Liza had already linked arms with Sophia. Kaleb stayed a little behind them. He let the girls grow closer to one another.
Sophia's observations fell on fertile ground. On the way home, Kaleb kept thinking that even if Liza's name could somehow be placed into the drawing, the chances of them becoming a lifelong pair would still be painfully small. And that knowledge burned and gnawed at the boy's soul.
Even while assessing possible escape routes, Sophia had correctly deduced where the inhabited part of the settlement must be. After they passed the windmill, neat houses followed. From Kaleb's earlier explanations, she knew she had to watch the moss growing on the walls.
These houses, however tidy they were, were not yet covered in moss.
Perhaps we're in the servants' quarters now, she thought, but she did not ask.
She also noticed how empty the streets were. That, however, she could not leave unquestioned.
"Where is everyone at this hour?" she asked politely, a little shyly.
As she spoke, she smiled. After a moment, Liza glanced back. Kaleb caught his eyes from her far too quickly and far too suspiciously, as if he had not been staring at her the entire way.
"It's nearly dinner time," Liza replied lightly. "The servants' quarters are empty then. In the mossier houses, they're carrying out their evening duties."
Sophia's assumption had been correct. They were still in the servants' quarters.
"And during the day, what do people usually do here?" Sophia continued curiously.
Kaleb had been silent the entire way, but now, on this subject, he offered Sophia a long and cordial explanation.
"The servants perform their duties. The household members, depending on their age… The children study with tutors in the mornings. Those tutors are servants as well. In the afternoons, they go with their parents to Drakthor's estate, where they receive special training."
"What kind of training?" Sophia asked in amazement.
What Kaleb told her next surpassed all her expectations.
"Some stand out through physical strength. Others possess different abilities. The children practice those in the afternoons."
"What kind of special abilities could children here possibly have?" Sophia asked further.
"They might have healing powers, be able to cast the evil eye, or read other people's thoughts," Kaleb replied with a laugh.
Sophia did not understand what amused him so much.
"Well, we don't actually know anyone with healing powers, mind reading, or the evil eye. But Drakthor has been searching for such abilities in children ever since Mirael was taken—or killed—by that force."
"I already told you that that force, or whatever it was, didn't kill Mirael," Sophia said.
She was beginning to tire of the boy repeating what his father's shepherds had said.
"Fine," Kaleb corrected himself. "After something attacked them, and the carriage took Mirael away."
"Having such abilities must be a great burden anyway," Sophia remarked conciliatorily.
"That's easy for you to say, considering you dropped into a river out of nowhere," Kaleb replied. "Who knows what else you might be capable of with that kind of practice."
Sophia had not even considered that. Indeed, she might possess other abilities as well. From Aisling's and Rhys's memories, they already knew that each of the Twelve had their own peculiar gift—and that all of them were necessary to accurately target space and time during their journeys.
She fell silent for a moment.
"Maybe Drakthor knows exactly what he's doing when he looks for these abilities in children every afternoon," she said quietly.
"Ever since I saw you splash into the river out of nothingness, it doesn't seem quite so funny anymore that Drakthor spends his afternoons doing that," Kaleb added thoughtfully.
"I think he knows very well what he's doing," Sophia said.
They exchanged glances. All three of them wanted to know what had led Drakthor to seek out individuals with unusual abilities.
"There's no sign of deprivation here," Sophia observed.
For the first time since meeting Sophia and hearing about her future world, Kaleb felt proud of his own.
"Resources are distributed well," he replied proudly. "There's no one who goes to the Estate and doesn't receive what they need."
Only the rights aren't distributed fairly, Sophia thought as she looked at Liza.
Naturally, she also pitied Kaleb, who had no say at all in choosing a lifelong partner.
"That drawing isn't just unfair—it's a stupid idea," she said aloud.
A shadow crossed Kaleb's face again.
Liza answered instead.
"It's not such a stupid idea, Sophia. It all started because of housing. Long ago, people had to choose between two bad options. They valued appearances more than one another. There were conflicts over the mossier houses. That's when many people were moved into the servants' quarters… after committing terrible acts. Even now, some are envious, but disputes over the mossier houses ended instantly."
Sophia was stunned. She could hardly believe that people had once fought over moss-covered houses, and that such a drastic decision had been necessary to put an end to it.
Was Liza's family moved into the servants' quarters during those times as well? the thought crossed her mind.
Of course, she did not dare ask Liza openly. Perhaps later, when they knew each other better. Kaleb had said that no one remembered what Liza's family had done. It was possible that not even Liza's relatives knew why they had been placed in the servants' quarters.
She also did not ask what the servants' children learned—because she thought she already knew. She had no idea how wrong she was.
Soon they turned into a narrower street and walked leisurely uphill. Sophia saw that the houses here were now thickly covered in moss. She didn't know which quarter this was, nor which one Kaleb's family belonged to. But since the houses were already so mossy and they still hadn't reached his home, she was certain his family was held in high regard.
"We used to live here," Kaleb said, pointing at one of the houses.
"Did Drakthor reward your family for something since then?" Sophia asked politely.
"Yes. Two years ago, my father found something by the river—around the time Mirael disappeared. It was so important to Drakthor that we were allowed to move two quarters closer to the mossiest district."
It wasn't a secret.
"What did he find?" Sophia asked eagerly.
"Unfortunately, I don't know. He went straight to Drakthor with it—or with the information. He couldn't tell us, because he swore an oath of secrecy, and that's taken very seriously here. If someone swears an oath and breaks it—even over something trivial—Drakthor imprisons them. Only oath-breakers and suspicious strangers loitering near the river are kept in the castle dungeon. The loiterers are released after questioning, but oath-breakers wait years for a hearing. Drakthor hates oath-breakers."
"Well, on that point, I agree with him," Sophia said with a grin.
"Oh come on," Kaleb teased her. "Up until now, it seemed like you questioned everything he did. And now suddenly you agree with him?"
"If he's right, then he's right," Sophia replied firmly. "A person should have enough integrity to stand by what they promise."
It was true that just a day earlier she had hated Drakthor, having decided he was chiefly responsible for the Twelve's and the Society's entire ordeal. But now that she was so close to his world—and he had become a real person—she was more interested in understanding why he did what he did.
Sophia was convinced that Kaleb's father had found the symbol. What else could have been so important to Drakthor?
"You should also know that when someone is punished and moved to a less mossy house, matters of honor are considered settled," Liza added. "No one ever mentions the incident again."
Then she hurried ahead. She fumbled a bit at one of the gates, then stepped inside.
"Do you live here?" Sophia asked.
"Oh no," Kaleb laughed. "One of Liza's friends lives here. The two of them are always exchanging sweets."
By the time they reached the gate, Liza was already hurrying back out, holding a small basket of doughnuts. She proudly displayed her prize.
Kaleb reached for a crisp, fresh doughnut, but Liza hid the basket behind her back.
"Only after dinner, Kaleb!"
Guest or not, Sophia didn't receive a doughnut either.
"Everyone can have plenty after dinner," Liza declared strictly.
From there, it was only a few more minutes' walk to Kaleb's home.