Page 21 of Born for Lace

I can’t let that happen to Maple’s baby. “How can I help him?”

“For now, you stay here.” Tomar stands, his height reminding me how short I am. “At The Bite. Wait out Redwind Whip. It happens every few months and can last some forty days. But”—he shrugs, trying to be light-hearted— “At least you’re away from the conflict at the Half-tower. You’re safe. The Trade doesn’t come here. When the wind settles, we will take you and Spero to the Common Community up north.”

I track him as he crosses the room, stopping at the door.

“We?” I ask.

He opens the door, revealing a carpeted, narrow hallway, reminding me of the corridor to the flat back home. “This is your room. Get settled. There are cans of food in the cupboards. Nothing fancy. I’ll try to find formula or milk. We’ll leave supplies for you outside your door. The toilet is down the hall, but the shower isn’t working. Some people bathe in the underground lake, but you can use the water from the sink if you prefer.”

Suspicion knots my stomach. It’s too much; Spero’s identity, the pressure, and Tomar’s kindness.

“I still can’t comprehend all this altruism from you. Why help me?”

“I’m helping Spero.” Tomar smiles smoothly. “It’s my Purpose, Lace Girl Dahlia, and now, it’s yours, too.”

And he closes the door.

I reach for it immediately and turn, sighing with heavy relief when the door creaks open a slither. It’s not locked.

I shut it again.

The door isn’t lockable from the inside, so after laying a mewling Spero on the bed, I slide a single wooden chair over to the door and wedge it under the handle.

Gazing around the space, I scrutinise it properly. No other doors and no windows, but the overhead light glows red, offering me some concept of time. It’s last-light. Having no other entrances actually makes me feel safe.

The room is a plain rectangular shape with a single spring bed, single chair now used as security, a basic two-person table, and a dull metal sink fastened to the wall. It is neat but not fancy, and it will do.

For a month.

I am going to be here, at The Bite, for a month or more…Oh. My.

Reality buckles my legs, dropping my backside to the mattress. This is my new life. The weight of my decision to leave the Half-tower suddenly grapples me.

I sit and panic. Every day of my life up until now has been known—one Purpose. Meticulous, routine, and easy…Each day,I wake up and accompany, relieve, and soothe my Ward.

And before that, I learned to sew, massage, clean, grow La Mu, make Lace Girl tea, and speak properly until the time came that I was gifted to a Ward.

Tomar’s statement chimes between my ears: ‘It’s my Meaningful Purpose, Lace Girl Dahlia, and apparently, it’s yours too, now.’

My eyes drift to the wriggling newborn incapable of anything. It is utterly useless and vulnerable. I’m not sure I’ve met anyone more vulnerable than a Common girl like me. Until now… My new Purpose.

Crawling up the bed, I settle beside him.How can you be an assassin? How could any decent human being hurt?—

That’s just it; theyaren’thuman beings. I often forget. Xin De aren’t human anymore. Over time, humans became so useless, with no claws and no flight, fragile and weak. Xin De are their own species, an evolved one, with animal traits engineered into human genes to aid in survival.

Spero is Xin De.

As I feed my finger into his palm, he grabs, holding me. My heart fills, and I smile.

Big, scary Xin De.

We have each other.

“I need to get you more, little baby. Nappies, clothes, and maybe even a toy, because you’re special.” I play with his hand. “And I don’t care if you’re supposed to grow up to be a big, mean Xin De assassin, I’ll always look at you like this. I’ll tell you about your mummy. How clever and pretty she was, how she let me follow her like a lamb, and made me feel…” I sigh. “Not easily forgotten.”

Spero squeaks as I talk.

“You don’t know this yet,” I say through a giggle. “I’m pretty but plain, apparently. Not very special or unique. Not like you, but I’ll do my best to raise you.”

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