If its a way up to Internment, theyll soon be disappointed, wont they? He makes an effort at a smile. Ill see you in the morning, if the princess doesnt kill you and Pen, and Judas doesnt kill me.
We must survive if only to see what poor animal the Pipers cook for breakfast. I rise on tiptoes to kiss him. Good night.
As I reach for the doorknob, he grabs my wrist. I also think we should take an opportunity to get familiar with this kingdom, he says. In case we have to run.
Run. I try not to laugh, but its so absurd. Basil, where would we go?
He seems worried, though. Dont you think its strange that theyve built a theme park just so they can gaze at the magical floating city and yet when the lot of us falls down from it, the king wants to keep us a secret?
It is strange, I say. But everything about this world is strange so far.
All I mean is, whats to stop him from killing us all if he pleases? No one would be the wiser.
I hadnt thought of that, I say, and I feel a chill. Oh, Basil, do you think that could happen?
I didnt mean to scare you, he says. But we should keep that in mind.
I nod. Well familiarize ourselves with the city. Pen could even draw up a map, I should think. I force myself to smile. It will work out, Basil.
He gives me the same sort of distracted smile. Good night, he says.
After Ive washed up and changed into one of the many nightgowns hanging in the closet, I look for Alice and Lex. Theyll surely be together. When I get to the door at the end of the hallway and I knock, no one answers. Theres light coming from under the door, though. Hello? I say, and turn the knob. Alice?
Quiet, Judas says. Close the door behind you.
Hes knelt on the floor beside Amy, whose skin is red. Her hair is damp, and I recognize that dead stare in her eyes.
I came in to check on her before everyone went to dinner, and I found her in the middle of a fit, he says. A bad one.
Shes been lying on the floor like that since dinner? I touch her forehead, and she flinches and gasps, but theres no real awareness about her.
Im afraid to move her, he says. Daphne would always say never to move her while her eyes are still open, to wait until she looks like shes sleeping.
Daphne aspired to be a medic before her murder, and Im sure she knew how to care for her sisters fits, but it doesnt seem right to leave a sick child on the floor like this.
Ill get Lex, I say.
No. He grabs my arm and pulls me back down. She needs to be kept calm. She doesnt like when anyone sees her like this; it makes her feel weak.
Shes ill, Judas. Look at her. She needs a doctor, and Lex is the closest weve got.
He looks at Amy. Her lips twitch like shes talking to one of her ghosts.
She needs a doctor, I repeat.
You dont understand, he says. You just dont. If you want to help, bring a cold cloth from the water room and lets try to break her fever.
I do as he says and drench the green towel from the water room.
Her parents hoped shed grow out of this, he says, dabbing at her cheeks and behind her neck. Its only gotten worse as shes gotten older. And the pills and meetings with the specialist have caused more harm than good. He looks at me. Want to hear something crazy?
What? I say.
Shes got me believing in apparitions with all of this. She swears they talk to her.
I dont think thats crazy, I say. Our history book doesnt account for the unexplained, but that doesnt mean its not there.
Her eyes have closed now. Shes surrendered to whatever dreams haunt that troubled mind of hers. I hope for all of this snow to be gone soon. I hope for a morning bright with sun. If she can see that the sunlight is the same whether were on Internment or the ground, it will surely help. It has to.
Pen catches up with me as Im leaving the water room. There you are, she says. You left me alone with Princess Fancy. Its a wonder I didnt kill her. She leans closer to me. What is it? she says. You look troubled.
I tug her into the water room and close the door behind us. I tell her about Basils theory that Jack Piper and the king could be hiding us away in case he means to kill us.
Pen hardly seems surprised. Yes, Ive been thinking that as well, she says, scrubbing her face at the sink with a cloth. For all we know, these people have a history of killing outsiders. Or one another. Or anyone. Its a strange thing to be in a world and not know a thing about its past.
So what should we do? I ask.
As you said, familiarize ourselves with this kingdom as best we can, Pen says.
Do you think you could draw a map? I say.
