The Breaker's Promise (YA Urban Fantasy) (Fixed Points Book 2) (13 page)

My face got hot again.

“No sir,” Owen answered. “I-I’ll go there now.”

“Good,” Petar answered. “And Owen, just because I disagreed with what your mother did with you all those years ago, doesn’t mean I was sorry to see her do it. I wasn’t.”

“Okay,” he answered quietly, and then I heard the front door open and close.

An hour or some later, Owen’s mom delivered a covered dish to my room. It was braised beef, beets, and some sort of weird salad with cabbage leaves and no dressing. She apologized and explained that, because of prior commitments, the family wouldn’t be able to sit down for a formal dinner. I told her it was fine and asked where Owen was.

“He’s with his betrothed,” she said, and the word hit me like a bullet in the chest. Though she was basically on life support, and very likely stuck on the inside of my brain, in this place, Merrin was still his fiancé. And to his family, Owen belonged to her. “Do try to sleep,” Owen’s mother said. “Tomorrow is a big day.”

Sleep didn’t come though, not like it did after my conversation with Merrin. I tossed and turned, staring out the window at the moonlight. Wherever the Hourglass was, the sky was insanely clear. It wasn’t like Chicago or even Crestview. This sky was stark and cloudless; dotted with a billion stars. After a few hours, I decided there was no chance sleep was going to happen for me. And, realizing that, without doors or even much in the way of hallways to block the sound, sneaking over to see Owen would be too dangerous; even if he was even back from his visit with Merrin.

Instead, I decided to climb out the window and take a moonlight walk. It seemed as good an idea as any. The window opened with ease, and I realized that there wasn’t as much as a lock on it. Now that I thought about it, I didn’t remember seeing any locks on the doors either; what few doors there were. I climbed out and hopped down to the ground. The grass was damp and soft against my bare feet. It was insanely dark outside; the sort of darkness that only exists outside of the city, where lights are a rarity. Luckily for me, in the Hourglass, the ‘city’ wasn’t too far away. At the edge of my vision, on the other side of the hill I chased Sevie up the day before, the lights of what I assumed to be the main area of the Hourglass shone brightly. Stuff was actually happening over there. I wondered what time it was, and cursed the apparent blanket clock ban the Hourglass seemed to have going on.

Since there was no sun to gage with, I had no idea what time it was, or how long before I’d have to get up for my ‘big day’.  What was more; I had no idea what it would consist of. Other than Owen’s father’s remark about seeing the Crone (whoever that was), I didn’t have the first clue about what the morning would bring. Hopefully not the Council. I walked along the yard, letting the grass squish between my toes, and trying to calm my racing mind. The last time I had been out this late, other than that awful night in Crestview when I watched my mother die, was with Casper. We thought Owen was hooking up with Mrs. Goolsby back then. Everything was so light in those days, without a hint of the darkness to come.

I missed Casper now almost more than ever. I needed his humor. I needed his loyalty. More than anything, I needed the way he seemed to make everything alright. I clutched at the piece of sweater in my pocket and thought about using it. But I didn’t have a candle, and there was no mirror in my room. Besides, given how small the piece of sweater that I had left was, any contact could be the last I ever had with Casper. And I hated the idea of that.

“You are a fellow sufferer,” a voice said from the darkness behind me. I spun around, throwing my hands up like my palms could save me from whoever was there. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” the voice said again.

Squinting through the dark, I watched as a shape emerged before me. Sevie stood with his hands at his sides. He wore a softer version of the brown and white number that everybody in the Hourglass had sport today, and his bronze hair looked slept on.

“What the hell are you doing?” I blurted out breathlessly.

“The same as you Cresta; taking a walk.” His smile was wide and innocent.  “Not to worry though, you are safe here. There is no one and nothing within the walls of the Hourglass that would ever mean you harm.”

Except, you know, the Council and every Breaker who answered to it; which was all of them.

“Insomnia is a monotonous affliction, isn’t it?” Sevie smiled.

“I’m not an insomniac,” I answered, shuffling my feet. “I just have a lot on my mind tonight.”

“You heard the argument,” Sevie said, less a question or an accusation than a flat out fact.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.

“The walls are thin. Of course, you do,” he grinned.

