I filed this information away—the first bits of Frostbrook gossip I could use to understand how this town worked. I’d only ever lived in the foundling home and the House of Industry, and I had little practice navigating the whims and worries of entire communities.
But I had to learn. People were no different than machines. Complicated. Reliable only until they ceased to be counted on. Strong only until a vulnerability made itself known. Then everything was liable to fall apart, all at once.
I had to understand everything. I had to be perfect.
The Frostbrook Mission was built along a steep riverbank, high on a stone retaining wall. My back tightened at the thought of the work it must have taken here, so far from the heart of Progress, to build such a structure.
“It’s a castle,” Henry announced, solemn and wondrous. Surely he’d seen it before, but as he looked up at the towering wall, he took my hand. His small fingers were cold.
“It’s not really a castle,” I said weakly, unable to think of anything else to compare it to. The windows were narrow, designed to let only slivers of light through. The walls were too high and smooth to scale. Unlike the imposing yet beautiful House of Industry, this Mission was utilitarian. Stark as a fortress, at odds with the curves of the river and the bright wildflowers.
Perhaps, this far from society, beauty and refinement didn’t matter.
Unsettling shame muddied any pride I should have taken in my new home. Shaking my head to clear the foggy shadows of my thoughts, I squeezed Henry’s hand to reassure him. There was no call for hesitance. This was my destiny embodied—an impressive monument to Progress. And whether the townspeople recognized the potential or not, we’d transform the entire region into a bustling trade destination. Fortunes would be made here. Without having to rely on muscle and grit to power the river crossing, Frostbrook would serve as a launching place for further exploration into the high mountains to the west and the wild forests and glaciers to the north.
The main structure of the Mission seemed to have been fully constructed, but the supporting buildings and machinery appeared months from completion. Scores of workers ferried heavy stones to a pylon where an aqueduct was half-finished. The tangy smell of hot pitch assaulted my nostrils. I found it hard to believe that it could be completed before winter blanketed Frostbrook in snow and the river froze.
A slim figure in black made his way through the bustle of workers, moving as smoothly as a leaf carried along the gutter after a heavy rain. My heartbeat became a thudding presence, as loud as mallets against stone, when I realized he was approaching me and Henry.
This thin young man, dressed so sleekly and appearing so out of place, could only be Frostbrook Mission’s Senior Conductor, but my Senior should have been years older than me. It took most apprentices the better part of a decade to earn the right to run a Mission.
An avalanche formed within me as my initial confusion gave way to fear.
Would he already know that I’d been trouble at the House of Industry? That this assignment was a punishment to drive me as far from home as duty could take me? My vision went spotty as my stomach considered upending itself onto his gleaming boots.
“Apprentice Haven?” he asked in an impatient way that further soured my stomach. How long had I stood there, numb with anxiety, while he’d waited for me to introduce myself?
“Yes,” I managed, letting go of Henry. I set my bag down and extended my hand.
“Julian Gray,” he said, shaking my hand firmly. I was surprised to find it warm, and not as cold as granite in the winter. His gaze, on the other hand, offered no warmth.
Everyone knew who Julian Gray was. After finding an error on Professor Dunn’s final practical exam, he’d become a legend at the House of Industry. He’d gotten the best post in his graduating class, a high-level apprenticeship at a prestigious Mission in a prosperous town north of Sterling City. He was only three years older than I was.
And he carried himself with the bored sort of confidence of a man who had no doubt he would succeed at whatever he set his mind to.
“Where—How are you?” The words stumbled out of me. I fought the urge to snatch my hand back and tuck it into the sensible pockets of my skirt.
“Perfectly fine. Quite busy,” he said, releasing my hand with a thin smile that made me feel like he’d evaluated me and already found me to be an incompetent child. For lack of a better word, he was lovely—with hazel eyes that stood out like jewels against his light-brown skin. Thick, wavy black hair fell over his eyes, but the rest was cut short—in the fashion the young men wore in Sterling City. “I’m still familiarizing myself with Frostbrook, of course.”
There was nothing travel worn about his black trousers and finely tailored waistcoat or the impeccable shine of his boots. I felt like an urchin beside him, my skirts dusty, my dress stuck to my back.
“Why are you here?” I asked gracelessly, having utterly lost my balance. I’d never done well with expecting one thing and experiencing something else entirely.
“I’m afraid the former Senior of this Mission passed away. She was quite old. I’m not sure why word did not reach you before you began your travels. I was transferred here earlier this spring.”
Once the news of who my Senior was did reach the House of Industry, it would be the talk of the rising class. The gossip might even make its way to some of the Missions where my classmates had landed.
His words were slow to settle in my bones. A flush crept up my neck as I realized I’d focused on the prospect of gossip before the reality of why he was here. “The former Senior … she’s dead?”
“Yes. I believe I said that quite clearly.”
“She was grouchy,” Henry said in a small voice. “And really, really old.”
Julian looked down, briefly appearing surprised—and then fond—before his expression steeled once more. “Your services are appreciated as always, Henry. I’ve left a basket of eggs for you outside the hutch.”
I gave Henry a small encouraging smile. He nodded at me, wobbling something like a bow, and dashed off around the side of the Mission to where warbling chickens could be heard.
“I’m sure you know we aren’t meant to bond with the population of Frostbrook.”