If they have a library, it likely already has a map of the kingdom. I could copy it and add my own notes, she says.
Jack Pipers eldest daughter seems close to our age, I say. Maybe we can befriend her and gain some insight into the family.
Pen shrugs. We could. I doubt that shell be privy to her fathers politicshe seems annoyed with his children at bestbut she could probably teach us a thing or two.
She sits beside me on the edge of the tub. I think wed be wise to learn from her, but not to trust her, she says. We shouldnt trust anyone in this world.
3
There is sunlight come morning, but its not the same.
Pen stands at the curtains, parting them with her hand. Beyond the window there is nothing but white.
Celeste, still sleeping, turns away, muttering in protest at the light.
Pen nods from me to the window. Come and see, she whispers. Its like were inside an unfinished sketch.
Even the water on the horizon is gray and white. It sparkles as it fades into the distance. There is no train framing this city. There is no limit. It could well go on forever, to a horizon it would take ten lifetimes to run to.
Theres a draft coming through the window frame, and my skin swells with little bumps.
I can hardly stand to look at it, Pen says excitedly.
Its beautiful, I say. Pen looks at me, and I grin. She knows what Im thinking. You know we cant, I say. Well freeze to death.
She runs to the closet, a skip in her step, and she throws a heavy coat at me and takes one for herself. What good is all that brave nonsense weve been feeding each other if we dont act at least a little crazy?
What are you blathering about? Celeste mumbles from under her blanket.
Nothing, Pen says. I got lost trying to find the water room. Woman troubles.
Thank you for that charming announcement, Celeste says.
We stand still until were sure shes asleep, and then Pen opens the door, wincing as it creaks.
Its still early and the hotel is silent. The soft floor helps to conceal our footfalls, but we move slowly anyway. Would you look at these colorings? Pen says. The frames are taller than we are.
I tug at the lapels of my coat, struggling to adjust to the weight on my shoulders. Do you think theyre portraits of real people? I say.
Look at the colors, Pen says. Her fingertips hover over the portrait of a woman whose shoulders are cloaked in fur, but Pen doesnt dare to touch. Theyre so rich. If I had colors like this, Id want a canvas this size to work with too.
The next step creaks under my foot, startling us both, and we hurry the rest of the way to the door.
Overnight the snow has accumulated to knee height, but the cold is surprisingly bearable. Pen spreads her arms and falls forward into the white powder. When she emerges, her face is red and there are clumps of snow turning to water on her skin.
Not as soft as you mightve hoped, she says, and pulls on my arm. I go toppling down beside her with a shriek.
Theres so much of it, I say. When it melts, the whole world must be soggy underneath.
Our little clouds have been holding out on us, Pen says. Who knew?
We make a game of chasing each other, bogged down by the weight around our ankles. We splash each other like its the water of an enchanted, glittering lake.
Pen kneels and tries to draw a floating city with her finger, but snow proves to be an unsatisfactory canvas.
I look at the sky, and all I see is more whiteness. Ive never known the sky to be any color but blue.
And then, as though I willed it, I see a bit of blue in the sky. Moving.
Pen! I gasp.
What? What is it? It takes her a moment to see what Im pointing to, and then shes silent. We both stare at the thing, and turn our heads to follow as it flutters up and out of sight.
Was that
A bird. My heart is in my throat.
It was the most perfect thing Ive ever seen, Pen says.
Do you think it will ever land?
Not if it has any sense.
The moment is broken by a noise in the distance. Along the side of the building, a girl is attempting to scale a tree. We walk toward her until I can better see her wavy hair and the sharp seams in her brown gloves.
Gertrude? I say.
She drops from the foothold, a hand to her chest. Goodness, you scared me half to death, she says. She gives us a sheepish smile. You can just call me Birdie. Everyone does.
Were you going to break into our bedroom? Pen says.
Gertrude looks up. Is that where youre sleeping? Sorry, girls, that room has the strongest tree outside. You wouldnt mind my traipsing through every now and again, would you? Im kind of a night owl.
