“Did you just now notice it, Forest?”
He only smiled as he stepped into the street. Newspaper tucked beneath his arm, he turned and melted into the crowd.
Iris stood there awhile longer, trying to tame her worries. Worries about Forest and Sarah, Tobias and his parents. Marisol and Lucy and Keegan, still on the city outskirts. About Roman, and what he would think when Iris and Attie failed to show at their appointed meet-up.
She traced the iron key, hidden in her trouser pocket.
“Are you about ready to go?”
Iris glanced behind to see Attie walking down the front steps to join her at the curb.
“I think so.”
“There’s porridge and eggs on the table if you want any. Papa insisted on everyone eating a good meal before we set off.”
“I’m not sure I can eat at the moment.”
“Same.” Attie grew quiet, shielding her eyes against the morning rays. “It’s strange to say this out loud, but I didn’t know what I would think.”
“About what?”
“About how many of our neighbors packed all their valuables in a valise and went north.”
Iris was quiet, watching people pass by. Families arriving from the northern side of the river, families fleeing from the south side. Some people who were simply spinning in circles, confused and weeping. Some people who acted like everything was normal, attempting to carry out their daily routines.
She had overheard a few panicked individuals say all southern gates and waypoints out of the city had also been barricaded and blocked by Dacre’s army. No one could leave Oath; they could only choose which side of the river to shelter on.
“I thought more people I knew would refuse to kneel to Dacre, but I suppose I was wrong.” Attie shrugged, but Iris could tell how hurt and sad she was.
“Sometimes,” Iris began, “I don’t think we know what we’re made of until the worst moment possible happens. Then we must decide who we truly are and what is most important to us. I think we’re often surprised by what we become.”
They stood shoulder to shoulder for a while longer, silently lost to thought.
Attie finally broke the quiet. “Here. This is for you.” She pressed a smooth and sticky ball into Iris’s hands.
“What’s this?”
“Wax for your ears,” Attie explained. “As much as I want you to hear me play, it’ll be best if you don’t. I don’t want you falling asleep on me.”
Iris hadn’t even thought of that, but she shivered in relief. Of course she also would be vulnerable to the spell of Attie’s music if she heard it below, and she tucked the wax away into her pocket for later.
“Will you play ‘Alzane’s Lullaby’ for me when this is over?” Iris asked. “Aboveground, that is.”
Attie smiled. “I promise.”
* * *
A ten-minute walk took nearly half an hour.
Iris held Ainsley’s hand as they followed the path Mr. Attwood forged for them through the teeming streets. He carried a small caddy with Lilac, who emitted a steady stream of plaintive meows, inside. Attie was close behind, her youngest brother perched on her back, her violin case strapped to her chest. Mrs. Attwood’s fingers were woven with those of both twins, one on each side. But it was still a difficult feat to stay together as they jostled shoulders with strangers and tripped over abandoned items in the streets. As they went with the flow as well as fought against it.
Iris’s knees felt like water, her clothes damp with perspiration, when they finally reached the McNeils’ front door.
Mrs. Attwood rang the bell, but Attie was already shaking her head.
“It doesn’t look like they’re here, Mum.”
“Let me knock, then. I don’t think they would go north…”
Iris studied the house. The shutters were bolted shut. No lights were on. The door was locked.
Mrs. Attwood slumped as the truth sank in, her face creasing with worry.
“We can find another place,” Attie said confidently. “What about the museum?”
The museum was as enchanted as it was spacious. A building with hardly any windows. It would also provide some distraction as the hours passed.
“A good choice,” Mr. Attwood said. Lilac mewed in agreement. “But we need to hurry. It’s going to be a long walk in this traffic.”
“We need to leave a note for Tobias and Forest first.” Attie opened her violin case to pull out a sheet of music.
Iris found a tube of lipstick in a discarded purse, handing it to Attie. She wrote in big red letters over the musical score: TOBIAS & FOREST, WE ARE AT THE MUSEUM!! before she pressed the sheet to the McNeils’ front door with a piece of the wax she had given Iris.