Page 26 of Arch Conspirator
He wiped his hands off on a dish towel and turned to face me. He didn’t sit down, just leaned against the counter and folded his massive arms.
“Well? What are you here for?”
“Do you know what happened to her yesterday?”
“Heard she got caught trying to suck out Pol’s genes,” he said.
“And she was sentenced to execution via Trireme.”
“As I understand it, the word ‘execution’ was never used.”
My chest tightened.
“She’ll spend years alone in space,” I said. “And then starve to death up there.”
This, at least, seemed to sober him. He looked down at his toes.
“Yeah, I know,” he said. “Listen, she was never all that friendly to me, but I wouldn’t wish that on her. Or most anyone.”
“Well. I don’t intend to let it happen.”
The faucet was letting out a slow trickle of water thattap, tap, tapped on the bottom of the sink. Parth sized me up.
“How do you mean to stop it?” he said. “What your daddywants to happen pretty much does happen, dunno if you’ve noticed.”
“I don’t know how to stop it,” I said. “That’s why I’m here, talking to a rebel leader.”
Parth laughed.
“What gives you the idea I’mthat?”
“She did,” I said.
“She’s just some girl with busted wiring.”
“She said you were a smart guy who tried to look dumb,” I said.
He laughed again—deeper this time, like he really meant it. “Smart guys don’t commit treason, especially not in front of Kreon’s kid.”
“Well, I committed treason two nights ago, by setting off an explosion that gave Antigone her opportunity to use an Extractor,” I said. “So now you have a weapon against me. Maybe you won’t mind so much giving me one against you.”
“How would someone like you know how to set off an explosion?”
“I had a rebellious phase as a teenager,” I said. “Used to go to East Field, you know that empty lot in the Neïstan? I’d blow things up there. All you need is some fertilizer, and the High Commander’s house has plenty.”
“Shameful waste of fertilizer.”
“Like I said, I was a teenager. Not exactly thinking about conservation of resources at that age.”
A shout from the next room punctured our silence. I straightened, sure for a second that my father’s men had come to the apartment—but laughter followed, just the board game running its course. Parth waited for it to die down before he spoke.
“Say you could set off another explosion,” he said. “How would you time it?”
“There are ways,” I said. “The more important question is: time it for what purpose?”
“Do you know how an arch is built, Haemon?” Parth said. He pulled out the seat across from mine. It creaked under his weight. He put the heels of his hands on the table. “You build up the sides, so they curve up, like this.” He curved his hands so the heels stayed planted and the fingers arched over them. “And then you stick a rock right here at the middle.” He tapped his fingertips together. “We call that rock a cornerstone. It keeps the arch stable, so both sides are balancing against each other. But if you knock out the cornerstone…” He slapped the table with both palms. “Wham. Arch comes down. So you can either spend all your time chipping away at the little bricks, or…” He looked at me, one eyebrow raised. “… you can go straight for the one that really matters. See what I mean?”
I did, of course.
