Ivy’s eyes widened. “You were there?”
He ducked, wondering if this was what being in trouble with a parent felt like. “Um. I climbed up and opened some doors, that’s all.” Now that he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to die soon, it sounded a lot crazier.
“I was there too. Collecting a few former acquaintances. It turns out that sheltering Gathos City legislators goes a long way toward getting your smuggling habits forgiven,” Ivy said with a sly grin.
“Well, I forgive you for being a smuggler,” Nate said, trying to make a joke and finding that he wanted to mean it.
Ivy’s eyes brightened. “I can never ask for your forgiveness, Nate. It’s too much to ask.”
The knotted-up part of him that had always resented her for making him and leaving him eased just a little, but it would always be there. A bruise between them. He gave her a solemn nod.
She let out a shaky, wet laugh and brushed her fingers at her eyes in a flutter. “Now that I’ve connected with old acquaintances, maybe my smuggling days aren’t over.”
Scavenging tech. Smuggling GEMs out of Gathos City. It wasn’t such a leap. Nate found himself grinning. “Maybe we can help.”
She exhaled a happy sound, her hand rising to her throat, where bruises formed a ruddy collar. “I know I didn’t have a hand in raising you, but I’m so proud you’ve turned out absolutely perfect.”
Nate wrinkled his nose. “I smell like a waste-trench.”
She laughed. “I mean yourheartis perfect.” Her expression sobered. She took clean cloth and rewrapped Nate’s swollen hands. “You’re good. And brave. It’s true that I don’t believe in the Old Gods, but I want to shout my gratitude to the stars.” When Nate made a face like he tasted something bad, she swatted at him playfully. “Listen, I’m making up for a lot of lost time. Give me a chance to have my mother feelings.”
The space between was already staticky and strange, too thick for him to reach through and embrace her. She was a stranger, and he was too grown up to cling to his mother.
“Did you really leave Agatha behind?” he asked, daring to give a name to the hurt that gnawed at him like a stitch in his side.
Ivy wrung her hands slowly, watching the pale skin twist. She took a small, hitched breath. “Yes. I could only orchestrate the escape of one GEM. It was never a question who that would be.”
“But you knew she’d be in danger if you left?” he pressed. He needed to know the hatred and fear that had driven her, made her cruel.
“I suppose I did, Nate.” Her words scraped out, hollow and soft. “I have much to make up for. I’m trying. I’ll keep trying.”
He touched her hand. It was smaller than he expected, smaller than his own. “Maybe getting more GEMs out won’t be that hard. We can help them. Agatha said they’re opening the gates.”
“Of course they are.” Ivy squeezed his hand and met his gaze with a watery smile. “But you have to understand. . .Government moves slowly when it comes to reversing mistakes. It should be this year. This season, even, if Agatha didn’t put them behind schedule with her assault on the railway.”
“Why would they want to let people from here back into Gathos City?”
“It’s not about letting peoplein. Gathos City is dangerously overcrowded. There’s not enough land, and you can only build towers so high. The Withers is a ghost town in comparison. It’s ripe for development. They’ll let some people in—the workers they need. But mostly, they’ll let peopleout.”
Worry rippled through Nate. He couldn’t wrap his head around well-dressed strangers and more A-Vols and people who didn’t want to save them but take away their homes. If the gates were opening, they needed to know when. They needed to be prepared. “Do you have a ticker?”
“Believe it or not, I’m hopeless with those old things.” Ivy tied a small knot with the bandages. “None of my tech works here. Gathos City jams the wireless signal on the entire island.”
Nate had no idea what a wireless signal was, but his arms went tingly anyway. The prospect of new tech to tinker with went a long way toward soothing his fear of strangers in the Withers. “You have Gathos City tickers?”
“Not exactly. But I have a box full of marvelous things up in the attic. You’re welcome to take the tech apart. It’s all useless here.” She laughed softly.
“What’s funny?”
“I never imagined being able to give you something to play with.”
“Totinkerwith,” he corrected. Mothers were wonderful and embarrassing all at once.
“Will you teach me what you know?” she asked.
“If you do the same.” He reached his hand out to shake on it, seal it as a promise.
They both looked at the lumpy shape of his bandaged hand and laughed. Ivy leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “I will.”
