EnterStateTwenty-five, Palmer sounded out. The path has a number. He tried to sit up to see better.
There are a thousand dive sites here, Vic said. She felt dizzy, looking at the map. Dizzy and excited. The danger her brother was in dimmed for a moment. But only a moment.
The people who want me dead, Palmer said. I dont I dont think they were looking for Danvar to scavenge, Vic. Im not even sure it was Danvar they were after.
She tore her eyes away from the map. Then why would they have you dive down there to find it?
Palmer situated himself against the hull of the sarfer. He stared out over that dark, damp patch of sand. When I got back up, the pit they had dug was already filling back in. And theyd broken down a few of their tents, like locating the old city was all they were after. Like they were moving on. And there was a party that came back, that had gone somewhere. They returned the night I was there, looking for water. Theyd gone off to find something.
Vic didnt understand. But she didnt interrupt. Her brother was reasoning something out.
I remember them saying something about us needing to be precise. They just wanted us to locate those scrapers, down to the last meter. I think they were using their map the way youre talking about, to find other dive sites. Thats how they knew where to look for Danvar. They were homing in on some other spot. Getting it down precise so theyd know where to dig.
What makes you say that? Vic asked.
Her brother turned to her. Because they found whatever it was they were looking for. I think it was a bomb. I went into one of the tents, looking for water and food. There was a crate of smaller bombs. And then I hid and I heard them talking about this one deviceI saw it, a strange-looking thingand they said this one bomb could level all of Low-Pub. And I believe them. They were serious. Organized. They laughed about leaving the desert flat. I think they mean to do it.
Vic studied her brother. She glanced at the map. When? she asked.
I dont know. Its been three days. They saw me under the table. They probably assume I heard everything. I remember them saying they were going to hit Springston first.
Maybe theyll change their plans because you heard them, Vic said. Maybe theyll call it off. She was trying to be hopeful.
Or theyll do it sooner. Vic, weve gotta get to Springston. Weve gotta get Conner and Rob out of there. Weve gotta warn everyone.
There are people in Springston who want us dead, she reminded him.
Brock and his men are heading to Springston, and they want everyone dead, Palmer said.
The words stung like a gust of sand. Vic shook her canteen and listened to the contents splash around. Her brother looked away from her and toward the sky where crows circled and the tops of dunes blew in gray sheets. She knew her brother was right. She folded away the map of a thousand undiscovered treasures and slipped it into her
pocket. She knew he was right and that they had to go back to Springston. And she didnt like it.
41 A Smuggled Tale
There was a woman above her. A bed. The young girl was lying on a bed beneath sheets as clean and white as a childs teeth. Her dive suit and her britches were gone, just a shirt like a man wears folded across her and cinched with a white ribbonsweet-smelling and clean. She moved to touch the shirt, and her side screamed out where shed been bit.
Lie still, the woman said. She placed a hand on the young girls shoulder and forced her back against the pillows. There were two boys in the room. They were the boys from one of her dreams. Can you take another small sip? the woman asked.
The young girl nodded, and a jar was brought forward, the water inside as clear as glass. She lifted her hands to help, but they were bandaged and useless. The water burned her mouth in the best way.
Whats your name? the woman asked.
Violet, she said. Her voice was small in that strange room.
The woman smiled at this. Like the flower.
The older of the two boys moved closer to the bed, and Violet remembered his face from her dream, but it wasnt a dream. Conner. He had picked her up and carried her. She knew where she was, that this was real. She turned to the woman with the water, who was asking about her name.
Father said violet was the color he saw when I was born, that it was like seeing the air from beneath the sand. Thats why he named me Violet.
The woman smoothed the hair back from the girls forehead and frowned like this was the wrong answer.
Can I have more water? she whispered. Her mouth was so dry.
Just a little, the woman said. Its possible to drink too much.
Violet nodded. You can drown, she said. Like in the river. Or what happens if you drink the bad water from the trough. She lifted her head and took another sip. The younger of the two boys stood at the foot of the bed and stared at her. She knew who this was. Youre Rob, she said.
The boy startled as if someone had stomped on his foot. Regaining his composure, he bobbed his head.