Nothing Is Eternal (Book One)

IV

Kate and Will remained long enough to finish fixing up some food for Mitsuko. They made sure an acquaintance who lived on the floor, Omar, would check on the former acolyte. It was no trouble for Omar, but he was concerned about them leaving. Especially since it was well past the city's curfew. But they had to work in the morning.

"We'll be fine," Will assured him. "Both of us used to run at all hours when we were kids and they never caught us."

"Yes, but the difference is you made off with an acolyte tonight," Omar observed mildly. "If they have any report on what you looked like, they'll be stopping any blond man accompanied by a woman from Hikari. And even if it's obvious Kate isn't an acolyte, once they have you, they'll be able to see you are marked."

"I won't get caught," Will said with unsettling cockiness. "Look what I pulled off tonight!"

Will's bravado made about as much of an impact on Omar that it did on Kate. "Every minor victory eats at them," he said grimly. "The more threatened they are, the worse it becomes for us all."

"Should I have left her there, then?" Will asked crossly.

"No one's saying that." Kate held up her hands. "But we all know what the guards are like when anyone gets one over on them."

The Eternal Guard were responsible for the spiritual and secular security of the city. They always received blame when things went wrong, as acolytes and priests were too connected to the divine. And they hated being blamed.

But they had to leave. And Will wouldn't consider letting Kate travel alone at this time of night.

Few abided the curfew. There were plenty of people out and about, but not slowing down in case they attracted the attention of a zealous guard. Oddly, people were more willing to obey the curfew in the Edges—the proximity to the Dark made everything impossibly pitch-black at night. And one wrong turn could send someone walking into the wall of the Dark, never to return.

Kate and Will didn't speak, mostly concerned with a quick return home. Fortunately, they lived in a different area than the one where Will had stirred up trouble. It wasn't the best neighborhood, but it was the best that could be managed for two reporters of a forbidden paper.

Their apartment was on the fifth floor of a building that was constantly on the verge of being condemned. The paint was peeling in the halls and they were accustomed to skipping the weak third step. Even in the dim night, Kate could see bugs on the floor. It was a far cry from where Will used to live. But he always seemed happy with it.

As soon as they were inside their apartment, Will lit the oil lamp and began heating the stove. Fuel was expensive, but they needed some heat after being subjected to the unnatural cold of the Edges.

Kate insisted Will wash up, since he smelled like an outhouse. As soon as he washed enough for Kate's satisfaction, he pulled out his notes and went over his personal files. Experience told her that Will was going to be obsessed with the mystery of the missing people. He would probably make a beeline for Mitsuko the next day.

"I hope you're happy." Kate pulled her hairpins out. "They were printing the paper tonight. I missed seeing it fresh with my interview."

"The one with the crackpot?"

"Chester O'Neil isn't a crackpot. He's... eccentric," Kate said tactfully, shaking her long curls loose.

"He's completely insane." Will snorted. "And he has Eternal Burns! I wasn't surprised that you couldn't get a coherent interview with him. What surprises me is that you're fine with printing it. And your sister's fine with printing it. And Mr. Knight..."