Crewel

your heart.’
    ‘Aren’t they the same thing?’
    She smiles and the lines on her face soften. ‘How old are you?’
    ‘Sixteen.’
    ‘Most sixteen-year-olds,’ Loricel says, ‘don’t know the difference between love and desire. That’s how they keep Spinsters weaving, and why they test at such an early age. You’re blinded by silk and wine.’
    ‘I don’t care much for wine,’ I say flatly.
    ‘What do you care for?’ she asks, but before I can answer she continues. ‘Because that’s what they’ll go after.’
    My heart beats wildly, and I remember how easily Cormac pulled the surveillance of Amie walking to her new home from academy.
    ‘My sister,’ I whisper to myself.
    ‘They’ll find the others first. They’ll save her for last,’ Loricel says, shaking her head.
    ‘There are no others,’ I say.
    ‘Don’t be so sure of that. You might not know who they are, but the Guild does.’
    ‘Why do you care?’ I ask, not bothering to hide my curiosity. She’s nothing like I expected.
    ‘Because I once sat where you are, with a handsome, smarmy Guild official, and no one told me,’ she says, and the lines on her face reappear. With a curt nod, she strides away and disappears into the crowd.
    ‘That old witch scare you?’ Cormac asks, coming back over to me.
    I shake my head. ‘No, she doesn’t approve of me escorting you.’
    ‘She wouldn’t,’ he says.
    I’m forced to smile and pose for the cameras while the Cypress crowd mills about. There’s nothing natural about how they’re acting, and I wonder if they’ve been given Valpron for the evening to ensure our safety. When the ribbon flutters to the ground, I hand the scissors back to Cormac.
    ‘Your point’s been proved,’ I say, my words thick. Something about the audience’s lack of interest makes me feel the shame more acutely, as though I’m hurting for them because they can’t.
    ‘Oh, not yet,’ he whispers.
    I don’t bother to ask him what this means. I’m tired of his cryptic warnings and little jokes, so I turn back to the crowd and stare out across the sea of ebony hair. The citizens of Cypress look so similar, just like Pryana. I must look like a freak to them with my pale skin and fiery hair.
    And that’s when I spot her.
    Pale golden hair that wisps around her ears. A spot of light in the dark. She’s as bored as the rest of them. She’s also one of the only girls here tonight.
    Most of the others were killed.
    But she’s been rewoven, I think, to a more deserving family . And my actions placed her here, with a family that deserved a child in exchange for the one Maela’s hook stole.
    I don’t even think. I dash towards her. This actually elicits a response from the crowd. Men jump back and mothers snatch up toddlers from the ground. I must look insane, flying through the masses, my hair whipping behind me and my ankles barely keeping me straight up in my heels. All that matters is getting to her, and no one tries to stop me. They’re too surprised.
    When I reach her, a woman pulls her close to her side, and I look at her more carefully. Unlike the others, this surrogate mother regards me with fear. But Amie stares at me with blank curiosity. There’s no hint of recognition in her eyes. The eager greeting, the one she used to give me every day after academy, doesn’t spring from her lips.
    She has no idea who I am.
    ‘Amie,’ I whisper, stretching out my hand, and willing her to remember.
    ‘Her name is Riya,’ the woman informs me, her voice full of warning. ‘She’s my daughter.’
    ‘Her name is Amie,’ I challenge her under my breath.
    ‘My name is Riya,’ Amie repeats, mimicking the woman’s warning. But there’s a sadness in her tone. Not for herself, but for me – for the crazy girl whispering desperate lies in front of her.
    A warm hand touches my shoulder gently.
    ‘Come on,’ Jost says gruffly. ‘We need to go.’
    I look at him, barely able to see him through the veil of tears I’m trying to keep from falling. He leads me back to the waiting guard. Cormac is off somewhere, saying his farewells, but I’m sure he caught my little scene. Just like I’m sure he orchestrated this whole evening.
    ‘Are you okay?’ Jost asks.
    ‘Fine. It was a mistake,’ I lie to him.
    But I can tell from his face that he doesn’t buy it. ‘I have to check on Ambassador Patton. We’ll be leaving in a few minutes.’
    I try to let his words reassure me, but they don’t, so I open my own