Sunlight glimmered off the locket as it sailed into River’s hands. Phoebe barely saw it through the tears stinging her eyes. The boat blurred in her vision.
You know what Marcus did before he died? You know what the last thing he decided to do was? Dump the last of the poison in the river, so that he could tell me about all the cities south of the pass who are about to get hit with a wave of sickness they have no hope of dealing with.
Phoebe had seen it while she and River were running up to the boat. Seen her uncle throw a bottle over the deck. What else could it be, besides the death serum he’d created?
Winter had been right all along.
Phoebe squeezed her eyes shut. How could she have been so blind? She’d known the man her whole life.
But…
Maybe there had been signs. Maybe he’d talked a little too much about making sacrifices. Maybe he’d always liked playing devil’s advocate when her parents discussed ways to end the plagues. There’s no way for everyone to survive. It’s simply impossible. We need to be careful about how we save people.
We need to be careful about who we save.
"She’s gone,” River said quietly.
Phoebe’s eyes opened slowly. Her senses reminded her that this wasn’t over. The sound of distant screaming. The smell of smoke. The bitter taste in her mouth.
Phoebe glanced at River. “Do you know what’s to the south?”
It took him a moment to tear his gaze away from the water. From the last place they’d seen Winter. “No idea,” he replied, his voice still weak. “I haven’t exactly had a lot of education.” Even when he’d been sick with white plague, he hadn’t looked this…broken. “Do you know what’s out there?”
“Not exactly,” Phoebe told him. “But I know where we can find out.”
River nodded. He gave the locket in his hand one last glance before sliding it into his pocket. “I think we have some work to do.”
They set off into the woods, toward Devil’s Pass. Phoebe had a million things she wanted to say but no idea where to start. She wasn’t sure her voice would work, anyway.
She and River had just stepped onto the first city street when someone called River’s name. The two turned in unison as his parents ran toward them. Isaac and Marissa Pierce. Isaac had been the one to shout River’s name, and he called it again as he and his wife reached their son.
“Mom? Dad?” River frowned. “I thought the city guard was taking you home.”
“They got distracted by the riots,” Isaac replied. “We came to find you and Winter.”
Silence settled between him and River. River’s gaze lowered to the ground.
“She’s gone,” River said quietly. “She went to save people in the south from the plagues coming their way.”
Marissa’s mouth fell open. No words came out. The heartbreak in her eyes made Phoebe’s chest constrict.
“Well, maybe we can send the city guard after her—” Isaac started.
“She left the city. They won’t consider her their problem anymore,” Phoebe interrupted him before she could stop herself. “Especially with everything else going on.”
Isaac’s expression hardened. “You’re telling me my daughter just threw the city into chaos and ran away?”
“She was trying to stop—” River struggled to find the right words. “The council was going to—”
“She saved River’s life,” Phoebe cut in. Nodding toward Marissa, she added, “And yours.”
Surprise flashed across River’s face. Phoebe still needed to tell him the full story. All River knew now was the deaths Winter was responsible for.
Phoebe continued. “The original Plague Saint was going to let you die, Mrs. Pierce. Everything Winter did was to save your life, and then River’s when caught the white plague my uncle created. And she saved dozens of other patients as well.” She took a shaky breath. “Maybe her methods were extreme, but so were the original Plague Saint’s actions. And the council’s. They were going to poison the city to save themselves.”
“It wasn’t her place to question the council,” Isaac said. “They’re the ones with education and experience. They’re the ones we voted for.”
Phoebe exchanged a desperate glance with River. “Don’t you understand we’re trying to help you?” she asked, gaze turning back to his parents. “Why are you siding with the council when they were willing to let you die? Us turning against each other only benefits them.”
“Look, it’s a lot to take in,” River chimed in. “We’re shocked, too. But we don’t have time right now to walk you through everything that’s happened.”
Right. Arguing with his parents was a waste of breath. There were more important things to deal with.
“River, wait—” Marissa started.
“There’s something Phoebe and I need to take care of,” River told her. “I’ll try to make it home in time for dinner.”
“But the city—”
“Lead the way, Phoebe,” River said, already walking away from his parents. He gestured toward the buildings ahead. Toward the chaos. Toward the smoke rising on the horizon.
Phoebe quickly fell into step at his side. “We’re headed to the college,” she told him. She glanced back at his parents. The two stared in disbelief. They didn’t move to follow.
Phoebe led River through side streets, a slightly longer path that helped them avoid the crowds. They did pass graffiti, but to Phoebe’s relief, there wasn’t much damage to the storefronts besides the paint. The graffiti voiced support for the Plague Saint, spelled out the council’s plan, and announced that the cure was here.
St. Minerva’s was completely deserted. Phoebe and River’s footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent halls, tracing their path from the entrance to the library.
Phoebe led River to the west side of the library. “I haven’t been in this section much, but there should be geographical information on these shelves,” she explained to him as they entered one of the aisles.
“Got it.” River scanned a row of book spines before selecting one and cracking it open. Phoebe began her search on the opposite shelf.
It didn’t take long for something to turn up.
“This looks useful.” River turned around, holding the book open to a map. “Devil’s Pass is here at the top. The river passes by us here and flows down to these canyons.” He traced the path with his finger. “There are multiple settlements marked in the area.”
