to mature in oak casks for twelve years. I’m told it’s very good.”
Penelope frowned at first, but her eyes widened as she sniffed the viscous red liquid.
She gave me a timid glance but I nodded. She was malnourished as it was, and she should consume as much extra blood as she could.
She hesitated for another second before downing it like a shot. She closed her eyes for a moment and let out a tiny moan, before sitting up straighter and pushing out her glass for a refill. The wet, red stain on her lips made her skin look even more pale.
Beechum filled her cup, and took a sip of his brandy for fortitude, before continuing his story.
“About a year ago,” he said, “my daughter was taken. A week later, my wife went after her. Neither have returned.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“What do you mean, taken?” Trevor asked.
“She’d been having dreams, hearing voices. Twice I found her sleepwalking near the edge of town. Then one morning, she was gone.”
“The wilds are dangerous,” Camina said. “Especially for children or women traveling alone. It’s not uncommon for children to get lost in the ash. That’s why the compounds were built, to keep them safe.”
Luke scoffed and I ribbed him with my elbow.
“That’s exactly what the citadel said,” Beechum grumbled. “We’ve been sending letters, protests, with every visitor, but nobody takes us seriously, and they don’t seem that concerned with us. We make our shipments on time. We bleed ourselves dry for the elite. Maybe they’d pay more attention if we stopped.”
“Maybe they would,” Luke said.
“Or maybe they’d punish you,” I said. “Surely there’s another way?”
“Someone needs to find out what’s really happening in the lurks,” the mayor said. “And since you’re heading that way already...”
“You want us to find the missing children?” April asked.
“If they’re alive, yes. But at the very least, report the cause to the king on your return, so that action can be taken. After all, it’s his citizens at risk. My rangers will take you to the edge of the area, as close as they dare.”
“We’ll need elixir,” Camina said. “And weapons.”
“You know the compounds are on a tight ration,” the mayor said. “Though I’m sure some of the parents may be willing to forego a week or two.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I said. “We don’t want them to suffer more than they already have. But we’ll take whatever provisions or weapons you can spare.”
“Then,” he said, raising his glass and finishing his drink with a flourish, “we will leave at dawn.”
The mayor showed us to our rooms. At night, his manor, though large, was silent and eerie. Nobody else wanted to stay in his daughter’s room, which had a small bed and was filled with dolls. A wooden rocking horse sat beneath the moonlit windowsill. I took it because I needed some time alone, despite Trevor offering to split a room together. I was too tired to be good company and after weeks of having no personal space, or sleeping on the ground, I was eager to get a good night’s rest.
It was strange how comforting it was to be back inside a compound; even though Sezomp was foreign to me, it felt more like home than anything since Algrave.
My eyes closed as soon as I lay my head down on the soft pillow. Hours later, the sound of a door creaking snapped them open again. I stood up and looked out the window just in time to see Penelope, moving across the grass below. She was wearing a thin nightgown, and clutching a lantern that cast long shadows in the grass around her.
I grabbed my coat and the one dagger I’d managed to hang onto since Crollust, and fled down the stairs barefoot, following her through the dark streets. She was moving slowly, and I could have caught up with her if I wanted, but curiosity got the better of me. She looked too much like a hunter, stalking her prey. She’d handled herself well in Crollust, but it had been her family’s home. Perhaps out here in the wild, her elite thirst would be less easy to control. If she really was dangerous, I had to know.
The compound spread further into the woods, and I cursed myself for not bringing shoes when my bare feet squelched into the soft clay of the marshlands at the edge of the compound. Luckily, the humming of the purification engines drowned out my footsteps. Light flickering through the thin