The night air was chilly, and I had fallen asleep in my tank, which left my arms and shoulders exposed. I shivered, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You’re cold,” Sevie said and, without another word, whipped the white shirt over his head and handed it to me, leaving him bare chested in the moonlight.  To be honest, I hadn’t seen much in the way of resemblance between Owen and his brother; but here, looking at the curve of his shoulders and the exquisite flatness of his stomach, I definitely saw the family connection.

“That’s not necessary,” I blinked, offering him the shirt back.

“Is it not chivalrous?” He seemed disappointed. “I read of modern chivalry. Of course, I also read of the death of modern chivalry. There seemed to be conflicting viewpoints. It was very confusing.”

“Just take your shirt back,” I said. He grabbed it and slid it back over his torso.

“Should I build a fire; perhaps a hut?” Sevie’s voice was flat. His face was genuine.

“You’re sweet,” I answered, grinning. “But if I was that cold, I’d just go back inside.”

“Of course,” Sevie nodded, looking at the ground. Then, looking up with renewed brightness in his eyes, he asked, “Would you walk with me? I’m always alone at night, and it would be nice to have a bit of company for once.”

“You know,” I said, offering him my hand. “I wouldn’t mind some company myself.”

“You know, I never pictured Owen as a farm boy,” I said. Sevie and I had been walking for at least an hour and, about twenty minutes ago, he settled in the loft of an old barn. “He just seemed so out of place in Crestview; like he was the biggest city boy in the world. To see that he was raised here is such a trip.”

Sevie was perched atop a bale of hay, sitting with his legs crossed and looking out at the ridiculously clear night sky. “To be fair, he never liked it here. He always yearned for bigger things, for more responsibility. He went to Father once, begging to be allowed to begin his training early. He always said that his life wouldn’t matter until he became a Breaker.” Sevie shook his head, still gazing at the stars. “But Father wouldn’t hear of it. He told him that we all play the parts we are meant to in fate’s plan. He said that no one part was more important than another, and that Owen would never been a proper Breaker until he learned to understand that.”

“No offense,” I muttered. “But your dad sounds like a dick.”

Sevie turned to me. There was a smile on his face so wide that I could have counted every one of his teeth. “Your candor is refreshing. I feel as though I should apologize for what happened earlier. You’re a guest in our home. You should not have been subjected to my family’s personal issues.”

“I told you, I didn’t hear it,” I said, smiling.

“You may feel as though my father doesn’t care, but in truth, it is the opposite. It is because he cares that he acts the way he does.” For once, Sevie’s face was a stonewall. His tone was dark and serious.

“It’s none of my business Sevie, but are you really gonna give me the whole ‘he beats me ‘cause he loves me’ thing?” I walked nearer to the bale. “I know you’ve never been outside of these walls, but in the real world, you don’t have to agree with someone if they’re wrong just because the guy happens to be your dad.”

Sevie hopped down from his bale. The moonlight caught his hair and set it shimmering like spun gold. “It is more complicated than it appears, Cresta. The intricacies of our lives are difficult to comprehend for someone who wasn’t raised with them. In many ways, our lives are not our own. We have duties; responsibilities to fate, to the future, to our families and our people. And if we are selfish, Cresta, even in small matters, those responsibilities could be compromised. We must learn who we are so that we can become who we are meant to be. It is Father’s place to teach us that, and often the learning can be hard.”

I looked deep in Sevie’s eyes, chocolate and kind. “He was gonna let your brother die, Sevie. Are you okay with that?”

Immediately, I wished I hadn’t asked the question. Sevie’s eyes got wide and filled with tears. Where, in a situation like this, Owen’s hands would have clenched into fists, Sevie’s stretched out wide at his sides. “My brother is my best friend. Without him, the person I am would not exist.”

“He’s the best,” I said, taking Sevie’s hand in my own. He looked down at it, as though it was foreign, as though no one had ever touched him like that.

Suddenly, he whipped his hand away. “He is the Dragon, Cresta. Fate answered my parents’ action with actions of its own; as did the Council.”

Owen’s words the day Merrin came back to Weathersby came crashing back into my mind. “They’re investigating your family.”

“They are,” Sevie answered.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “But your mother did what she had to do. The Council will understand that.”

