Shadowlark

eyes off of him as Olivia helped him to his feet, laughing as well. I’d never seen Oren laugh—I’d barely ever seen him smile. He was always serious, focused on the next task. Focused on surviving, on winning, on keeping us safe.

I struggled for breath, backing up a pace. I couldn’t ask him to come with me. For the first time since I’d met him, and maybe for the first time ever, Oren was happy. How could I ask him to risk all of it for my own personal vendetta?

I had turned for the door, trying to rethink my plan, when Olivia suddenly called in surprise, “Lark!”

I grimaced, briefly considering pretending I hadn’t heard her and finishing my awkward exit. The moment they’d just shared had been so beautiful, so graceful—my presence felt like an intrusion. But when I turned, Olivia was smiling, jogging toward me.

“What’re you doing up?” she asked, breathless, cheeks perfectly pink. Behind her I saw Oren stretching, one arm folded up behind his head.

“I was—I couldn’t sleep.” I jerked my gaze from Oren, focusing on Olivia.

“What, again?” She grinned. “We’re going to have to start drugging you to get you to rest.”

“You’re one to talk.” I smiled back, but it felt weak. I wanted to slap myself—Pull yourself together, Lark. I took a deep breath, lifting my chin. “I heard you guys as I passed in the hallway outside. I didn’t mean to interrupt your training. You looked amazing,” I added, sounding less hesitant. Because that much, at least, was true.

“Thanks.” Olivia smiled at me, clearly loving the praise. She took a couple steps closer and added, “But it’s okay, we were just finishing up.”

Before I could reply, Olivia strode on past me, turning to walk backwards for a moment and call out, “Later, Oren! See you tomorrow.” Then, more quietly, “’Night, Lark. I hope you find some rest.”

And then she was gone, leaving me and Oren alone. It was the first time we’d been alone for more than a few seconds since the first night we came here and we spoke in my room. I toyed with the idea of leaving—I had a plan to rethink. But Oren was watching me as he stretched, clearly waiting to see if I’d speak first. Never had I wished more that the gulf that had sprung up between us was gone.

I made my way toward the mats, my racing heart at war with my roiling stomach. More than ever, I knew I couldn’t ask Oren what I’d planned on asking him. I scanned his features for a few seconds before looking away, focusing on the equipment lining the edge of the cavern.

“Hey,” said Oren, after a breath.

“Hey.” I searched for something else to say. “That was pretty incredible to watch. It looks like you two are pretty evenly matched.”

He nodded, pulling off a pair of gloves that no doubt afforded his hands some protection while he was fighting. “I suppose so. If I had a knife, she wouldn’t stand a chance. But I’m not used to fighting unarmed, so it’s good practice.”

That made me smile in spite of myself. At least the arrogant side of him hadn’t gone anywhere. “It’s good you get along outside the training, too. At least that way it’s not awkward when one of you pummels the other.”

“Get along?” I looked up to find Oren watching me blankly.

“You’re spending a lot of time together. You know, meals and so on.”

Oren considered that, then nodded. “I think she likes me because I’m not afraid to hit her back. Apparently that’s a thing here. Guys aren’t supposed to hit girls.”

I knew by “here” he meant “cities” in general. He managed to say it without that disgusted curl of his lip, though. “It’s generally frowned upon,” I replied.

Oren shrugged, depositing the gloves in a bin at the edge of the mats. “You ask me, if someone’s trying to kill you, you’d better try and kill them first, whether they’re a girl or not.”

I took a step back. “Well, I ought to—”

“Did you come looking for me?” Oren turned back from the bin again, watching me through the sandy- brown hair that fell across his eyes.

“What? No. No, I was just going for a walk.”

Oren made no move to leave. “You just had that look, that’s all.”

“What look?”

His lips twitched—it might’ve been a trick of the low light, but it looked almost like a tiny smile. “You scowl when you’re thinking. You get a little line, just here.” He lifted his hand to touch a fingertip to his own forehead, just between his eyebrows. “You weren’t scowling at Olivia, so I can only assume it’s me you’re after.”

There was no reply to that. I’d had no idea Oren could read me so well. He read the tracks of animals and the patterns of the weather, but where had he learned to understand people?

I sighed, shaking my head. “I was looking for you,” I admitted. “But I changed my mind. It’s something I have to figure out on my own.”

Oren flexed his fingers and rotated his wrists for a few moments, then put his hands in his pockets. “Something to do with your new teacher?”

His voice made me pause. His face was blank, even cool, his pale eyes lingering on mine. But there was a darker edge to his tone, so subtle I would’ve missed it if I hadn’t gotten so used to scanning him when we first started traveling together for the slightest hints of what was going on inside his head.

Could he be as thrown by our sudden separation as I was? Even if—and I refused to acknowledge the way my throat closed—even if he was happy working so closely with Olivia, it didn’t mean he’d completely forgotten I existed.

Suddenly I found myself saying, “I think I know a way of getting to the surface; it’s in Basil’s journal. I think if I can do that, the people here will trust me enough to let me lead a rescue mission, too. Because I had an idea about getting into CeePo—about finding Tansy, and Nix too if they’ve got it.”

Oren’s expression flickered as he gave a little grunt. “You’re sure you want to go after them? A girl who betrayed you and a machine built by the people who used you?”

I had to smile at that, albeit wearily. “Nix defied its programming to help me. And I believe Tansy genuinely wanted to do the right thing, even if she wasn’t being honest about it. I can’t let whatever happened to my brother happen to her.”

Oren lifted a shoulder in another shrug. “If you say so. Where do I come in?”

I hesitated. It wasn’t Oren’s fight. I’d already uprooted his life, made him the only self-aware monster in existence, made it so this underground prison was the only place he’d be safe. And now I was asking him to risk losing that too.

“Tell me.” He moved closer to me, his voice quiet and calm.

“I could find a way to do it without you,” I said slowly. “I think.” I kept trying to push down my uneasiness, to trust that Oren could say no if he wanted to. I’d follow you anywhere, he told me. I wasn’t sure it was fair to ask this of him.

But he nodded, urging me on, so I took a deep breath and said, “You’re Lethe’s most wanted criminal right now. Don’t you think Prometheus himself would want a look at you?”

Oren was silent, his eyes on mine. I could almost see him thinking, his gaze searching, his lips pressed together. Then, very slowly, he nodded. “We’re going to need Wesley.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. We. Relief was like a cool breeze stirring the still, humid air. I felt the muscles in my shoulders relaxing by degrees. No matter what was happening between him and Olivia, Oren was still my ally. Still my friend.

“We can go to him in the morning,” I suggested. “I’ll work out the details tonight.”

“I’ll help,” Oren said firmly. He started to move past me, leading the way out of the training cavern.

I had turned to follow when a thought struck me. “Oren— why do this? You could live here. You could be happy here.”

“Why do this?” Oren echoed. He paused, looking over his shoulder. “You’re asking me to.”

My throat closed, stomach lurching oddly.

“Besides,” he continued with a shrug. “I may not be your scout friend’s biggest fan, but I owe that little demon bug.”

I blinked. “Owe Nix? For what?”