Page 57 of Last Rites

Still, I remembered enough of the plan to know the general gist.

“Lots of rocks.”

Rosie frowned. “You’re going to need help for that. More than one or two people.”

I nodded. Kit couldn’t be the only strong man in our group this time. My lumbering muscles weren’t anywhere near ready to spend a whole night rolling boulders.

“I think we’ll need everyone,” I said.

A spark lit Rosie’s warm brown eyes. “Do you want me to spread the word?”

“If you would. We’re waiting a few days, and it’ll have to be done at night. We can’t afford to be at it till dawn again. Can’t afford to get caught.”

Her smile faded. Concern swept in to soften the corners of her mouth and tighten her brow. “Penny, be careful. I know you’re aware of the risks, but if Merrick finds out you’re sabotaging things…”

“He won’t kill me, Rosie,” I said—too fast, too sure. Like I was trying to convince us both. “Merrick needs me alive. To manipulate Kit, if nothing else. I hate it, but if he’s determined to use me, I can use that too.”

She didn’t look convinced. “If you say so…”

“I just did.” I tried to lighten the moment, injecting a little grin to go with it. “Now, how much longer on the strudel?”

She laughed and gave me a light swat on the arm. “A while! Come and sit down. We can visit some more while it bakes, then you can take some home to Kit.”

The kitchen’s warmth followed us as we moved to the table, the scent of cherries thick in the air. I sank into an open chair, letting the creak of the old wood anchor me. While the strudel baked, we talked like old friends—laughing, sharing stories, and pretending that was all we were. Not rebels conspiring beneath the noses of tyrants, but just two people in a kitchen, safe for a little while longer.

21

Kit

It only took them two days to reopen the tunnel. But two evenings after that, we finally had everything in place to proceed with Phillipa’s plan to hopefully disrupt the completion of the Vessel.

In the dead of night, Penny and I slipped out of the house into the muggy heat. Sweat immediately dampened the back of my shirt, and more beaded on my forehead the farther we walked. We skirted the edge of town on our way to the designated meeting point. The nearly-full moon, riding the edge of the mountains to the east, lit our path and made the shadows beneath Penny’s eyes look as dark as bruises.

He hid a yawn behind his arm, and I couldn’t stifle my own in response. We were both exhausted after three nights spent building ladders in the shadows of the cliff walls, and I for one was looking forward to falling into bed in a few hours. There wouldn’t be enough time for a good night’s sleep, but I’d take what I could get.

And I would sleep much better if this worked.

“I’m not made for lumbering all day and quarrying all night,” Penny said through another jaw-creaking yawn.

I chuckled and pinched his upper arm lightly. “I don’t know, I think maybe you’re building a bit more bulk on top of your farming muscles.”

He straightened at that, and a self-satisfied smile curled his lips. “Really?”

“Keep it up”—I leaned in to speak close to his ear—“and you’ll be strong enough to carry me to bed in no time.”

His swallow was audible, and his hand tightened around mine. Before he could respond, Philippa peeled out of the shadows beneath a rock outcropping a few feet ahead of us and waved.

“Glad to see you made it,” she said when we stopped in front of her.

“No trouble on our walk,” I said. “You?”

She shook her head. “Didn’t see a soul.”

“Good. Now we wait.”

We tucked ourselves into the darkness with her and leaned against the stone wall to monitor all possible approaches. I was wary of our intentions having been discovered, so I was relieved when those who filtered in over the next few minutes were all familiar faces.

Rosie and Isla arrived next, followed by Thoma, Hugo, and Liam. The last four trickled in one by one. Once we were all assembled, we retrieved our ladders from beneath the leaf-litter tarps we’d made to hide them, and set to work.