{Reipon}
A bad thing happened here. Bethany knew it in the faces of the people left behind to guard the house. Bones, Caedes, Pehton, and the other Lyriks waited in solemn silence, surrounding the tree in the foyer. They waited for Sagan to Seamswalk the others home. Bethany watched from above, dangling her legs from the second floor banister. The same spot she sat with Pax earlier when they saw the Shadow off on their dangerous mission.
Who knew the danger would find them here?
Xelan and Tameka’s toddler had often sat with Bethany. He played with her hair or drove his toy train, Iron Hope, over her thighs, making steam engine noises. Sometimes he asked her to blow the whistle, but Bethany made no noise. Nods and shakes of the head were all she could muster through the din of Razor-sharp static in her head.
Much like this quiet which infected the house.
Bones sat with his knees wide, his hands clasped tight, and his head lowered. Pehton and Caedes stared forward beside him. Both of them blinking in time with each other without the other realizing. Long, shocky blinks. Pehton left occasionally to check on Triss, comatose in her pregnancy. The rest of the Lyriks circled the tree on the floor with their legs crossed. Their faces full of meditative mourning.
Pax’s kidnapping was an event to grieve and to rally against. This time, Bethany would join her brother and sister—They would all go to retrieve Pax. The Shadow didn’t understand “surrender” or “meeting demands.” This was not a ransom to answer.
But first, Bones put himself in the very unfortunate position of breaking the news to the adoring parents. The shame which slumped his shoulders implied self-blame. In the last few months that Bethany had spent under this roof with Tameka and Xelan, she didn’t believe for one second they’d let him carry the shame for long. They were people of action. Not wallowing in turmoil without exacting restitution.
So they waited.
With a hoarse voice, Bones broke the silence without lifting his head. “Do you think they’ll forgive me?”
Pehton clicked her tongue and kindly admonished, “Do you seriously think those two will blame you for Imminent’s actions? Even for one second? Please. We’ll get him back, Bones.”
“Immediately,” Caedes added in his gravelly voice.
Bones sat straighter. The Lyriks lifted their chins higher. So it didn’t surprise Bethany when Pehton hopped to her boots and ordered, “Instead of sitting here waiting for them to come home, let’s prepare for the move. And hurry. We’ve got to make this a smooth operation for Tameka and Xelan to carry out.”
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Caedes stood with sparkling eyes and clapped his hands once, twice. “Come on, ladies. You heard your Warden. Let’s move out.”
Bethany climbed out of the banister and rushed down the stairs, putting herself in line with the others to receive orders.
Pehton pointed and assigned duties. “You three, mobilize the Infirmary. Careful to collect anything Pablo said would help with Triss. You two, the nursery—grab everything essential to a newborn. We’ll have to come back for the rest. Bones, gather weapons and armor—Anything we can’t miss. Caedes—”
“Ma’am.” He came to attention.
Pehton grinned at the bald Icarus in a way Bethany could only describe as goofy before she shook it off. Her voice was firmest for him. “Pack up Pax’s things for our leaders. Let’s not ask them to endure that.”
Caedes’ eyes darkened, and his jaw set. He saluted Pehton with his fist to his chest, and it hurt Bethany to see him do it. She’d heard around the house Caedes had raised Pax like his own during the two years Xelan was gone.
Everyone here carried this loss, and Bethany wanted to help. For Iron Hope and tree adventures. So when Pehton finished doling out orders while kindly ignoring Bethany, the mute girl refused to let her go on.
Bethany whistled, and the house fell silent. All of them whirled midway through their tasks. Concern plain on their faces. Their attention on her increased the sharpness of the static in Bethany’s anxiety-addled mind, but it could never grow louder than her quiet grief. She whistled again and jabbed a finger to her chest.
Lyriki eyes were hard stones of varying colors. Pehton’s were red, like carbuncles. A glare reflected from them and brightened when Gait’s Executive Warden smiled. “You want to help, Bethany?”
Bethany nodded.
Bones called down from the third floor, arms full of blades and rifles, “Thank Elden, girl. You had us all worried to death.”
She almost winced at his candor, but understood he came from a warm place.
Pehton’s voice rang through the mansion with authority. “Keep working. We don’t have time for sentimental huggy shit.” All the while she beamed at Bethany, to whom she said, “Help me prep Triss for transfer. We don’t know what the next safe house will be like, but we can’t assume it’ll have the same luxury we’ve entertained here.”
Bethany nodded and followed Pehton to the infirmary. There, they entered the pregnant woman’s room. Tortured for years in Razor’s Emporium of Exotic Experiences, Bethany had plenty of motive to kill his unconscious woman. As she stared down at the emaciated near-corpse of the Aegis incubator, she only felt pity. Triss would never live to see the daughter she wanted so badly to give Razor. The daughter Korac and Sagan wanted to raise as their own. If Triss died now, that would constitute another tragedy.
Bethany wouldn’t allow that.
Pehton pulled back the sheets to reveal the bed sat on locked wheels. Reaching for something, she said, “It separates from the other half of the bed.”
With a nod, Bethany went to the other side and found the connecting locks. With the bed separated, they both wheeled it from the wall. Pehton grabbed all the nearby supplies, explaining, “This oral medicine is how Pablo keeps her in this coma. She can’t sustain an IV with her blood vessels bisecting and her bones turning into glass and…”
They both looked at the cube shape in Triss’ protruding belly. Hard angles stretched her skin to almost bursting.
Bethany swallowed.
“Don’t worry, Bethany. She deserves every second of torment.” Pehton’s voice was full of pure conviction, pouring over the words like acid.
While it was true, Bethany understood Triss’ dependency on Razor. His world only made sense because all other worlds melted in his presence. Consuming. He burned in Bethany still—
Bones ran into the infirmary, breathing hard and pointing down the hall. “A conduit opened.”
It was time.