by Dylan Steel
“Ok.” She bit her lip. “But what if we never get past the field? Should I just bring it back and hold onto it until we talk again?”
Mr. Walsh shook his head violently. “No. No, Sage. You mustn’t bring it back here. It has to be left on the farm, even if you don’t get to the rocks. Keeping it hidden here—it’s incredibly difficult. We can’t continue to do so much longer, and I can’t expect you to do so for very long. If you have to, bury it below a plant, drop it by the side of the road as you’re leaving—anywhere you can hide it—anything you can remember well enough to tell me later. It would delay things, but delays are better than getting caught.”
Sage nodded. A thrilling blend of excitement and terror coursed through her. She had no idea how delivering just one gemstone could help the Lawless, but it didn’t matter. She would do whatever it took to end Eprah.
20. THE BENNICKS
This excursion was different than the others. Sage swallowed back her fears that something would go wrong as she climbed into the back of the passenger trailer. She kept her hand in the same pocket as the ring, gripping it tightly. Her eyes darted around the benches at the other students. She just had to hope no one would notice.
A mix of nostalgia and bitterness crept over her as the horses began moving through the city and clopped under the gate. It was the gate through which she’d first entered Eprah’s clutches. This was the gate that had first caged her. In a sense, this gate was the reason she was embarking on a dangerous errand today.
Her thoughts drifted back to the Lawless message left in recent weeks on the walls of the Institution. Cal had been blamed for it but then received a reluctant pardon from the headmaster. Apparently, there had been no way to prove he had been the one to write on the wall, so he’d narrowly escaped being shunned. Of course, that didn’t mean rumors about him hadn’t been flying around the rest of the student body.
Sage thought it was strange that the administration hadn’t condemned anyone for the graffiti. She knew they wouldn’t publicize it, but she’d fully expected them to look over the footage from the hallway during the time of the incident. Or maybe they had, and Cal or whoever it was had covered their tracks really well somehow. Or maybe it had just cleared Cal’s name somehow. Either way, she figured he hadn’t done it, and she’d mostly put the whole episode out of her mind. After all, even if she really wanted to know and asked Mr. Walsh, he’d refuse to tell her. Even if he knew who it was, he wouldn’t endanger another Lawless just to sate her curiosity.
The Bennicks’ estate was one of the farthest outside of the city’s limits, so there was plenty of time along the way to panic or relax—or both. She forced herself to breathe deeply. Despite her anxiety over this excursion, Sage found herself being lulled into a deep state of relaxation as she watched the city vanish from sight. The sway of the trailer became almost hypnotic.
She sucked in her breath as the hills rolled away, revealing the outskirts of the estate. It was breathtaking—far more stunning than the holograph Mr. Walsh had shown her. To their left stretched fields upon fields of different young plants sprouting from the ground, and on their right, large hills spilled into mountains. Once they circled around the immense property, she began to make out the outline of a building in the distance.
As the horses carried them farther in, she realized that the building she’d seen was actually one of many—the biggest of which sprawled across the ground about a quarter mile in front of the others. It appeared to be a mansion similar to the one she’d toured at Benefactor Chartreaux’s estate. Except this one was larger. Much larger.
The mountains flattened out beside them, turning into rocks and sand and shore as they disappeared into a shimmering expanse of ocean. A structure that Sage was unfamiliar with housed dozens of rows of floating vessels, but they were too far away for her to be able to make out any details.
The trailer’s path curved sharply, turning her attention from the port. Her eyes fell on the line of trees far beyond the mansion. That had to be the spot Mr. Walsh had been talking about. She hoped the rock outcropping would be easy to find, but after seeing the size of the rest of the property, she began to worry it might not be.
“This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” Penelope breathed.
Sage’s eyes were wide. “Yeah,” she whispered.
All of the students were unusually quiet, in awe of the landscape surrounding them. Even Cal’s normally talkative mouth was only open in amazement. As they pulled to a stop in front of the mansion, the only noise that could be heard was from the horses snorting.
Ms. Trynn stood slowly, hesitant to break the silence. She made her way down the steps at the back of the trailer in silence and then, since no one had come to greet them, began climbing the long staircase to the mansion’s front entrance.
Her hand hovered in the air for a moment before rapping loudly against the door. The sound echoed hollowly back toward the students. No one came right away. First one minute passed, then two. Ms. Trynn bit her lip and knocked again, louder this time. Everyone began shuffling uncomfortably in their seats as they waited for a response.
Finally, just as Ms. Trynn had begun backing away from the entrance in defeat, the doors swung open, revealing a beautiful, petite woman. She stood in the open doorway with a long, dark brown braid slung over her shoulder, a handful of gray stripes gracefully interwoven between the strands. The black linen jumpsuit she was wearing flapped slightly in the breeze. Despite the fact that this was likely the benefactor for the estate, Sage found herself instantly drawn to the woman. Perhaps because she would have been about the same age as her mother.
She smiled broadly. “Meira! Welcome, welcome! I hope you haven’t been waiting long. We were in the other wing of the house and couldn’t hear anything. And we just looked at the time! I’m so terribly sorry! Charles will be along in just a minute.”
