Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
Rodge sees us and waves us past the people. “Come, come,” he says. “My favorite customer. Come tell me what you need, Tyse.” He’s smiling at us as Anneeta, Tyse, and I go behind the counter.
“Rodge, I know you’re busy, but can we have a chat in private?”
“Sure, sure, sure,” Rodge is saying. “Come into my office.”
Which isn’t an office, but it’s on the far side of the room, so I guess it’ll do. Anneeta and I stay where we are. Prisha is here, and I wave to her, but she stays at her position near the door, collecting orders.
“We should try it.”
I look down at Anneeta. “What?”
“You. You should try giving me spark. Just to make sure we can do it.”
“Let’s wait for Tyse.” But before these words are even out of my mouth, she’s got a hold of my hand. I try and jerk away, but it’s too late. Immediately, I am losing all strength in my legs. She drains so much spark out of me in just a few seconds, I nearly fall over.
She lets go.
It takes me several seconds before I can even speak and many more before I can stand on my own without holding on to the counter. I side-eye her. “I said wait.”
“Sorry. I just needed to know if you could do it. Because if not, then I would have to go hide. Stayn is coming for me, Clara. Not you. Not Tyse. Me.”
I’m angry. Taking my spark like that feels like a very personal violation. But I’m scared too. Because it was very easy for her. Way too easy for her.
Fourteen hours. How will I get her to Delta City without killing myself?
I’m not even sure it’s possible now. Not after that little display.
I want to say more. I want to tell Tyse. But if I do, he’ll put a stop to this right now and we’ll leave without her. I know this. And I’m not ready to let her go. Not yet. Not until I understand what we are. Because clearly, we are something. Something powerful. And while I have spent much of my life feeling quite pretty and privileged, I have never felt… valuable.
Yes, sure, I was chosen as a Spark Maiden. But number nine? I wasn’t considered anything special, just someone who squeaked in. Anneeta and Tyse make me feel... special. I want to figure this out. I want to understand, not just what I am, but why I am.
I want Anneeta to come with us so we can figure it out. Because nothing is making sense at the moment. A whole lot of things about my life feel like lies.
I’m tired of it.
I want the truth and the truth requires Anneeta.
Rodge and Tyse leave the little corner office and come back our way. Rodge looks at me, smiling. “Yes, we can do this. All you need is coin.” He looks at Tyse now. “And your man has it. Let’s go set it up. Prisha!” He yells this across the room. “I will be right back. Ten-minute break, everyone. Ten minutes.”
A groan arises from the people in the room, but what can they do? If Rodge says he needs ten minutes, then Rodge gets ten minutes.
We leave through a back door and make our way to the other side of the tower where the spark guys are. Rodge leads the way in, telling Anneeta and me to wait near the door while he takes Tyse over to the man at the counter. Unlike Rodge’s place, this waiting room is small and there are walls and doors that lead to other rooms. There is no machinery in here. Nothing that looks like a spark extractor. Not that I’ve ever seen one of those.
But then Tyse and Rodge disappear into one of these other rooms and it makes sense that it’s all done behind the scenes. I’m not sure how one pulls spark out of thin air, but it must be a highly guarded process.
Rodge appears after a few minutes. He doesn’t stop to talk, just says, “I’ll be right back,” as he passes.
Both Anneeta and I blow out a breath. She doesn’t try and touch me again.
Many minutes go by before Rodge returns, handing me a pack. “There are ID’s in here, train tickets, and robes. A veil for you. From my traditional city of Thetaiota. No one will bother you and you won’t have to show your face.”
“Oh. Thank you.” I let out a long breath as I take the pack. Because this is getting kind of complicated. I hadn’t thought about disguises and this change in clothes makes everything a little more serious than it was a few seconds ago.
“You’re going to be OK,” Rodge says. “I have to get back to work now. But you’ll be fine. And when you get there, you send me a postcard letting me know just how very fine you are, OK?”