The Scourge (A.G. Henley) - By A.G. Henley Page 0,30
relief, and realize I’d been wondering all this time if Aloe knowingly allowed the Three to put me in danger. “The Lofty Council told us you thought you heard one of the creatures speak, and that it sounded like . . . someone you knew.”
More relief. I’ve wanted to tell someone for days, but I didn’t want to make anything worse. “It sounded so much like Rose, but I was so tired, I couldn’t be sure. Did anything like that ever happen to you?”
Aloe doesn’t answer for a moment. “There were times when I thought I heard something that might have been words.”
“Did you tell the Council?”
“Yes. There were no secrets between us. Unlike between you and me these days.”
I hang my head. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about disobeying the Council orders, and about Rose, and the bite, and staying in the trees. But since you joined the Three–” I stop, losing courage, but she waits for me to finish. “I haven’t been sure, when I talk to you, whether I’m talking to my mother, or reporting to the Council.”
She takes my hands in hers. “Fennel, I’d hoped that we’d have more time to talk after I joined the Three, and before the Scourge came. You’ve had to bear more than your share of hardship—the Scourge only stayed two days my first time collecting the water.”
I think about Aloe at my age, and wonder how much stronger than me, how much braver, she must have been.
“There are many things you need to know,” she continues, “but now isn’t the time. So I’ll say this: you’ve come to the point in your life when what’s best for you won’t always be what’s best for me, or even for the community. You must decide on the right course for yourself now. But no matter what you do, or what I do, know this—I love you, always.” She kisses the back of my hand; her chapped lips are warm against my skin. “That said, I still need to know why you have this sudden desire to search for the Hidden Waters.”
I frown. Aloe’s words confused me. I’m happy she’s not angry with me, but I’m even less sure than before how much to confide in her. What I want to tell her is that knowing Peree makes me think the Lofties may not be as terrible as we’ve been told, that maybe they’re more like us than I’ve ever imagined. And if they’re more like us, then a time might come when there won’t need to be a division between us—when we aren’t confined to the ground or the trees; when we can raise our own babies; when we can fight the Scourge side by side. A time when Peree and I might stand together as equals, not as Lofty and Groundling. But I don’t dare go so far. Those ideas would be considered scandalous.
“I want to help,” I repeat. That’s the truth, too, if not the whole truth. “Aloe, why does Adder seem to hate the Lofties so much, even more than anyone else? Why does he want to pick fights with them?”
She sighs. “He does have his reasons. Did you know he was intended once?”
I grimace, repelled by the thought of partnering with Adder. “To who?”
“Her name was Peony. She was very sweet, and the sighted raved about her beauty. She adored Adder.”
“Was she all right in the head?” I ask.
Aloe laughs again. “Adder was brave and clever, and he loved Peony. But he was reckless in those days, and he never knew when to stop his tongue. One day he was showing off for some friends, taunting a Lofty, and the Lofty shot at him. I think it was meant only as a warning. Adder jumped out of the way, and the arrow hit Peony. She died a few days later.” She taps her cane on the rock floor. “People change, Fennel, and not always for the better. Adder became increasingly bitter, more hateful toward the Lofties. I suspect he even has a prejudice against Lofty children given to us in the Exchange.”
“Well, that would explain why he seems to hate me,” I say.
“He doesn’t seem to like either of us, it’s true,” Aloe admits. “Adder can be stubborn, difficult. But he serves our community well, and he’s committed to the well-being of the people. We owe him a great deal for his service. People have faults, daughter, and we must try to forgive them as much as