Dissonance (41 page)

“We tell Mom and Dad. They'll tell the Consort, and the Consort will take care of it.”

They'd cleave him. “No Consort. We'll handle it ourselves.”

We pulled up to the house, and Addie hit the brakes so hard that I almost slid off the seat. “This is why Eliot told me first. You've seen the damage he's done. There's no way we can fix it without help.”

“Then we ask for help,” I said, running through the possibilities in my head. Only one stood out. “But not from the Consort.”

I
T'S DEFINITELY A
situation,” Monty said, once we were gathered around the kitchen table. He helped himself to another cookie. “You're positive it's the Lane boy? I met him, and he sounded fine.”

“The flaw in his frequency is so small, it's impossible to detect without computer analysis. But it's definitely there, and it's allowing other frequencies to interfere with the Key World,” Eliot said. “Because he's a natural pivot, he creates more Echoes than usual, and every one of them carries the flaw—so they're all more likely to destabilize. The longer the Echo has been around, the longer it can withstand the flaw, but the newer branches are more vulnerable.”

Addie chimed in. “Every time he interacts with Del in an Echo world, the signal there boosts—and his Original remembers it. It's like he goes into a trance here, and his entire consciousness is wherever he's engaging with her,” Addie said.

“Just you, Delancey? No other Walkers?”

“I'm the only one he knows.”

He chewed thoughtfully. “You're sure?”

“I'm not sure about anything,” I said. “Except that we have
to help him, Grandpa. If the Consort gets hold of him, it's the end of everything. His mom's really sick, and he's all she has.”

“And you'd miss him.”

I looked down at my coffee. I missed him already, but this was more important than my feelings.

“Look,” said Addie. “Not that Del's heart growing three sizes isn't great, but Simon is endangering the Key World. If we can't figure out a way to stop the damage, we have to tell the Consort. That's the rule. No exceptions.”

“I still don't understand why his frequency is off,” Eliot said. “Or how he was able to Walk with Del.”

“The last one, I can explain,” Monty said, getting up from the table and reaching for his hat. “Let's go find your boy, Del.”

Ten minutes later I was gathering my nerves on Simon's doorstep while Addie, Eliot, and Monty watched from the car.

“I don't want to fight again,” he said through the screen door.

“I'm not here to fight. The thing is—”

He spoke over me. “What you did was not okay.”

“I know.”

“I trusted you. I told you about my mom. I told you about my dad. You made me look like an idiot in front of the team. Every single truth you've told me, I had to drag out of you.”

I stared at the sunflower-strewn welcome mat.

“And I can't blame you.”

My head snapped up, and he said wryly, “Well, maybe a little. But I didn't give you much reason to trust me. You told me about the Walkers, and all I could think about was my
mom. And considering how I acted at school—three years, and I looked right past you—I wouldn't trust me either.”

“I do,” I whispered.

The faintest smile tugged at his mouth, and he put his hand against the screen. “That's a good start.”

I matched my palm to his, the contact warm through the cool mesh.

“There's something else you should know,” I said, and his smile faded. “Can we come in?”

“We?”

I pointed at Addie's car, idling at the curb.

He sighed and pushed open the door. I signaled to Addie, then turned back to Simon. “I really am sorry about this.”

“Good to see you again, Simon.” Monty stuck out his hand as the others filed in.

Simon shook it, giving me a faintly disbelieving look, like he couldn't believe we were going to waste time on social niceties.

“Where's your mom?” I said, keeping my voice low.

“Resting. We'll stay out here.”

I got the message. The back of the house, with its cheery kitchen and cozy family room, was off-limits for now. We still had ground to make up.

Addie spoke, brisk and businesslike. “There's a problem with your frequency. A flaw that gets progressively worse with each iteration of your Echoes. We don't know what's causing it, but we do know the result: Some of the Echoes you appear in are destabilizing, and the damage is now spreading to the Key World.”

He looked at her blankly.

“Something in your frequency is off,” I translated. “And it's causing problems across the multiverse. Big problems.”

