Cathedral of Bones by A. J. Steiger

Author:A. J. Steiger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2020-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

“Alice?” Simon peered at the rooftop. “It’s safe now. You can come down.”

A few seconds passed then her head appeared over the edge of the roof. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. She’s gone.”

She skittered down the wall in her uncanny, spiderlike way. Her feet touched the ground, and her tentacles vanished beneath her cloak. Her eyes were wide and uncertain. “You’re all right?”

“Yes, of course I’m—oof!”

She tackled him in a hug, squeezing him tight. Before he even had a chance to catch his breath, she released him and stood, crossing her arms over her chest, her gaze downcast. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I just . . . I thought she might take you away somewhere. I was worried you would leave me.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

She took a deep, unsteady breath, then gave her head a shake. “That was your teacher? That woman?”

“Former teacher.” They stood in awkward silence in the empty side street. A flock of pigeons flew by in a rustling flutter of wings, silhouetted against the pale sky. He bit his lower lip. “I feel like I owe you an explanation for the way I acted earlier. Before she arrived.”

Alice waited, listening.

Simon opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat. He had never told anyone about this—not Neeta, not any of his classmates. At last, he removed the glass bottle from his pocket, pulled out the stopper, and shook the single black capsule into his palm. Inside, a wisp of iridescent purple glimmered.

Alice leaned down, sniffed once, and wrinkled her nose. “What is it?”

“It’s medicine.”

“You’re sick?”

“Yes. Though not in the way you’re probably thinking.” He gave her a small, mirthless smile. “The Healer calls them ‘fits.’ They started after Olivia’s death. The first time it happened, I believed I was dying. It feels like dying. But there’s nothing wrong with my body. It’s my mind that’s broken.” His fingers slowly curled around the pill. “The drugs were never meant to be permanent. It was just to get me through the worst of it. Except I never stopped.” He swallowed, throat tight. “If you think I’m weak, I don’t blame you.”

“For what? Being sick, or taking a drug for it?”

“Both, I guess.”

For a few heartbeats, she was silent. “I’m the one here with something to be ashamed of,” she said. Her tone was low and tight, almost angry. “Not you.”

He raised his head. “What do you mean?”

“For Spirit’s sake, a man is dead because of me.”

“That wasn’t your fault. You were defending yourself—”

“I panicked,” she snapped, “and I lashed out. And now he’s buried in the ground.”

He stared, taken aback. In the rush of everything that had happened, he had almost forgotten about Brock’s brother. It hadn’t occurred to him that Alice was probably still thinking about it. But of course. It made sense. It wasn’t easy to forget that you had taken a life.

The fire died from her eyes, and she turned away. “Just . . . don’t burden yourself with pointless guilt. Not over a thing like this.

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