I’d sleep easy, then, with a better future on the horizon. For that to come to be, their knowledge—their electricity—had to be shared far and wide, had to become a power in its own right. And I believed that it would. I believed in Julian’s stubborn determination and the fierce resolve in Nikola’s eyes.
I was falling asleep again, my face close to the heat of Julian’s skin, when Ezra slipped into the room and blew the candles out, bathing us in darkness. Watery orange light shone through a narrow window from the gaslights outside. Ezra moved against my back, pressing his body close to mine and tucking his arm around me. He found my hands with his own, so close that his knuckles brushed against Julian’s back. When Julian’s breath caught, I shook my head slowly—a cautious nuzzle. He relaxed in increments, until, with a soft sigh, he rolled to face me and tangled his fingers with ours. I could feel his slow, steady breathing against my hair.
We said nothing, but now I was certain I could feel the strange warm buzz again—as if something within each of us wanted to communicate. To connect.
I was too exhausted to sort it out. For now we were safe. And we were together.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Iwoke to Julian and Ezra talking in low tones, and warmth that felt more encompassing than radiance. Without opening my eyes, I allowed their voices to wash over me. Ezra stroked my arm softly, an acknowledgment that he knew I’d awoken.
“She can defend herself. But you’re at a disadvantage in the city,” Julian was saying. “I don’t see why you have to be there.”
“The exposition is in a public park. It’s not like the city is barren of plant life,” Ezra said. “I’ve come this far. I’m not letting you two flit off to an illegal demonstration without me.”
Julian made a disgruntled sound. “Well, we’ve established that you won’t listen to me.”
“You two are the ones in the most danger, don’t you think?” Ezra asked. “When the House realizes what’s going on, they’re going to be highly invested in assassinating you both.”
“Let’s agree that going to the exposition is dangerous and we’re doing it anyway,” I said with a yawn, before sitting up and stretching.They sat on the edge of the bed, Ezra smiling, and Julian, already dressed for the day, stiff with what I now recognized as anxiety.
“Your hair is standing up every which way,” Ezra said, laughing quietly and patting my head.
“How late did we sleep?” I asked. The more I awakened, the more I related to Julian’s tension. Today was our last day to prepare to do something impossible.
“It’s only a bit after dawn,” Julian said. His words seemed to break a spell, and we moved away from each other. He stood and fidgeted, and Ezra grabbed the neatly folded clothes on the side table and began to get dressed.
I turned from the sight of his bare skin, grateful for the opportunity to hide my sudden trembling. The night before, I’d allowed my fears to be tucked away. But now they pressed against me like silent screams. How could we possibly be ready by tomorrow?
When Nikola brought us breakfast, my heart was beating so fast and so loud, I was certain that Ezra and Julian would hear it where they sat on the chairs beside the bed. Perched on the middle of the mattress, I stared at the early light illuminating the milky window glass.
Nikola placed a tray on the side table and handed Julian a mug of tea. “You look a bit ill,” she said, pressing another mug into my hands. “Nerves?”
I nodded, wishing she hadn’t been able to tell. Like Julian, she was already dressed. She’d pulled her long hair up into a tight bun, and she wore suspenders over a man’s shirt that somehow fit her perfectly. I doubted either of them had been able to sleep much.
“If you weren’t nervous, I’d be concerned for your sanity,” she said, offering another mug to Ezra. He lowered his eyes, appearing uncommonly shy. At least I wasn’t the only one flustered by her.
“Here’s to keeping my breakfast down,” I muttered, before blowing on my tea.
Nikola sat on the bed, handing out scones baked with salty bits of chewy pork in the dough. She smiled when I finished one in a few ravenous bites, and handed me another. “Looks like you’re having no trouble.”
“These are delicious,” I said with my mouth full. “Thank you.”
The comforting taste and the hot tea soothed my skittish nerves. For a few minutes, we shared the meal like a proper family, making idle small talk about the trip from Frostbrook to Cascade. Nikola seemed to especially enjoy hearing about Julian fishing us out of the Dry Bone.
“And the three of you have an arrangement?” she abruptly asked.
Julian nearly spilled his tea and then stared into the mug as if expecting to find his fortune at the bottom of it. Ezra became similarly occupied, picking crumbs off his plate. I must have looked as helplessly tongue-tied, because Nikola laughed when she glanced at me.
“Let me offer you a word of advice,” Nikola said, gesturing at us airily. “When we’re not occupied with trying to transform the whole of Industry, consider having a conversation about whatever this is.”
I wasn’t sure what sounded more difficult. But I wanted the opportunity to have that awkward, difficult talk. It would mean we’d survived. It would mean we had a future together.
“Wise words,” Ezra said, gathering our plates and mugs. Our knuckles brushed together, and I exhaled a breathy giggle. Julian turned his head away, clearly trying to hide a fond expression.
“Finish up, and meet me downstairs on the hour,” Nikola said, handing me my clean clothes. “We’re going on a field trip.”
By day, the Far Bank was no more inviting than it had been in the lamplight. Following Nikola’s lead, I narrowly avoided stepping in a suspicious-looking puddle as we made our way down a cobblestone street that wound between brick buildings leaning to and fro likedrunken sailors. Although much of the Far Bank was industrial, this neighborhood was residential. We passed gardens planted in whiskey barrels and shipping pallets. I caught Ezra running his hand across a makeshift trellis, coaxing pole beans to climb higher.
