Boundary (17 page)

I leave in a dark fog. Fear consumes me as I enter my family home. I start up the stairs to change for dinner. I’m so distracted I almost miss Jasper waiting for me in the solar.

“Eva, my apologies for interrupting your thoughts,” he says softly as he approaches the stairs.

“Oh, Jasper, I’m sorry that I didn’t greet you properly. I’m … thinking of the Archon work I brought home with me.” Smiling a little, I walk down the few steps that I’ve mounted and take his outstretched hand.

“Archon work is so important for the future of New North, Eva. Never apologize for doing your duty. I’ll be disappointed if you leave the Archon world behind when you enter the doors of
our
home.” He blushes a little when he says the phrase
our home
. I feel the heat rise in my cheeks as well. Soon our Union day will arrive and the departure to our own home with it, but truth be told, I’ve been so preoccupied since our Betrothal ceremony that I rarely think of it.

“Well, then, I promise to bring my Archon work home to
our
house,” I say with a smile, reminded for the hundredth time how lucky I am to have a Betrothed so open in his views.

He lifts my hand to his lips. I think he’s going to bestow the Gallant’s kiss, but instead he turns over my hand. He traces my palm with his finger and then kisses the hollow. The sensation of his warm lips on my skin sends shivers through me. Has anyone seen this immodesty? For the first time since I arrived home, I realize we are completely alone.

I lead Jasper to the high-backed bench strewn with pillows embroidered by my mother. His face bears such an expression of longing that I almost abandon my intention to test his commitment—not to me, that’s clear, but to the pursuit of the truth. But if not now, when?

I hold his hands tightly and ask, “Do you really want to hear of my work, Jasper?”

The hazy look slips away, and he takes a deep breath. “Yes. I want you to share everything with me.”

“Do you recall our conversation yesterday about the distance to the Frozen Shores?”

His brow furrows. “Yes, the news was very disturbing.”

“Right. But listen. That’s not all. Not even close. That’s just one of many disturbing things I’ve learned from the dig. One of many things that make me question what we’ve been told about New North. Do you remember the journal of Madeline?”

“The one you took from the Hall of Archons? Of course.” It’s a testament to his feelings for me that he’s forgiven that outrageous breach of The Lex. And the lies I told him about it.

“Yes. Well, in it, Madeline tells a story about the objects she found on the
Genesis
, a tale that differs wildly from the official version she wrote in her Chronicle. One that details suspicions she had about the foundation of New North. Suspicions that she did everything in her power to repress when it came time to write her Chronicle.”

Jasper laughs. “Her Chronicle? You mean that outlandish piece of fiction about finding Relics on the
Genesis
before it slipped away in a crevasse?”

I’m not laughing with him. My voice hardens. “I just came from the
Genesis
, Jasper. And everything that Madeline said—the reports that practically caused her to be shunned from Aerie life—were true.”

“Your dig was on the
Genesis
?” He leans away from me. His face is incredulous.

“Yes. We uncovered all the artifacts that Madeline described and more. And I’m fairly certain that the story she wrote in her journal—the one containing questions about the creation of New North and The Lex itself—was more accurate than the Chronicle she submitted. The one that got her laughed out of Aerie society.”

“By the Gods, Eva. Those are strong accusations. Are you sure?”

“I’m absolutely certain. I’m worried that the founding of New North—and The Lex along with it—is not as we’ve been told.”

He removes his hands from mine. Glancing around the room, he says, “Be careful, Eva. You know better than anyone that such words are high treason.”

“I don’t utterly them lightly, Jasper. You know me well enough to believe that.”

He reaches for my hands again. “I believe in you, Eva. I hope you have faith in that.”

“It might be the only thing I have faith in these days.”

“Eva, let me help you. And protect you if I can.”

Jasper the Gallant has emerged. “I appreciate it, Jasper. But I don’t need protection.”

“I wouldn’t be helping just for the sake of your protection, Eva. I want to uncover the truth, too. For all the Aerie. The Lex tells us that faith, loyalty, and truth are the cornerstones of our life in New North.”

Ironic that Jasper is quoting The Lex in support of my efforts to upend
it
. “I don’t want you to do anything to jeopardize your own safety.”

“Eva, I will be helping you.”

He says this, but he really has no sense of what he’s getting into. I need to tell him at least some of the truth. “Madeline thought that the arrangement of artifacts on the deck of the
Genesis
looked like a setup. Like someone had very consciously scratched the Apple symbol on the Tech, started a first draft of The Lex, and then intentionally placed the two items next to each other to make it look like the conversion from the veneration of Apple
to the worship of the Gods happened on the deck of the
Genesis
.”

“So let me understand you. She thought the whole thing looked like a …” Jasper struggles to find the right word for this abomination. “Fiction?”

I know this is hard for him. “Yes, Jasper. I’m really sorry.”

He inhales deeply and squares his shoulders. His face again assumes his typical Gallant expression, but his eyes bear none of the trusting innocence I normally see in them. “What can I do?”

“As a contestant in the Forge, you’re given access to the Lexor vaults, right?”

“Yes, but it’s limited. We’re only allowed to look at past Forge competitions to prepare for the ritual.”

“When you are in the Vaults, can you look for any documents related to the actual creation of the very first Lex? We might find some evidence related to Madeline’s theories.”

