Rook by William Ritter

Author:William Ritter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Published: 2023-05-10T16:07:30+00:00

chapter seventeen

When I was a young girl, my mother used to take me with her on her trips into London from time to time to try on itchy dresses and have my head patted by total strangers she insisted were dear old friends. Mother had a seemingly endless supply of dear old friends—most of whom we never saw more than once or twice, but whose inclusion in Burke’s Peerage ensured that they would never be demoted to acquaintances. My favorite part of these trips had always been the journey home. I would fight against sleepy eyes to take it all in. Before our carriage crested the final hill, I would see the faint glow of home reaching up into the dark sky—the light of countless lamps and brightly lit windows, melting together into a warm halo—welcoming me back like an actual dear old friend.

As Jackaby and I trudged up the last stretch of sidewalk, I could see a different sort of halo swelling to greet us. It was not the golden glow of the gas lamps—but it was the color of home. My home. That strange, messy old house on Augur Lane meant something to me I might never be able to explain to my parents.

“Before we go in,” I said, breaking a silence that had kept us company for the last block, “please don’t tell my parents about—well—about any of it.”

“Understood,” said Jackaby without hesitation. And the curious thing was, he did understand. I could see it in the halo surrounding him, as well as in his eyes.

“You’re not going to press me to be honest with them or something? To trust them?”

“You’re the new Seer,” said Jackaby. “You’re a different person than you were when you left them. Your world is not their world, not anymore, and they won’t understand. They can’t. You love them, of course, but you don’t want them to get hurt. It’s ironic, really. You’re bombarded by everyone else’s truth but burdened with keeping your own to yourself.” Jackaby’s aura darkened from its usual vibrant turquoise to a dark blue-gray.

“When was the last time you spoke to your own family?” I asked.

Jackaby’s lips pursed. He trod a few steps before speaking again. “Anything in particular you’d like me to say when we get inside?”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t want you to lie or anything. Just . . . I don’t know. Maybe omit all the big facts.”

“Don’t lie, but also avoid the facts. Got it. Going to be an interesting night, but I’ve played charades with Chief Nudd and the goblins before. Always up for a challenge.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t mean to make things complicated. It’s just . . . as far as my parents are aware, I’m still the same bookish little girl reading silly adventure stories in the nook. They still think that I’m pursuing paleontology, but we both know that my only real dinosaur digs both ended in disappointment and disaster.”

“Ah, maybe a bunch of dusty, mineralized

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