Page 73 of The Flame

“No, it isn’t.”

Once we’d transferred the rest of our stuff from the car to the basement, I turned to Lisa. “Before you go, do you have an iComm? I need to get a message to Roman and if I use mine, then Genevawillknow I’m still here in Capra.”

“Yeah, I don’t have it with me, though.”

“I’ll write down the number for you.” I knelt to delve into my bag for a pen and paper, and quickly scribbled down my citizenship number. “Here you go.”

Lisa took the paper, and stood there, studying my hastily scrawled penmanship.

“What’s wrong? Can’t you read my writing?”

She folded the paper and looked at me, her eyes bright. “What happens when you free the guard and disappear into The Smoke?”

“It’ll be fine,” I assured her. “Roman has an apartment there. It’s not that bad. We’ll get Daniel sorted out and if you need to get out of Capra, we’ll have a place for you.”

She shook her head. “What happens with your whispers?”

“Oh.” Everyone looked at me, waiting, but I didn’t have anything profound to say. “I hope the whispers continue. I hope one day they’ll bring about proper change here.”

“What if that day could be tomorrow?” she said. “What if you could get your words out to everyone, every citizen in Capra, in one big, final splash?”

“What are talking about?” Daniel scoffed.

“Geneva has a newsletter scheduled to go out tomorrow,” Lisa told him. “I’m the one who gets them printed and stacked, and I usually do the hand-off for delivery in the morning.”

She looked at me. “I could fit something in there, hide it between her paragraphs. Only a couple of lines, so it’s not too noticeable. It’s worth a try?”

My skin tingled with a feverish thrill, with the enormity of what she was suggesting, with the fantastical notion that we could actually pull off something like that. “It’s too risky for you. They’ll know you’re responsible.”

“I won’t be here to take the blame.” Lisa folded her arms, feet apart, standing her ground. “I can’t stay in Capra once you let that guard go. I don’t trust my mother to protect me. She’ll fight for me, but will she fight hard enough, harder than Geneva? I wish I believed she would, but I don’t have that kind of faith in her.”

“You’re sure?”

She bobbed her head. “Absolutely positive. And if I’m leaving, I intend to go out on a bang.”

I grinned at Daniel. “What do you say?”

He groaned. “Roman is going to kill me again, isn’t he?”

“How many lines do I have?” I asked Lisa.

“Six?” She fluttered her hand. “Maybe seven? I’d give you half a page if I thought we’d get away with it.”

I sat cross-legged on the ground and grabbed a fresh piece of paper. The words I most wanted whispered had already been written for my small audience. Now they’d go out to Capra…with a call to action.

We had the council. Now we have the Sisters of Capra. The old world leaders were elected by the people and held accountable to the people. WHAT DO YOU WANT?

The Eastern Coalition was founded to preserve the human race. Capra, in particular, was established to preserve civilization, the customs and traditions of the old world, the parts lost in the chaos. You lost your voice in that chaos, too, and Capra should be charged with preserving it. This is my belief. If you believe with me, gather in the town square today at 9 am and let our voices join into a roar that cannot be silenced. And once you have your voice back, it is yours to use as you will ~ The Flame (Georga West)

“You guys are crazy, you know that?” Jessie exclaimed when she saw the note.

She wasn’t wrong. I had to say, though, her cheeks were flushed with the same fever running through my blood. She wasn’t in a hurry to leave, but I convinced her to ride back into town with Lisa.

Daniel and I made our way up the short flight of basement stairs into the house, looking for livable space to spend the night. The entrance hall was marble floors and pillars, with a wide stairway winding gracefully up to the top floor. The space was light and airy with tall ceilings and walls of stained glass windows.

“The library will probably be most comfortable,” Daniel said, taking me through to a carpeted room with wood-paneled walls.

I noted the large window with no drapes. “We won’t be able to turn any lights on when it gets dark.”

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