Read Online Wings of Sorrow and Bone by Beth Cato - Free Book Online Page B

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    â€œGood. You shouldn’t be near him, and you certainly shouldn’t ride him,” snapped Rivka. “That was your plan from the start, wasn’t it? You never cared about saving the gremlins. It was all about your being a gallant mecha jockey like your brother.”
    Tatiana recoiled as if struck. “I wanted to be a jockey, yes, but I care about the gremlins. Riding on Lump is part of the grand plan to save them!”
    â€œThen please, share this grand plan,” said Rivka.
    Â­â€œPeople need to see chimeras in a different way, as something more than monsters. They only know gremlins for stealing silver and food. They can cheer for Lump!”
    Broderick shook his head. ­“People may cheer, but they cheer for the all-­metal mechanical beasts out there, too. If Lump is injured, they’ll cheer even louder. It’s all entertainment.”
    Public opinion mattered. Rivka might not be able to convince Mr. Cody and Miss Arfetta of their wrongness, but what if her voice was one of a multitude?
    â€œHow can we get ­people to understand that chimeras aren’t really monsters?” she slowly asked.
    â€œBut they are monsters. Don’t look at me like that.” Broderick held up his hands. “I’m not saying they deserve this treatment. You know I don’t believe that. But behemoth chimeras are made to be both vicious and intelligent. The first big chimera killed and injured scads of men. Every time I go inside that circle these days, I wonder if I’m next.”
    â€œSee, Rivka? That’s why I need your help!” said Tatiana.
    â€œWhy do you say that?” Broderick asked, looking between them.
    Rivka shrugged, a bit embarrassed by her own initial idiocy. “The first day we found the laboratory, I walked right up to Lump and petted him. He purred.”
    â€œReally?” His expression brightened. “No snapping, no lunging? That’s curious. That doesn’t mean you can let down your guard, though.”
    â€œSo it’s a good thing we’ll have a medician with us, isn’t it?” Tatiana smiled at him. He didn’t smile back.
    â€œI still don’t see how riding him in the Arena will help,” said Rivka.
    â€œWe’ll figure that out.” Tatiana flicked her wrist as she turned toward the stairs.
    â€œNo.” Rivka lunged to grab her by the shoulder. “You’re not going to dismiss the issue like that. This isn’t about you, Tatiana. This is about Lump and the other gremlins. If you ride Lump in the Arena, we give Mr. Cody exactly what he wants. For him, it would make the deaths of the little gremlins worthwhile. Plus, it encourages more scientists to do the same awful thing.”
    â€œWait,” said Broderick, “Mr. Cody might not be the only one who gets what he wants from this. If you two really can work with Lump to get him Arena-­ready, that plays into what you need, too: continued access over these next few weeks. It gives you more time.”
    â€œThere’s a problem with that,” said Rivka. “Miss Arfetta gave me the chuck.”
    Tatiana grinned. “Miss Arfetta left already. Mr. Cody doesn’t mind if you’re in there, he said so before he departed. He thinks it’d do you good to see the mechanist’s limb construction up close before the shielding skin goes over it.”
    Mr. Cody was setting out bait for Rivka despite all she said before. Why? What did he want from her? Could they really outmanipulate a politician of his caliber? “What if Miss Arfetta comes back?”
    â€œIf both legs are done, she won’t return today,” said Broderick. “She has a hair appointment this afternoon.” Rivka stared at him, hoping he was being facetious. He didn’t smile. “I’m the one who works down there much of the time, not her.”
    â€œSee? That awful woman is gone, so come help me!