spread Her Light to the far reaches of the Dark. Her New Children made their Home in the deep pocket of the Fold—
Holy shit! I snapped the book shut. “You have to get rid of this!”
Susan looked startled.
Way to be cool, Tess. My pulse drummed like the harsh tattoo of a military march. What else was in this book? What information? If the Dark Watch saw it, could they find the Fold? Inside me, I could already feel the rhythmic thudding of their heavy boots.
“Um… This will get you arrested. It’s blasphemous,” I said, trying to turn fear of offending the church into an excuse for my strong reaction, even though I couldn’t have cared less about religion. Still, the powerful Church of the Great Star spewed all kinds of nonsense about the Wondrous Sky Mother, but not this. In one of those bizarre contradictions, the Overseer supported the teachings of the church, spinning them however he saw fit in order to make them mesh with evidence and tests. It was just another way to obtain greater control, his one compromise, perhaps—and necessary to help gather everyone into his fold.
But this book was dangerous, no matter my personal beliefs. For all I knew, somewhere in the extravagantly handwritten words, it could give away the secret to finding our one safe place. It could get every single rebel killed.
The tale of the Incorruptible Mornavail might have been a load of bullshit, some story the faithful cooked up to comfort themselves in the face of the Dark turning too dark at the height of the Sambian Wars, but the Fold was no myth, and I would protect it with my life.
Susan waved a hand in the air. “No one even knows that book exists.”
She did. I did. That was already a start.
And the final war only ended because my father decided that total destruction was a viable path. The darkest days were still alive in most memories. For some, they weren’t even in the past.
Hope for the galaxy was in the Fold, but it wasn’t because of some fairy-tale, human-like species that the equally fairy-tale Sky Mother had magically sprung forth. It was because regular people were sacrificing their lives.
“What if those goons had searched back here?” I asked, trying not to sound as frantic as I felt. “Have they ever tried to see what’s in the back?”
Susan frowned, looking worried now. “Yes, once. But they hardly even glanced at the books.”
I held my breath. “Did they look at this one?”
She shook her head, and I released the air stagnating in my lungs. They still felt tight.
I stuffed the book into my bag, hiding it mostly from myself. I was probably going to have to destroy it, but I would read it first.
Apprehension simmered along my nerves, making me sweat. The walk back with that anonymous manuscript in my bag was going to be even more nerve-racking than the walk over here with an entire load of stolen and unsanctioned books.
“How well do you know that book?” I asked.
“I read it a few years ago. It’s just a story, Quin—”
“Tess,” I said.
“It’s just a story, Tess.”
I couldn’t tell if she sounded convinced.
There were tons of religious texts out there about the greatness of supposedly magnificent beings—the Powers this, the Sky Mother that. Now I could add the Fabulous and Incorruptible Mornavail to the list.
I didn’t buy into it, but I also didn’t begrudge anyone else their beliefs. One thing was certain, though. The Fold wasn’t something you just talked about, something you wrote down in a freaking book and then let loose into the universe.
“I’m glad you showed it to me.” So I could get rid of it, but I wouldn’t tell Susan that.
My fingers fluttered over the outside of my bag. I pressed on the hard lump the book made, making sure it was still there, even though I could feel the weight of it on my shoulder, and I’d just put it inside.
She smiled a little uncertainly. I’d probably freaked her out.
“I’m Susan, by the way. You never asked.”
I nodded. “I know. I heard the goons talking to you that first day.”
“Oh. Right.” She glanced at my bag. Maybe we both felt as if the book might burn a hole in the cheap material and fall right out.
I hiked up the strap. An awkward silence fell.
Susan finally spoke. “I don’t know if you’ve already got someone working on your ship repairs, but I know a man who I think will