Page 29 of The House of Quiet

Arrow sighs. “Maybe I don’t want to be partners if you didn’t notice how many extra steps it takes to get from the second floor to this one. I figured that out the very first night.”

“I haven’t been coming up here every day to play with my pet homing pigeons.”

Arrow folds her arms, feeling prickly. “I wasn’t going to let them starve. And I’ve been doing a good job being a maid.”

Birdie gives her a flat look.

“Fine, a passable job.”

A single eyebrow rises and Arrow regrets her decision not to murder Birdie. “How are we getting into the House Wife’s room, then?” she asks. “That’s got to be where the stairs are. I’ve checked every wall panel and looked for hidden spaces on the first, second, and fourth floors. Nothing.”

Birdie bites her lip. “I can pick locks, but the House Wife is always inside her room. We need to lure her out long enough for one of us to take a look.”

“I could set a fire,” Arrow says. “As distraction. The House Wife runs out, we run in.”

“Unless we get through that door and immediately find every single answer we’re looking for, we need to be able to stay in the house until we have a ride out through the impassable bog.”

“Do you have any better ideas?” Arrow demands. She came up the stairs thinking she was finished here, for better or worse. Mostly worse. Entirely worse, if she’s being honest. She would have had Birdie’s blood on her conscience forever, and left River behind with no explanation.

Birdie holds up her hands in a placating gesture. “A distraction is a good idea. I had limited options because I thought I was on my own in this. But if we’re partners…” She trails off, waiting for confirmation.

Arrow knows what Iron would tell her to do. Even if Birdie isn’t the right target, she knows too much now and is a liability. The fact that Birdie isn’t already dead is evidence that Arrow’s mother was right. Arrow isn’t cut out to be a termite.

Do you know why I named you Arrow? Mama asked, the night before she died, after yet another fight between them. Arrows fly straight and true once loosed, so be careful where you aim.

Killing Birdie is the only way to keep her secrets safe. But Arrow isn’t Iron, even if she did come here with terrible vengeance in her heart. She can’t just eliminate Birdie the way Iron got rid of whoever the original Minnow was. Besides, Birdie’s trying to save someone.

Just one person , Iron whispers in Arrow’s head. Against your entire country.

If the termites valued individual lives a little more, though, they would have taken better care of her mother. Arrow wouldn’t be alone. And she’s so tired of being alone. She wants an ally. A partner. A friend.

It doesn’t mean she’s giving up her knife. If she finds a person whose death will actually help the north, she won’t hesitate.

She hopes.

“You do know I’m an enemy to the entire south, right?

” Arrow asks. “Everything you know about the north is wrong. We were peaceful, and solitary, and happy, until the south discovered our coal stores and decided to ‘take care of us’ by grinding us into submission. If I help you, it will be to find out where the kids from the north were sent and get them back so we can take down theMinistry.”

Birdie nods. “I don’t blame you. And honestly, I don’t care about anything as long as I get Magpie back.”

“Then we understand each other.” Arrow holds out her hand. “My name’s Arrow, by the way.” It feels good to say it out loud, but also strangely traitorous. She should have told River first. She wanted to tell River first.

“Nice to meet you, Arrow. My first act as your partner is to inform you that Forest is right behind you and has been this whole time.”

Arrow whirls around. Sure enough, Forest looms, staring down at her with his upsettingly blue eyes.

“How are you that big and that stealthy?” she demands.

He shrugs.

She wants to punch him, just to get a reaction. “How can we trust him, though? He’s one of them .”

“Who is he going to tell? He won’t even write things down,” Birdie says. Then she addresses Forest. Her voice is tentative once more. “I wanted to talk to you about Magpie, so many times. But I was scared. We can trust you, though, can’t we?”

Forest nods.

Arrow fights panic. This is spinning out of her control. But maybe that’s a good thing. Birdie has no love for her country, and Forest seems to care only about Birdie. So as long as Arrow fits in with Birdie’s needs, Birdie will protect her. And when what they need diverges…

Well, Arrow will do what she has to.

“Come on,” Arrow says. “The others will miss us soon. Be thinking of a distraction. I’ll do the same. And you—” she says, pointing to Forest. “Next time you sneak up on me, I will stabyou.”

Arrow walks down the stairs. Birdie and Forest follow.

She feels another strange pang of longing, wishing it had been River up there, backing her up and knowing her truth.

But too many people know already. And no matter what River says or thinks, she’s not a revolutionary.

She’s a rich girl with bad luck. And Arrow’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to her.

Everything Arrow loves dies. She won’t do that to River. Let her die, or love her.