The Black Key by Amy Ewing Read Free Book Online Page B

that sounds nice to me?” I say. “What ifI want to help you fix up that old place? I bet I could convince Sil to give us Turnip, since she likes you better than Sil anyway. And I could have a chrysanthemum garden, like the one my mother used to have in our kitchen windowsill. I could use Earth to help you with planting crops, and Water, too, to tend them. I could use Fire to keep the house warm in the winter, and Air to keep us cool in the summer.”
    I can see it, I can see it so clearly it’s an actual ache in my chest. A little front porch with a wild garden blooming all around it. A white house with blue shutters. Ash and I working in the soil, ending each day tired and sweaty and covered in dirt, but happy. Having a place of our own.
    When Ash speaks again, his voice is thick. “That sounds . . . perfect.”
    â€œOf course, Raven will have to live nearby,” I say.
    â€œAnd Garnet, too.”
    â€œAnd Indi.”
    â€œSienna?”
    â€œYes, but not Olive.”
    â€œNo,” Ash says with a laugh. “Not Olive.”
    I sigh and lean back against the heavy blanket we sleep on. “I want that life, Ash. I want it so badly I can taste it.”
    â€œSo do I,” he murmurs.
    I allow my mind to spin out, to imagine a world where my sister doesn’t have to live in fear of her own body and the power it holds, where my brother isn’t forced to work in an assigned profession. I try to imagine the walls falling down, the city integrated, its people no longer divided but unified.
    I fall asleep with the taste of Ash’s lips on mine, and fantasies of a better future dancing in my dreams.
    The next morning, however, Ash’s good mood has vanished, all the tenderness of last night gone, replaced with tension and anger at my leaving.
    I can tell he’s trying to hide it, but there’s a tightness around his eyes and mouth, a sharpness in his tone.
    Ash isn’t the only one who is tense. Even Indi is on edge. Once Garnet contacts me about the train I need to take, there are no smiles to see me off except for a forced one from Raven.
    I stand by Sil’s cart and give each girl a hug, promising to see them soon, reminding them to keep studying the blueprints. Ash crushes me against him and whispers fiercely in my ear.
    â€œPlease be careful. Promise me.”
    â€œI promise,” I whisper.
    â€œI wish there were some way I could tell Rye to keep an eye on you,” he says.
    â€œDo you think he’ll recognize me?” I ask.
    Ash tucks a lock of my newly blond hair behind my ear. “No,” he murmurs. “Plus he’ll be too busy with Carnelian to pay much attention to a new servant.”
    â€œShould I tell him who I am?”
    â€œI don’t know. It could be dangerous.” Ash’s jaw hardens. “And watch out for Carnelian.”
    â€œRight.” I’m not looking forward to living under the same roof as her again.
    â€œI’m serious, Violet. She’s sharper, more intelligent, than you give her credit for.”
    â€œWell, I’m happy to avoid her completely,” I say. I don’t want to talk about Carnelian anymore.
    We kiss one last time before Sil gets in the cart and I climb up beside her.
    Raven raises one hand in farewell. Ash stays on the porch, watching the cart until we pass under the trees and the White Rose is swallowed up behind us.
    â€œYou certainly know how to wreak havoc,” Sil says.
    â€œI don’t want to fight with you, Sil,” I say wearily.
    She nods and gives the reins another flick. We ride the rest of the way in silence. I can’t help wondering—what if I’m too late? What if Hazel dies today? What if something is happening to her right now? Turnip’s pace is infuriatingly slow. The fields stretch out in rolling waves of yellowish brown, never changing.
    When we finally reach Bartlett Station, my back is aching from the tension. Sil waits with