Addie continued. “The damage is increasing to the point where the Consort will soon be able to track it back to you. If we can't solve the problem before they do . . . Del thinks you and your mother could be in danger.”

He looked at me for confirmation. I swallowed hard and nodded, expecting him to get angry again. Instead he regarded Addie coolly. “Delivery like that, you should consider a career in oncology.”

She inclined her head. “Someone here has to think straight, and we all know it's not going to be Del.”

I ignored her. “The Consort's going to figure it out soon. We don't have a ton of time, and we need your help.”

“I'm assuming you have a plan,” he said. Everyone was perched on the spindly furniture except for Simon, who stood at the door like he was about to throw us out again. Iggy padded in and made a beeline for me, resting his head on my knees.

“There's always a plan,” said Monty. “They don't usually work out like you'd expect.”

“You would know,” said Simon's mom. We turned in unison as she walked in, clad in yoga pants and one of Simon's old sweatshirts. “Hello, Montrose. I wondered if I'd see you again.”

“Hello, Amelia,” said Monty. “Wasn't sure you'd want to.”

W
HAT THE HELL?”
I said, and Eliot elbowed me. “You two know each other?”

Monty dipped his head. “How long has it been?”

Amelia clung to Simon's arm, her eyes red rimmed, the bright smile replaced by one more faded and resigned. And suddenly, I knew.

“Seventeen years,” I said. Every head in the room swiveled toward me.

“That's my girl,” Monty murmured.

“I don't understand,” Simon said.

“Seventeen years. That's how long my grandmother's been gone,” I said, edging closer to Simon, the way you would an animal about to bolt. “And so has your dad.”

“Del?” Eliot asked, putting it together. “Are you sure?”

“Sure about what?” Simon asked, his patience clearly at an end.

“Your dad's a Walker.” My certainty grew as I spoke.

Simon shook his head. “My dad
left
.”

“Same as my grandmother. When's your birthday?”

“January third.”

I looked at Addie, who shrugged. “Grandma disappeared on the ninth.”

“Not quite,” Monty corrected. “I needed to muddy the trail a bit. Give her a few days' head start.”

“I'm a Walker?” Simon said.

“Half Walker,” Addie said. “Half Original.
That's
why your signal's so strong.”

“And why you were able to Walk with me,” I said. “You can't find the pivots—you didn't get your dad's hearing—but you can move through them.”

Simon tensed, and I couldn't tell if it was to attack or run. “You can't ask for help like a normal person? You have to manipulate people? She's lying,” he said to his mom. “Isn't she?”

Amelia's mouth trembled, and she ran her hands over his shoulders, smoothing imaginary creases from his T-shirt.

“Mom?”

“We were so careful not to leave a trail,” she said. “Rose delivered you here at home. We never put your father's name on any records. We weren't even legally married.” She touched the gold band on her ring finger. “He hid us away as best he could, to keep us safe until the Consort was finished. When he didn't come back, it seemed safer to keep hiding.”

“The Consort discourages Walker-Original relationships because they weaken the genetic line,” Addie said. “They monitor the kids closely.”

Monty snorted. “If you believe that poppycock, Addison, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Those children aren't
monitored; they're taken—if they're lucky. And the child of a Free Walker—Gil Bradley's son, no less—would have been a special prize.”

“The Free Walkers?” Eliot said. “Don't they want to destroy the Key World, or something?”

“Hardly,” Monty replied. “They want to save the Echoes. Inversions aren't the only things that can be stabilized. You can tune entire Echoes, rather than cleave. Protect all those lives.”

“Echoes aren't alive,” Addie said. “There's nothing there to save.”

“Who taught you that? The Consort, because it serves their purposes. They'd rather sacrifice the Echoes for their own gain, so they lie and tell you cleaving's the only way.”

Eliot spoke. “You're saying the Consort has been systematically deceiving Walkers for . . . how long? Twenty years? That's impossible.”