“If that’s what you need, Eva.” He sounds tired. In the long, silent tick that follows, I can almost see him trying to make this Lex-breaking part of his Gallant code. Finally he draws a breath. “The people of New North deserve the truth about the Healing, The Lex, everything. If we’ve been lied to by our Founders, we need to discover the deception and tell the Triad.”

I nod. How I admire Jasper’s scruples. I don’t have the heart to tell him that I suspect the responsible party is the Triad itself.

XXXII
.

I slide back into routine. I spend days in the Hall of Archons meticulously noting every detail of the Tech at Archon Theo’s instruction. I while away evenings at home dining with my parents, Jasper, and Jasper’s parents. I feign interest in being a Maiden and an Archon and the details of my Union, all the while thinking about something else. How I can get back into the Conservation Chamber at night. With Lukas.

It’s been eight days since Lukas and I raced out of the Hall of Archons in the dead of night. Eight days of waiting for Theo to accuse me of breaking into the Hall. Eight days of pining to get back in to examine the Tech alone, no matter the risk.

“Eva, are you listening?” my mother chides me from
across the crowded table. A large group has gathered for a feast before the Northern Lights festival. It’s considered good luck to see the Northern Lights the first night they are out, and it’s always a happy occasion, a night of revelry for all the people of New North.

“Yes, Mother. You and Lady Charlotte were discussing the Union Feast.” I hadn’t heard a word of their conversation, but I venture a guess. This is their latest topic, since the Union dress is now in its final stages. They talk of little else.

“Which of the desserts would you prefer?”

“Um, the honey cake.” Even though the Testing ruined my taste for sweets, this was known to be my favorite treat.

“As I suspected, you weren’t really listening to us. Honey cakes are not even one of the choices, Eva. They’re too commonplace. We were thinking of pears in red wine or spiced dates stuffed with goat cheese.” My mother’s tone makes clear she isn’t happy at this show of un-Maidenly behavior in front of Lady Charlotte.

The Gentlemen and Lords push back their chairs from the dining table and gesture for the Gentlewomen and Ladies to rise. Jasper sidles up to me as we wander into the solar for nuts and cheeses. “I haven’t found any early records of The Lex yet,” he whispers as he reaches for my hand.

“None?” I try not to sound disappointed. How did I think that in eight days Jasper would find damning evidence that The Lex was just some construct of the Founders instead of divine inspiration? A secret—if true—that’s been hidden for nearly two hundred and fifty years? Ridiculous.

“But I did find a small group of documents stored under the heading
Genesis
,” he adds. “Just a few pages, really.”

“The
Genesis
?” The sudden surge of excitement makes
it hard to keep my voice steady and quiet. I link my fingers with his. Jasper has proven himself to be so brave and supportive in this dangerous venture, well beyond what I expected from him.

“Yes, but here’s the strange thing about the documents. I read them, and they didn’t really make any sense. They didn’t have anything to do with the Founders’ ship. Or Madeline’s earlier discovery.”

I search his eyes. “What were they about?”

“They seemed to be excerpts from a story, maybe some kind of fiction. It was an odd tale about a man and a woman named Adam and Eve who were in a garden … I think it was called Eden.”

Jasper’s description reminds me of something familiar, something at the edge of my memory. “Hmm. Adam and Eve and a garden. How do you know the pages were part of a larger story?”

“Because they were torn out of another book. Something called the Bible?”

I squeeze his hand tighter. That word! I can never forget it. Lukas found a copy of the Bible on Elizabet’s computer, and he explained to me that it was the pre-Healing’s version of The Lex. That the two books bear uncanny similarities to one another supports Madeline’s suspicions that The Lex is man-made, not divine. “You’re certain it was the Bible?”

“Yes, the first page said ‘Bible’ front and center. The heading on the page actually said
Genesis
, but there’s no reference to the Founders’ boat.”

I am quiet.

Now he’s searching
my
eyes. “Does the word
Bible
mean something to you?”

I’m not sure how far down into this I can pull Jasper just yet. “Possibly. But I have to do a little digging. I wish I could have seen those pages.”

He smiles that beautiful, wide grin he saves for the most special of occasions. “May I kiss you later if I’ve made your wish come true?”

I smile back at his Gallant’s flirtation and feign a curtsy. “Of course, kind sir.”

He bows before me to kiss my extended hand and slips an envelope into my other one. “It seems as though I’ve granted your wish. And later I’d like you to grant mine.”

My mother and Lady Charlotte motion for me to join them on the bench. Gallants and Lords traditionally sit separately from Maidens and Ladies after dinner. Jasper and I are violating that rule, a breach of decorum they can chalk up to Betrothal enthusiasm. Besides, it’s the kind of breach my mother secretly approves of, even encourages. It shows that I truly am a Maiden. I take my place, tucking the envelope into the folds of my gown. While the Ladies chatter on about their own gowns for the Union, the Attendants serve the nuts and cheeses. A platter appears before me.

“Maiden Eva?” an Attendant asks.

I nod, and as the Attendant passes me a small plate, she whispers, “Tomorrow night, at the Hall.”

I look up, confused by her words. It is Ana. It seems Lukas has finally sent me a message.

XXXIII
.