The Canticle of Whispers Read Online Free PDF Page B

Tertius replied.
    â€œI don’t know,” Lily said, truthfully. “Is that where you come from?”
    â€œYou get your questions later!” he snapped. Lily pulled back, as if stung, and Tertius lowered the lantern. “Continue,” he said, in a quieter tone.
    â€œWell … Agora’s made up of buildings and streets, and it has a river, and squares, and…” Lily frowned. It was impossible to know what they would understand. How would they react if she told them Agora’s true nature—a city where anything could be bought and sold, where children were bartered by their parents, and memories, thoughts, and emotions were traded on the open market. To an Agoran, it would have been simple, to a Gisethi, horrific. But what would it mean to the people of … what did they call this place? Naru?
    No. Best to stick to the simple facts.
    â€œIt’s divided into twelve districts…” she tried again.
    â€œSagittarius, Libra, Gemini, Aquarius…” Septima began to rattle them off from her position on the floor.
    â€œAll named after the signs of the Zodiac,” Tertius added. “Yes, yes, we know that.”
    Lily looked from one to the other, astonished.
    â€œBut … if you know about Agora, then why didn’t you know what a city is?”
    Tertius shrugged.
    â€œI’d never heard it described like that before. We know all sorts of facts—but we’ve never actually been there. It’s hard to join the details together, sometimes. How many people?”
    â€œWhat?” Lily asked, her head still spinning. How could they know about the districts, without knowing Agora?
    â€œHow many people in this city?”
    â€œUm…” Lily frowned, “I don’t know … it’s huge…”
    â€œMore than 576?” Tertius asked.
    Lily blinked, incredulous.
    â€œYes, quite a lot more. More like a hundred thousand, at least.”
    Tertius gasped. On the floor, Septima stopped in her search to turn and stare.
    â€œThat’s impossible!” she said. “There wouldn’t be enough food! We have shortages all the time, and there’s only a few of us…”
    â€œFive hundred and seventy-six?” Lily guessed.
    Tertius nodded.
    â€œWell,” he added, “574, now that we’ve escaped.”
    Lily frowned.
    â€œEscaped?” she asked.
    â€œWe’re on the run,” Septima chimed in, returning to her search. “They’ve been chasing us for three weeks now. We shouldn’t wait here too long, or they’ll catch up.”
    Lily grimaced. Just her luck to team up with criminals. She had hoped to be accepted into this new society.
    â€œWho’ll catch up?” she asked, trying to sound casual.
    â€œThe guardians … aha!” Septima’s tone changed to one of triumph. With a flourish, she pushed aside a pile of loose rocks and pulled out a thick, padded, cloth bundle, tied up with string. “I knew I’d left a food parcel around here somewhere.” She looked critically at Lily. “I think Lily’s given us enough knowledge to pay for a bit of food, don’t you think?”
    Tertius nodded, grudgingly, and Septima undid the string.
    â€œIt’s your turn to ask a question,” she prompted, as she spread out the cloth. “After telling us about the hundreds of thousands…” she shook her head, dreamily. “That’s a real wonder. That’s special. You can ask anything you like.”
    Lily frowned. Septima unwrapped a loaf of bread and large piece of cheese. They didn’t look particularly old, but Lily doubted that they could have been made down here. It didn’t look like the place for cows and grain.
    â€œYou’re on the run, you said?” Lily asked, breaking off a piece of cheese.
    Septima nodded, airily.
    â€œHave been for weeks,” she said, almost proudly. “We’ve led them