The Hidden Twin Read Online Free PDF Page A

“Well, that’s not exactly in the mission statement, but it does happen. Not that you’d know anything about something like that, of course.”
    I answer in a hard voice. “Of course.”
    â€œAnyway,” she goes on, “I’m sorry if homicide bothers you, but I think you of all people should agree that Caldaras City should be protected from those who would do it harm. Like the monster Bet-Nef, for instance.”
    I pull down my linen bandanna. “The monster—? What the hell are you talking about? A thousand-year-old legend?”
    â€œAh, legends,” Nara says with a cold smile. “Bet-Nef and Dal Roet, humans and Others. They have woven the fabric of Caldaras, have they not?”
    I huff. “Most people don’t even believe in Others.”
    â€œMost people don’t.” Nara’s matter-of-fact voice is punctuated by the splash of the waterfall behind us. “But you and I do. Don’t we.” It isn’t a question.
    I study the intricate form of the nearest metal tree, the light through its burnished leaves dappling the park’s barren ground.
    I know what you are.
    My fingers are cold, a strange sensation in this burning, humid city. I open my mouth to speak, but I can’t think of what to say.
    Nara leans back against the bench, the light reflecting silver off her sunglasses. “Look, the bonescorch is real. As real as you are. But I can protect you. If you will help us. We … need your help.”
    I swallow. I can fix this. Or I can run—follow the railroad tracks down into the plains, hide out in a barn somewhere. “Protect me?” I raise my eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
    Nara looks toward the park. I can see her eyelashes in profile behind her glasses, stiff and prettily curled. After a moment, she says, “It might occur to you that I have far more reason to fear you than you do me, if the stories are to be believed.”
    I clasp my hands. “If you’re accusing me of something, I wish you’d spit it out.” Everything is so raw here. Too much open space. Too many people.
    â€œDid you think I wouldn’t follow you?” Nara looks at me through blank, silver lenses. “I’m very good at my job.”
    I stare back, just as blank. “Are you implying that I know something about Others and redwings? I’m afraid I’ve outgrown fairy tales.”
    â€œIf you come with me, I can offer you protection,” she says, “from those who would do you harm.”
    I stare into the distance. “I don’t know what you mean.”
    â€œStop lying to me.” Her voice is steely now. “I know what you are.”
    That phrase again. My jaw tenses. “I’m sorry,” I say, “I don’t think we have anything more to discuss.”
    She rises abruptly, patting her duster. “The point, Miss Fairweather—for I assume you do not have a first name, nor a last for that matter, but I will assign you the name of your family—the point is that if we know you are here, it won’t be so very long before they know you are here. Possibly they know it already. And they will kill you. I promise you that. And if you die, it’s entirely possible all of Caldaras City will die with you, including your father and your sister. But I will not take up any more of your time. Good day, and breathe easy.”
    â€œBreathe easy,” I say, though my own lungs are tight.
    Her golden sunglasses shine. “May you always walk under the fog.”
    *   *   *
    It’s dark enough for me to venture out to Jey’s garden and take stock of its brown, dry little prisoners. I prune here, water there, weed, and pinch the dead faces of flowers. The pale clouds I can just see in the fading light will reappear tomorrow morning, but soon they will darken into a black shroud that will cover all of Caldaras for a year.
    The Deep