“Ah, Merrick.” Levitt crossed his arms over his lap, and a scowl twisted his lips. “You should know that he’s made more allegations.”
I didn’t need to ask to know that Harlan had ratted me out. I suspected as much when Violette commented the previous morning about how poorly Penny had taken the hemlock. I only hoped that, since this conversation was a private one and there were no Sentinels hovering behind me with a length of rope to tie my wrists, I might be able to talk my way out of trouble.
“What is it this time?” I asked, feigning disinterest while my mouth went dry.
“Apparently, Harlan told Merrick that you showed up at his house in the middle of the night and threatened him at knifepoint.” Levitt’s eyes slid over to me, watching for my reaction. “I thought that was laughable until he told me why. That you were demanding he help Penny survive the third Oath.”
It was hard to hear him over my heart pounding in my ears, but I kept my face impassive, careful not to betray my growing panic. “I see. And what help did the old man give me?”
“Harlan said Penny was seizing, that he stopped breathing and, in fear for hisownlife, he intervened. He got Penny breathing and administeredfluids per your demands, though he wasn’t sure where you’d gotten the idea that it might help. Harlan is of the opinion that Penny was dying, and had he not stepped in, that Penny would not have survived.”
Levitt wasn’t making any of this sound accusatory, more a statement of fact. But there was a hint of something in his voice, either pity or sympathy, that I didn’t expect. He should have been angry or busily devising a punishment for my rule-breaking if he believed Harlan’s claims. Instead, he sounded sorry.
He drew breath to continue without waiting for a response from me, for which I was thankful. His expression was inscrutable, and I wasn’t willing to chance saying the wrong thing until I knew what he was thinking.
“The Sentinels are unwilling to pursue any more of Merrick’s claims after the last two were proven false. There was enough rumbling from the other residents about the unwarranted invasion of private spaces that they’re wary of stirring up further unrest. And considering Harlan’s been disproven once already as well, they’re no more eager to believe him, either.” Levitt paused a moment before adding on, “However, this time, Ido.”
Any relief that had crept in dissipated, and it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Sweat prickled at my hairline.
It was only a matter of time before Levitt realized I’d been lying to him, but I hadn’t expected it would happen so soon. The Sentinels may not have wanted to pursue these accusations, but Levitt outranked them. If he opted to take this seriously…
“You told me you took Penny to the mission outside Emberstead because he was ill,” Levitt said.
When he didn’t immediately go on, I answered. “I did.”
“You said it was worth the risk.”
“I did.”
He sat back against the cushions, and his lip curved in the ghost of a smile before it was gone again. “I like to think I know you pretty well, Kit, even with the time we spent apart. And I think you thought this was worth the risk, too.”
I fought to maintain eye contact while it felt like my plans were crumbling around me. I couldn’t refute it, because he was right. I’d known there would be consequences if I got caught, and I would accept whatever repercussions I faced as long as Penny remained alive and well. That was all that mattered.
Levitt cocked his head, and his eyebrows arched. “You’re not going to deny it?”
My shrug was far more nonchalant than I felt. “Would it matter if I did?”
He was quiet for a moment. “Your father broke the rules for the third Oath too,” he said, yet another piece of information I’d given him that I now had cause to regret. “To saveyou, but for the wrong reasons.”
I didn’t miss the implication that there was arightreason.
“What are you going to do to me?” I asked.
Levitt sighed, and his face broke into a soft smile. My panic eased, and even further still when he waved off my concern.
“Nothing. If Eeus had wanted to take Penny, he would have, regardless of what you did to try to stop it. As far as I’m concerned, let the Sentinels believe Harlan is a liar, and thank Eeus that whatever the old man did to help worked.”
It wasn’t the reaction I expected. When he’d told me months ago that he thought we shared a vision for the BoneMen, I’d found it almost laughable. Now, I wondered how similar our ideals for the cult actually were. And if he could be frank with me, maybe he deserved a little more of my honesty.
“There’s nothing I won’t do for Penny,” I said. “You may as well know that.”
Levitt studied me for a moment before he said, “It’s serious, then.”
I wanted to tell him that I loved Penny, but he didn’t deserve to be the first to hear it out loud, so I only nodded.
His eyes pinched with a hint of sorrow, but he forged on. “I’ll continue doing my best to protect you, Kit, but you’re making it increasingly difficult. The next time you seek help breaking the rules, try to ask someone who doesn’t despise you and won’t immediately run to tell your biggest detractor. You have allies here, you know. And they’ll become more valuable as you move up the ranks.”
I couldn’t help a wry smile. “Still want me as your Shroud Warden, then? Even knowing what I did?”
