Sisters' Fate

“Safe?” Genie echoes. “You’re asking us to do magic in public. We’ll all be arrested. Or murdered!”

“I don’t think so. I think the people—especially the working-class people who live down by the river—are sick of the Brothers. It’s a risk, certainly.” I lift my chin. “I’m willing to take it. We’re powerful. It’s time we stopped hiding it.”

“Hear, hear!” A grin spreads over Elena’s face as she turns to Maura. “Be on my team?”

Maura pulls away, scowling. “No. I’m going to the council building, and I’m going to get the truth of it from Inez. She wouldn’t do this. I know she wouldn’t.”

My stomach sinks as Maura stalks out of the room, but I don’t go after her. Neither does Elena. “What about you, Parvati? Are you coming?” I ask.

Parvati rises from the love seat, her brown eyes enormous in her thin face. “My grandmother lives down there. It’s one thing to target the Brothers, but if Inez is the sort of person who would burn an old woman alive . . .” She swallows hard. “Well, then I was wrong about her.”

All around me, girls are stepping into their boots or rushing to fetch them. I look for Tess, to tell her Finn has gone to warn Father, and I realize she’s gone. Out in the hall, Sister Gretchen is organizing the teachers and governesses into teams to lead the younger students. Unlike the Harwood mission, there’s no talk of leaving anyone behind. Tonight, we will need the full might of the Sisterhood.

I peer into the front hall, where girls are pulling on their cloaks. No Tess. Perhaps she went upstairs for her mittens? I hope she hasn’t gone chasing after Maura.

Pausing near the parlor, I hear a tiny, strangled sob from within.

It’s not Tess, but I go in, closing the door behind me. “Lucy? Are you all right?”

Lucy raises her blotchy, tearstained face. “No. I’m a terrible wicked girl, Cate.”

I haven’t time for this, but I can’t walk away from a crying child.

I perch next to her on the olive settee. “Are you scared? You and Bekah can go with Sister Gretchen or one of the other teachers. They won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Lucy lets out another wail. “S-stop being so nice to me. I don’t deserve it!”

I stifle my impatience. “Lucy, it’s perfectly all right to be frightened.” I remember Finn’s words from earlier. “Being brave is when you’re frightened but you do something anyway, because it’s the right thing to do.”

She wipes her nose on her sleeve. She is all brown today—a chocolate wool dress and big brown bows tying her caramel braids—like a plump little sparrow. “I’ve got to tell you the truth, then. Even though it will make you hate me,” she says, meeting my eyes. “I’m the one who’s been haunting Tess.”

I go very still. My hand—just inches from Lucy’s knee—freezes. “Explain.”

Her eyes fall to the brown carpet. “I cast illusions to make her see and hear things that weren’t there. Cyclops hanging from the curtain rod in her room. Her bed on fire. Blood on her dress. The funeral dirge. The—the kitten.”

She sniffles, wiping away fresh tears, but all my sympathy has vanished. “Why?” My hand has clenched into a fist.

Lucy is only twelve, I remind myself.

But so is Tess.

Tess, who’s been terrified that her worst fears were coming true.

“Why would you do that?” I demand.

“Inez said if I didn’t, she’d turn Grace over to the Brothers and they’d hang her,” Lucy whispers. “I—I couldn’t let that happen. I’m sorry, Cate! I never wanted to hurt you, or Tess.”

My anger hardens into something bright and icy. So much for Inez’s oath to Maura that she would never hurt Tess.

“Why those particular illusions?” My voice is a little softer. Only a little.

Lucy fidgets. I reach out and snatch her chin, wet with tears, and turn her face toward me. My fingers are not gentle. She chokes on another sob. “Tess had a vision!” she blurts out. “About you. She had a vision that she was going to—to hurt you.”

The realization slams into me, knocking the breath from my body. Like being run down by a carriage.

“Tess had a vision that she was going to kill me.”

My voice is dull, but I feel almost relieved.

I don’t want to die. There are loads of things I want to do first. Small things, like planting roses, or seeing the finished gazebo on the hill near Mother’s grave, or beating Mei at a game of chess. Big things, like hearing Finn say he loves me again, and marrying him, and having a house of our own. Becoming a mother. Practicing magic openly. Seeing Tess and Maura grow up into beautiful, clever, strong women.

Only—we can’t all three grow up, can we?

Not according to the prophecy.

Perhaps it’s good to finally know the truth of it.

“Yes,” Lucy says softly. “It broke her heart. She couldn’t understand how she would ever do it, unless—”

“Unless she was mad.” I take a deep breath. “And you told Inez, and she decided to use that against Tess. To make her think her worst fears were coming true. You’re her best friend, Lucy! She trusted you with her greatest secret.”

“I know.” Lucy begins to cry again. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not me you need to apologize to.” I stand. “Do you know where she is?”

“Sh-she went to the bell tower, to ring the fire alarm.” Lucy buries her face in her dimpled hands.

The bell tower is atop the National Council building—where every guard has no doubt been ordered to memorize our pictures and arrest us on sight. I pray Tess has the sense to use a glamour.

“Why would she do that?” I demand. “Why would she go by herself?”

“B-because I told her to,” Lucy admits, her words muffled by her hands. “Sh-she felt like it was all her fault. I said she could help make it right.”

I grab her by the shoulders and shake her. “Inez asked you to do that, too, didn’t she? Why?” I let her go and back away before I’m tempted to shake the answers right out of her.

“I don’t know!” Lucy yelps. She’s stopped crying, but she looks terrified of me. “Inez said—she said this was the last thing she’d ask me to do. She promised!”

“Good. Because if you ever do anything to hurt Tess again, you will answer to me, and I will see you and Grace both put on a prison ship for the rest of your miserable lives. Do you understand?” I glare at Lucy until she nods, and then I pull open the door. “Go tell Rilla everything you’ve told me. Now. And tell her I’m going after Tess.”

• • •

It’s surprisingly easy to gain access to the council building. There are precious few guards on duty tonight. As I wait for the elevator, I hear the fire bell begin to peal, piercing even from this distance. A man racing down the curving marble staircase gives me an odd look. I press a hand to my face, reassuring myself that my glamour hasn’t given way. But this is an easy illusion. Brother Ishida’s face is one I know well; it’s haunted my nightmares since I was a child. I step onto the newfangled brass elevator, and in a few moments, it cranks and clanks its way to the ninth floor. The heavy door that leads up to the bell tower is locked, but my magic makes short work of it. I open it and climb the spiral staircase beyond.