan had finally found some place that felt like home. She wouldn’t dare jeopardize that with a simple eye roll or a crabby word spoken out of turn. Such events had a way of spreading, and gossip likely traveled faster when it concerned outsiders.
Camille would marry an oracle child someday. Lila had no doubt.
But Lila didn’t say a word about her suspicions. It wasn’t her place to share secrets that weren’t hers. “If people on a sojourn speak to Dr. Patterson every few weeks, what do people who return to the compound do?”
“What do you mean?” Mòr asked.
“They’ve been gone for six years, sometimes longer. How do you know they still fit? Surely the situation has come up before?”
Worry lines formed on Kenna’s brow. “It happens. No one has to come back.”
“You’ll have to forgive my sister,” Mòr said. “If a son takes a lover outside of the family, they nearly always stay with that lover, just like highborn males. Her son Duncan has fallen in love with a woman in Andalusia.”
“This is exactly why I wanted to keep him close.”
“The sojourn is a time for exploration and adventure. For living wide and long. For returning wiser than you left.”
“For going off and getting married. For never coming home again.”
“Kenna, if he chooses to stay with her, he’s not replacing the family he was born into. He’s gaining a second one.”
Kenna snatched up a washcloth and whipped at a spot on the counter.
“Where did you go on your sojourn, Kenna?” Lila asked.
Kenna’s mouth twitched. “I went to New Orleans. I met my children’s father there. I spent much of my sojourn pregnant.”
“It was quite a bountiful sojourn, too. Kenna had three children in six years.”
“Where’d you go?” Lila asked the oracle.
“I didn’t go on a sojourn. I might have had the chance if my mother had not died so young. I’ve never been away for more than twenty-four hours.”
“The travel books in the parlor. You buy them?”
“I should stop. It makes it harder. I can’t seem to help myself, though.”
Connell entered the kitchen holding a small white envelope. He slid it over the countertop toward Lila. “The guards at the gate said a man arrived with this five minutes ago.”
Lila opened it, expecting a note from Connell about the bug. Instead, she found familiar cursive writing.
Come to my house at once. It’s an emergency.
Somehow, Max Earlwell had known exactly where to find her.