“Not at all, Sophia. After all, we’re merely guests in your home.” Ms. Trynn’s voice was like syrup.
“Nonsense. We’re already terrible hosts, I can see it all over their faces. Children are wonderfully honest like that.” Sophia gestured toward the students and then began walking down the steps, leaving the doors wide open in her wake.
Sage thought the benefactor appeared to be almost floating over the stairs as Ms. Trynn trundled after her without nearly the same level of poise. She suppressed a grin at the difference between the two women.
Sophia smiled and briefly glanced over the trailers, clasping her hands together in excitement. “It’s so good to see you all. To have you all here today.”
Sage actually believed she meant it.
“I’m Sophia Bennick. My husband will be here in just a minute, and we can get started. Does anyone have something they’re most looking forward to seeing? Please, do share!”
Silence fell between them. As she waited for an answer, the benefactor’s eyes flitted over the students, taking in the sight of each one as if they were precious to her. When her gaze fell on Sage, she stopped, her mouth parting slightly as if she were about to say something. But she was interrupted.
“They are here!” A deep voice boomed out from the doorway, tumbling into the courtyard. It belonged to a tall, fit man who seemed in every way to be the perfect match for Sophia. His peppered hair bounced around his ears with each step down the stairs. He covered the distance between them quickly, looping his arm around his wife’s waist and drawing her closer to him.
“Yes, of course, dear. It’s well past time. I do believe we were quite discourteous and made them wait,” Sophia chided her husband gently. “Meira won’t tell me for how long.”
“Well, that’s a shame.” His blue eyes twinkled with mischief. “Then I suppose we shouldn’t waste another moment.” He turned his attention to the students, still sitting in the trailers. “Well, come on now. Join us! I hope I don’t have to tell you all twice for everything.”
With his permission, the students scrambled to their feet, hurrying into
the courtyard.
“Remember, in your groups!” Ms. Trynn called over the sound of footsteps thundering down the trailer steps.
Sage couldn’t help but like the two benefactors. They were so unlike all the others she’d seen so far. Unlike most of the people that she’d met in Eprah, in fact. They seemed happy.
Without looking to see if anyone was following, Charles bounded past them, heading straight for the fields. “Keep up!” he called over his shoulder. Sophia giggled like a girl less than half her age as she hurried after him.
Cal and Gabby didn’t need a second invitation. They followed enthusiastically after the benefactors—Cal in short sprinting bursts and Gabby in a constant skipping motion. Inette raised an eyebrow but jerked her head toward Sage, indicating that they should follow, and the two of them fell in step quickly, albeit with a bit less fervor. Ms. Trynn trailed behind the groups of students, clearly in much less of a hurry than the benefactors were.
The benefactors finally slowed to a stop when they had gotten halfway down one of the sections of fields.
“This is as good a place as any to start,” Charles said. “Feel free to explore any of the rows. Pick what you like. Try something new. We just ask that you don’t step right on or too close to any of the plants—it can damage them.”
“And stay within sight!” Ms. Trynn added sharply as she finally managed to catch up.
Sage traipsed behind Cal, who had inadvertently become the group leader in his eagerness. She found herself in a row of bright jewel-toned flowers that sprawled haphazardly over the beds. Bending down, she plucked one of the orange blossoms, examining it more closely.
“It’s edible,” Sophia said as she came alongside her. “Go ahead, try it.”
Sage cocked her head, unsure if the benefactor was joking. “But… it’s a flower.”
“Yes, it is.” Sophia smiled and stooped over, pulling off one of the petals. She popped it in her mouth and chewed for a moment. She swallowed. “And it has a slight, peppery flavor. Go, on, try it,” she coaxed.
Looking uncertainly at the flower once more, Sage placed the tip of a petal between her teeth, tearing it off. The benefactor was right. It did taste a bit peppery.
Gabby and Inette exchanged strange looks as they too tasted the flowers. Cal had already started wandering farther down the rows, and, having had their fill of flower-tasting, the girls plodded along behind him. Inette found a cucumber and twisted it from its vine. She broke it in two and offered the second half to Sage, who took it eagerly, sinking her teeth into its soft, sun-warmed flesh.
Her group moved on to another section, then another, then another. Just when she thought they’d seen all the types of plants being grown in the fields, they found another. Like the edible flowers, a lot of them were completely unfamiliar to her.
Crops stretched as far as Sage could see in one direction, away from the mansion. They could spend the entire trip traipsing through these fields and not make it to any other area of the estate. That realization made her stomach tumble.
Panic seized her. She stuck her hand in her pocket, brushing her fingertips against the ring that was still hiding there. If they didn’t move on from the fields soon, she might not have a chance to even find the rock pile she was supposed to hide it in, let alone leave it there.
Cal was still at the front of the group, leading them from one vegetable variety to another. They were creeping farther and farther from the benefactors and their instructor. She had to get his attention.
Without thinking through a plan, she stooped over and pulled at the leafy top of the plant nearest her. To her surprise, she tugged up not only a wad of green stems but a large purplish globe covered in soil. It would do.