Well, we wouldnt, Pen says, but who knows what Her Royal Stinky Highness will do from one day to the next? I wouldnt let her catch you.
Gertrude looks contemplatively at the window again. Her breath comes out in little clouds. Shes wearing a coat that seems too thin for this cold, though she has enough beads around her neck to constitute a scarf.
Your princess is a wet blanket, huh?
Thats one way to put it, I say.
Once she senses a weak spot, she goes for the jugular, Pen says. Heres a silly idea: Why dont you use the door?
Father locks it, she says.
It isnt locked now, I say. Weve just opened it.
If you give us a heads up, well make sure its unlocked when you want to sneak out, Pen says. That way you wont have to sneak through the house or climb through our window and scare everyone senseless.
Youd do that? Gertrude says.
Back home, I used to sneak out all the time, Pen says. There was this little cavern in the woods. Remember, Morgan?
Remember? How could I not? It was only last week and a lifetime ago. All I can do is nod. I suddenly feel that Ill cry if I utter a word.
Gertrude smiles. It is a sincere, girlish smile, one thats unaffected by her heavy eyeliner and blood-red lips. Well, thanks, she says. I should get washed up before Father wakes us for breakfast. I must look like a ragamuffin.
Shes a shy girl in a rebels garb. The ground is her home, but its still a big place, and I think she must be like Pen and metrying to figure out this strange world as it reveals itself, bit by bit.
I think Pen was right, and that Gertrude PiperBirdiewill have little insight into her fathers political dealings, but I would still like to get to know her.
After shes gone inside, Pen looks at me. Whats a night owl? she says.
I shrug.
By the time were summoned for breakfast, Birdie is as fresh-faced and bright-eyed as her brothers and sisters. Not a drop of cosmetics on her face. After a night of no sleep, Im not sure how she manages it, but no one suspects a thing, though I see Nimble elbow her as she takes her place beside him.
The plates are laid before us. Something yellow and fluffy, accompanied by little gray-brown cakes. Eggs! Annette says happily.
Pen cant hide her skepticism. The eggs of what? she asks. Weve never heard of eating something in egg form.
Chickens, Annette says.
Chickens are birds, Nimble says, watching to see our reaction.
I tuck my hands under the table. I was already having difficulty forcing an appetite, but now theres no hope for this meal passing between my lips.
We dont eat a lot of plants, he adds.
Can it, Nim, Birdie says under her breath. She clears her throat. Wheres Father?
Otherwise engaged, Nimble says. Hes with a few of the kings finest, trying to talk that crazy old man out of that ramshackle plane.
You should talk to that little girlwhats her name? Celeste says. His granddaughter.
Amy, Judas says. And she hasnt woken up yet. The trip exhausted her.
How exhausted could she be? Celeste says. Were all recovered by now. Except for your brother, Morgan.
At the mention of Lex, my hands turn to fists. She speaks so casually of people she doesnt know at all. She doesnt understand what its like for Amy and Lex. She doesnt understand blindness or crippling fits or what it means to be anything but royalty.
Is Amy all right? Basil whispers to me.
I shake my head at my plate of strange food. I dont know. Ill go and check on her, I say.
You have to ask to be excused first, Annette says.
May I be excused?
Yes. You may.
When I open the door to Amys room, I find her standing at the window, her hair tangled from sleep.
Here we are, she says.
Here we are. I went outside this morning. Didnt realize how cold it truly was until I came back inside and the feeling started returning to my fingers.
It sounds wonderful, she says. Her voice is subdued, though, and when she turns to face me, her eyes are cloudy.
Would you like something to eat? I say. The food is strange, but the princess seems to like it. Pen has sort of been using her as a poison tester.
Amy shakes her head. My stomach is still recovering from the trip. I am getting restless, though.
Well, then, how would you like to go outside? I say. They could use your help talking the professor out of the bird.
Her eyes brighten at that.
And speaking of birds, I saw a real one today, I say. It flew straight across the sky and disappeared.
You didnt, she gasps.
There are bound to be more. Maybe well see one. Hurry and get dressed.