Deep Roots by Beth Cato Read Free Book Online

in place. Even so, she wiped her fingers against her skirt.
    â€œWell, they wouldn’t be able to save all of them,” said Tatiana, quite matter-­of-­fact.
    Rivka reached toward another living gremlin. A yellow flag adorned its cage along with a number fifty-­three. The gremlin’s little hand gripped her fingers against the bars as its mouth parted in a sound that she couldn’t hear above the cacophony. She took comfort in the touch. This gremlin looked healthy, even if it lacked both wings. Maybe it wouldn’t end up in that horrid cart.
    Tatiana walked toward another open doorway. Rivka wiggled her fingers. The gremlin reluctantly let go.
    â€œI’m sorry,” she whispered. She felt its unblinking scrutiny as she walked around a large, steel table.
    The next chamber was huge, the ceiling high. Shelves of books and storage receptacles lined the gray-­brick walls. A circle of copper was inlaid in the tile floor. The copper itself was about three inches in width, flat on the floor, the circle extending some twenty feet. In the middle, thick chains were bolted to the floor and over a massive lump of dark blankets. Blankets that moved, rising and lowering like a person slumbering.
    Tatiana walked forward, her eyes wide. “This is a medician’s circle. I didn’t know they could be made this big.”
    â€œI thought Tamarans didn’t like magic? Isn’t it considered old-­fashioned?” Rivka asked. “And what is that in the middle?”
    â€œMost Tamarans hate magic, yes. Not Mr. Cody. He’s obsessed with the subject. It’s why my brother and Miss Leander ended up working with him. That thing . . . Mr. Cody is making a new big chimera for the Arena.” Her eyes sparkled. “That’s exactly what I hoped to find!”
    â€œA big chimera for the Arena? Why?” The sport of Warriors in the Arena featured jockeyed mechanical creatures that fought for the top of a fake mountain. It was based on a tabletop game found in most taverns though those mechas were about the size of a hand. Mr. Stout had often bet on matches, big and small.
    â€œYou’ve been here for months. Don’t you know anything ?” Tatiana rolled her eyes. “All gremlins are chimeras. Mr. Cody originally made them from bits of other animals, but now they breed on their own. Well, a few months ago, he debuted a new creation for an Arena bout. It was part gremlin, but huge, with metal legs, arms, and wings. No one had seen the like before. My brother rode it in the Arena. He and Miss Leander named it ‘Chi.’ He rode away on Chi, too, when he went north.”
    â€œThat’s why Mr. Cody is mad at you.”
    â€œYes, well. He’d be better off blaming Miss Leander.” Tatiana stood a little straighter. “For some reason, the chimera really liked Miss Leander and Alonzo. And the Arena crowd loved the whole exhibition. Mechas in the Arena are rigged to blast fire or fly or shoot grappling hooks, all controlled by the jockey. Alonzo and the chimera worked together as an intelligent team. It was glorious .” Her dark skin held a rosy, excited glow. “Since Mr. Cody really is making a new one, I need to talk to him again. I can be extra nice . . .”
    â€œTalk to him about what?” asked Rivka.
    Tatiana shrugged away the question as she held a hand toward the copper circle. “Feel that?”
    Rivka repeated the motion. Her fingers penetrated an invisible wall that felt like hot, sticky spiderwebs. Unpleasant, certainly, but nothing like the enchantment she had crossed in Mercia with Miss Leander. Frowning to herself, Rivka walked over the copper line.
    Warmth tingled across her face, as if she leaned close to a fire after being in a bitter wind. A tiny pop rang in both ears. Ahead of her, the bundle of blankets shifted, the top layer shedding onto the floor.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” squealed Tatiana.