Page 60 of A Thief to Die For

No, I’m skipping steps. She deserves the truth about me before we discuss feelings. ‘It’s not just that. There’s something else I need to tell you.’ I guide her to the firepit at the cave’s entrance, quickly light the leftover coal with flint and my knife, then sit down beside her on a log.

‘The place I’m from is called Kingsland.’

She takes a deep breath. ‘Ryland …’

‘I know you’re concerned that sharing this information is dangerous,’ I say, ‘but I trust you. Do you trust me?’

Her eyes soften. ‘You know what? I do,’ she says sincerely. ‘Okay, tell me.’

‘After the bombs fell thirty-eight years ago, when all hellfire broke loose and everyone was stabbing each other from lack of food and clean water, there was my uncle, Farron. He had a divine sort of dream about an old-world town that had been preserved. Undamaged. Unraided. Unpolluted. All because it was hidden and protected from everything by the mountains. Except it wasn’t just a dream; it was real and he found it. And he led a group of people with him.’

She tilts her head. ‘Preserved? What do you mean?’

‘Everything from the old world was still there and working. We have a hydroelectric dam on the river for electricity, but we’ve run out of parts to repair it any more. It could fail any day, so we’ve slowly been transitioning to coal for our energy supply, until a landslide took out our mine. We have other things, too. Plumbing for running water. Appliances, though they are becoming harder to find. Our traders are experts at scavenging parts and supplies, and our mechanics and blacksmiths work hard to maintain and rebuild what they can.’

Her eyes are wide. ‘You have electricity?’

I nod. ‘It’s how we protect ourselves. We scavenged barriers from the old world that painfully shock people if they touch it – an electric fence. It surrounds our whole town, hidden by trees. It’s very effective, but we also have a highly trained army, which I’m a part of.’

‘Holy …’

‘After Farron arrived, strange things started to happen. Members of the founding families … could do things. Impossible things. Then their descendants could too. Some blame a genetic mutation from the fallout of the bombs and breathing atomic dust for years, but it’s always seemed supernatural to me. Intentional. Fated. I think it’s a gift, the same as Farron’s dream. The one that brought us there.

‘How does it work?’

She’s going to think I’ve been hit on the head too many times. Just say it. ‘Maybe the best description – it’s like casting a spell. You say the words, perform the ceremony and then you get … a result. Magic, in a way. Except here you say your vows and then you’re connected … and the two of you can share things you shouldn’t be able to share.’ I think of my cousin Tristan and his wife Isadora, who as mortal enemies had quite the rough start. ‘That is, if you’re in tune with each other – and trust each other. Then it’s automatic.’ Once again, she has a confused look. But she motions for me to go on.

‘If anyone marries a descendant of a founding family, then they can share memories. Share injuries. Carry each other’s pain.’ Share wonders and senses. I blow out a breath. Maybe I’ll save that one for later.

‘All my life I’ve seen it happen to the descendants around me and their partners, and although I don’t really understand it, I know it’s a big part of how we’re all still here. It’s like a gift to help humanity restart – one chance, with one partner – and it’s saved a lot of lives. Just like how we were saved when we were led to Kingsland.’

‘And you’re a … descendant?’

‘Yes,’ I say. My heart thuds firmly in my chest. ‘My mum’s family arrived in the first wave. Though because of Rufus, she didn’t want to marry.’

‘Hmm.’ Her fingers press into her chin. ‘Sharing memories would be incredible. I wonder what that’s like.’

‘Me too. I’ve always looked forward to trying that.’

‘What an odd ability.’

‘Not really.’ I grin. ‘Everything about the connection seems to be about making you both a team. And memories give context, understanding, which is key to working things out. Working together. Same reason for sensing each other’s emotions. Or that’s what I’ve always thought.’

‘Wow.’ Her eyes skate over the rock walls as she thinks. ‘And the healing is because …?’

‘Survival. You can share injuries. Pain. A lot of things, both good and bad, so you’re never alone. Maybe that’s the real purpose. But all of it either helps you survive when you’re sick or injured or fosters connection, protecting that bond with your partner.’

Her brows knit. ‘I don’t … Atlas always believed in this stuff – magic. But Dezzy taught us a more … academic approach to the world. So, I’m sorry if I seem unsure. It’s just a lot.’

I never thought I’d have to convince someone it’s true. No one in Kingsland doubts it for a second. ‘Completely understandable.’

‘I’m not saying I don’t believe you, though. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stared at the stars and the vastness of the sky and have just … I don’t know, felt there had to be something there beyond my understanding. I’m not sure what the word for it is. Maybe it is magic. But the kind Atlas wants never felt … real.’

She breathes in sharply, her body becoming rigid. ‘The Commander can never find out about this connection. Ever. He’s collected things he thinks are mystical since he was a child. Like that ring he’s always stroking. Or all the supposedly enchanted relics on the walls of the High Command. Atlas is obsessed with magic, just like he is with power, and if he knew about this …’ Her lips part as if imagining the worst. ‘He’d never let you go.’

I give a low laugh. ‘Yeah, I won’t be telling him. But Rufus knows about the connection and Kingsland, so it’s probably only a matter of time before he sells me out.’

She grabs my arm. ‘Then you need to leave.’