“I hope.” Tears spilled from Sevie’s eyes. “But if they do not, Cresta, then my parents will be criminalized. They may even be exiled. My name of my bloodline will be sullied through the ages and, what’s more, I would be forbidden from ever seeing my parents again.”

“It’ll be okay,” I said, and though I wanted to take his hand again, I didn’t.

Sevie cleared his throat and looked away. “We should go. The sun will be up soon and we both should get some sleep for the coming day.”

I wasn’t sure how Sevie knew the sun would be up soon; given that the sky was still pitch black, the huge walls surrounding the Hourglass precluded us from seeing anything outside of it, and I
still
hadn’t seen anything close to a clock here. Still, he was right, because no sooner had we snuck back into the farmhouse that Petar came bursting into my room (without knocking) and told me to get up for the day. I was going to tell him that, since I hadn’t seen any of my stuff since getting here, the only clothes I had were the ones on my back, and that I was essentially always ready. But Owen’s mom came in with an outfit that looked exactly like the one everyone in the Hourglass wore yesterday, save for the fact that the shirt was red instead of white.

“Thanks,” I muttered, but as she handed it to me, I saw my toothbrush from Weathersby sitting on top; which pissed me off because everyone knows when you travel, you should have one of those toothbrush traveling kits. But more importantly…

“You have my stuff?” I asked.

“Your things were delivered while you slept,” Owen’s mom answered, handing me the pile. “Petar determined that the majority of your things were unsuitable, so I went out and got you some of the standard fare.”

“You went through my things?” The idea twisted in my stomach like sour milk.

“Of course, dear,” Owen’s mom answered. With a smile, she added, “You didn’t have anything to hide, did you?”

“Uh, no,” I mumbled.

You know, unless you count everything.

“Good. Usually, Petar wouldn’t go as far as all of that; though usually he wouldn’t have to. You’re the first outsider to enter into the Hourglass since its formation. As such, that makes you something of an enigma. When the Council decided that, because of your connection to our son, it would be best to house you here until your familial issues have been settled, Petar took it upon himself to prove that you were trustworthy; seeing as how you’re living in our home. I hope you understand.”

I did understand. I understood that, even in Owen’s house, I was surrounded by the enemy. I was going to have to watch what I did and said, in order to keep my secrets (which seemed to be piling up at an alarming rate) safe. More importantly, I was going to have to keep the Poe letter and Casper’s sweater piece on me at all times. If they found Casper’s sweater, then maybe they’d be able to find him, and I hadn’t said goodbye to him just to have him pulled back into this mess. And who knew what was in the Poe letter. Things had been happening so fast that I still hadn’t gotten a chance to open it. And, given what I knew of Owen’s parents (his father especially), I was going to have to be careful about where and when I did dig into it.

“Of course,” I grimaced. “So, I’m gonna get dressed now. Are you gonna step out or is that something you wanna watch too?”

Owen’s mom smiled. “You may not be her daughter, but there’s something of Ash in you.”

A quick change, a bland breakfast, and a half an hour later, me and the Lightfoots were on our way from the rural hills of their home to the more crowded area of the Hourglass that I woke up in yesterday.

“Why are there no cars here?” I asked, sandwiched between Owen and Sevie, walking down a hill. Owen’s folks had taken a horse and carriage but, given how close the main area was, and the fact that I didn’t want to be in any more confined spaces with Owen’s dad than was absolutely necessary, I decided I’d rather walk.

“The Council outlawed automobiles within the walls of the Hourglass soon after their advent. They were deemed wasteful and unnecessary,” Sevie answered. He, like Owen, wore the same red and brown ensemble that their mom had handed me a few minutes before; though I couldn’t help noticing that mine fit a little tighter than theirs.

“That’s sort of ridiculous,” I answered. “This place is huge. How do you get around it?”

“Traveling between pavilions within the Hourglass is expressly forbidden without the leave of the Council,” Sevie nodded.

“What?” I asked. “What if you wanted to take a walk or something?”

“You could,” Owen said. His hair shone like glistening tar in the morning sunlight. “You’d just have to turn around at a certain point. See, we’re taught very specific things here. As Breakers, we’re meant to blend in with our surroundings, to really embody the people we’re portraying. And, to do that, we live certain ways so that we can learn certain things. There are five pavilions within the Hourglass. In this one, we study Western civilization as well as world history, foreign language, progressive mechanics, rocket science, social ramifications; you know, that kind of stuff.”