She straightened back up and cast her eyes around until she found Cal again, now three rows away. Swinging her arm back, she launched the mysterious unknown plant at him. It landed squarely between his shoulder blades, thudding against him and leaving behind a ring of dirt on his shirt.
“Ooof!” He spun around in annoyance. “What was that for?”
Sage stared at him blankly for a second before coming up with an explanation. “We’re too far,” she said simply. “We need to go back.”
He rolled his eyes. “No, we don’t. They said this was fine.”
Inette looked up, glancing back at Ms. Trynn. “She’s right, Cal. We have gotten awfully far. We might not hear them if they try to call us back at this point.”
“Besides,” Sage added, confidence growing in her impromptu plan now that she had Inette’s backing, “there’s way too much to see here to be stuck in these fields all day.”
Gabby stared silently at the three older kids, watching them closely for cues as she wiped dirt off of a carrot no larger than her thumb.
“Fine,” Cal muttered. “We can head back.”
As it turned out, Inette’s assessment had been correct. The three adults were in the process of trying to wrangle the students back into one large group so that the estate tour could continue. As the four of them neared Ms. Trynn, Sage could have sworn she saw a look of relief on her face upon seeing them return. She couldn’t help but notice how uncomfortable she looked while standing next to the Bennicks.
It was another fifteen minutes before the rest of the students had been tracked down. Ms. Trynn had to chase down a renegade group that had wandered almost completely out of sight. When she returned with them, they were all panting, and their faces were flushed.
“S-sorry,” Ms. Trynn gasped, clutching her side. “They’d… explored quite a… ways away,” she spluttered between breaths.
“Oh, that’s quite alright.” Sophia’s eyes were bright as she flicked her wrist dismissively. “We don’t mind at all. I’d just hate to have them miss out on the rest of the tour.”
The instructor didn’t have much time to recover from chasing after her students. The group began making its way back toward the main house.
Charles eyed the sky warily. The sun had already shifted quite a bit since they’d been roaming the fields. “Perhaps we should use the trailers for the rest of the tour?” he suggested. “To speed things along?”
“That’s a lovely idea. Meira, is that allowed?” Sophia turned to the instructor.
It wasn’t often that benefactors asked permission. Ms. Trynn had difficulty hiding her surprise. “I—uh—well—”
“I’m sure it’s fine,” Charles said curtly, interrupting her. He seemed unwilling to waste any more time.
Sophia’s attention was back on the children. “Where should we explore next? The woods? Or the port? Oh, or perhaps the antiquities? Or…”
The final suggestion was drowned out. Her excitement was matched by a jumble of eager shouts, all calling out different suggestions.
“The woods!” Sage heard herself yell. She was desperate to get there before they left, and she could only hope that her choice wouldn’t seem suspicious. Ironically, she thought she would have preferred to see the boats and the port, but her mission was more important.
“Oh, alright, alright.” Sophia held up her hands. “We’ll try to get to it all.” She looked up at her husband. “It seems the woods or the port are the popular options. I think we’ll need a deciding vote. Which would you prefer?
He grinned. “I’ve always loved the woods.”
Sage felt instantly lighter at his words. Making it to the pile of rocks seemed like a real possibility now. She stuck her hand in her pocket again, feeling for the relic. Reassured that it was still secure for just a little bit longer, she forced her eyes to the tree line. She had to find the hiding spot.
21. THE WOODS
At Ms. Trynn’s insistence, the students waited for the Bennicks to disembark the passenger trailers first. This was after she apologized profusely to them for the poor quality of the ride and its accommodations. The two benefactors waved off her concerns, saying that they were all too happy to enjoy a few minutes of rest and couldn’t care less about the elegance or lack ther
eof of the seating.
Sage felt an odd sort of satisfaction from watching Ms. Trynn fall all over herself in front of them. Clearly, she wasn’t sure how to handle the most powerful family in Eprah, and their apparent neutrality over their high position seemed only to make things more uncomfortable for her.
As the children stumbled forward, Ms. Trynn barked orders at them.
“Don’t wander too far. We’re keeping this time brief so that we can see more of the estate, so be back here in twenty minutes! Don’t make me chase after you. And stay together in your groups!” She sighed in exasperation as she watched her wards scatter among the trees without so much as a backward glance at her orders.
Once again, Cal broke out in front, leading the group by default. Sage’s brow furrowed in frustration as she and the other two girls had to run to catch up with him. She hadn’t even had a spare moment to survey the line of trees to see if she noticed any rocks.
They raced through the forest, branches whipping at them the deeper they got. Cal stopped abruptly, examining their surroundings more closely. When she had a moment to catch her breath and look around, Sage was perplexed by the strange sight that greeted her. As far as she could see, every tree had at least one bucket hanging off its side, looped over a small metal pipe. She was surprised she hadn’t noticed it before.
She exhaled softly and shoved her hands in her pockets. Her eyes widened as her fingers settled over the ring once again. Thinking what she still needed to do, she pushed back her curiosity about the buckets while she formed a plan to reach the rocks.
“Do we really have to keep following him?” Sage said loudly, making eye contact with Inette. “Can’t someone else decide which way we’re going for once?”
Cal stared at her, crossing his arms irritably. “I’m right here, you know. I can hear you.”