“The southern canyons,” Phoebe muttered. “I learned about those in one of my classes. That part of the world was dried up for a long time, but the water eventually returned. People arrived in boats to make a living fishing and harvesting other resources in the area.”
River’s brow furrowed. “Sounds like the water is their main source of…everything.”
“We’d better hope Winter’s able to stop the plague from destroying it all.” Phoebe wondered if it was as deadly to fish as it was to humans. Even if it weren’t, though, a lot of people were in danger.
“It looks like this book has some more information on the communities down there.” River closed it up and tucked it under his arm.
“What are you going to do?” Phoebe asked. Follow Winter? Would she need their help? Want it, even?
“Winter did ask us to stay here and make sure things get better.” River glanced toward the windows. “My first priority is doing whatever I can to help get the city back in order.”
Phoebe’s eyes stung. Part of her couldn’t believe Winter had left such a monumental task to them.
Then again, Winter had done so much work already. She had so much more work ahead of her.
And Phoebe had tried to stop her.
“I wish I could apologize to her,” Phoebe muttered. “I was wrong about my uncle.”
“I know Winter doesn’t seem the type, but if you really want to help the city and save lives, I think she would forgive you,” River said.
“I don’t know if I deserve it.”
“Maybe you can earn it, right?” River lifted his chin. “Let’s start by making more copies of this plague cure. I’ll spread word among my coworkers. We have friends in factories all over the city who could help us make another batch.”
“What about the riots?” Phoebe asked.
“We need to give them a goal. A positive way to direct their anger.” River started toward the library doors. Phoebe followed. “For example, helping the hospital.”
“We also need to replace the council,” Phoebe said as they returned to the college’s halls. “I think the policy in a case like this is for the city guard to hold an election. But most of the people stepping up to run will be friends of the old council members.”
“Then we’ll just have to find people to run against them.”
It was a relief to see River’s confidence returning.
An idea popped into Phoebe’s head. “I think I know where we could get some extra funds for the hospital to pay for treatment without charging patients.”
River raised an eyebrow.
“Adams was taking most of the hospital budget for himself, right?” Phoebe asked. “And other rich people like Forrest and Gordon have died. Since they were all actively involved in a plot to poison the city, maybe we could convince the new council to seize their money and use it to fund cure production.”
“Not a bad idea for a proposal. Let’s spread that idea around,” River said. “And even if we can’t get a council of entirely good people, they’ve seen what the city is capable of if they don’t start helping. Hopefully, even the greediest people in power will see that they can’t get away with everything.”
Phoebe and River turned a corner and found themselves facing the building’s front doors. River paused, and Phoebe stopped next to him.
“It sounds like things are quieting down out there,” River said after a moment. “Let’s get people’s attention and start planning our next moves.”
Phoebe let out a small sigh. “They have a right to be angry, but I hope they’re ready to listen to reason. This could get chaotic if people don’t think things through.”
“I don’t know for sure if this was the best way to go about things, but the council wasn’t going to change if we asked nicely,” River said. “They didn’t value our lives.”
Phoebe nodded slowly. She’d heard hints of stories like this in one of her history classes. Stories of revolutions in the old world. When governments stopped serving the people and prioritized keeping the wealthy in power, they fell. They were outnumbered, after all, and people were only willing to put up with so much.
“The way other people in my factory talked, I kind of knew something like this was going to happen eventually,” River continued. “Especially after I got sick.”
Phoebe started toward the doors. Maybe she’d missed the obvious signs of brewing unrest. With all her time spent working and taking classes, it had been easy not to think too hard about how things were run. Sure, she knew the government wasn’t perfect, but her classes had always emphasized the council’s importance. The people had voted them in, and people wouldn’t vote for liars and monsters, right?
But voting had never come with a lot of options, Phoebe realized. The only people who could afford the time and money to campaign were already wealthy.
Her jaw clenched. She wouldn’t let her naivety blind her anymore. Marcus had taught her a valuable lesson.
Time to start paying attention.
River spoke again as Phoebe reached for the door handle. “I think we should start with the vote to replace dead council members. And hold a negotiation with those who are still alive,” he said. “All of the rioting out there will hopefully have shown them that they can’t manipulate us anymore. Even the city guard is outnumbered. They need us on their side to keep things running smoothly.”
“Sounds good,” Phoebe said. She pulled the door open.
“One last thing,” River said.
Phoebe paused. “Yeah?”
“I don’t think fixing things down south will be as easy as handing out cures.” River spoke with a faraway look in his eyes. “Some people in the factories are recent transfers that moved up from the southern canyons. I’ve heard rumors that they’re facing their own problems down there. There are still fights for resources going on.”
River lifted the book he’d taken from the library to examine the cover. “If the new council moves the city in the right direction, and we’re able to get plague treatment to everyone who needs it…will you come with me to look for Winter?”
Phoebe swallowed. That sounded completely and utterly terrifying. Leaving Devil’s Pass for the first time in her life? Traveling through the wilderness? Visiting communities that might be at war with each other?
But Winter was doing it. And she deserved help.
Phoebe nodded. “Yes. I will.”