“Nothing's impossible,” Monty said morosely. “This has gone on much longer than twenty years. Generation after generation, we've drifted further from the truth, until we've forgotten what we were meant for. The Consort's taken advantage, and the Free Walkers are working to stop them. They're not madmen, or anarchists, or whatever other stories you've been spoon-fed.”

“I don't care about Echoes,” Simon said in a voice hard as granite. “Whatever war you people are fighting has nothing to do with us.”

“But it does,” Amelia said, taking his hands in hers. “Your
father was one of the Consort's top navigators, but he'd been secretly organizing a group of Free Walkers to move against them. If they'd found out he had a child, they would have used you—used both of us—as leverage.”

“He bailed to protect us? You believe that? Mom, I know these people. They don't care about anything except themselves and their stupid Key World.”

“I thought you'd be quicker, son,” said Monty. “Your father didn't leave. He was taken by the Consort three days after you were born.”

“You're working with them,” Eliot said to Monty. “You're a Free Walker.”

“I did my part, back in the day.” Monty settled himself on the couch. “Once Rose was gone, there wasn't much point to it.”

Addie tore her gaze from Simon and Amelia. “You and Grandma? Both of you?”

“She and Gil worked together. When he was caught, we knew he'd be interrogated.” Monty grimaced, and Amelia pressed her hand to her mouth. “Chances were good they'd find out about Rose, so she ran.”

“I don't believe you,” said Addie. “If Grandma was a traitor, we would know. The Consort would have told us.”

“She wasn't a traitor,” Monty snapped, anger distorting his features. “She fought for the good. You've met Randolph Lattimer. He'd cut out his tongue before he admitted that some of their top people revolted.”

Addie's mouth opened and closed soundlessly.

“If you and Rose were both involved, why aren't you in prison?” Eliot's tone was cool and logical.

“Who says I'm not?” Monty said softly.

“That's why Lattimer wanted us to keep an eye on you,” Addie said. “And why security's so tight. They think Free Walkers are behind the anomaly. He was hoping you'd lead them to the Free Walkers.”

“Lattimer's a fool. If I knew how to find them, I would have by now. Would have found Rose, too.”

“Why didn't Grandma get in contact once the coast was clear?” I asked.

Monty sagged. “She got lost. She must have been terrified, and she ran so far and so fast, she couldn't find her way home.” He clutched my sleeve. “We can find her now, Del.”

I covered his hand with mine. I didn't want to tell him we'd be chasing a ghost. Nobody could survive in Echoes that long.

“Where's my dad?” Simon broke in. “You said the Consort took him. Where?”

After a beat, Monty said, “An oubliette, no doubt. One of our prisons.”

Eliot cleared his throat apologetically. “This doesn't change the fact Simon is a threat to the Key World.”

“You're looking at it wrong,” said Monty. “He's not weakening the Key World; he's strengthening the Echoes. The boy's signal is so strong, he even triggers Baroque events.”

“That's exactly the problem,” Addie said. “There's a flaw in his frequency making them unstable. If you start with ten bad
Echoes, and you combine them, you end up with one really, really unstable Echo.”

“Easier to tune one world than ten,” Monty said. “We can use him. Take him into the worst of the Echoes, trigger a Baroque event, and tune the remaining branch. We do enough, and the problems with the Key World will disappear.”

“Hold on,” I said. “You want to take Simon into the Echoes?”

“Fastest way to do it,” he said. “And the Consort's getting closer every day.”

“It's a temporary fix,” Eliot warned. “The flaw in his frequency will keep causing problems. We need to know what's causing it.”

“This buys us time to find out,” I replied.

Silence fell as we mulled it over. Amelia lowered herself into a chair, hands clasped in her lap.

Then Simon spoke, his voice razor edged. “Del? Kitchen?”

Amelia's tea, steeping on the counter, had gone cold. A book of crossword puzzles lay next to it. The table was covered in Simon's school papers, and I could picture the two of them joking around as he worked. Our arrival had stolen the moment from them, and I wondered if they would ever reclaim it.