“I’m going to forget the fact that you just told me you were a rocket scientist, because, coupled with your eyes, that just makes you too intimidating,” I grinned.

Owen shot me a look, half playfulness and half warning. Pretty instantly, I knew what he meant. Sevie was right there. I didn’t need to go flirting with Owen, even slightly, in front of his brother.

“What do they do in the other pavilions?” I asked, changing the subject.

“We have no idea,” Sevie said. “Knowledge isn’t passed between the pavilions. It helps each of us to better focus on the tasks ahead of us without distraction. Only the Council is aware of each pavilions purpose and inner workings.”

This time I shot Owen a look.

How very South Korean of them
, I said in my head before realizing that he couldn’t hear me anymore.

Ten minutes of walking later, and we met Owen’s parents at the start of what looked like the town square. Petar had tied the carriage up near a stable surrounded by other identical carriages. It was strange. In the Hourglass, even the horses looked just alike.

“Tell me who the crone is again,” I whispered to Owen as we neared his parents.

“A seer is constantly full of power. It’s hard to maintain. So, when they grow older, his or her powers begin to dwindle. They can’t see the future with the same wide scope that they once did. Still there are echos of that power left and, they can use those echos to read people’s destinies. Sort of like tarot card reading, I guess. It’s a place of honor; it means a seer has lived their life well and has fulfilled their divine potential.”

“You honor them by calling them crones?” I scrunched my nose.

Owen shrugged. “I didn’t make up the name.”

Not being as dizzy or disoriented as the day before, and without Sevie dragging me behind him, I had time to get a better look at the Hourglass. It was strange, and not the type of strange you’d expect from the most advanced sect of people in the world. This place looked dated, like I stepped back in time somehow. The buildings were quaint and, aside from a street lamp or two, there didn’t seem to be any electricity on display. There were bakeries, but no restaurants; produce stands, but no convenience stores; first aid stands, but no hospitals.  Teenagers walked the streets; all dressed in the same red and brown uniform as Owen, Sevie, and me. But unlike the kids in Crestview, the Breaker teens had nothing in the way of cell phones. It was so weird, watching people not text.

“It’s like somebody put the Little House on the Prairie crew in a cult,” I muttered to Owen, who chuckled under his breath. It didn’t make any sense. Weathersby had everything; including at least a half dozen things that I had never seen before and wouldn’t have believed existed. There were illusionary light mazes, for God’s sake. And here we were, in the hub of all Breaker life, and I bet I couldn’t have found an electric razor.

Petar stopped in front of the smallest of the street’s modest buildings. He stared at us with folded arms, letting the scowl that perpetually stained his face, linger a little. Finally, he said, “Each member of your group will see the crone separately. You are to treat her with the honor and reverence befitting someone of her stature.” His eyes rested on me, like an accusation.

“Fine, I’ll lick her feet,” I muttered.

“Once in the presence of the crone, you are to remain silent, and only speak should the crone ask you something directly. She will read you, and then, depending on what it is she gleams, she’ll tell you the pieces of your future that are prudent for you to be made aware of. “

A piece of me; Well, most of me, thought that I had the right to be made aware of
all
of my future, not just some part that some old woman decided I should. But knowing what I did about Owen’s father’s disposition, as well as the nature of what my future could be, I held my tongue.

“The crone’s words to you are sacred. What she says can never be repeated. We take this trust so seriously, that even the Council is not privileged to your session with the crone. It is simply for guidance, to allow you either comfort or contestation; whichever your particular future warrants, and perhaps a star to follow along your way.”

Owen had already told me this part, how the crone was like a lawyer or a priest. And how, even if she saw that I was the Bloodmoon, she’d never say it. She believed in all of this crap way too much for that.

“Go,” Petar pointed to the modest (and doorless) building. “The other members of your group are waiting inside for you.”

Owen gave me a nod and started toward the building. I shot Sevie a look too. Even though he had lived with the guy his entire life, I didn’t like leaving him alone with his father. He was a sweet kid, and almost too innocent. The idea of Petar screwing that innocence up or seeing it as a weakness really pissed me off. I winked at him, and followed Owen.